Lucius Julius Caesar (c. 134 – 87 BC) was a Roman statesman and general of the late second and early first century BC. He was involved in the downfall of the

plebeian tribune Tribune of the plebs, tribune of the people or plebeian tribune ( la, tribunus plebis) was the first office of the Roman state that was open to the plebeians, and was, throughout the history of the Republic, the most important check on the power o ...

Lucius Appuleius Saturninus Lucius Appuleius Saturninus (died late 100 BC) was a Roman populist and tribune. He is most notable for introducing a series of legislative reforms, alongside his associate Gaius Servilius Glaucia and with the consent of Gaius Marius, during the ...

in 100 BC. He was

consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states throu ...

of the

Roman Republic The Roman Republic ( la, Res publica Romana ) was a form of government of Rome and the era of the classical Roman civilization when it was run through public representation of the Roman people. Beginning with the overthrow of the Roman Ki ...

in 90 BC during the Social War. During the war he commanded several Roman legions against the Italian Allies (turned rebels). He was awarded a Triumph for his victories on the Samnites at Acerrae.

Career

He was elected

praetor Praetor ( , ), also pretor, was the title granted by the government of Ancient Rome to a man acting in one of two official capacities: (i) the commander of an army, and (ii) as an elected '' magistratus'' (magistrate), assigned to discharge vari ...

for 94 BC, though no evidence exists for his previous occupation of the roles of

quaestor A ( , , ; "investigator") was a public official in Ancient Rome. There were various types of quaestors, with the title used to describe greatly different offices at different times. In the Roman Republic, quaestors were elected officials who ...

and

aedile ''Aedile'' ( ; la, aedīlis , from , "temple edifice") was an elected office of the Roman Republic. Based in Rome, the aediles were responsible for maintenance of public buildings () and regulation of public festivals. They also had powers to ...

. In 93 BC, as propraetor, he was

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

of Macedonia.

Consulship and Social War

At the end of 91 BC he ran for the consulship and was elected one of the two consuls for 90 BC.Philip Matyszak, ''Cataclysm 90 BC'', p. 81. He was allotted the fight against the southern group of rebels while his consular colleague Publius Rutilius Lupus fought the northern group.

Lucius Cornelius Sulla Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix (; 138–78 BC), commonly known as Sulla, was a Roman general and statesman. He won the first large-scale civil war in Roman history and became the first man of the Republic to seize power through force. Sulla had ...

, the later dictator, acted as one of Lucius Caesar's lieutenants (probably his senior

legate Legate may refer to: * Legatus, a higher ranking general officer of the Roman army drawn from among the senatorial class :*Legatus Augusti pro praetore, a provincial governor in the Roman Imperial period *A member of a legation *A representative, ...

because at the end of the campaigning season Lucius Caesar left Sulla in command of his army). Lucius Caesar sent a force of two legions to head off rebel reinforcements to the Italians besieging Aesernia, but they were

defeated Defeated may refer to: * "Defeated" (Breaking Benjamin song) * "Defeated" (Anastacia song) *"Defeated", a song by Snoop Dogg from the album ''Bible of Love'' *Defeated, Tennessee, an unincorporated community *''The Defeated ''The Defeated'', al ...

and retreated with the loss of 2,000 men. After regrouping his army and having received some reinforcements, Lucius Caesar marched against the Samnite consul

Gaius Papius Mutilus Gaius Papius Mutilus was a Samnite noble who is best known for being the leader of the southern rebels who fought against the army of Rome in the Social War of 91-88 BC (also known as the Italic War); was member of the clan Variani/Varriano.Horn ...

who was moving towards Acerrae. Mutilus made a direct assault on Lucius Caesar's camp, but was driven back with the loss of 6,000 men. It was the first substantial defeat of the rebels during the war. Lucius Caesar now tried to move to Aesernia again. He marched his army through the Volturnus valley, but was ambushed at a rocky defile called the Melfa Gorge. Since the Romans were expecting an ambush they were prepared and able to fight their way out of the trap to the nearby town of Teanum.Philip Matyszak, ''Cataclysm 90 BC'', p. 96. Caesar lost some 8,000 of his 30,000 infantry, but the army stayed intact and continued to Acerrae. The Romans were not able to raise the siege of Acerrae but they were able to raise the defenders spirit and so they held out. At the end of the campaigning season, Lucius Caesar left his army in winter quarters in Campania (under the command of Sulla) while he returned to Rome to propose legislation (the ''Lex Julia de civitate Latinis et sociis danda'') which gave Roman citizenship to any Italian who had not taken up arms against the Romans.Philip Matyszak, ''Cataclysm 90 BC'', p. 99; Lynda Telford, ''Sulla: A Dictator Reconsidered'', p. 90. This marked the turning point of the war. For his victory over Mutilus, Lucius Caesar was awarded a

Triumph The Roman triumph (Latin triumphus) was a celebration for a victorious military commander in ancient Rome. For later imitations, in life or in art, see Trionfo. Numerous later uses of the term, up to the present, are derived directly or indirectl ...

. Having finished his year as consul Lucius Caesar handed over to his successor and departed for Picenum where he served as a senior legate to

Gnaeus Pompeius Strabo Gnaeus Pompeius Strabo (c. 135 – 87 BC) was a Roman general and politician, who served as consul in 89 BC. He is often referred to in English as Pompey Strabo, to distinguish him from his son, the famous Pompey the Great, or from Strabo the g ...

. In 89 BC Lucius or his relative Sextus (the sources are not clear) inflicted a great defeat on the rebels outside Asculum by falling on the enemy while they were shifting to new camp-grounds killing 8,000 and routing the rest. Lucius Caesar also became censor in 89 and due to the success of the Julian Law, became responsible for allocating new citizens into voting districts, but was unable to do so due to continuing civil strife. His colleague in this task was a former consul, Publius Licinius Crassus (father of triumvir

Marcus Licinius Crassus Marcus Licinius Crassus (; 115 – 53 BC) was a Roman general and statesman who played a key role in the transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire. He is often called "the richest man in Rome." Wallechinsky, David & Wallace, I ...

Death

Lucius Caesar and his brother, Gaius Julius Caesar Strabo Vopiscus, were killed in 87 BC during the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polici ...

between

Gaius Marius Gaius Marius (; – 13 January 86 BC) was a Roman general and statesman. Victor of the Cimbric and Jugurthine wars, he held the office of consul an unprecedented seven times during his career. He was also noted for his important refor ...

and Lucius Cornelius Sulla.Lynda Telford, ''Sulla: A Dicatator Reconsidered'', p. 114. After Sulla had left for the East to fight against Mithridates of Pontus, Marius returned from banishment and started executing his political opponents.Lynda Telford, ''Sulla: A Dicatator Reconsidered'', pp 113-114. Lucius and Gaius were among his first victims. According to

Livy Titus Livius (; 59 BC – AD 17), known in English as Livy ( ), was a Roman historian. He wrote a monumental history of Rome and the Roman people, titled , covering the period from the earliest legends of Rome before the traditional founding in ...

, their heads were displayed on pikes on the speaker's platform (the

Rostra The rostra ( it, Rostri, links=no) was a large platform built in the city of Rome that stood during the republican and imperial periods. Speakers would stand on the rostra and face the north side of the comitium towards the senate house and de ...

) in the Forum.

Family

His children, by his wife Fulvia,

Napoleon III Napoleon III (Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was the first President of France (as Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte) from 1848 to 1852 and the last monarch of France as Emperor of the French from 1852 to 1870. A neph ...

''Histoire de Jules César'' Volume 1, p. 253
Paris: H. Plon 1865 were Lucius Julius Caesar, who was consul in 64 BC, and

Julia Julia is usually a feminine given name. It is a Latinate feminine form of the name Julio and Julius. (For further details on etymology, see the Wiktionary entry "Julius".) The given name ''Julia'' had been in use throughout Late Antiquity (e.g ...

, who would later become the mother of

Mark Antony Marcus Antonius (14 January 1 August 30 BC), commonly known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman politician and general who played a critical role in the transformation of the Roman Republic from a constitutional republic into the au ...

References

* His coinage: http://www.wildwinds.com/coins/rsc/julia/i.html

External links

Livius.org: Lucius Julius Caesar
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Julius Caesar, Lucius (consul 664 AUC) 130s BC births 87 BC deaths 2nd-century BC Romans 1st-century BC Roman consuls Ancient Roman generals Assassinated Roman politicians Roman censors Roman governors of Macedonia Roman Republican praetors Lucius (consul 664 AUC) Year of birth uncertain