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How did Caesar to rise to Emperor in the Roman Republic? There were three key reasons for the rise of Caesar: his role in the First Triumvirate, his conquest of Gaul and his victories during the Civil Wars. These were the key stages in Caesar’s career that allowed him to become the Emperor of Rome.

Caesar was born to a patrician Roman family that had once been very influential in the Republic. However, by the time of Caesar’s birth, their fortunes had been in decline for many years. Despite the decline of their family's reputation, his father did serve as a governor.<ref> Freeman, Philip. [https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0743289544/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0743289544&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=04b3744690637472a5e2eb2eb8dc57c6 Julius Caesar]. Simon and Schuster, 2008), p. 16</ref> We know very little about Caesar's childhood. Through his aunt, he was related to Gaius Marius, the great general. This encouraged the young Julius to become associated with the Marius's popular (populares) party in Rome. These were aristocrats who had allied themselves with the poor.

In his new province he defeated some rebellious tribes and was accorded a Triumph and he was later nominated to the office of Consul, one of the most important roles in Rome (60 AD). At this stage, Caesar had a rather conventional career or the <i>cursus honorum</i> as it was known in Rome and one that was typical of a man of his class. However, a series of events which were brilliantly manipulated by Caesar and his military genius meant that he was to become the single most powerful Roman who lived, up to that point and the man who was to change Rome forever.<ref>Grant, Michael. <i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0486822192/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0486822192&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=707967b3998ed8e0ee4b02e887ee7b50 The Twelve Caesars]</i> (New York: Penguin Books, 1979), p 15</ref>

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====First Triumvirate====

By 59 BCE, Caesar was one of the most important political figures in Rome, mainly because of his connections to the old supporters of Marius. He also appears to have been genuinely popular among many ordinary Romans.<ref> Plutarch, vix</ref> The political situation in Rome was chaotic and political violence was common, often orchestrated by gangs connected to leading public figures. In this situation, nothing could get done and there was political gridlock. The Senate wanted to control all aspects of political life as they had since the early days of the Republic. However, many aristocrats were frustrated by the conservatism of the Senators and believed that it was incapable of any meaningful decisions. Some of the leading figures in Rome at the time decided to come together and to enter an informal alliance in order to provide some stability and to secure their own political aims.<ref>Holland, Tom. <i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1400078970/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1400078970&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=a25657c34ca67cbf377bd8dfbc462c2c Rubicon: The Last Years of the Roman Republic]</i> (London, Anchor Press, 2003), p. 134</ref>