When I started this blog, I was wondering what to do with my Twitter account name.
I thought that a person in world history would be nice, but there were too many candidates.
After thinking for a moment, I immediately thought that there was only Caesar.
Thanks to that, I was often referred to as "Caesar-san" on the internet.
Caesar is the name of a hero who shines in the history of the world.
What does a person do to make him a hero?
You can't just be strong in battle, you can't just have political power, you can't just be smart.
The hero, Julius Caesar, is the one who has all of them, is lucky, is full of charm, is full of charisma, and has brought light to the times.
This time I would like to write about the life of Caesar.
It's going to be a long article, but I hope you read about my favorite Caesar.
Born in the prestigious Julia gens from ancient times
The Julia family has a long history.
As for how long it is, its origin is so long that it dates back to the Roman royal era around the 7th century BC.
However, the number of times the Julia gens issued the consul (consul), the highest best in Rome, for the traditional masters is very small.
The person who became a consul in the history of about 550 years until about 100 BC when Caesar was born is about one other person with his uncle Lucius Julius, and although the history of the Julius family is long, the actual situation May not be called a prestigious one.
However, it seems that some of his ancestors were active in the Second Punic War, and from the battle at that time, the name Caesar, which means elephant in Carthaginian, was given, and it became the family name as it was. ..
Uncle Lucius Julius was the proponent of the "Lex Julius Caesis" that ended the Social War and had a good relationship with Marius, who was in power at the time.
Marius herself is married to Lucius Julius' sister, and Marius becomes Caesar's uncle in law.
Caesar's father has few names in history and is only known to be an experienced Puetria (legal officer). Let's call it a person who has made a decent career but couldn't make it. He may have been a mediocre person because he has no particular achievements. One mother came from a family of scholars called the Aurelius family and was a very well-educated woman named Aurelia.
Although he was a talented strategist and politician, Caesar could be said to have inherited his writer's background from his mother.
It is said that his education was probably given by his mother.
In Rome at that time, it was the mainstream and brand to have a Greek tutor, but it seems that the Julius family did not have that much economic power, and the Caesar tutor was a Gaul from Alexandria, Egypt. That is.
It may be said that this experience helped the Gallic expedition later.
The bloody battle between Marius and Sulla
When Caesar was about to enter his youth, Rome was divided into two by the confrontation between the civilian sect led by Marius and the sulla sect led by Sulla.
Marius once defeats and escapes to North Africa, but Sulla occupies Rome with a chance to travel to Greece.
The person who guided Marius at this time was Kinna, and Caesar was married to Kinna's daughter at the age of 17.
My uncle, Marius, evoked a storm in Roman territory and slaughtered 50 senators, including his uncle Lucius Julius, and countless other Roman citizens. An incident occurs in which he dies soon.
It's unclear if he witnessed the incident, but Caesar has been extremely poor at seeing blood since then. For better or for worse, this incident had a great impact on Caesar's personality.
Eventually, Sulla, who had solved the problems of the east, advanced his army to Rome. Sulla himself was a genius tactician, but the sulla army, which was solidified by Pompey, one of the best geniuses in Roman history, and Sulla, who later suppressed the Spartacus turmoil, was very strong, with the common people of the remnants of the Marius faction. After a fierce battle, Sulla takes control of Rome.
Sulla's crackdown on the civilians was tremendous, and it rained blood again in Rome, and he even made a list of civilian figures, thoroughly enforced the notification system, and even gave a bounty to the reporter.
Initially Caesar was on the list, but people around him told Sulla to remove Caesar's name. In the first place, Caesar is still in a year when he can't do anything.
At that time, Sulla sighed and said to the people around him.
"Don't you guys know that there are 100 Marius among those guys?"
With outstanding talent, Sulla saw Caesar's talent. However, Caesar did not cooperate with Marius, and he had his uncle killed by Marius. Perhaps Sulla thought the execution was overkill, he decided to pardon Caesar on the condition that he divorced Kinna's daughter.
However, Caesar refused this and decided to flee abroad.
I think it's Caesar.
If you are a hundred people, you will not get a petition for life. Next, if you are an average person, you will get divorced here.
But Caesar was not. Caesar was forced to flee the vast Roman territory because of this, and sometimes he caught a cold in a cave and fell asleep with fever. He would have sipped muddy water.
Still, I think his attitude against the powers of the time is still a hero, even at the risk of his life.
What if Sulla's rival was Caesar? Or what if Caesar's rival was Sulla? However, it is decided that Caesar will win such a thing.
Sulla is undoubtedly one-handed in the 1000-year history of Rome. But Caesar is definitely one of the top five in the history of the world, not to mention Rome, for thousands of years. The dimension is different, not the level.
Caesar would be on the side of the common people without any meaningless purge. The size of the vessel is too different between Sulla and Caesar who shed wasted blood.
Sulla's death, return to Rome, and to Rhodes
Caesar had a humiliating escape, but was able to return to Rome with the death of Sulla. Most of Caesar's family had been purged, but it was fortunate for Caesar that his mother, Aurelia, and his wife and daughter were still alive, and that his mother's parents, the Aurelius family, were still alive. ..
With the death of Sulla, anti-Sulla people attack, but Caesar is not in tune with this move. Caesar must have been a genius to see people as well as a genius to see opportunities. After all, all the people who started the counterattack at this time failed. Caesar has a section where failure was visible.
Caesar started a lawyer in Rome, but his skill as a lawyer seems to have been poor and he has lost a series of battles. This is in contrast to rival Cicero, who was his current lawyer and won a series of victories. People are not suitable. Only lawyers are not suitable for Caesar.
It may be said that he was impatient, but at this time Caesar accused a person named Drabella, who was also an experienced consul, and failed. Caesar begins studying abroad on Rhodes Island in the Aegean Sea, and unfortunately, he is caught by a pirate along the way.
Pirates became more frequent in Greece during this period, especially Roman citizens. Behind the scenes, King Pontus's Mitridades was funding and was actively planning to slash the power of Rome.
On the way to study abroad in Rhodes, a ship carrying Caesar is captured by a pirate.
The pirates decided to pay Caesar a ransom of 20 talents, but Caesar was furious at this.
"Who do you think I am! Are you stupid with that ransom?"
That said, Caesar raised his ransom to 50 talents. I've never heard of the hostages increasing their ransom!
It seems that 20 talents can hire 4000 soldiers, so 50 talents can hire more than 10,000 soldiers. In terms of modern value, it will be 100 million units.
Normally, if you are caught by a pirate, you will tremble and you will not be able to do anything, but this is the reason why Caesar is a hero. Caesar should be bold because he was in love with the pirates while he was captured by the pirates.
Caesar was thus the owner of a spirit that would not take any adversity. His ransom was successfully paid and Caesar was dropped off at a nearby port. As soon as he was taken down and hired, he immediately organized a corps and wiped out the pirates who captured him.
The intellectual class in Rome is all bilingual in Latin and Greek, and Roman culture itself is strongly influenced by Greek culture. Among them, Rhodes Island was a major destination for Romans to study abroad, along with Athens.
Caesar did not seem to be a quiet and studying type, and he often led private troops to fight pirates and Roman hostile forces.
In the meantime, his maternal uncle Aurelius Cotta became governor of the province of Bithynia in Asia Minor (now Turkey), and Caesar decided to go there as well.
Originally this Bithynia was a kingdom, but there was a history that a king named Nicomedes entrusted the rule to Rome after his death, and next to him was Pontus led by Mitridates.
His uncle Aurelius Cotta was excellent as a legal scholar, but his military talent seemed to be uncle, and he died of illness after escaping before the invasion of the Pontos army. Well, I'm a scholar, so I can't help it.
Aurelius Cotta was also in the position of the Department of Divinities, so Caesar was appointed to that position instead and returned to Rome again.
At the time of long female prostrate
The word "Taiki Late" is like a word for Caesar.
Caesar was still doing nothing when his biggest rival, Pompey, defeated Mitridates a lot and another rival, Crassus, settled the Spartacus turmoil.
Caesar was finally selected as a Quaestor (Board of Audit) at the age of 30 and entered the Senate, but he did not have that much power because the number of staff was increased to 20 due to the reform of Sulla.
Around this time, his aunt Yuria and his wife Cornelia have died.
Yuria's husband was Marius. Although the Marius faction was eradicated by Sulla, Caesar fearlessly made a statue of Marius to decorate at Yuria's funeral. It can be said that he was a declaration to make himself a successor to the common people.
I think this boldness is the reason for being a hero of a hero. It is Caesar who can take actions that could even be exiled or even killed.
Still, Caesar seemed impatient, and when he saw the statue of Alexander the Great at the temple in Gades, Spain, he said, "It's been the year Alexandros conquered the world, but I'm still nothing. I haven't done it. "
On the other hand, Pompey around this time had many triumphal ceremonies and had two triumphal ceremonies, and he also experienced the highest rank, Consul (Roman Consul). He also controlled the Greek world and Seleucid Syria, and was touted as a hero by Roman citizens. There was a difference between the two during this period, as much as heaven and earth.
Upon returning to Rome from Spain, Caesar remarries a woman named Pompeia.
After that, he took up a key position called Ediris, and at the age of 37, he took up the position of Pontifex maximus, where the buds finally began to sprout. He was appointed as Puerator the following year, and the following year as Propuerator, the governor of the Spanish province.
It was the words of Confucius who lived in the Spring and Autumn Annals of China that left the word that he stood at 40, but Caesar stood at 40.
Triumvirate and Consul inauguration
Unlike Pompey, who was already a hero in his twenties, Caesar did not appear in world history until he was 40. And at the moment when he reached 40, he rushed to become one of the leading figures in world history. It's like a carp climbing Ryumon Falls.
When Caesar reached 40, there were four influential people in Rome. One was Pompey, the hero who wiped out the Marius faction in Spain, ended the Mitridates war, and raised pirates from the Mediterranean, and the other, on behalf of the knight class, had about half the wealth of Rome's national budget at the time. Crassus, the small Cato of the Elders, who draws the blood of the Great Cato, and finally Cicero, who was regarded as the best Roman lawyer and the best philosopher in Roman history, finally joined Caesar at this time.
Of these influential people, Pompey and Crassus were very close. Pompey made a fool of Crassus, who was made up of moneylenders, and Crassus was very jealous of Pompey. So no one expected the two to join hands.
Also, no one thought Caesar would join hands with them.
After all, Caesar had an affair with Pompey's wife and Crassus's wife, and they had a love triangle rather than a love triangle. There is an anecdote that Caesar was a lascivious man, and he was peeled off, and he was happy when he was often called out in the city as "Skeleton of baldness!".
From Pompey's point of view, Caesar is doing his best with his wife while he is fighting desperately, so there is no reason to think that he will get along. Pompey was divorced from his wife, and no one thinks Caesar and Pompey will join hands. ..
However, it is the hero who does what no one can think of.
Before I knew it, the two heroes born in Rome were holding hands. Caesar married his only daughter, Julia, to Pompey, and Pompey seemed to love Julia from the bottom of her heart, and the two became a parent-in-law relationship.
The relationship between Caesar and Crassus was also a mysterious relationship. Caesar had a large debt to Crassus. It is not known how much, but it seems that it was enough to organize a corps of tens of thousands of people. I wonder if it was about 1 billion or so.
The great thing about Caesar is that he didn't use what he borrowed and distributed it to the common people. He was a spectacle for the common people, bread for the common people, and Caesar didn't use his debt for himself.
Even in modern Japan, it is said that Beat Takeshi and Shigeo Nagashima are allowed to do anything, and there is a part that these people can not help, but Caesar is also a person who can not hate anything like that. think.
Like Hideyoshi, the hero who changes the times has a charm that no other person has.
Normally, borrowing money should be in a weaker position, but it seems that Caesar was in a higher position for Caesar and Crassus for some reason. Even when Caesar was surrounded by debt collectors, Crassus somehow took over Caesar's debt. It must have had a mysterious charm.
Caesar later borrowed money from general-class humans and distributed it to the soldiers, and was pleased that this had a great effect. The soldiers were motivated, and the generals thought it was irresistible to die, and they fought desperately, so it was the best.
A man named Caesar is very optimistic and seems to be a person who does not know to be pessimistic or negative.
With such Caesar standing in between, the Triumvirate was formed.
The Triumvirate was initially completely concealed, and one theory is that it was kept secret for about half a year.
The time was 60 BC, and the first Triumvirate began in this way.
Caesar was in his 40s and became the highest-ranking consul in the Roman Republic.
In the first place, the position of Consul is not late because he can only get a position of 40 or more, but rather he is inaugurated at a fairly young age. Caesar feels late because Pompey breaks the rules and is in the Consul in his thirties. In later generations, there are also gratitude such as Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, who took the position of Consul at the age of 19, but it is the one who was promised the emperor at the time, and it is an exception among the exceptions.
Caesar, who took office as a consul, enacted the "Agricultural Land Law" that caused the Gracchi brothers to be rectified against the background of the Triumvirate, while suppressing opposition, and decided to head to the province of Gaul as a proconsul. did.
Galia Senki-Europe was made by Caesar-
Winston Churchill, the most famous Prime Minister in British history, said, "The history of the British Empire began with Caesar's expedition to Briatania."
It can be said that Europe was an undeveloped land until Julius Caesar arrived. At that time, Europe was inhabited by two large ethnic groups, the Gauls (Celts) and the Germanic, and often devastated Rome. It can be said that this is exactly the same structure that the Han dynasty of China was vandalized by the northern people Xiongnu.
The land conquered by Caesar covers a vast area of Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Switzerland, France, England, and the western quarter of Germany in modern times. If it was Qin Shi Huang who made China, it can be said that Caesar made Europe.
Caesar did more than just defeat the Gauls. He taught agriculture, romanized it, and even gave him his own name. Gaul later became a model for Romanization and became the most successful province.
Caesar completed it in just eight years to rule this vast area, and it can be said that its speed is comparable to Alexander the Great's eastern expedition.
It is wider and faster than Napoleon's version of the First French Empire, albeit at a different time.
Caesar's activity in Gaul was left to the "Galia Senki", which is said to be the best sentence in Roman history, and at this time there was a fierce internal conflict between the Triumvirate faction and the Senate faction in Rome.
Cicero and Small Kato were the leaders of the Senate sect, and the power balance was greatly lost in eight years without Caesar.
A miscalculation for Caesar was the death of his daughter Julius, which completely discouraged Pompey and eventually followed the Senate, and Crassus fought with the eastern power Parthian. It must have died in.
While Caesar was fighting the Celts in Gaul, Senate lawmakers were plotting to capture Pompey in the capital, Rome.
Pompey, the former hero, also decides to hostile to Caesar, probably because he lost his beloved wife.
In the winter of the eighth year since the start of the Gallic expedition, the Senate finally issued a "Final Recommendation for the Senate" to Caesar.
Antonius, who was a tribune at the time, was a Caesar sect, and he repeatedly pretended that the Senate would make a resolution and activate the veto, but the Senate voted this by means of force, Caesar It became an enemy of the nation.
Alea iacta was thrown
In front of Caesar was the flow of the Rubicon River.
If you cross this river, you can't turn back anymore.
However, there was no choice for Caesar. To his soldiers Caesar showed his peculiar short but meaningful wording.
"If you cross the river, there will be the misery of the human world. If you do not cross it, you will be ruined.
Caesar and his army marched towards Rome.
All Roman citizens were on Caesar's side. The road town opened its doors to Caesar and was willing to provide food.
Frightened by Caesar and his soldiers, who were angry and advancing, the Senators ran away with their tails wrapped around them.
Pompey saw the battle in Rome as a disadvantage and headed for his own ground, Greece.
Since he was born, this person, a famous general who did not know the defeat, had a chance to win.
However, this genius did not yet know that his chances of winning would be dead.
Both males stand side by side, but Caesar is defeated
Caesar is by no means an undefeated general.
He is often defeated in the Gallic expedition.
Pompey, on the other hand, is unaware of his defeat. From a young age, he annihilated the survivors of the common people in Spain, defeated the pirates, made the Antigonid Syria a province, and led the Mithridates War to an end. He was just a Roman hero, and people praised him as Pompey Manu (Pompey the Great).
The Romans took 500 years to unify the Italian peninsula, but Pompey took control of the Orient, such as Greece and Syria, in just 10 years.
Pompey became the ruler of Caesar and the Orient, who controlled most of modern Europe. The two most talented men in Rome's long history have finally clashed.
Knowing Caesar's march, Pompey heads for Greece, which is within his power.
Pompey once had a history of conquering Greek pirates and was very popular in Greece. In fact, the difference in his strength was obvious. Pompey's troops are more than double the Caesar's side, and the number of cavalry that divides his victory or defeat is more than seven times. The game was visible.
100 years ago, the number of cavalry divided the battle between Cannae and Zama.
In both battles, the forces with many cavalry have won.
It was a fact that every Roman human knows.
Caesar offers peace to Pompey.
Is it because Caesar knew of the defeat?
Pompey declined, and the two heroes clashed at Dyrrhach in Greece.
The result was a devastating defeat in Caesar.
The flag, which can be called the symbol of the corps, was robbed, and it was defeated without any help, and there was no choice but to withdraw from the battlefield.
Pompey was wary of the ambush and did not pursue him because he was so badly defeated. He couldn't afford such a trap on Caesar's side.
"If Pompey was pursuing, his victory would have been completely enemy."
Caesar later said so.
In front of Pompey, one of the greatest geniuses in Roman history, Caesar was totally toothless.
Caesar is not an undefeated general.
But that is the true strength of Caesar.
Caesar gets stronger every time he loses. The more adversity, the stronger.
What is Caesar's greatest strength?
Writing ability to write a Gallia war record? Political power to carry out all reforms? Military power to defeat all enemies?
There will be so many that there is no end to it.
But I think.
Isn't Caesar's true strength its terrifying strength when cornered?
Senators chased the routing Caesar army.
The battle between Caesar and the Senate sect was to take place in the land of Farsalas.
Sekigahara in Rome! Battle of Pharsalus
I am very dissatisfied with Japanese world history textbooks.
That is, no textbook or glossary mentions "Battle of Pharsalus".
There is a battle called the Four Tournament Battle in BC, the Battle of Alexander Gaugamela, the Battle of Cannae, the Battle of Zama, and this Battle of Farsaros.
In the first century of civil war, no, textbooks without the Battle of Pharsalus, the biggest battle in Roman history, are meaningless.
Caesar was overwhelmingly disadvantaged at that time.
It is said that the forces of both armies were like this at that time.
Pompey side (Senate side):Approximately 60,000, of which 7,000 cavalry
Caesar side:Approximately 23,000, of which 2,000 cavalry are weak
No matter what you think, you can't win.
Hannibal won in Kanne because Scipio won in Zama because he had won in the number of cavalry.
Roman soldiers have often overturned the disadvantages of numbers. Marius, who defeated Mitridates, who led 100,000 soldiers, with 30,000 soldiers, and defeated 100,000 Cimbri and Teutons with only 30,000 troops.
But this time it's different. The enemy is a Roman soldier with Roman tactics and equipment, commanded by Pompey, the undefeated king who has more talent than Sulla and Marius. The number of cavalry is also defeated. And Caesar has never beat Pompey. And in fact, there is no food. It was Caesar who was at a disadvantage if he brought it to the endurance battle. And Pompey knew it.
It is a battlefield that deserves to be called despair.
Nonetheless, none of the Caesar soldiers fled.
そして、勝利を確信していた。
圧倒的不利を覆すのはいつだって士気の高さだ。
そして国が衰退するのはいつだって同士討ちだ。
元老院の議員たちはもう勝った気でいた。勝手にカエサルを追撃したのは彼らだったが、ポンペイウスは持久戦を主張した。カエサル軍の食糧事情を知っていたポンペイウスは、消耗させれば自滅することを知っていたからだ。それを見越してギリシャの地にカエサルをおびき寄せたのだ。
だが圧倒的な兵力を背景に何を恐れることがあるのかね？と言った具合に元老院はカエサルとの会戦に踏み切った。
もし戦場で自分は負けるかも知れないと思った人物がいるならば、それはポンペイウスただ1人であっただろう。
戦いの詳細を語るとそれだけで1記事になるため別記事にて詳述させてもらうが、歴史が示すように勝ったのはカエサルだった。
元老院側が万を超す死者を出したのに対し、カエサル側の死者は1000人を少し超えるぐらいであったという。
勝負を決めたのは兵の質と士気、そして騎兵の封じ込めにあった。
ポンペイウスがカエサルを追撃しなかったのは、罠があると思ったからだけではなく、兵士の経験が不足していたからでもあった。ポンペイウスはローマを離れ、ギリシャに来た訳だが、兵の質で言えば負けていることをよく知っていたのである。
カエサルの軍団はガリアからのベテラン兵であり、実戦経験も豊富だった。一方ポンペイウス側の兵はもう10年近く戦闘を経験していなかった。海賊もオリエントの王も敵と呼べるような存在はポンペイウスが倒しつくしてしまったからだ。
カエサルの作戦は騎兵を倒すというシンプルなものだった。
将を射んとする者はまず馬を射よとは東洋の諺であるが、カエサルはこれをやった。カエサルの作戦は人間が馬の前に突っ込んでいくという単純極まりない方法だった。そうすると馬は止まる。止まった隙に騎兵を槍で刺す。
今迄は騎兵に対して距離を取り投げ槍で対抗していたのだが、この単純な手法で7,000騎の馬を止める。そして背後から自軍の騎兵で攻撃する。
これで敵の騎兵を殲滅したのであった。
土壇場で、命のかかったこの戦場でこれを思いつく。カエサルがローマ最大の英雄と言われる所以である。
カエサルに絶望はない。常にそれをどう突破するかという思考しかないのである。
最大のライヴァルの死とクレメンティア
カエサルはなぜこうも後世の人々、そして当時のローマの人々に愛されたのであろうか？
強い人間は好まれる。
これは単純な真理だが、カエサルはスキピオよりもハンニバルよりも人気があった。
それはきっと彼のクレメンティアに遭ったのだと思う。
クレメンティアは日本語では寛容さと訳される。
カエサルは寛容であった。自分に敵対したポンペイウス派の人間を、戦闘以外では誰1人殺さなかった。
兵士たちも、将兵達も含めて。
これがスッラやマリウス達とは違うカエサルの魅力であった。
カエサルはガリアの人々に自分の名前を与え、敵対した人間達を常に、そしていつでも許していた。
カエサルは優しさと愛情に満ちた男だったのだ。
「強くなければ優しくなれない 優しくなければ生きている意味はない」という言葉はレイモンド・チャンドラーの生み出した探偵フィリップ・マーロウの言葉だが、カエサルほどこの言葉が似合う男もいないだろう。
ポンペイウスはエジプトに逃げ込み、そして殺された。首はカエサルのもとへ送られ、カエサルはそれを見て涙したという。
最大のライヴァルであり、かつては娘の夫であり、そして友でもあったポンペイウスの死に、自分を裏切り命を狙った相手の死に涙したのである。
来た、見た、勝った（veni, vidi, vici, ）
カエサルはエジプトに上陸した。
プトレマイオス朝エジプト。
そこはアレクサンダー大王によって支配され、そしてディアドコイ（後継者戦争）によってギリシャ人であるプトレマイオスが建てた王朝である。
歴代の男の王はプトレマイオスを名乗り、女王はクレオパトラを名乗っていた。
当時は女王クレオパトラ7世と弟王プトレマイオス13世が共同統治をするはずが内紛の結果弟が姉を追放するという状態だった。
禿でスケベなカエサルは当然クレオパトラに味方し、ナイルの戦いにてプトレマイオス13世を撃破、クレオパトラを女王に据えることに成功する。
クレオパトラはカエサルの愛人となり、2人はこの頃ナイル川のクルージングなどを楽しんでいた訳だが、そうこうするうちにミトリダテスの息子であるポントス王ファルケナス2世がローマ軍を破ったという知らせが届き、カエサルは自ら赴き一瞬にしてポントス王に勝利をおさめる。その時に有名な「来た、見た、勝った」という手紙をローマに送っている。簡潔な文章を好むカエサルの性格がよく出ている文である。
にしてもこのポントス王親子は…
スッラ、ポンペイウス、カエサルの3人をよく相手にする気になったよなぁ。
アフリカ戦役・スペイン戦役
元老院派、もといポンペイウス派の残党狩りは続く。北アフリカ、スペインと転戦し、勝利し、そしてローマにもどった。
ローマでは4日間にわたり凱旋式を行い、そこにはクレオパトラや息子のカエサリオンの姿もあったという。
カエサルは元老院派として戦いに参加したものを、誰一人処罰することなく許したという。
共和政の崩壊～終身独裁官就任と行政改革～
いつの世も行政改革は進まない。日本の腐りきった行政を改革できる者など今の日本にはいない。
改革は常に利益を享受している人間の手によって潰される。
カエサルを潰せる者はもういなかった。
カエサルはまず元老院の定員を600人から900人に変えた。この100年で元老院の議員の数は3倍になった計算になる。
プラエトルやクワエストルの定員も増やした。
そして本来なら任期半年の間で認められる終身独裁官の地位についた。
共和政の崩壊である。
もし今の日本の腐った現状を改革できるとしたら、それは独裁者が鉈を振り下ろすしかないであろう。ローマでも同じだった。
グラックス兄弟による改革の失敗の礼でもわかるように、ローマの元老院は腐敗していた。
兄弟の定めた農地法を成立させたのはカエサルである。
100年近い時を経て、ようやく改革は完成したのだ。
しかし、同時に彼らが守ろうとしていた共和政も終わりの時を迎えた。
カエサルは実に多くの改革をした。
・国立造幣所の開設
・属州制度の区画割の整理
・宗教の自由
・司法改革
・福祉政策
・失業者対策
・治安対策
・ローマ再開発
・各種公共事業
などなど、ここには書ききれないぐらい多種多様な改革をし、後のローマの基礎を作ったのがカエサルなのである。日本の政治がほぼ全ての改革に失敗するのに対してカエサルの改革はほとんど成功した。
特に有名なのがユリウス暦の制定とユダヤ人への宗教の自由で、ユリウス暦は紀元前700年代のヌマの時代からの暦の改定で、ユダヤ人には信仰の自由を認めた。
医師や教師になるものは出自を問わずローマ市民権を与えるとしたため、各地から優秀な人物が集まり、教育と医療が発展して行った。
軍事に政治に文学に、カエサルの活躍はとどまることを知らない。
だが、急激な改革は反対派を形成する。この場合の反対派とは元元老院派の面々である。
彼らはカエサルによって許され、以前と変わらぬ権利を与えられ、相も変わらず元老院議員であった。
悲しいかな、カエサルの美点ともいうべきクレメンティアこそが、カエサルの最大の欠点であり、その優しさが彼の命を奪ってしまったのだった。
寛容は果たして罪なのか否か。
英雄暗殺！ブルータスよ、お前もか・・・
1人の英雄が死んだ。かつて命を助けた人間達によって殺された。白昼堂々、元老院が開かれる時を見計らっての凶行だった。
カエサルの最期のセリフ「ブルータスよお前もか・・・」があまりにも有名過ぎるせいで主犯がブルータスだと思われがちだが、主犯はカシウス・ロンギヌスという男である。
この男はかつてクラッススがパルティアと戦っていた際騎兵を連れて勝手に逃げ出した男であり、ポンペイウス側についたもののカエサルが勝つとあっさりカエサルに服従を誓ったような芯のない男であった。
平清盛が源頼朝を殺さなかったせいで子孫の繁栄が途絶えてしまったように、寛容さは時に悲劇を起こす。世の中には救いようがない人間というのもいて、カシウスがその例だと言えるだろう。
イエスを裏切ったユダは有名だし、日本だと小早川秀秋が有名だが、この男もそういう意味では有名だ。この3人は世界3大裏切り者と言っても良いだろう。
だがカエサルの暗殺には約40人もの元老院議員が参加していた。カシウスやブルータスのようにカエサルとかつて敵対し、許されたものばかりではなかった。ガリア戦役の時代からカエサルに付き従った将軍なども暗殺に加わっていた。
なぜ彼らがカエサル暗殺に走ったのかはわかっていない。
個人的な恨みかも知れない。共和政を守るためだったかも知れない。あるいは首謀者であるカシウスに弱みでも握られていたのかも知れない。卑怯者なので人質ぐらいとったであろう。
彼らの末路はいずれも悲惨だった。ローマ市民からは石を投げられ、カエサル暗殺から2年後の朝を迎えた者は誰もいなかった。
古今東西の裏切り者で、良い死に方をした者はいない。
カエサルの後継者
カエサルは死ぬ前に遺言状を遺していた。
誰もがカエサルの副官であったアントニウスを後継者だと思っていた。あるいは愛人クレオパトラとの子カエサリオンにするのかも知れないと。
しかしカエサルの遺言状にはカエサリオンの名前もクレオパトラの名前もなかった。それを知ったクレオパトラはカエサリオンを連れ一路エジプトに向かって船を出した。
アントニウスの名はあった。ただし後継者としての名ではなく、遺言の執行人および正妻であるカルプルニアに子供が出来ていた場合の後見人としての名前だった。
ブルータスの名前もあった。もし第一相続人が何らかの理由で相続できなかった場合の第二相続人としての名であった。まさかブルータスが自分を暗殺するとは夢にも思っていたなかったであろう。仮にブルータスが後継者でもそれほど人は驚かなかったであろう。
だがカエサルが広大なローマを担う後継者として指名したのは、誰も知らない、何の実績もない、まだ18でしかない少年だった。
軍事の才能などまるでなさそうな細面な少年は名をオクタヴィアヌスと言った。
カエサルは彼に資産の4分の3を遺し、養子にし、カエサルの名を継がせた。
誰もがこの遺言状の内容に驚いた。
だがカエサルの人を見る目は確かであった。超一流であるがゆえに、超一流を見抜く力があったのだ。
この時はまだ、オクタヴィアヌスのことを世界が知らなかった。
今では世界中の誰もが知っている。2000年を経た現在であってもだ。
ローマ帝国初代皇帝アウグストゥス
やがてオクタヴィアヌスがそう呼ばれることを、予測していた人物がいたであろうか？
きっといない。
ただ1人、カエサルを除いては。
個人的なカエサルの評価
「指導者に求められる資質は次の５つである。知性、説得力、肉体的な強さ、自己制御能力、持続する意志。ただ一人カエサルだけがこの全てを持っていた」
これはイタリアの歴史の教科書に載っている1文であるそうだ。
世界史にはさまざまな英雄や君主が出ては消え、出ては消えしていくが、カエサルだけは決して消えることはなかった。
今でも皇帝を表すのはツァーリ、カイザー、エンペラーと全てカエサルの名前である。
カイザーやツァーリは第一次世界大戦のあたりまで使われた名称で、カエサルを主人公にすえた映画や小説は現代にも多数存在する。
それほどの大きな存在である。
王朝の基礎を作っておきながら自ら王位に就かなかった点や常識を破り様々な制度を考案したことなど、三国志の曹操や日本の織田信長に存在としては似ていると思う。もちろんその影響力はけた違いではあるが。
歴史上最も出版物の多い作家であるウィリアム・シェイクスピアは「ジュリウス・シーザー」を書き、ナポレオンはカエサルの研究を怠らなかった。
世のあらゆる人間を魅了してやまないその人生は、まさに英雄と呼ぶに相応しいと言えるだろう。
このブログのハンドルネームを決める時、自分の中ではカエサルという名前しかなかった。今でもそれ以外浮かばない。
この記事はこのブログ始まって以来最も長くなってしまったが、カエサルの魅力を伝えるには結局この1記事では間に合わなかった。なのであと何記事かカエサルについて書きたいと思う。
最後に、第二回目のノーベル賞を受賞した作家ドイツのテオドール・モムゼンがカエサルを評価した言葉で締めたいと思う。
「ローマが生んだ唯一の創造的天才」
これほどカエサルという男を表した言葉もないんじゃないかと思う。