1 00:00:23,000 --> 00:00:27,720 The Roman Republic is mourning the death of its most senior priest, 2 00:00:27,720 --> 00:00:30,040 the Pontifex Maximus. 3 00:00:34,360 --> 00:00:37,800 It's a religious position of enormous prestige, 4 00:00:37,800 --> 00:00:41,280 that also brings political authority and influence. 5 00:00:44,600 --> 00:00:48,720 Now, the people of Rome must vote for their next Pontifex. 6 00:00:50,800 --> 00:00:54,440 Candidates are expected to be senior politicians, 7 00:00:54,440 --> 00:00:56,080 with established careers. 8 00:01:00,040 --> 00:01:03,280 Two elder statesmen have put themselves forward. 9 00:01:05,440 --> 00:01:09,560 But so too has a politician half their age... 10 00:01:12,240 --> 00:01:13,760 ..Julius Caesar. 11 00:01:17,080 --> 00:01:19,560 - This is an outrageous move. It is 12 00:01:19,560 --> 00:01:24,360 a blatant flouting of convention, it is arrogant, it is improper. 13 00:01:24,360 --> 00:01:27,240 But the thing is, that Caesar doesn't really care for convention, 14 00:01:27,240 --> 00:01:32,640 Caesar is a gambler. Throughout his life, he is always rolling the dice. 15 00:01:32,640 --> 00:01:35,440 And I think it's actually pretty clear what Caesar wants 16 00:01:35,440 --> 00:01:40,920 right from the beginning. He wants to be the greatest man in Rome. 17 00:01:49,400 --> 00:01:53,800 - At the heart of the most powerful empire in the ancient world, 18 00:01:53,800 --> 00:01:55,200 stands Rome. 19 00:01:56,760 --> 00:02:01,040 For 500 years, it was ruled by elected government. 20 00:02:01,040 --> 00:02:04,360 But in a little over a decade, 21 00:02:04,360 --> 00:02:10,200 this republic was overthrown by the ambitions of one man. 22 00:02:10,200 --> 00:02:14,120 - The story of Caesar is an incredibly enduring one. 23 00:02:14,120 --> 00:02:18,960 The resonance of it is so powerful. It remains the most 24 00:02:18,960 --> 00:02:23,840 thrilling, the most extraordinary political story in western history. 25 00:02:23,840 --> 00:02:27,160 - Now, historians and experts who understand 26 00:02:27,160 --> 00:02:31,160 the nature of political power will chart his rise... 27 00:02:31,160 --> 00:02:36,120 - He's so smart. He just knows how to use his opportunities. 28 00:02:36,120 --> 00:02:40,120 - ..and ask how an individual can bend a centuries-old political 29 00:02:40,120 --> 00:02:43,080 system to breaking point. 30 00:02:43,080 --> 00:02:47,280 - Julius Caesar is the most dangerous kind of demagogue. 31 00:02:48,480 --> 00:02:53,240 - This is the story of how ambition turns to tyranny... 32 00:02:54,520 --> 00:02:56,520 - He's a disgrace in every single way. 33 00:02:56,520 --> 00:03:01,040 He's immoral, he's irreligious and he's a potential tyrant. 34 00:03:01,040 --> 00:03:04,480 - ..and how a dictator is born. 35 00:03:04,480 --> 00:03:07,640 - The awful lesson is that, in the end, 36 00:03:07,640 --> 00:03:10,840 a populist can corrupt an entire state. 37 00:03:11,960 --> 00:03:16,120 - For every other political system that values stability and justice 38 00:03:16,120 --> 00:03:20,240 and liberty, that should be, at the very least, a wake-up call. 39 00:03:23,320 --> 00:03:26,000 - Democracy has to be constantly fought for. 40 00:03:28,440 --> 00:03:32,120 If we take it for granted, a new Caesar will come. 41 00:04:05,280 --> 00:04:08,800 - The election of the new High Priest of Rome is imminent. 42 00:04:13,160 --> 00:04:19,480 A surprise contender is 37-year-old Julius Caesar, a mid-ranking 43 00:04:19,480 --> 00:04:23,840 politician in the government at the heart of Rome and its Empire. 44 00:04:26,360 --> 00:04:29,520 - In 63 Caesar is, relatively speaking, 45 00:04:29,520 --> 00:04:31,360 a junior magistrate. 46 00:04:31,360 --> 00:04:35,000 In British terms, perhaps a kind of junior 47 00:04:35,000 --> 00:04:38,080 member of the Cabinet, perhaps on the margins of the Cabinet. 48 00:04:39,360 --> 00:04:43,680 Caesar is very cool, I think in almost every sense of the word. 49 00:04:43,680 --> 00:04:48,360 He is very dandyish, he wears his toga in a distinctive way. 50 00:04:48,360 --> 00:04:53,040 To stand out from the crowd, to set aside conventions, 51 00:04:53,040 --> 00:04:55,560 he's making a statement about the kind of man, 52 00:04:55,560 --> 00:04:57,760 the kind of politician that he wants to be. 53 00:05:03,240 --> 00:05:07,920 - Caesar lives in a time when most countries are ruled by Kings. 54 00:05:07,920 --> 00:05:11,600 Rome prides itself on being a Republic. 55 00:05:11,600 --> 00:05:15,520 Here, elected representatives share power. 56 00:05:16,640 --> 00:05:20,160 - Five centuries earlier, the Roman people had risen up 57 00:05:20,160 --> 00:05:23,600 and expelled their King, a haughty tyrant, and brought 58 00:05:23,600 --> 00:05:29,040 the monarchy to an end and the Republic was designed precisely 59 00:05:29,040 --> 00:05:33,400 with the aim of ensuring that there would never be a King again. 60 00:05:33,400 --> 00:05:37,720 And there's a kind of collective memory among the Roman people, 61 00:05:37,720 --> 00:05:41,440 a deep-seated dread of tyranny. 62 00:05:43,440 --> 00:05:48,680 - The basic principle of the Republic is that no individual can 63 00:05:48,680 --> 00:05:54,200 dominate the system. It's a fundamental part of their rhetoric. 64 00:05:54,200 --> 00:05:56,400 We just don't do monarchy. 65 00:05:58,280 --> 00:06:02,960 - At the heart of the Republic is the Senate, the seat of Government 66 00:06:02,960 --> 00:06:07,360 presided over by an elite body of wealthy, aristocratic men. 67 00:06:08,440 --> 00:06:14,600 - They never call what they have "democracy", but they absolutely 68 00:06:14,600 --> 00:06:20,920 have the principle of the freedom of the citizen to vote to rule his 69 00:06:20,920 --> 00:06:26,480 country. His, of course, women have no vote, let alone poor slaves. 70 00:06:28,080 --> 00:06:30,160 The Senate, not unlike our parliament, 71 00:06:30,160 --> 00:06:32,400 is of several hundred people. 72 00:06:32,400 --> 00:06:35,040 All members are from the aristocracy. 73 00:06:35,040 --> 00:06:40,520 Senators are elected in very sharp and bitter competition 74 00:06:40,520 --> 00:06:42,960 with each other... 75 00:06:42,960 --> 00:06:46,600 ..and Caesar has been making his way up the ladder. 76 00:06:49,440 --> 00:06:53,240 - Caesar's ambition is to manoeuvre his way up the strict 77 00:06:53,240 --> 00:06:54,800 hierarchy of the Senate. 78 00:06:56,520 --> 00:06:59,480 The higher the rank, the fiercer the competition. 79 00:07:01,080 --> 00:07:04,520 Right now, Caesar's a mid-ranking aedile. 80 00:07:04,520 --> 00:07:08,040 The ultimate prize is the consulship, 81 00:07:08,040 --> 00:07:11,200 a year-long post shared by two men. 82 00:07:13,800 --> 00:07:17,640 - To make your way in politics in Rome brings you status, 83 00:07:17,640 --> 00:07:22,280 and the key Roman word for that is "dignitas", your dignity. 84 00:07:22,280 --> 00:07:27,760 Caesar says, repeatedly, that dignity was dearer to him 85 00:07:27,760 --> 00:07:32,360 than life itself - "my reputation is everything". 86 00:07:32,360 --> 00:07:38,200 - And so to win the Consulship, this is what dignitas is all about. 87 00:07:38,200 --> 00:07:42,160 That is the kind of, the sweetest fulfilment for a Roman. I mean 88 00:07:42,160 --> 00:07:45,440 this is why, basically, Caesar wants to be Pontifex Maximus, 89 00:07:45,440 --> 00:07:48,560 it's not an end, it's a stepping stone to an end. 90 00:07:53,680 --> 00:07:58,160 - Putting himself forward for the role High Priest is brazen, 91 00:07:58,160 --> 00:08:01,200 but Caesar is willing to gamble. 92 00:08:01,200 --> 00:08:05,520 Winning would fast-track his political career. 93 00:08:05,520 --> 00:08:09,600 - To hold the most eminent of all the priesthoods is a very great thing 94 00:08:09,600 --> 00:08:13,720 indeed. It marks you out as a figure of incredible authority. 95 00:08:15,240 --> 00:08:19,400 It's absolutely not the kind of role that someone like Caesar, 96 00:08:19,400 --> 00:08:25,480 a dandyish, slightly louche man, notorious as someone who, 97 00:08:25,480 --> 00:08:28,680 who only has to see a woman to sleep with her, should be going for. 98 00:08:30,560 --> 00:08:34,200 Only someone of supreme self-confidence, and a readiness 99 00:08:34,200 --> 00:08:38,320 to play fast and loose with the rules, who actually enjoys tweaking 100 00:08:38,320 --> 00:08:41,800 the tails of the conservative establishment, could do that. 101 00:08:43,360 --> 00:08:46,880 - CROW CAWS 102 00:08:46,880 --> 00:08:49,560 But Caesar can't do it alone. 103 00:08:49,560 --> 00:08:52,400 He needs a backer to finance his campaign. 104 00:08:54,240 --> 00:08:57,960 - Caesar is aristocratic, but by the standards of many 105 00:08:57,960 --> 00:09:01,160 in the Senate, he's not particularly rich. 106 00:09:01,160 --> 00:09:02,520 Not only is he not rich, 107 00:09:02,520 --> 00:09:04,720 he's essentially mortgaged up to the hilt. 108 00:09:08,160 --> 00:09:12,360 - Caesar's solution is to broker a dangerous alliance. 109 00:09:12,360 --> 00:09:14,800 GROWLING 110 00:09:14,800 --> 00:09:17,600 - If you want to borrow an enormous sum of money, 111 00:09:17,600 --> 00:09:19,360 there's only one person you go to... 112 00:09:21,360 --> 00:09:23,840 ..and this is a figure who's notorious 113 00:09:23,840 --> 00:09:26,760 as the richest man in the city. 114 00:09:26,760 --> 00:09:29,400 A man called Crassus. 115 00:09:29,400 --> 00:09:33,400 - Marcus Licinius Crassus, the wealthiest man in Rome. 116 00:09:35,120 --> 00:09:39,040 He has a real estate empire, owns significant stretches 117 00:09:39,040 --> 00:09:43,320 of the city and Crassus likes to have people in his debt. 118 00:09:44,760 --> 00:09:47,600 He uses his money to develop, 119 00:09:47,600 --> 00:09:51,040 consolidate and expand his network of support. 120 00:09:51,040 --> 00:09:54,040 - Think of the figure of a Godfather, 121 00:09:54,040 --> 00:09:56,240 a mafia boss, the most 122 00:09:56,240 --> 00:09:58,160 intimidating, the most powerful. 123 00:09:59,920 --> 00:10:02,440 Everyone sees Crassus as a kind of 124 00:10:02,440 --> 00:10:07,560 rather menacing spider at the centre of a web that spreads everywhere. 125 00:10:07,560 --> 00:10:10,920 - It can be very dangerous to be in Crassus' debt. 126 00:10:14,000 --> 00:10:17,640 He can be, according to some ancient reports, pretty brutal. 127 00:10:21,640 --> 00:10:26,520 Crassus sees in Caesar an extremely capable individual. 128 00:10:26,520 --> 00:10:29,640 He knows that he has all the talent, 129 00:10:29,640 --> 00:10:33,960 all the potential, to do extremely well in the Roman political game. 130 00:10:33,960 --> 00:10:37,200 Caesar is a tremendously valuable asset 131 00:10:37,200 --> 00:10:39,920 and one very much worth investing into. 132 00:10:43,280 --> 00:10:44,760 - It's a gamble. 133 00:10:44,760 --> 00:10:47,920 Caesar knows that by borrowing from Crassus there is 134 00:10:47,920 --> 00:10:51,840 a risk that he will end up as a fly wrapped up in the web. 135 00:10:59,320 --> 00:11:03,120 - The High Priest will be elected by a public vote. 136 00:11:03,120 --> 00:11:07,560 Caesar plans to appeal to the ordinary people of Rome, 137 00:11:07,560 --> 00:11:09,680 by exploiting their plight. 138 00:11:13,400 --> 00:11:15,520 Rome is increasingly divided. 139 00:11:16,920 --> 00:11:21,720 Over 100 years of violent conquest, it's grown from a small city 140 00:11:21,720 --> 00:11:25,880 to a vast Empire, stretching across the Mediterranean. 141 00:11:25,880 --> 00:11:31,560 And the spoils of war have brought a handful of men outrageous wealth. 142 00:11:33,800 --> 00:11:38,360 - The scale of conquest is producing 143 00:11:38,360 --> 00:11:40,480 enormous influx of money, 144 00:11:40,480 --> 00:11:42,720 influx of slaves. 145 00:11:42,720 --> 00:11:45,280 Rome is richer than it's ever been before. 146 00:11:46,760 --> 00:11:50,000 And yet, the wealth of the wealthy in Rome, 147 00:11:50,000 --> 00:11:52,680 the greater the poverty of the poor in Rome. 148 00:11:53,960 --> 00:11:58,520 The people of Rome are half-starved, ill-housed. 149 00:11:58,520 --> 00:12:01,840 There are hundreds of thousands of people who are not 150 00:12:01,840 --> 00:12:05,600 sharing in the wealth that they can see. 151 00:12:05,600 --> 00:12:10,320 And Caesar says, how do you win the support of the Roman people? 152 00:12:10,320 --> 00:12:13,840 By being their friend, by being their supporter 153 00:12:13,840 --> 00:12:18,000 and be recognised as someone who is on their side. 154 00:12:19,560 --> 00:12:22,400 - In his current political position, 155 00:12:22,400 --> 00:12:26,600 Caesar's in charge of public festivals and gladiatorial games. 156 00:12:27,760 --> 00:12:33,000 It gives him a direct line to the impoverished masses. 157 00:12:34,560 --> 00:12:38,880 - Games in Rome are entertainment, they're something to do 158 00:12:38,880 --> 00:12:40,440 and they're free. 159 00:12:40,440 --> 00:12:45,080 Not only do you get some way to escape the mundane 160 00:12:45,080 --> 00:12:48,560 reality of your life, but also there's some really vital 161 00:12:48,560 --> 00:12:50,640 food as part of that package as well. 162 00:12:53,560 --> 00:12:56,240 Caesar makes a decision to spend a considerable 163 00:12:56,240 --> 00:12:58,640 amount of money on the games that he throws. 164 00:12:58,640 --> 00:13:02,160 He makes them bigger and better than those who have gone before him. 165 00:13:02,160 --> 00:13:05,760 - Great tables groaning with food, supply with wine, 166 00:13:05,760 --> 00:13:09,640 all kinds of dazzle, of spectacle. 167 00:13:09,640 --> 00:13:12,720 - The accounts we have of Caesar's games suggests that he did 168 00:13:12,720 --> 00:13:17,000 extraordinary things with gladiators in silver armour. 169 00:13:17,000 --> 00:13:19,200 These kinds of things would be memorable. 170 00:13:20,880 --> 00:13:25,160 - It's about branding, so that your name is on everybody's lips... 171 00:13:26,840 --> 00:13:28,960 ..and it's a kind of policy, I think, 172 00:13:28,960 --> 00:13:33,040 that perhaps has echoes of the way that in Italy, Silvio Berlusconi, 173 00:13:33,040 --> 00:13:36,960 say, would buy football teams or own TV channels. 174 00:13:36,960 --> 00:13:42,320 It's a way of wooing potential voters by entertaining them. 175 00:13:45,000 --> 00:13:48,400 - I don't think there's necessarily any evidence that Julius Caesar 176 00:13:48,400 --> 00:13:52,800 really cares for the day-to-day welfare of the people of Rome. 177 00:13:52,800 --> 00:13:57,280 Rather, his tactics are very successful for getting him 178 00:13:57,280 --> 00:13:59,520 where he wants to go, politically. 179 00:14:05,960 --> 00:14:08,120 - CROW CAWS 180 00:14:11,080 --> 00:14:15,280 It's the day of the Pontifex Maximus vote. 181 00:14:15,280 --> 00:14:19,040 All Caesar can do is hope his financial 182 00:14:19,040 --> 00:14:21,880 and political gamble will pay off. 183 00:14:24,280 --> 00:14:27,240 - Caesar is getting ready to leave his house to go and hear 184 00:14:27,240 --> 00:14:30,360 the election result and there's a famous story told about this that 185 00:14:30,360 --> 00:14:34,960 he kisses his mother goodbye, and he says to her, "Mother, either 186 00:14:34,960 --> 00:14:39,320 "I come back as Pontifex Maximus, or I won't be coming back at all." 187 00:14:41,400 --> 00:14:45,040 - He knows the stakes are that high... 188 00:14:46,360 --> 00:14:51,320 ..that he either wins, or he faces bankruptcy and political ruin. 189 00:14:59,320 --> 00:15:03,120 - CROWS CAWING 190 00:15:04,400 --> 00:15:07,360 - He's rolled the dice, he has wooed the voters, 191 00:15:07,360 --> 00:15:11,560 he has convinced them he's their man. He has won, he wins the office. 192 00:15:19,640 --> 00:15:24,440 It is a very key moment for Caesar. It lifts him up 193 00:15:24,440 --> 00:15:27,720 out of this mass of aristocrats like him 194 00:15:27,720 --> 00:15:31,240 and it gives him a kind of dignity that he hadn't previously had. 195 00:15:37,440 --> 00:15:39,720 And now the path stretches ahead of him. 196 00:15:44,160 --> 00:15:50,320 - High Priest of Rome and popular with the voting public, Caesar is 197 00:15:50,320 --> 00:15:52,800 now a rising star in the Senate. 198 00:15:54,160 --> 00:15:59,600 - Julius Caesar is very much in tune with how politics is developing. 199 00:15:59,600 --> 00:16:03,360 Caesar recognises that the people are going to be an important 200 00:16:03,360 --> 00:16:05,240 part of politics going forward. 201 00:16:06,720 --> 00:16:09,680 - There are no political parties in Rome, 202 00:16:09,680 --> 00:16:12,360 but politicians fall into two camps. 203 00:16:13,680 --> 00:16:16,080 Caesar is a Populares, 204 00:16:16,080 --> 00:16:19,160 a politician who believe decisions should be 205 00:16:19,160 --> 00:16:21,760 placed in the hands of the people. 206 00:16:21,760 --> 00:16:26,760 Populares stand in bitter opposition with the Optimates, who believe 207 00:16:26,760 --> 00:16:31,000 government ought to rest solely in the hands of a conservative elite. 208 00:16:33,040 --> 00:16:37,760 - Caesar absolutely hates the Optimates. 209 00:16:37,760 --> 00:16:41,640 Optimus means the best, these are the best people and undoubtedly, 210 00:16:41,640 --> 00:16:46,120 the Optimates in Rome think of themselves in those terms. 211 00:16:46,120 --> 00:16:49,880 What Rome needs is not this mob rule, 212 00:16:49,880 --> 00:16:54,760 this horrendous appeal to the unwashed masses. 213 00:16:54,760 --> 00:16:58,200 - A Populares politician, on the other hand, thinks that the people 214 00:16:58,200 --> 00:17:01,600 have been neglected in the bigger picture of Rome. 215 00:17:02,960 --> 00:17:06,320 - Caesar's contempt for the conservatives in the Senate 216 00:17:06,320 --> 00:17:07,520 is entirely genuine. 217 00:17:08,760 --> 00:17:12,760 I think he feels that their perspective is old-fashioned, 218 00:17:12,760 --> 00:17:15,000 it's hypocritical, 219 00:17:15,000 --> 00:17:19,000 it ignores the needs of a people 220 00:17:19,000 --> 00:17:21,200 in a great imperial capital. 221 00:17:21,200 --> 00:17:27,960 - The population of Rome is in a really agitated condition. 222 00:17:27,960 --> 00:17:31,160 Poverty of the masses can lead to revolution. 223 00:17:31,160 --> 00:17:33,360 It's dynamite. 224 00:17:33,360 --> 00:17:36,120 It can blow up at any moment. 225 00:17:50,240 --> 00:17:52,400 - Caesar's brazen wooing of the people 226 00:17:52,400 --> 00:17:54,800 has angered conservative Optimates... 227 00:17:57,160 --> 00:18:01,640 ..so when, just a few months later, a conspiracy to violently 228 00:18:01,640 --> 00:18:06,960 overthrow the Senate comes to light, Caesar is dangerously exposed. 229 00:18:09,760 --> 00:18:12,840 - In the same year as we get a new Pontifex Maximus, 230 00:18:12,840 --> 00:18:17,000 we also have a conspiracy in Rome, known as the Catiline 231 00:18:17,000 --> 00:18:21,400 conspiracy, and this rocks the political establishment. 232 00:18:21,400 --> 00:18:26,280 A man named Lucius Sergius Catilina allies himself with those 233 00:18:26,280 --> 00:18:30,640 who are disenfranchised, the poor in Rome, who do have 234 00:18:30,640 --> 00:18:34,880 resentment against the Senate, and decides that actually 235 00:18:34,880 --> 00:18:38,840 revolution and the overthrow of the Senate is the way forward. 236 00:18:38,840 --> 00:18:43,680 - Catiline does a sort of organisation of the crowd, 237 00:18:43,680 --> 00:18:49,320 and he can use that to, effectively, make a little army for himself. 238 00:18:49,320 --> 00:18:52,120 It is a very, very frightening moment. 239 00:18:53,920 --> 00:18:57,680 - Rumours begin to circulate that Caesar may have had 240 00:18:57,680 --> 00:18:59,120 a hand in the plot. 241 00:19:00,600 --> 00:19:03,600 - Caesar may be increasingly popular with the people but that, of 242 00:19:03,600 --> 00:19:06,560 course, just means that his rivals in the Senate are watching him with 243 00:19:06,560 --> 00:19:10,880 ever greater suspicion, and those who want to thwart his rise are, 244 00:19:10,880 --> 00:19:13,760 therefore, unsurprisingly, 245 00:19:13,760 --> 00:19:17,600 very, very keen to implicate him in the coup. 246 00:19:22,120 --> 00:19:25,240 - The conspirators are betrayed before they can act. 247 00:19:27,320 --> 00:19:32,320 Five senators, one a former consul, are arrested 248 00:19:32,320 --> 00:19:34,080 and await their fate. 249 00:19:37,760 --> 00:19:41,520 The current consuls want to send a clear message - 250 00:19:41,520 --> 00:19:46,080 execute the conspirators without trial. 251 00:19:46,080 --> 00:19:50,320 - I think what's actually scaring the Senate absolutely witless is 252 00:19:50,320 --> 00:19:54,520 the prospect of the Roman masses 253 00:19:54,520 --> 00:19:58,360 actually organising against them. 254 00:19:58,360 --> 00:20:01,680 They're not really frightened of these conspirators. 255 00:20:01,680 --> 00:20:03,720 They're frightened of the masses. 256 00:20:03,720 --> 00:20:05,800 - The Senate debate what can 257 00:20:05,800 --> 00:20:08,720 and should be done with the conspirators, 258 00:20:08,720 --> 00:20:12,000 with speakers taking turns, according to their rank. 259 00:20:13,200 --> 00:20:17,200 - The people who speak before Caesar are those who outrank him, 260 00:20:17,200 --> 00:20:22,240 almost all of whom are Optimates. They state, let's put 261 00:20:22,240 --> 00:20:25,240 Catiline and his fellow conspirators to death. 262 00:20:25,240 --> 00:20:30,720 - They all say, "Yes, yes, we agree, we agree," and there is Caesar, 263 00:20:30,720 --> 00:20:34,680 "What is your opinion, Gaius Julius?" 264 00:20:36,800 --> 00:20:40,760 - Caesar knows that his enemies are trying to tar him 265 00:20:40,760 --> 00:20:43,920 as someone who perhaps had been taking part in the conspiracy. 266 00:20:45,360 --> 00:20:49,840 So by taking part in the debate, Caesar is repudiating that. 267 00:20:49,840 --> 00:20:54,000 This is an opportunity for him to sway the Senate and he's not 268 00:20:54,000 --> 00:20:58,120 going to let it go to waste and he does it very, very brilliantly. 269 00:20:58,120 --> 00:21:03,040 - Caesar launches into a most moving speech, 270 00:21:03,040 --> 00:21:08,400 and he says what these conspirators have done is the most 271 00:21:08,400 --> 00:21:12,160 appalling crime, for which there should be no mercy, 272 00:21:12,160 --> 00:21:15,960 but our ancestors have established laws. 273 00:21:15,960 --> 00:21:18,640 If we start executing Roman citizens, 274 00:21:18,640 --> 00:21:21,960 what will the Roman people make of it? 275 00:21:21,960 --> 00:21:25,400 - He points out that it is against every law of the Roman state 276 00:21:25,400 --> 00:21:28,600 to put to death fellow citizens. 277 00:21:28,600 --> 00:21:32,800 - Therefore, ie, Caesar proposed that rather than execute them, 278 00:21:32,800 --> 00:21:36,040 we hand them over and imprison them. 279 00:21:38,520 --> 00:21:41,680 - This is something that is unheard of, the Romans don't have a 280 00:21:41,680 --> 00:21:45,360 kind of prison system, so he's doing something radical, 281 00:21:45,360 --> 00:21:48,760 thinking outside the box, but at the same time, and this is the 282 00:21:48,760 --> 00:21:52,920 genius of it, he's casting himself as the defender of tradition. 283 00:21:52,920 --> 00:21:56,280 - Everyone has said, "Oh, yes, we agree, they should be executed." 284 00:21:56,280 --> 00:21:59,560 Now, they say, "Oh, Caesar's right. Of course, 285 00:21:59,560 --> 00:22:04,360 "it's much better not to execute them and to have them imprisoned." 286 00:22:05,400 --> 00:22:08,880 - Caesar appears to have swayed the Senate, 287 00:22:08,880 --> 00:22:13,280 but the Optimates have one young senator yet to speak. 288 00:22:14,520 --> 00:22:18,400 - Rising to his feet, a man who will become his nemesis, 289 00:22:18,400 --> 00:22:20,000 a man called Cato. 290 00:22:23,160 --> 00:22:25,400 - Cato and Caesar come from similar backgrounds, 291 00:22:25,400 --> 00:22:27,480 but they're total polar opposites. 292 00:22:29,280 --> 00:22:31,520 Caesar is known for his flamboyant fashion, 293 00:22:31,520 --> 00:22:34,800 rickety finances, bribing electors. 294 00:22:34,800 --> 00:22:39,200 Cato is somebody who represents the very most old-fashioned 295 00:22:39,200 --> 00:22:41,000 ideal of a Roman gentleman. 296 00:22:44,320 --> 00:22:49,640 Very, very austere, very simple, he actually walks around barefoot. 297 00:22:49,640 --> 00:22:54,480 But above all, what he stands for is the old Roman constitution. 298 00:22:55,840 --> 00:22:57,760 And he sees Caesar 299 00:22:57,760 --> 00:23:01,360 a bit like you might today see Donald Trump, or Bolsonaro, as 300 00:23:01,360 --> 00:23:05,720 a populist. In other words, somebody who claims to be speaking on behalf 301 00:23:05,720 --> 00:23:09,000 of the people, but is, in fact, just using that as a way to destroy 302 00:23:09,000 --> 00:23:13,200 the constitution and take power for themselves, and he's disgusted. 303 00:23:16,200 --> 00:23:21,640 - He too knows how to speak powerfully, and he puts exactly 304 00:23:21,640 --> 00:23:26,960 the opposite case, which is this is no time to show mercy, preserving 305 00:23:26,960 --> 00:23:32,000 the Republic is the ultimate priority, these people are planning 306 00:23:32,000 --> 00:23:37,080 to burn our houses, to rape our wives, 307 00:23:37,080 --> 00:23:39,120 to end our civilisation. 308 00:23:39,120 --> 00:23:45,800 This is the worst threat you could have, we must execute them now. 309 00:23:48,000 --> 00:23:51,160 - One of the people that they are trying to decide what to do 310 00:23:51,160 --> 00:23:55,600 with is an ex-consul. That's a very, very big deal. 311 00:23:55,600 --> 00:23:59,640 And these are people from very powerful families, and Cato 312 00:23:59,640 --> 00:24:04,440 is saying they are common criminals, they deserve the death penalty, 313 00:24:04,440 --> 00:24:07,960 they deserve it more than anyone else because they are committing the 314 00:24:07,960 --> 00:24:11,360 ultimate acts of treason in trying to destroy the Republic and I don't 315 00:24:11,360 --> 00:24:15,360 care that this man's a consul, these are criminals, justice must be done. 316 00:24:20,080 --> 00:24:23,760 - Cato is also convinced that Caesar is in on the plot. 317 00:24:24,840 --> 00:24:26,720 But he has no proof. 318 00:24:27,840 --> 00:24:32,160 - Cato is in full flow, the great conservative, 319 00:24:32,160 --> 00:24:35,240 the man of dignity 320 00:24:35,240 --> 00:24:38,960 and he looks round and he sees that Caesar has been given a message. 321 00:24:38,960 --> 00:24:42,120 - And Cato, put off his speech, thinks What on earth is going on?! 322 00:24:42,120 --> 00:24:45,760 And his first thought is, wait a second, this is a letter 323 00:24:45,760 --> 00:24:49,320 from one of the conspirators and here's Caesar smirking at me. 324 00:24:55,160 --> 00:25:00,360 - The letter has been sent by Cato's half-sister, Servilia. 325 00:25:00,360 --> 00:25:03,800 - Caesar, who's having affairs with everybody else, 326 00:25:03,800 --> 00:25:06,760 is also sleeping with Cato's sister. 327 00:25:09,440 --> 00:25:13,520 - Caesar is dragging Cato down into a kind of dimension of 328 00:25:13,520 --> 00:25:17,440 tawdry humiliation and smut 329 00:25:17,440 --> 00:25:21,160 that is calculated to infuriate him. 330 00:25:23,880 --> 00:25:29,160 - And this is the moment he gives an astonishing, blistering speech. 331 00:25:29,160 --> 00:25:34,440 He takes no prisoners and says, "These people, these populists, 332 00:25:34,440 --> 00:25:38,920 "you can't see it yet, but I promise you, these people pose an 333 00:25:38,920 --> 00:25:43,200 "existential threat to the survival of the Republic and unless you 334 00:25:43,200 --> 00:25:47,560 "act against them now, and by the way, I want to include Caesar in 335 00:25:47,560 --> 00:25:50,320 "that, these people are ultimately going to 336 00:25:50,320 --> 00:25:52,320 "bring the whole house crashing down." 337 00:25:52,320 --> 00:25:55,120 - THEY APPLAUD 338 00:25:58,520 --> 00:26:01,600 - The Senate swings right round behind Cato. 339 00:26:01,600 --> 00:26:03,640 - CHEERING 340 00:26:06,160 --> 00:26:08,440 - Caesar is obviously disappointed, I'm sure. 341 00:26:08,440 --> 00:26:13,320 It confirms him in his contempt, both for the mass of his 342 00:26:13,320 --> 00:26:17,280 conservative opponents and most specifically, of course, for Cato. 343 00:26:17,280 --> 00:26:21,640 - Caesar, above all, is ambitious, he wants to become consul, 344 00:26:21,640 --> 00:26:23,120 he wants to rule Rome. 345 00:26:24,640 --> 00:26:28,200 Standing in his way is this infuriating man that he 346 00:26:28,200 --> 00:26:29,800 despises, called Cato. 347 00:26:31,400 --> 00:26:36,200 - This young man shouldn't be one of the leading figures, but somehow 348 00:26:36,200 --> 00:26:41,760 his speech has established him as a man with enormous moral authority. 349 00:26:43,880 --> 00:26:47,680 - This is the moment where he realises that he's standing for something 350 00:26:47,680 --> 00:26:50,120 and that is, and I was a politician, 351 00:26:50,120 --> 00:26:53,480 it's an incredibly powerful moment in a politician's life, 352 00:26:53,480 --> 00:26:56,880 when you find a cause, and from then on, 353 00:26:56,880 --> 00:26:59,000 the cause in Cato's life 354 00:26:59,000 --> 00:27:02,440 is the cause of defending the Republic against tyranny. 355 00:27:03,560 --> 00:27:07,440 - The time will come when historians of the age look at this 356 00:27:07,440 --> 00:27:11,880 as a defining moment because the tension between Caesar and Cato is 357 00:27:11,880 --> 00:27:16,000 clearly expressive of deep tensions within the fabric of the Republic. 358 00:27:16,000 --> 00:27:19,200 - THEY CHEER AND APPLAUD 359 00:27:22,960 --> 00:27:24,600 - Cato wins the day. 360 00:27:25,960 --> 00:27:28,920 - The order is given, the conspirators will be put to death. 361 00:27:31,600 --> 00:27:34,640 I suspect that the lesson that Caesar takes from the whole 362 00:27:34,640 --> 00:27:39,120 Catilinarian debacle is that it's fine to play the Popularis, 363 00:27:39,120 --> 00:27:40,960 that Caesar is brilliant at that, 364 00:27:40,960 --> 00:27:44,080 but that ultimately just doing that is not enough. 365 00:27:44,080 --> 00:27:49,200 He has to have allies in the Senate because if you push too hard 366 00:27:49,200 --> 00:27:52,640 against them, people in the Senate still have the power, they have the 367 00:27:52,640 --> 00:27:54,240 will to close ranks. 368 00:27:55,720 --> 00:27:59,280 He too could end up with a noose around his neck. 369 00:28:06,120 --> 00:28:09,520 - MYSTERIOUS WHISPERS 370 00:28:33,080 --> 00:28:38,680 As Rome reels from the Catiline conspiracy, some Senators 371 00:28:38,680 --> 00:28:42,840 demand extreme measures to guarantee their safety - 372 00:28:42,840 --> 00:28:46,920 a military presence on the streets of Rome. 373 00:28:57,800 --> 00:29:01,680 They call for Rome's greatest General to return 374 00:29:01,680 --> 00:29:04,320 with his army from campaign in the East. 375 00:29:06,960 --> 00:29:12,120 - Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus was born into a military family. 376 00:29:12,120 --> 00:29:17,240 Pompey grew up on his father's military campaigns. 377 00:29:17,240 --> 00:29:22,520 When he was young, his enemies call him the teenage butcher, 378 00:29:22,520 --> 00:29:28,400 and he becomes the most powerful General in Rome. 379 00:29:31,800 --> 00:29:34,280 - The Roman Empire has expanded so far 380 00:29:34,280 --> 00:29:39,440 and fast, it's had to hand huge powers to men like Pompey 381 00:29:39,440 --> 00:29:42,440 to command armies and govern territories 382 00:29:42,440 --> 00:29:45,560 far beyond the reach of Rome. 383 00:29:45,560 --> 00:29:50,000 Pompey has single-handedly conquered huge swathes of what is now 384 00:29:50,000 --> 00:29:51,440 Turkey and Syria. 385 00:29:52,720 --> 00:29:56,960 His reward - enormous wealth, popularity and prestige. 386 00:29:58,960 --> 00:30:02,680 - Pompey, at this point in time, 387 00:30:02,680 --> 00:30:05,640 is "the man". 388 00:30:05,640 --> 00:30:07,360 He's the one. 389 00:30:09,400 --> 00:30:13,480 Pompey has as much power, 390 00:30:13,480 --> 00:30:15,480 if not more, 391 00:30:15,480 --> 00:30:17,080 than the Senate. 392 00:30:17,080 --> 00:30:21,560 The best modern equivalent is a warlord. 393 00:30:22,960 --> 00:30:28,360 - Caesar sees in Pompey a kind of harbinger of the Republic's 394 00:30:28,360 --> 00:30:33,800 future, because what Pompey has done with the scale of his conquests 395 00:30:33,800 --> 00:30:37,400 is essentially to put the whole of the Republic in his shade. 396 00:30:38,960 --> 00:30:41,440 Pompey is a disruptor, 397 00:30:41,440 --> 00:30:45,600 and his return will set the kaleidoscope spinning and that 398 00:30:45,600 --> 00:30:49,160 offers opportunity for someone with Caesar's abilities and talents. 399 00:30:52,480 --> 00:30:56,440 - Caesar backs the call for Pompey's return. 400 00:30:56,440 --> 00:30:58,160 But not all in the Senate agree. 401 00:31:00,600 --> 00:31:02,480 For many Optimates, 402 00:31:02,480 --> 00:31:07,240 the idea that one man should take charge of Rome is unthinkable. 403 00:31:08,920 --> 00:31:12,480 - The Senate is extremely worried 404 00:31:12,480 --> 00:31:16,640 about the power that Pompey has. 405 00:31:16,640 --> 00:31:19,200 At their core, 406 00:31:19,200 --> 00:31:22,120 they are very distrustful 407 00:31:22,120 --> 00:31:26,000 of one man with too much power. 408 00:31:28,440 --> 00:31:31,920 - But by supporting calls for Pompey's return, 409 00:31:31,920 --> 00:31:36,360 Caesar's not just rankling his political opponents, 410 00:31:36,360 --> 00:31:41,560 he's risking his alliance with his financial backer, Crassus. 411 00:31:43,560 --> 00:31:46,600 - Marcus Lucinius Crassus 412 00:31:46,600 --> 00:31:49,960 has good reason not to love Pompey. 413 00:31:51,800 --> 00:31:55,400 - Crassus fought alongside Pompey against the slave rebellion 414 00:31:55,400 --> 00:31:56,800 led by Spartacus. 415 00:31:57,960 --> 00:32:00,920 Crassus secured the decisive victory, 416 00:32:00,920 --> 00:32:03,360 but Pompey took the credit. 417 00:32:04,640 --> 00:32:09,080 - There is a degree of bitterness on Crassus' part. 418 00:32:09,080 --> 00:32:14,040 - Let's be clear, Crassus hates Pompey. 419 00:32:15,760 --> 00:32:18,200 - Caesar pushes ahead. 420 00:32:18,200 --> 00:32:22,080 The law prohibits armed soldiers from entering Rome, 421 00:32:22,080 --> 00:32:26,440 so Caesar backs a new law that would allow Pompey to enter 422 00:32:26,440 --> 00:32:28,760 the city with his troops. 423 00:32:30,240 --> 00:32:34,720 Like all new bills, it must first be debated in the Senate. 424 00:32:34,720 --> 00:32:38,720 If the majority agree, only then will it be presented 425 00:32:38,720 --> 00:32:42,040 in the Forum, Rome's public square, 426 00:32:42,040 --> 00:32:44,920 for the people to have their vote. 427 00:32:44,920 --> 00:32:47,480 - Caesar, ever unconventional, 428 00:32:47,480 --> 00:32:51,640 sees an opportunity here to play the Populares card again and so what he 429 00:32:51,640 --> 00:32:54,800 does, he just bypasses the Senate, he takes the bill directly to the 430 00:32:54,800 --> 00:33:00,760 Forum, which is obviously greeted with fury by conservatives in the 431 00:33:00,760 --> 00:33:05,880 Senate. And particularly, of course, Caesar's great adversary, Cato. 432 00:33:07,800 --> 00:33:12,600 - Cato walks out and sees, to his disgust, 433 00:33:12,600 --> 00:33:17,520 that Caesar is trying to whip up a mob in favour of Pompey 434 00:33:17,520 --> 00:33:20,800 and that Caesar has surrounded himself with gladiators, 435 00:33:20,800 --> 00:33:24,000 and gladiators are basically hired ruffians. 436 00:33:26,600 --> 00:33:30,600 Cato doesn't care, he walks absolutely alone, 437 00:33:30,600 --> 00:33:32,720 straight up the steps, and tells Caesar 438 00:33:32,720 --> 00:33:35,400 and the crowd that they should be ashamed of themselves. 439 00:33:35,400 --> 00:33:38,800 - Cato does this nonsensical speech. 440 00:33:38,800 --> 00:33:44,880 We don't need to put this much power into the hands of one man. 441 00:33:44,880 --> 00:33:48,680 - Cato's fundamental point is the Republic should defend itself 442 00:33:48,680 --> 00:33:52,160 through the constitution and asserts that the Senate will continue 443 00:33:52,160 --> 00:33:54,200 to rule the country as it should. 444 00:33:54,200 --> 00:33:57,280 - And bedlam breaks out. 445 00:34:00,200 --> 00:34:02,120 - He's hit from every side. 446 00:34:03,160 --> 00:34:06,200 The crowd throw stuff at him, the gladiators beat him up, 447 00:34:06,200 --> 00:34:08,400 but he doesn't care. 448 00:34:12,320 --> 00:34:16,960 Cato senses that by allowing himself to be beaten up, he's showing 449 00:34:16,960 --> 00:34:19,600 the public what is happening to Rome... 450 00:34:20,800 --> 00:34:24,000 ..and he will wear those bruises as a source of pride 451 00:34:24,000 --> 00:34:27,680 because what he's saying is, "Look at these people, look at how 452 00:34:27,680 --> 00:34:31,560 "they battered me, look at the kind of leaders that you are going to let 453 00:34:31,560 --> 00:34:35,240 "come into Rome. How can you possibly support a man 454 00:34:35,240 --> 00:34:36,720 "who's done this to me?" 455 00:34:38,600 --> 00:34:41,360 - Cato's tactic works. 456 00:34:43,240 --> 00:34:45,280 - In the end, it's Cato and his followers 457 00:34:45,280 --> 00:34:47,400 who have the better of the whole occasion. 458 00:34:47,400 --> 00:34:50,840 For Caesar, obviously, infuriating. 459 00:34:50,840 --> 00:34:54,240 - THUNDERCLAP 460 00:34:55,960 --> 00:34:57,760 CROW CAWS 461 00:34:57,760 --> 00:35:01,880 The Senate, horrified by Caesar's brazen use of violence, 462 00:35:01,880 --> 00:35:03,880 have him immediately suspended. 463 00:35:05,320 --> 00:35:09,080 And the public vote on the bill to recall Pompey is aborted. 464 00:35:10,400 --> 00:35:13,080 - Caesar is staring down the barrel, potentially, 465 00:35:13,080 --> 00:35:15,840 of the ruin of his career, having worked so hard. 466 00:35:15,840 --> 00:35:20,480 But actually, what might seem a humiliation, a defeat, can be 467 00:35:20,480 --> 00:35:23,800 turned around and this is something that Caesar does again 468 00:35:23,800 --> 00:35:25,800 and again over the course of his career. 469 00:35:28,800 --> 00:35:31,720 - Caesar uses his sway with the people 470 00:35:31,720 --> 00:35:34,600 to show the Senate he won't bow down. 471 00:35:36,000 --> 00:35:39,480 - Two days later, a crowd "spontaneously" 472 00:35:39,480 --> 00:35:42,360 manifests itself outside Caesar's house. 473 00:35:44,160 --> 00:35:47,320 People in the Senate fear that this is potentially an armed mob 474 00:35:47,320 --> 00:35:50,440 that, before you can say it, will be marching on the Senate house. 475 00:35:50,440 --> 00:35:53,600 It's very clear to all concerned that everyone has 476 00:35:53,600 --> 00:35:55,480 a stake in deescalating this. 477 00:35:58,480 --> 00:36:01,720 - Caesar stands down his angry mob. 478 00:36:03,400 --> 00:36:07,080 The Senate decide it's better to keep him on side, 479 00:36:07,080 --> 00:36:09,480 and allow him back. 480 00:36:11,400 --> 00:36:14,880 - Caesar is always alert to new ways of doing politics, 481 00:36:14,880 --> 00:36:20,400 and his use of intimidation and combining it with violence, is a 482 00:36:20,400 --> 00:36:24,240 way to make things happen in Rome. 483 00:36:26,000 --> 00:36:28,120 - From Cato's point of view 484 00:36:28,120 --> 00:36:30,760 the Senate is being weak. 485 00:36:30,760 --> 00:36:33,800 They're worried by his popularity, but they're also trying to convince 486 00:36:33,800 --> 00:36:37,640 themselves they can somehow control him, and Cato is increasingly 487 00:36:37,640 --> 00:36:42,800 convinced that the Senate must act against Caesar before it's too late. 488 00:36:45,920 --> 00:36:48,840 - CROWS CAWING 489 00:36:53,560 --> 00:36:55,560 Rome is in turmoil, 490 00:36:55,560 --> 00:36:59,560 and Caesar's place in the Senate, precarious. 491 00:37:02,600 --> 00:37:06,080 But his role as High Priest offers him a chance to regain trust 492 00:37:06,080 --> 00:37:07,920 amongst his peers. 493 00:37:10,080 --> 00:37:12,520 His household must host an important ritual 494 00:37:12,520 --> 00:37:15,840 in honour of the goddess Bona Dea, 495 00:37:15,840 --> 00:37:18,520 who looks after the safety of Rome. 496 00:37:20,560 --> 00:37:24,240 - In the case of the Bona Dea, Caesar himself is not personally 497 00:37:24,240 --> 00:37:29,680 in charge because the Bona Dea is a female-only ritual and so, on this 498 00:37:29,680 --> 00:37:36,080 occasion, Caesar is going to have to rely on the women in his family. 499 00:37:37,400 --> 00:37:40,480 - So on the scene, hosting this mysterious 500 00:37:40,480 --> 00:37:44,880 and incredibly important party is Caesar's wife - Pompeia. 501 00:37:44,880 --> 00:37:50,760 Caesar's mother Aurelia is part of the ceremony and there's no direct 502 00:37:50,760 --> 00:37:53,680 evidence that Caesar's daughter Julia is present, 503 00:37:53,680 --> 00:37:55,760 but it's impossible to imagine that she isn't, 504 00:37:55,760 --> 00:37:58,360 given the importance of this ritual. 505 00:38:00,040 --> 00:38:03,560 I suspect that Julia and Caesar are quite close. 506 00:38:03,560 --> 00:38:07,080 Julia is, in a way, his most valuable possession, 507 00:38:07,080 --> 00:38:09,040 she's his only legitimate heir. 508 00:38:10,240 --> 00:38:13,720 Ultimately, she'll be there to make a very useful political 509 00:38:13,720 --> 00:38:17,080 alliance for him through her own marriage. 510 00:38:17,080 --> 00:38:20,520 I think Julia realises, at a very young age, 511 00:38:20,520 --> 00:38:25,840 how important her own comportment as a woman of Caesar's family is. 512 00:38:25,840 --> 00:38:29,960 Julia would've watched the older women in her life 513 00:38:29,960 --> 00:38:33,040 and I think she would've seen that those women had their own 514 00:38:33,040 --> 00:38:36,200 ways of exerting power, of swaying their husband, 515 00:38:36,200 --> 00:38:39,720 of having some kind of clout within Rome. 516 00:38:42,440 --> 00:38:45,960 - The ritual sacrifice is overseen by one the sacred 517 00:38:45,960 --> 00:38:48,120 order of Priestesses, 518 00:38:48,120 --> 00:38:49,840 the Vestal Virgins. 519 00:38:51,560 --> 00:38:55,480 - Everybody who is anyone in Roman elite society, 520 00:38:55,480 --> 00:38:59,120 who was also female, would be part of the ceremony. 521 00:38:59,120 --> 00:39:01,960 So there's a lot of pressure on his household to perform this 522 00:39:01,960 --> 00:39:04,200 ceremony right, to perform it well, 523 00:39:04,200 --> 00:39:07,600 so that the gods that take care of Rome will be placated. 524 00:39:14,440 --> 00:39:18,240 Suddenly, the word comes to Aurelia that a mysterious stranger 525 00:39:18,240 --> 00:39:20,440 has entered, disguised as a harp player. 526 00:39:33,400 --> 00:39:36,920 It turns out this is a man in drag trying to 527 00:39:36,920 --> 00:39:40,520 sneak into the house of Caesar, as Pontifex Maximus. 528 00:39:42,280 --> 00:39:45,000 - It's a serious violation. 529 00:39:45,000 --> 00:39:46,800 The women go home, 530 00:39:46,800 --> 00:39:51,640 and gossip about Caesar and his wife spreads like wildfire. 531 00:39:51,640 --> 00:39:52,920 - I mean, there's no question, 532 00:39:52,920 --> 00:39:55,840 this is a pretty serious setback for Caesar. 533 00:39:55,840 --> 00:39:59,760 The man who had desecrated the rites of the Bona Dea by going into 534 00:39:59,760 --> 00:40:04,080 Caesar's house had, it was said, this is the rumour that is buzzing 535 00:40:04,080 --> 00:40:08,960 around Rome, had been conducting an affair with Caesar's wife. 536 00:40:08,960 --> 00:40:10,240 This is not the kind of thing 537 00:40:10,240 --> 00:40:12,560 that a Roman man wants to have said about him. 538 00:40:12,560 --> 00:40:14,760 - If he can't control his women, if he can't control 539 00:40:14,760 --> 00:40:18,400 his family, it would reflect very, very badly on the Pontifex Maximus. 540 00:40:20,680 --> 00:40:24,480 - After the setbacks of the Catiline trial, and the failure 541 00:40:24,480 --> 00:40:26,040 of the bill to recall Pompey, 542 00:40:26,040 --> 00:40:29,320 this is a scandal that Caesar could do without. 543 00:40:30,760 --> 00:40:35,720 To minimise the damage, he's willing to sacrifice his marriage. 544 00:40:38,120 --> 00:40:41,400 - If there's one thing that Caesar hates, it's the idea that people 545 00:40:41,400 --> 00:40:44,520 might be laughing at him, he doesn't want to seem a figure of ridicule. 546 00:40:44,520 --> 00:40:48,080 So, what he does is brilliantly ruthless and brilliantly witty, 547 00:40:48,080 --> 00:40:52,920 he proclaims that he is going to divorce his wife, 548 00:40:52,920 --> 00:40:57,000 not because she had actually been conducting an affair, 549 00:40:57,000 --> 00:41:02,640 but because, as he puts it, Caesar's wife must be above suspicion. 550 00:41:09,800 --> 00:41:12,200 - There is no way that young Julia could've been 551 00:41:12,200 --> 00:41:15,720 unaware of the trouble that this scandal causes for her family. 552 00:41:17,120 --> 00:41:20,080 Julia fully recognises the responsibility that 553 00:41:20,080 --> 00:41:23,720 falls on her shoulders, not just to be a good wife, 554 00:41:23,720 --> 00:41:26,200 to be beyond suspicion in her own marriage, 555 00:41:26,200 --> 00:41:31,360 but also to ensure that she's protecting the Julian family name. 556 00:41:31,360 --> 00:41:35,040 Caesar's entire genetic future and some of his political 557 00:41:35,040 --> 00:41:38,600 future are going to rest on little Julia's shoulders. 558 00:41:53,880 --> 00:41:57,000 - Caesar's reputation has been damaged. 559 00:41:57,000 --> 00:41:59,640 He needs to take back control. 560 00:42:01,080 --> 00:42:05,360 Now, the conquering General Pompey has stood down his army, 561 00:42:05,360 --> 00:42:08,400 and is due to return to Rome. 562 00:42:08,400 --> 00:42:12,520 It offers Caesar a fresh chance for a powerful alliance. 563 00:42:14,720 --> 00:42:18,600 Pompey's return to Rome is marked by a spectacular Triumphal 564 00:42:18,600 --> 00:42:21,080 parade through the city's streets. 565 00:42:23,600 --> 00:42:27,960 - In a Triumph, the commander parades, 566 00:42:27,960 --> 00:42:30,480 right, literally on floats, 567 00:42:30,480 --> 00:42:33,920 everything that screams, 568 00:42:33,920 --> 00:42:37,360 "I am the conqueror". 569 00:42:37,360 --> 00:42:41,840 Animals, captives, gold. 570 00:42:41,840 --> 00:42:45,120 The people of Rome adore Pompey, 571 00:42:45,120 --> 00:42:49,240 he is Rome's greatest success story. 572 00:42:49,240 --> 00:42:52,560 - Pompey has more power than any citizen in the entire 573 00:42:52,560 --> 00:42:55,080 history of the Republic has wielded. 574 00:42:55,080 --> 00:43:01,400 - One of the spectators at the Triumph is Julius Caesar. 575 00:43:01,400 --> 00:43:05,720 - Caesar, looking at him, sees in Pompey the face of the future, 576 00:43:05,720 --> 00:43:10,760 that this is what it is to be great in what the Republic has become. 577 00:43:10,760 --> 00:43:13,600 - Running through his head is, 578 00:43:13,600 --> 00:43:16,280 "I want that." 579 00:43:20,280 --> 00:43:24,840 - For Caesar, Pompey is the model of success. 580 00:43:24,840 --> 00:43:27,200 But whilst everyone welcomes the wealth 581 00:43:27,200 --> 00:43:30,960 he brings to Rome, many in the Senate are wary. 582 00:43:33,720 --> 00:43:36,720 - There's a fear, always the fear, that the 583 00:43:36,720 --> 00:43:41,600 conquering General may set himself up as the new tyrant of Rome. 584 00:43:43,680 --> 00:43:47,880 - But Pompey has just one thing on his political agenda. 585 00:43:49,240 --> 00:43:50,920 - The huge challenge that Pompey faces 586 00:43:50,920 --> 00:43:53,760 when he comes back is to provide land for his veterans, the 587 00:43:53,760 --> 00:43:57,080 legions who've been following him, this is what Pompey has promised. 588 00:43:57,080 --> 00:44:01,800 - The demand for land by the veterans of the great campaigns is 589 00:44:01,800 --> 00:44:04,640 persistent through time. 590 00:44:04,640 --> 00:44:08,640 What they need is a plot of land to live off. 591 00:44:10,080 --> 00:44:13,280 - Land means independence, 592 00:44:13,280 --> 00:44:15,960 you're not dependent on granaries 593 00:44:15,960 --> 00:44:19,240 in Rome for your little ration. 594 00:44:19,240 --> 00:44:22,240 It means dignity. 595 00:44:22,240 --> 00:44:25,440 Pompey is a man of integrity, 596 00:44:25,440 --> 00:44:27,480 he gives his word, 597 00:44:27,480 --> 00:44:32,240 you will have a farm. He is going to see that through. 598 00:44:34,440 --> 00:44:39,480 - Pompey puts forward a bill to award land to his veterans, 599 00:44:39,480 --> 00:44:43,800 but many Optimates, including Cato, are keen to cut him 600 00:44:43,800 --> 00:44:45,760 down to size and reject it. 601 00:44:49,280 --> 00:44:53,280 - Cato still sees Pompey as a danger to the Republic, 602 00:44:53,280 --> 00:44:57,200 he's a billionaire celebrity, coming in and throwing his weight around. 603 00:44:57,200 --> 00:45:01,120 It's vital to Cato that these big, 604 00:45:01,120 --> 00:45:04,480 overweening men are marginalised. 605 00:45:04,480 --> 00:45:09,400 - When he sees Pompey facing major difficulties in the Senate, 606 00:45:09,400 --> 00:45:11,320 on the Roman political scene, 607 00:45:11,320 --> 00:45:15,520 surely Crassus must be taking a good deal of pleasure? 608 00:45:15,520 --> 00:45:18,440 - Caesar sees the astonishing spectacle that Pompey, 609 00:45:18,440 --> 00:45:21,360 the conqueror of the gorgeous east, he's frustrated, 610 00:45:21,360 --> 00:45:23,800 he doesn't know what to do, he's absolutely paralysed. 611 00:45:26,480 --> 00:45:30,520 - Pompey realises that he's becoming an increasingly isolated figure 612 00:45:30,520 --> 00:45:33,680 and that presents him, Pompey, with a very real strategic challenge, 613 00:45:33,680 --> 00:45:37,800 how to get out of this...impasse. 614 00:45:46,600 --> 00:45:50,120 - Pompey realises that 615 00:45:50,120 --> 00:45:52,840 one way to win 616 00:45:52,840 --> 00:45:55,760 over the opponents is through marriage. 617 00:45:57,240 --> 00:46:02,840 Marriage was a tool for a Roman politician, everybody knew it. 618 00:46:02,840 --> 00:46:06,480 - Pompey is probably the most eligible bachelor in Rome at this time. 619 00:46:06,480 --> 00:46:09,040 He's known to be beloved by the ladies, 620 00:46:09,040 --> 00:46:12,840 but also has a strange sense of sexual fidelity for a man. 621 00:46:12,840 --> 00:46:16,640 He's not gadding about bed hopping, playing the field, like Caesar is. 622 00:46:18,080 --> 00:46:23,400 - Pompey, this billionaire celebrity General, comes to Cato 623 00:46:23,400 --> 00:46:26,960 and says he wants to marry his niece. 624 00:46:28,720 --> 00:46:31,840 This is a big moment of decision for Cato 625 00:46:31,840 --> 00:46:36,040 because if Cato allies himself with Pompey, there's a possibility 626 00:46:36,040 --> 00:46:38,560 that through that compromise he can keep 627 00:46:38,560 --> 00:46:42,480 Pompey on the side of the Republic against people like Julius Caesar. 628 00:46:46,120 --> 00:46:49,320 But in the end, he won't compromise. 629 00:46:49,320 --> 00:46:51,360 - Flat out... 630 00:46:51,360 --> 00:46:53,440 Flat out rejects it. 631 00:46:55,520 --> 00:46:59,000 - He's not prepared to sully his family by allying with Pompey. 632 00:46:59,000 --> 00:47:01,560 He says, "I'm not going be outmanoeuvred 633 00:47:01,560 --> 00:47:03,160 "by the bedroom of a girl." 634 00:47:03,160 --> 00:47:06,080 - This is purely political. 635 00:47:08,680 --> 00:47:12,840 Pompey feels like he has no control 636 00:47:12,840 --> 00:47:15,600 over what is happening politically. 637 00:47:19,920 --> 00:47:21,320 And Cato is thinking... 638 00:47:23,280 --> 00:47:25,360 .."I've got him." 639 00:47:42,040 --> 00:47:45,920 - Watching the great commander Pompey belittled by conservatives 640 00:47:45,920 --> 00:47:50,360 in the Senate, Caesar sees an opportunity that could serve 641 00:47:50,360 --> 00:47:52,600 both of their ambitions. 642 00:47:55,880 --> 00:48:00,000 - Caesar recognises, in the problems that Pompey is facing, 643 00:48:00,000 --> 00:48:02,360 massive opportunity. 644 00:48:02,360 --> 00:48:06,680 What Pompey clearly needs is a consul who will be able to 645 00:48:06,680 --> 00:48:11,040 force through the reforms and the laws that Pompey wants, 646 00:48:11,040 --> 00:48:14,280 namely land granted to his veterans. 647 00:48:14,280 --> 00:48:20,000 Who better to serve the great man than Caesar himself? 648 00:48:20,000 --> 00:48:23,000 - Pompey needs Caesar, 649 00:48:23,000 --> 00:48:25,880 Caesar needs Pompey. 650 00:48:25,880 --> 00:48:28,960 Nothing was going to happen for either one of them, 651 00:48:28,960 --> 00:48:31,800 unless they joined forces. 652 00:48:34,640 --> 00:48:39,240 - Caesar knows the consulship election is imminent, 653 00:48:39,240 --> 00:48:41,480 when the public will vote for two men to share 654 00:48:41,480 --> 00:48:44,440 the most prestigious and powerful political 655 00:48:44,440 --> 00:48:46,720 position in Rome. 656 00:48:51,720 --> 00:48:54,720 With Pompey backing him, Caesar is certain 657 00:48:54,720 --> 00:48:59,920 their combined popularity will win him the highest seat in the Senate. 658 00:49:04,400 --> 00:49:08,440 - To be a consul, to be known by the Roman people as someone who 659 00:49:08,440 --> 00:49:14,120 has served as a consul, this is the dream that every ambitious 660 00:49:14,120 --> 00:49:16,600 citizen in the Republic nurtures. 661 00:49:23,120 --> 00:49:27,240 - Caesar wins the election by a landslide. 662 00:49:33,920 --> 00:49:37,400 - It's only a few years since he was facing the potential utter 663 00:49:37,400 --> 00:49:40,560 ruin of his career. Had he failed to win 664 00:49:40,560 --> 00:49:44,680 election for the Pontifex Maximus, he might have ended up a Catiline. 665 00:49:44,680 --> 00:49:49,920 But now he's won the consulship, it is a great, great thing. 666 00:49:51,720 --> 00:49:54,520 - But two consuls are elected, 667 00:49:54,520 --> 00:49:58,320 and Caesar is expected to share power. 668 00:49:59,880 --> 00:50:03,640 - The only consolation that Cato's got at this stage is that the 669 00:50:03,640 --> 00:50:08,160 second consul is one of Cato's allies, but Cato must already be 670 00:50:08,160 --> 00:50:12,320 beginning to suspect that he's maybe not the man to stand up to Caesar. 671 00:50:13,640 --> 00:50:17,720 - Now he's consul, Caesar needs to make good on his promise to 672 00:50:17,720 --> 00:50:22,560 Pompey, by proposing a bill to award land to his veterans. 673 00:50:24,400 --> 00:50:28,520 Convention dictates that the Senate must debate it first, 674 00:50:28,520 --> 00:50:33,040 and if the majority agree, it will be put to a public vote. 675 00:50:34,080 --> 00:50:38,640 - It's at this point that Caesar's familiar nemesis, 676 00:50:38,640 --> 00:50:40,920 Cato, stands up. 677 00:50:46,480 --> 00:50:50,440 - Cato filibusters, it's something that's still done in 678 00:50:50,440 --> 00:50:54,840 the House of Commons, it's something that's done a lot in the US Senate. 679 00:50:54,840 --> 00:50:59,120 He speaks and speaks and speaks and speaks 680 00:50:59,120 --> 00:51:01,560 and he speaks out the debate. 681 00:51:02,880 --> 00:51:05,400 - It looks as though the bill has been defeated. 682 00:51:06,880 --> 00:51:10,600 Caesar's defeat, however, turns out to be only a seeming defeat. 683 00:51:10,600 --> 00:51:15,360 - Caesar knows conservatives in the Senate will do everything 684 00:51:15,360 --> 00:51:17,120 they can to obstruct him. 685 00:51:18,560 --> 00:51:22,000 So he decides to play Populares once again 686 00:51:22,000 --> 00:51:24,320 and bypass the Senate entirely. 687 00:51:26,360 --> 00:51:29,240 CHEERING 688 00:51:32,760 --> 00:51:35,320 He takes the bill straight to the public Forum... 689 00:51:36,640 --> 00:51:38,560 ..for the people to have their vote. 690 00:51:43,040 --> 00:51:46,560 - What Caesar does, and the echoes with Trump are obvious, 691 00:51:46,560 --> 00:51:50,240 is that he moves out of the Senate, and he goes back to the people. 692 00:51:51,760 --> 00:51:54,400 - He takes the bill into the Forum, 693 00:51:54,400 --> 00:51:58,080 and there in the Forum, gangs of heavies, gangs of Caesar's 694 00:51:58,080 --> 00:52:01,000 supporters, Pompey's veterans, 695 00:52:01,000 --> 00:52:03,280 a very, very menacing atmosphere. 696 00:52:05,040 --> 00:52:06,960 - He stands on the rostra, 697 00:52:06,960 --> 00:52:11,080 and he basically whips up a mob to try to get through what he wants. 698 00:52:15,440 --> 00:52:19,480 - Then Caesar brings out his celebrity support... 699 00:52:21,920 --> 00:52:23,880 ..Pompey the Great. 700 00:52:23,880 --> 00:52:26,360 - It's absolutely political theatre. 701 00:52:26,360 --> 00:52:29,360 The crowd goes crazy. Yay! 702 00:52:32,080 --> 00:52:38,720 - The real jaw-drop is when Caesar reveals his second celebrity backer. 703 00:52:38,720 --> 00:52:40,080 - And the people go... 704 00:52:41,760 --> 00:52:46,240 ..wait a minute. What is going on here? 705 00:52:46,240 --> 00:52:48,840 - And that second celebrity backer 706 00:52:48,840 --> 00:52:51,200 is Pompey's deadliest enemy, 707 00:52:51,200 --> 00:52:52,760 Crassus. 708 00:52:58,480 --> 00:53:03,480 - Crassus. Crassus, a disgusting billionaire who made his money in 709 00:53:03,480 --> 00:53:05,520 the most unscrupulous fashion 710 00:53:05,520 --> 00:53:09,080 has now allied himself with Caesar and Pompey. 711 00:53:10,200 --> 00:53:13,680 - Crassus sees the opportunity to make himself central in Roman 712 00:53:13,680 --> 00:53:18,840 politics by forging an alliance with two rather unlikely 713 00:53:18,840 --> 00:53:21,080 but extremely effective partners. 714 00:53:25,320 --> 00:53:30,360 - Cato and his supporters gaze in horror as they realise what 715 00:53:30,360 --> 00:53:33,880 this means, that Caesar, somehow, 716 00:53:33,880 --> 00:53:38,680 has brought together the two most powerful men in Rome. 717 00:53:40,280 --> 00:53:45,280 - Three men, take it from the Latin, triumvirate. 718 00:53:45,280 --> 00:53:49,600 Whether the Senate likes it or not, whether Cato likes it or not, 719 00:53:49,600 --> 00:53:54,160 it doesn't matter, they are going to control Rome. 720 00:53:54,160 --> 00:53:56,400 - It is Cato's nightmare coming to fruition. 721 00:54:00,600 --> 00:54:05,200 - Cato had the power to nip this triumvirate before it was 722 00:54:05,200 --> 00:54:09,760 even a twinkle in the three men's eyes. 723 00:54:09,760 --> 00:54:14,640 All he had to do was agree to Pompey's marriage proposal. 724 00:54:17,280 --> 00:54:20,880 Playing over and over in his head is, 725 00:54:20,880 --> 00:54:25,760 "What in Jupiter's name have I done?" 726 00:54:35,400 --> 00:54:38,800 - Caesar presents the land bill to the people, 727 00:54:38,800 --> 00:54:41,840 but before they take their vote, 728 00:54:41,840 --> 00:54:44,560 there is one voice of opposition. 729 00:54:46,080 --> 00:54:50,520 - The second consul, the elected co-consul of Rome, 730 00:54:50,520 --> 00:54:53,000 effectively the elected Prime Minister of Rome... 731 00:54:54,960 --> 00:54:57,120 ..steps forward onto the rostra 732 00:54:57,120 --> 00:55:00,640 to try once more to argue against this bill. 733 00:55:00,640 --> 00:55:02,760 - I mean, Caesar's not having any of that. 734 00:55:06,440 --> 00:55:08,440 - CROWD GASPS AND SCREAMS 735 00:55:11,120 --> 00:55:12,960 - Caesar's heavies pile in... 736 00:55:15,040 --> 00:55:17,040 ..they attack him, they beat him up. 737 00:55:20,800 --> 00:55:24,160 - They pour a bucket of shit over the consul's head. 738 00:55:27,120 --> 00:55:29,640 He's literally dripping in shit. 739 00:55:32,960 --> 00:55:36,960 It's that moment, I think, when the shit is literally dripping from the 740 00:55:36,960 --> 00:55:40,960 head of the elected leader of Rome, 741 00:55:40,960 --> 00:55:44,120 Cato must sense that he's lost. 742 00:55:44,120 --> 00:55:46,280 - Caesar just smiles, he laughs, 743 00:55:46,280 --> 00:55:49,760 leaves his colleague to crawl off 744 00:55:49,760 --> 00:55:51,640 and leave Rome to Caesar. 745 00:56:16,440 --> 00:56:20,760 - Caesar will ensure Pompey's veterans get their land, 746 00:56:20,760 --> 00:56:24,920 and that Crassus gets lucrative tax breaks. 747 00:56:24,920 --> 00:56:28,560 For himself, he's lining up the command of Gaul, 748 00:56:28,560 --> 00:56:33,360 now modern France, a vast unconquered province 749 00:56:33,360 --> 00:56:37,840 that promises him even greater power and glory. 750 00:56:37,840 --> 00:56:42,200 And he's securing this future with a marriage. 751 00:56:46,320 --> 00:56:49,960 - Pompey, as we know, was rejected by Cato... 752 00:56:51,440 --> 00:56:53,880 ..but that's a blessing in disguise 753 00:56:53,880 --> 00:56:56,680 because now, 754 00:56:56,680 --> 00:56:59,840 he can accept Caesar's proposal 755 00:56:59,840 --> 00:57:02,440 that he marry Julia. 756 00:57:05,160 --> 00:57:07,760 - All these years, Caesar has been holding on to Julia 757 00:57:07,760 --> 00:57:10,120 as his ace in the hole for maintaining 758 00:57:10,120 --> 00:57:13,640 and creating political alliances and opportunities. 759 00:57:13,640 --> 00:57:16,840 Caesar sees the perfect moment to play that card. 760 00:57:16,840 --> 00:57:19,800 Pompey's marriage to Julia is absolutely essential to 761 00:57:19,800 --> 00:57:21,440 Caesar's ambitions. 762 00:57:22,480 --> 00:57:26,040 It's really this event that solidifies that alliance 763 00:57:26,040 --> 00:57:28,560 as more than just political. 764 00:57:28,560 --> 00:57:32,120 Both Pompey and Caesar are really putting their skin in the game 765 00:57:32,120 --> 00:57:34,040 by committing to this relationship. 766 00:57:37,680 --> 00:57:41,520 - Caesar has really been adopting a kind of two pronged strategy. 767 00:57:41,520 --> 00:57:44,880 The first strategy is to accumulate honours, 768 00:57:44,880 --> 00:57:48,400 so he's become Pontifex Maximus, he's become consul, 769 00:57:48,400 --> 00:57:52,160 but it's that fusion of the traditional statesmanship 770 00:57:52,160 --> 00:57:56,520 and a readiness to play fast and loose with the rules that marks 771 00:57:56,520 --> 00:58:00,400 him out as someone, by the standards of the Republic, of menace. 772 00:58:02,600 --> 00:58:05,400 He's won the highest political position in the land, 773 00:58:05,400 --> 00:58:07,800 he is effectively the master of Rome, 774 00:58:07,800 --> 00:58:10,400 but here is the question - 775 00:58:10,400 --> 00:58:11,840 what next? 776 00:58:15,160 --> 00:58:19,760 - Next time, Caesar seeks glory in Gaul... 777 00:58:19,760 --> 00:58:23,000 ..until events beyond his control 778 00:58:23,000 --> 00:58:25,120 turn allies into enemies 779 00:58:25,120 --> 00:58:28,600 and the future of Rome hangs in the balance. 780 00:59:12,600 --> 00:59:15,100 It's the spring of 58 BC. 781 00:59:17,260 --> 00:59:21,060 The people of Gaul face a new and grave threat. 782 00:59:21,060 --> 00:59:23,300 GALLOPING HOOVES 783 00:59:23,300 --> 00:59:25,900 BABY CRIES 784 00:59:30,420 --> 00:59:32,340 HORSE NEIGHS 785 00:59:34,100 --> 00:59:38,580 Julius Caesar has completed his year as consul of Rome 786 00:59:38,580 --> 00:59:41,700 and set his sights on conquest. 787 00:59:43,540 --> 00:59:48,620 In this foreign land, there are few rules to constrain him. 788 00:59:48,620 --> 00:59:51,260 BABY CRIES 789 00:59:51,260 --> 00:59:54,900 His army is carving its way through the country, 790 00:59:54,900 --> 00:59:58,380 subduing or slaughtering its people. 791 00:59:58,380 --> 01:00:01,060 No-one will stand in Caesar's way. 792 01:00:04,020 --> 01:00:06,540 - Times are changing in the Roman world. 793 01:00:06,540 --> 01:00:09,220 Generals with their own armies 794 01:00:09,220 --> 01:00:14,300 are able to win unprecedented popularity, wealth, power, 795 01:00:14,300 --> 01:00:19,940 and these warlords are able to put the entire Republic in their shadow. 796 01:00:22,180 --> 01:00:27,940 Caesar understands this. He knows that only sweeping conquest 797 01:00:27,940 --> 01:00:30,980 can make him the greatest man in Rome... 798 01:00:33,340 --> 01:00:35,580 ..and he will stop at nothing. 799 01:00:38,300 --> 01:00:40,460 - BABY CRIES 800 01:00:40,460 --> 01:00:42,300 SWORD PLUNGES, CRYING STOPS 801 01:00:46,500 --> 01:00:48,980 - It's brutal, 802 01:00:48,980 --> 01:00:51,220 it's punishing, 803 01:00:51,220 --> 01:00:53,220 it's genocidal in scale... 804 01:00:55,140 --> 01:01:01,660 ..but the reward of glory would burnish Caesar's name forever 805 01:01:01,660 --> 01:01:06,260 and put absolute rocket fuel into Caesar's political career. 806 01:01:14,100 --> 01:01:18,100 - At the heart of the most powerful empire in the ancient world 807 01:01:18,100 --> 01:01:19,700 stands Rome. 808 01:01:21,300 --> 01:01:25,260 For 500 years, it was ruled by elected government. 809 01:01:27,060 --> 01:01:28,980 But in a little over a decade, 810 01:01:28,980 --> 01:01:33,140 this Republic was overthrown by the ambitions of one man. 811 01:01:35,420 --> 01:01:38,860 - The story of Caesar is an incredibly enduring one. 812 01:01:38,860 --> 01:01:44,060 The resonance of it's so powerful, it remains the most thrilling, 813 01:01:44,060 --> 01:01:48,500 the most extraordinary political story in western history. 814 01:01:48,500 --> 01:01:51,820 - Now historians and experts who understand 815 01:01:51,820 --> 01:01:56,020 the nature of political power will chart his rise... 816 01:01:56,020 --> 01:02:01,020 - He's so smart, he just knows how to use his opportunities. 817 01:02:01,020 --> 01:02:03,260 - ..and ask how an individual can bend 818 01:02:03,260 --> 01:02:07,100 a centuries-old political system to breaking point. 819 01:02:08,300 --> 01:02:12,140 - Julius Caesar is the most dangerous kind of demagogue. 820 01:02:14,020 --> 01:02:18,220 - This is the story of how ambition turns to tyranny... 821 01:02:19,540 --> 01:02:22,500 - He's a disgrace in every single way. he's immoral, 822 01:02:22,500 --> 01:02:24,980 he's irreligious, and he's a potential tyrant. 823 01:02:26,220 --> 01:02:29,380 - ..and how a dictator is born. 824 01:02:29,380 --> 01:02:32,420 - The awful lesson is that, in the end, 825 01:02:32,420 --> 01:02:35,380 a populist can corrupt an entire state. 826 01:02:36,900 --> 01:02:41,100 - For every other political system that values stability and justice 827 01:02:41,100 --> 01:02:44,420 and liberty, that should be, at the very least, a wake-up call. 828 01:02:48,060 --> 01:02:50,740 - Democracy has to be constantly fought for. 829 01:02:53,260 --> 01:02:57,180 If we take it for granted, a new Caesar will come. 830 01:03:36,860 --> 01:03:42,740 - For two years, Julius Caesar has waged war on the people of Gaul, 831 01:03:42,740 --> 01:03:46,460 capturing territory, slaves, and bounty. 832 01:03:48,900 --> 01:03:52,300 With his new-found wealth, he has enlarged his army 833 01:03:52,300 --> 01:03:55,380 and made rich men of his supporters back in Rome. 834 01:03:57,420 --> 01:03:59,700 - Caesar, throughout his political career, 835 01:03:59,700 --> 01:04:02,020 has always been an opportunist, 836 01:04:02,020 --> 01:04:05,980 but I think that opportunist is inadequate to convey the scale 837 01:04:05,980 --> 01:04:07,700 of what Caesar is aiming at. 838 01:04:09,220 --> 01:04:12,300 The idea of conquering the whole expanse of Gaul, 839 01:04:12,300 --> 01:04:16,900 essentially what is now France, is stupefyingly ambitious. 840 01:04:20,060 --> 01:04:22,540 - Gaul is a vast region, 841 01:04:22,540 --> 01:04:26,860 stretching from Northern Italy to the English Channel. 842 01:04:26,860 --> 01:04:31,180 Caesar is Governor of a narrow strip of Roman territory in the South. 843 01:04:32,580 --> 01:04:37,300 From here, he's begun his quest to conquer more land for Rome, 844 01:04:37,300 --> 01:04:39,940 and to subdue the Gaulish tribes. 845 01:04:41,580 --> 01:04:46,700 - For the Romans, the Gaul is the essence of the barbarian. 846 01:04:46,700 --> 01:04:49,460 It's the figure of their worst nightmare. 847 01:04:49,460 --> 01:04:53,540 Caesar himself says of the people that they are the least 848 01:04:53,540 --> 01:04:56,780 effeminate, the most masculine, the most dangerous 849 01:04:56,780 --> 01:04:59,700 and yet, he's perfectly happy to take them on. 850 01:05:02,980 --> 01:05:05,260 - Caesar believes he is the man 851 01:05:05,260 --> 01:05:07,820 to bring all of Gaul under Roman control. 852 01:05:09,260 --> 01:05:11,580 Beyond the wealth he's winning for Rome, 853 01:05:11,580 --> 01:05:14,580 he's seeking not just fortune, but fame. 854 01:05:17,380 --> 01:05:21,100 - Caesar cannot possibly win the kind of status that he wants 855 01:05:21,100 --> 01:05:24,700 without a great feat of conquest, I think. 856 01:05:26,020 --> 01:05:29,780 War is the great testing ground for Rome's leading men. 857 01:05:30,900 --> 01:05:34,460 Caesar is pursuing the blaze of glory, so the defeat, 858 01:05:34,460 --> 01:05:37,380 particularly of barbarians and of Gauls, I mean, this is 859 01:05:37,380 --> 01:05:40,420 something that will make his name echo down the centuries. 860 01:05:43,660 --> 01:05:48,180 - Caesar ensures news of his conquest reaches the people of Rome. 861 01:05:49,940 --> 01:05:51,900 They delight in his success. 862 01:05:55,820 --> 01:06:01,180 But the Senate, the body of men who govern Rome, is divided. 863 01:06:01,180 --> 01:06:05,060 Caesar's opponents see his growing power as a threat, 864 01:06:05,060 --> 01:06:07,700 but he still has allies. 865 01:06:09,300 --> 01:06:12,580 His main backers are Rome's richest man, Crassus, 866 01:06:12,580 --> 01:06:15,300 and its greatest General, Pompey, 867 01:06:15,300 --> 01:06:18,460 now married to Caesar's daughter, Julia. 868 01:06:20,100 --> 01:06:24,860 Caesar had persuaded Pompey and Crassus into a powerful alliance - 869 01:06:24,860 --> 01:06:26,420 the Triumvirate. 870 01:06:27,660 --> 01:06:31,220 They secured Caesar the top job in Rome, the consulship, 871 01:06:31,220 --> 01:06:33,460 and the opportunity to conquer Gaul... 872 01:06:35,300 --> 01:06:37,060 ..leaving Crassus and Pompey 873 01:06:37,060 --> 01:06:40,300 to take care of their shared interests in the Senate. 874 01:06:43,140 --> 01:06:46,740 But now, fuelled by jealousy and resentment, 875 01:06:46,740 --> 01:06:50,860 tensions are rising between Pompey and Crassus, 876 01:06:50,860 --> 01:06:53,220 and they are losing their grip on Rome. 877 01:06:54,460 --> 01:06:56,540 - Crassus still hates Pompey. 878 01:06:56,540 --> 01:06:59,420 The Triumvirate looks like 879 01:06:59,420 --> 01:07:02,100 it's kind of wobbly. 880 01:07:02,100 --> 01:07:06,540 It's not sustainable, the way it's going. 881 01:07:06,540 --> 01:07:08,460 - The risk for Caesar is that, 882 01:07:08,460 --> 01:07:11,780 if the Triumvirate proves to be utterly broken, 883 01:07:11,780 --> 01:07:17,180 then his capacity to hold his position in Rome is broken as well, 884 01:07:17,180 --> 01:07:20,700 and that means that his enemies can start moving in for the kill. 885 01:07:23,660 --> 01:07:27,180 - Caesar's main opponents in the Senate, the Optimates, 886 01:07:27,180 --> 01:07:30,180 see him as a threat to the Republic, 887 01:07:30,180 --> 01:07:33,740 and are desperate to find a way to cut him down. 888 01:07:37,700 --> 01:07:40,460 Now they plan to prosecute him for his shocking 889 01:07:40,460 --> 01:07:44,780 and violent behaviour during his year-long tenure as consul. 890 01:07:46,340 --> 01:07:50,180 - Caesar's consulship sent ripples of shock through Rome. 891 01:07:51,580 --> 01:07:55,580 He treated his fellow consul with a measure of violence, 892 01:07:55,580 --> 01:08:01,460 so the consul ends up with a bucket of manure emptied over his head. 893 01:08:01,460 --> 01:08:05,660 Caesar's enemies said absolutely explicitly we believe that 894 01:08:05,660 --> 01:08:09,060 you should be prosecuted, you have behaved illegally. 895 01:08:10,820 --> 01:08:14,820 - His opponents see him as a criminal, and they are determined, 896 01:08:14,820 --> 01:08:18,420 in the long run, to prosecute him, to convict him, 897 01:08:18,420 --> 01:08:22,900 to destroy him utterly, and this becomes stronger 898 01:08:22,900 --> 01:08:27,660 and stronger, the more glory that Caesar wins for himself in Gaul. 899 01:08:32,140 --> 01:08:36,420 - Leading the conservative charge to bring a prosecution 900 01:08:36,420 --> 01:08:40,100 against Caesar is his long-standing enemy Cato. 901 01:08:44,100 --> 01:08:45,980 - In the minds of people like Cato, 902 01:08:45,980 --> 01:08:48,900 Caesar represents two very dangerous things. 903 01:08:48,900 --> 01:08:50,540 He represents populism, 904 01:08:50,540 --> 01:08:53,700 he's somebody who unashamedly tries to present himself as the people 905 01:08:53,700 --> 01:08:59,100 against the elite, and he represents the danger of tyranny, he's somebody 906 01:08:59,100 --> 01:09:03,380 trying to promote themselves at the expense of the constitution, which 907 01:09:03,380 --> 01:09:08,060 stands for balance of power and no one person taking too much power. 908 01:09:08,060 --> 01:09:11,460 Cato is going to try to do everything he can 909 01:09:11,460 --> 01:09:13,740 within the Roman law to defeat Caesar. 910 01:09:18,980 --> 01:09:22,900 - Caesar's ultimate nightmare, the one thing that could drag him down, 911 01:09:22,900 --> 01:09:25,300 even after all he's achieved, is prosecution 912 01:09:25,300 --> 01:09:29,140 because if you can prosecute someone and convict them, 913 01:09:29,140 --> 01:09:32,740 then that person will have no choice but to go into exile. 914 01:09:32,740 --> 01:09:36,140 You suffer a kind of political death, and that, for Caesar, 915 01:09:36,140 --> 01:09:37,980 would be a fate worse than death. 916 01:09:41,100 --> 01:09:43,300 - As long as Caesar is in Gaul, 917 01:09:43,300 --> 01:09:46,940 his position as Governor grants him immunity from prosecution. 918 01:09:48,780 --> 01:09:52,060 But the Senate still has the power to recall him. 919 01:09:57,620 --> 01:10:01,380 In Rome, the Optimates ask the Senate to vote on removing 920 01:10:01,380 --> 01:10:03,060 Caesar's governorship. 921 01:10:05,100 --> 01:10:09,300 But with many senators sharing in the riches Caesar's sending back 922 01:10:09,300 --> 01:10:12,700 to Rome, they fail to win the majority they need. 923 01:10:19,180 --> 01:10:21,860 Caesar's command is safe, 924 01:10:21,860 --> 01:10:23,700 but it's a warning. 925 01:10:26,980 --> 01:10:28,540 He calls Pompey and Crassus 926 01:10:28,540 --> 01:10:31,900 to an urgent meeting in the Northern Italian town of Lucca. 927 01:10:34,220 --> 01:10:37,420 CROW CAWS 928 01:10:40,340 --> 01:10:42,780 - For Caesar, it's absolutely essential 929 01:10:42,780 --> 01:10:45,260 that the Triumvirate holds together. 930 01:10:45,260 --> 01:10:48,580 The strains on the relationship between Pompey and Crassus 931 01:10:48,580 --> 01:10:50,700 is a real threat to Caesar. 932 01:10:50,700 --> 01:10:54,980 He can't come to Rome and knock their heads together, 933 01:10:54,980 --> 01:10:59,580 so the conference in Lucca is crucially important in keeping 934 01:10:59,580 --> 01:11:01,860 the triumviral show on the road. 935 01:11:05,420 --> 01:11:10,420 - Caesar's plan is to persuade Pompey and Crassus to reunite 936 01:11:10,420 --> 01:11:13,420 by promising them each something they desire. 937 01:11:15,180 --> 01:11:20,220 - Pompey, at this point, is in a peculiar situation 938 01:11:20,220 --> 01:11:25,300 because of his rapid rise to power. 939 01:11:25,300 --> 01:11:28,700 On the back of military successes, 940 01:11:28,700 --> 01:11:32,740 he is much loved by the people, 941 01:11:32,740 --> 01:11:38,380 but deeply mistrusted by the Roman Senate. 942 01:11:38,380 --> 01:11:41,660 He's always been on the outside looking in. 943 01:11:43,020 --> 01:11:46,220 - While Pompey craves the kind of influence in the Senate 944 01:11:46,220 --> 01:11:50,580 enjoyed by Crassus, Crassus is jealous of Pompey 945 01:11:50,580 --> 01:11:52,700 and Caesar's military success. 946 01:11:54,540 --> 01:11:58,660 - Crassus has a influential presence in the Senate, but he lacks, 947 01:11:58,660 --> 01:12:03,900 at this point, the sort of major military undertaking 948 01:12:03,900 --> 01:12:09,300 that will provide status that he feels entitled to. 949 01:12:09,300 --> 01:12:13,180 Caesar is conquering Gaul, and there is, no doubt, 950 01:12:13,180 --> 01:12:17,220 a sense of burning competition in Crassus' mind. 951 01:12:19,900 --> 01:12:24,260 - In Rome, the annual election of the two consuls who lead the Senate 952 01:12:24,260 --> 01:12:25,740 is imminent. 953 01:12:27,140 --> 01:12:31,780 Caesars's plan is simple - use the collective might 954 01:12:31,780 --> 01:12:35,500 of the Triumvirate to once again sway the voting public. 955 01:12:36,860 --> 01:12:41,820 But this time, Pompey and Crassus would become co-consuls, 956 01:12:41,820 --> 01:12:45,660 giving them the power to deliver what each of them wants. 957 01:12:47,380 --> 01:12:53,220 - Pompey feels that, if he can be consul, the leading politician 958 01:12:53,220 --> 01:12:56,420 and statesman in the city of Rome, 959 01:12:56,420 --> 01:13:00,100 he will gain the respect of the Senate. 960 01:13:01,740 --> 01:13:04,820 - And Crassus realises that the consulship 961 01:13:04,820 --> 01:13:08,380 and provincial command, afterwards, 962 01:13:08,380 --> 01:13:10,740 for a major military undertaking, 963 01:13:10,740 --> 01:13:17,220 will bring the sort of outstanding status that he feels entitled to. 964 01:13:19,940 --> 01:13:22,140 - What does Caesar want in return? 965 01:13:22,140 --> 01:13:25,980 He wants an extension of his command, and he wants that, firstly 966 01:13:25,980 --> 01:13:30,620 so that he can complete his conquest of Gaul, but also because the longer 967 01:13:30,620 --> 01:13:35,940 he has his command, the longer he is immune to prosecution back in Rome. 968 01:13:42,100 --> 01:13:47,700 - The meeting at Lucca is unprecedented. 969 01:13:47,700 --> 01:13:54,420 Three men meeting secretly deciding the future of the 970 01:13:54,420 --> 01:14:02,300 Roman Republic goes against the idea of a republican form of government. 971 01:14:06,140 --> 01:14:09,660 - It's hard to think of any parallel in our democracy 972 01:14:09,660 --> 01:14:11,260 to what happens at Lucca. 973 01:14:12,260 --> 01:14:15,740 It's a convergence of rival Mafia bosses. 974 01:14:15,740 --> 01:14:19,660 It's The Joker, The Riddler, The Penguin coming together 975 01:14:19,660 --> 01:14:21,420 to carve up Gotham City. 976 01:14:24,420 --> 01:14:29,420 - The Triumvirate agree to renew their alliance and combine their powers. 977 01:14:30,900 --> 01:14:32,660 CROW CAWS 978 01:14:36,660 --> 01:14:38,900 But for their plan to work, 979 01:14:38,900 --> 01:14:42,740 Pompey and Crassus must win the consulship election. 980 01:14:44,420 --> 01:14:47,740 - Roman consuls typically don't run as a ticket, 981 01:14:47,740 --> 01:14:51,860 but when those two men start campaigning, 982 01:14:51,860 --> 01:14:54,420 it becomes very clear that there is 983 01:14:54,420 --> 01:14:57,380 a joint political operation unfolding. 984 01:14:59,420 --> 01:15:02,740 - The news that the Triumvirate is once again 985 01:15:02,740 --> 01:15:06,740 putting Rome in its shadow is greeted by its opponents 986 01:15:06,740 --> 01:15:10,380 with simultaneous shock and horror. 987 01:15:12,900 --> 01:15:16,420 - There is one man who will obviously stand against them. 988 01:15:17,420 --> 01:15:18,740 Cato. 989 01:15:18,740 --> 01:15:23,220 He's not senior enough or old enough himself to stand to be consul. 990 01:15:23,220 --> 01:15:26,060 Instead, he gets his brother-in-law to run. 991 01:15:28,140 --> 01:15:30,100 - When word reaches the Triumvirate 992 01:15:30,100 --> 01:15:33,020 that the Optimates will stand against them, 993 01:15:33,020 --> 01:15:38,900 Caesar deploys a political tactic he's used with some success before - 994 01:15:38,900 --> 01:15:40,900 violence. 995 01:15:40,900 --> 01:15:45,900 - Caesar ensures that men from his legions who are serving in Gaul 996 01:15:45,900 --> 01:15:49,180 are able to go back to Rome to register their votes 997 01:15:49,180 --> 01:15:52,900 to boost the backing for his triumviral partners. 998 01:15:54,420 --> 01:15:59,700 Caesar's men, battle-hardened, unleash great bouts of thuggery 999 01:15:59,700 --> 01:16:03,020 and intimidation onto the streets of Rome. 1000 01:16:04,660 --> 01:16:10,900 - Pompey and Crassus are prepared to resort to intimidation, to violence, 1001 01:16:10,900 --> 01:16:15,860 in the run-up to the election, including, indeed, on election day. 1002 01:16:23,420 --> 01:16:26,500 - It's the morning of the consulship vote. 1003 01:16:26,500 --> 01:16:31,580 Rome waits to discover whether the Optimates or the Triumvirate 1004 01:16:31,580 --> 01:16:33,420 will take charge. 1005 01:16:38,900 --> 01:16:41,180 Cato heads out to cast his vote. 1006 01:16:42,620 --> 01:16:44,660 - Predictably, by this stage, 1007 01:16:44,660 --> 01:16:47,540 because things are getting completely out of control... 1008 01:16:48,900 --> 01:16:53,980 ..hired ruffians of Crassus and Pompey start beating Cato up. 1009 01:16:56,860 --> 01:17:00,900 And in the most incredible plethora of violence, 1010 01:17:00,900 --> 01:17:03,460 Cato effectively martyrs himself. 1011 01:17:04,660 --> 01:17:09,420 He allows himself to be beaten up because he wants people to see, 1012 01:17:09,420 --> 01:17:11,900 in every scar on his body, 1013 01:17:11,900 --> 01:17:15,300 the injustice and the horror that's happening in Rome. 1014 01:17:20,660 --> 01:17:23,900 - The Triumvirate's strategy proves effective. 1015 01:17:28,420 --> 01:17:33,900 Pompey and Crassus stand unopposed and win by a landslide. 1016 01:17:37,900 --> 01:17:41,220 - One of the perks of being consul in Rome 1017 01:17:41,220 --> 01:17:45,660 is that you have special chairs at the front of the Senate. 1018 01:17:48,580 --> 01:17:50,340 When they take those seats... 1019 01:17:51,660 --> 01:17:54,220 ..it sends a very clear message... 1020 01:17:55,620 --> 01:18:00,380 ..that the Republic is being controlled... 1021 01:18:00,380 --> 01:18:02,660 ..by the Triumvirate. 1022 01:18:06,660 --> 01:18:09,740 - Once Pompey and Crassus have become consuls, you know, 1023 01:18:09,740 --> 01:18:13,420 they play their bit - they secure Caesar another five years in Gaul. 1024 01:18:14,900 --> 01:18:19,060 Caesar can know that everything that he has achieved 1025 01:18:19,060 --> 01:18:21,740 in bringing the Triumvirate back together again, 1026 01:18:21,740 --> 01:18:24,140 that it is absolutely paying off for him. 1027 01:18:27,140 --> 01:18:32,700 - Over the next year, Pompey, Crassus and Caesar carve up the Roman world. 1028 01:18:34,140 --> 01:18:36,900 Each takes control of a foreign province, 1029 01:18:36,900 --> 01:18:40,620 with the military might, wealth and prestige that brings. 1030 01:18:41,900 --> 01:18:44,420 Caesar keeps Gaul. 1031 01:18:44,420 --> 01:18:46,540 Crassus departs for Syria, 1032 01:18:46,540 --> 01:18:50,140 with plans to invade Rome's greatest rival - 1033 01:18:50,140 --> 01:18:52,940 the Parthian Empire, now modern Iran. 1034 01:18:54,860 --> 01:18:59,540 Pompey takes Spain, but will govern it from Rome, 1035 01:18:59,540 --> 01:19:01,820 allowing him command of an army 1036 01:19:01,820 --> 01:19:04,340 whilst remaining at the heart of the Senate. 1037 01:19:06,500 --> 01:19:08,900 - It's become clear that the partnership, 1038 01:19:08,900 --> 01:19:12,220 the three-headed monster, as a writer at the time calls it, 1039 01:19:12,220 --> 01:19:16,700 is achieving a degree of influence and power that is unprecedented 1040 01:19:16,700 --> 01:19:19,660 and that is against the spirit, 1041 01:19:19,660 --> 01:19:23,300 the, shall we say, deep-seated political culture of the Republic. 1042 01:19:23,300 --> 01:19:24,940 There's no question about that. 1043 01:19:30,140 --> 01:19:33,740 - With the Triumvirate firmly in control of Rome, 1044 01:19:33,740 --> 01:19:38,420 Caesar sets his sights on even greater glory. 1045 01:19:39,420 --> 01:19:42,300 - Caesar, as though to celebrate, 1046 01:19:42,300 --> 01:19:46,100 embarks on his most spectacular exploits yet. 1047 01:19:51,820 --> 01:19:54,980 He embarks on an expedition to Britain. 1048 01:19:58,180 --> 01:20:01,860 One historian compared it to man landing on the moon. 1049 01:20:04,900 --> 01:20:08,300 It is a land so savage and barbarous 1050 01:20:08,300 --> 01:20:11,860 that its inhabitants not only paint themselves blue, 1051 01:20:11,860 --> 01:20:14,860 but even most revoltingly of all, drink milk. 1052 01:20:17,140 --> 01:20:20,060 But there's no point in Caesar achieving great things 1053 01:20:20,060 --> 01:20:22,980 if his fellow citizens back in Rome are unaware of them. 1054 01:20:24,420 --> 01:20:27,740 - One of the most brilliant things that he does 1055 01:20:27,740 --> 01:20:31,900 is to write a work of literature in his reports. 1056 01:20:31,900 --> 01:20:36,140 Everyone in Rome is reading the Gallic War as it comes out. 1057 01:20:36,140 --> 01:20:39,860 "Have you read the latest episode?" So they're all really fascinated. 1058 01:20:41,420 --> 01:20:44,900 - The dispatches he sends back are read out to the people. 1059 01:20:44,900 --> 01:20:48,140 He tells them about the kinds of feats he is achieving, 1060 01:20:48,140 --> 01:20:51,900 and these are almost superhuman conquests 1061 01:20:51,900 --> 01:20:54,420 for the people back in Rome. 1062 01:20:54,420 --> 01:20:58,420 Caesar has gone beyond the limits of what they had known before. 1063 01:21:01,260 --> 01:21:05,140 - In fact, he signally fails to conquer Britain. 1064 01:21:07,060 --> 01:21:12,300 But he's such a good publicist, he manages to turn it into, 1065 01:21:12,300 --> 01:21:15,420 "Look, I actually sailed across the Channel 1066 01:21:15,420 --> 01:21:20,860 "and I frightened these woad-coloured barbarians witless." 1067 01:21:20,860 --> 01:21:24,660 So he can dress it up as more of a success than it was. 1068 01:21:26,140 --> 01:21:29,420 - Winston Churchill famously said that history would be kind to him 1069 01:21:29,420 --> 01:21:31,260 because he would write the history. 1070 01:21:31,260 --> 01:21:33,740 History, I think, has been kind to Caesar 1071 01:21:33,740 --> 01:21:37,420 by and large because Caesar definitely wrote the history. 1072 01:21:40,900 --> 01:21:44,300 - Determined not to let this failure hinder him, 1073 01:21:44,300 --> 01:21:47,420 Caesar accelerates his conquest of Gaul. 1074 01:21:48,900 --> 01:21:51,100 At the head of a now vast army, 1075 01:21:51,100 --> 01:21:54,580 and with the Senate under the Triumvirate's control, 1076 01:21:54,580 --> 01:21:58,380 Caesar revels in autonomy, 1077 01:21:58,380 --> 01:22:01,860 and his tactics become ever more brutal. 1078 01:22:03,660 --> 01:22:06,900 - It's claimed that Caesar slaughtered a million people in Gaul, 1079 01:22:06,900 --> 01:22:09,060 that he enslaved another million, 1080 01:22:09,060 --> 01:22:12,900 and this, to us, might seem a monstrous atrocity... 1081 01:22:14,660 --> 01:22:18,140 ..but to the Romans, it's a demonstration of the capacity 1082 01:22:18,140 --> 01:22:22,700 for violence and force that upholds the dignitas of the Roman name. 1083 01:22:31,660 --> 01:22:35,300 - Conquest is in-built into the Roman psyche. 1084 01:22:36,740 --> 01:22:39,900 The Romans see themselves as descended from the God of War, 1085 01:22:39,900 --> 01:22:41,660 which is Mars. 1086 01:22:45,260 --> 01:22:49,900 And all through Rome's history, it really has been at war. 1087 01:22:51,420 --> 01:22:54,780 - Caesar, in conquering this remote and barbarous land, 1088 01:22:54,780 --> 01:23:00,060 feels he has no choice but to deploy extreme terror, 1089 01:23:00,060 --> 01:23:02,980 so those tribes who resist him are utterly annihilated. 1090 01:23:04,740 --> 01:23:07,420 Did he feel guilt about it? 1091 01:23:07,420 --> 01:23:09,580 I don't think so. 1092 01:23:09,580 --> 01:23:14,060 The Roman people had always thrilled to narratives of bloodshed, 1093 01:23:14,060 --> 01:23:17,900 and Caesar, in Gaul, is giving them the kind of stories that, 1094 01:23:17,900 --> 01:23:21,420 precisely because they are stained in blood, 1095 01:23:21,420 --> 01:23:24,900 are, in the opinion of the Roman people, all the more admirable... 1096 01:23:28,900 --> 01:23:33,900 ..and Caesar feels himself very much the hero of this narrative. 1097 01:23:38,900 --> 01:23:41,140 - For his opponents in Rome, 1098 01:23:41,140 --> 01:23:45,260 Caesar off the leash in Gaul is terrifying. 1099 01:23:46,660 --> 01:23:50,900 Cato is lying in wait for any opportunity to take him down. 1100 01:23:53,420 --> 01:23:56,060 Finally, he sees his chance. 1101 01:23:57,220 --> 01:23:59,420 Caesar breaks a peace treaty, 1102 01:23:59,420 --> 01:24:05,260 and is said to slaughter over 400,000 men, women and children. 1103 01:24:06,500 --> 01:24:09,900 It's a sacrilegious contravention of Roman law. 1104 01:24:15,580 --> 01:24:19,900 Cato leads a heated attack against Caesar in the Senate. 1105 01:24:19,900 --> 01:24:25,020 - Cato tries to point out that Caesar is literally committing war crimes. 1106 01:24:26,020 --> 01:24:28,420 So Caesar is just a disgrace, 1107 01:24:28,420 --> 01:24:33,140 and Cato tries to demand the punishment for that war crime, 1108 01:24:33,140 --> 01:24:36,140 which is that Caesar should be handed over to the enemy, 1109 01:24:36,140 --> 01:24:40,100 but his demand is simply brushed aside. 1110 01:24:40,100 --> 01:24:42,700 Caesar is becoming so successful 1111 01:24:42,700 --> 01:24:46,900 that nobody now wants to stand with Cato against Caesar. 1112 01:24:50,660 --> 01:24:53,140 - Caesar really doesn't need to worry. 1113 01:24:53,140 --> 01:24:57,420 He knows that everything about his conquests 1114 01:24:57,420 --> 01:25:00,780 is boosting his status, is boosting his prestige. 1115 01:25:04,140 --> 01:25:06,420 - Cato is now in a horrifying position. 1116 01:25:06,420 --> 01:25:10,900 Caesar, this man he despises, is now becoming so successful 1117 01:25:10,900 --> 01:25:14,500 and popular that he's almost untouchable, whatever he does. 1118 01:25:28,820 --> 01:25:33,340 - By the end of 55 BC, Caesar is riding high. 1119 01:25:34,340 --> 01:25:36,500 The Roman people love him. 1120 01:25:36,500 --> 01:25:41,420 He's relishing glory in Gaul and his allies control the Senate. 1121 01:25:43,300 --> 01:25:47,740 Now news arrives that further secures his bond with Pompey. 1122 01:25:49,420 --> 01:25:53,660 It's been three years since Pompey married Caesar's only daughter, 1123 01:25:53,660 --> 01:25:57,660 Julia, and now she's pregnant with their first child. 1124 01:26:00,940 --> 01:26:04,900 - Julia's baby represents the possibility of a lasting alliance 1125 01:26:04,900 --> 01:26:06,940 between Pompey and Caesar. 1126 01:26:06,940 --> 01:26:09,180 Marriages in Rome come and go. 1127 01:26:09,180 --> 01:26:11,660 The divorce rate is actually pretty high. 1128 01:26:11,660 --> 01:26:15,460 But having a child, that's something that will bind two families together 1129 01:26:15,460 --> 01:26:17,620 in perpetuity. 1130 01:26:18,620 --> 01:26:23,140 As Julia's due date approaches, the entire Roman world is looking on. 1131 01:26:25,420 --> 01:26:28,660 But when Julia starts her labour, she suffers a great deal, 1132 01:26:28,660 --> 01:26:31,420 and she is in a great deal of physical pain. 1133 01:26:39,500 --> 01:26:42,060 - Julia dies in childbirth... 1134 01:26:45,900 --> 01:26:48,900 ..and her baby dies a few days later. 1135 01:26:52,140 --> 01:26:56,900 - Pompey, I mean, he was besotted with Julia, 1136 01:26:56,900 --> 01:27:02,660 and so losing her must have been unbearable. 1137 01:27:07,420 --> 01:27:11,900 - In Gaul, Caesar is awaiting news of his grandchild's birth. 1138 01:27:15,300 --> 01:27:20,140 Instead, he receives notice of his daughter and her baby's death. 1139 01:27:24,420 --> 01:27:28,740 - She was his only child, and when Julia dies, 1140 01:27:28,740 --> 01:27:31,420 it's doubly a catastrophe for Caesar... 1141 01:27:32,740 --> 01:27:35,380 ..both on the personal level, but also the political. 1142 01:27:42,420 --> 01:27:47,100 - It's conventional to say that Roman women... 1143 01:27:47,100 --> 01:27:49,420 ..had no political power. 1144 01:27:51,900 --> 01:27:54,140 I think that loses the point. 1145 01:27:55,420 --> 01:28:00,900 Women like Julia had a lot of political power. 1146 01:28:01,900 --> 01:28:05,980 She was the link between Caesar and Pompey. 1147 01:28:07,660 --> 01:28:09,580 With her gone, 1148 01:28:09,580 --> 01:28:14,420 she's not there to mediate any differences between them. 1149 01:28:18,500 --> 01:28:22,140 - A crucial bond between the two greatest men in Rome 1150 01:28:22,140 --> 01:28:23,820 has been severed... 1151 01:28:28,900 --> 01:28:32,500 ..and Caesar knows that the foundations of his power 1152 01:28:32,500 --> 01:28:36,380 are a good deal more unstable than they had been previously. 1153 01:28:43,420 --> 01:28:49,420 - A few short months later, Caesar receives a second devastating blow. 1154 01:28:56,900 --> 01:29:01,420 The invasion of Parthia by Crassus has ended in disaster. 1155 01:29:05,500 --> 01:29:10,260 - He took a huge risk, and he paid the ultimate price. 1156 01:29:15,420 --> 01:29:19,660 He is beheaded, and there are stories about melted gold 1157 01:29:19,660 --> 01:29:23,500 being poured down his throat by the Parthians in mockery 1158 01:29:23,500 --> 01:29:28,660 of his legendary wealth, but also in what could be seen 1159 01:29:28,660 --> 01:29:31,580 as a denunciation of Roman... of Roman greed. 1160 01:29:33,660 --> 01:29:37,060 - It's a catastrophic defeat for Rome. 1161 01:29:37,060 --> 01:29:39,300 He loses legions. 1162 01:29:39,300 --> 01:29:41,420 It's a massacre of Romans. 1163 01:29:41,420 --> 01:29:44,100 It's a dreadful humiliation. 1164 01:29:44,100 --> 01:29:47,660 And that, of course, affects the way that we see Crassus. 1165 01:29:47,660 --> 01:29:49,780 He really is a loser. 1166 01:29:51,660 --> 01:29:55,140 - The death of Crassus is an absolute disaster for Caesar. 1167 01:29:55,140 --> 01:30:01,300 The Triumvirate depends on it being an alliance of three men, not two. 1168 01:30:01,300 --> 01:30:05,540 An alliance of two men - much, much easier for it to fall apart. 1169 01:30:09,420 --> 01:30:13,900 - His death reshapes, quite literally overnight, 1170 01:30:13,900 --> 01:30:16,380 the political scene in Rome, 1171 01:30:16,380 --> 01:30:20,900 because now, well, you no longer have three great men. 1172 01:30:20,900 --> 01:30:25,660 We have these two extraordinary individuals, Pompey and Caesar... 1173 01:30:26,820 --> 01:30:29,420 ..with no-one else in between. 1174 01:30:29,420 --> 01:30:33,300 No mediator, no buffer. It's them. 1175 01:30:33,300 --> 01:30:38,260 Are they going to co-exist or are they going to fight it out? 1176 01:30:42,420 --> 01:30:46,660 - For Caesar, the absolute priority is to reaffirm his relationship 1177 01:30:46,660 --> 01:30:51,420 with Pompey, to maintain his ability to continue as Governor in Gaul, 1178 01:30:51,420 --> 01:30:55,660 so Caesar does what Romans, aristocrats, 1179 01:30:55,660 --> 01:30:59,300 conventionally do when they want to forge an alliance - he looks around 1180 01:30:59,300 --> 01:31:02,620 for another female member of his family to marry off to Pompey. 1181 01:31:02,620 --> 01:31:06,140 - So he offers his great-niece. 1182 01:31:08,780 --> 01:31:11,500 And so Pompey says, "That's OK. 1183 01:31:11,500 --> 01:31:15,500 "Thanks for offering, but no." 1184 01:31:21,140 --> 01:31:25,420 And now Pompey finds himself in a position 1185 01:31:25,420 --> 01:31:28,540 where he can choose which way he goes. 1186 01:31:29,780 --> 01:31:34,660 He can move closer to the Optimates in the Senate, 1187 01:31:34,660 --> 01:31:39,420 and at the same time he knows that Caesar needs him. 1188 01:31:40,740 --> 01:31:43,700 This is what Pompey has always wanted. 1189 01:31:44,980 --> 01:31:47,420 All the balls are in his court now. 1190 01:31:49,900 --> 01:31:55,420 - Caesar can no longer absolutely rely on their alliance holding together. 1191 01:31:55,420 --> 01:31:59,740 If there are other people who can offer more than Caesar can, 1192 01:31:59,740 --> 01:32:04,140 then Pompey is absolutely in the market for accepting that. 1193 01:32:06,620 --> 01:32:09,420 - Caesar's position is certainly weakening... 1194 01:32:10,420 --> 01:32:15,900 ..and it looks as though things may be going back in Cato's direction. 1195 01:32:17,020 --> 01:32:21,420 And it may be suddenly possible for a new world to emerge 1196 01:32:21,420 --> 01:32:24,140 in which Caesar will finally collapse. 1197 01:32:33,380 --> 01:32:35,420 - THUNDER 1198 01:32:35,420 --> 01:32:37,540 Crassus is gone... 1199 01:32:37,540 --> 01:32:39,060 CROW CAWS 1200 01:32:39,060 --> 01:32:42,060 ..Caesar and Pompey's alliance hangs by a thread... 1201 01:32:42,060 --> 01:32:43,900 CROWS CAW 1202 01:32:43,900 --> 01:32:47,140 ..and Caesar is no longer pulling the strings in Rome. 1203 01:32:48,660 --> 01:32:53,660 The Senate turns inward as men vie to reposition themselves. 1204 01:32:54,660 --> 01:32:57,420 Rome descends into chaos. 1205 01:32:57,420 --> 01:33:00,140 Violent gangs rule the streets. 1206 01:33:02,420 --> 01:33:05,420 And one man is making the most of it - 1207 01:33:05,420 --> 01:33:08,980 an errant senator called Clodius. 1208 01:33:08,980 --> 01:33:10,740 - He's a skunk. 1209 01:33:12,140 --> 01:33:14,420 There's nothing good about Clodius. 1210 01:33:16,740 --> 01:33:22,420 He's a manipulator, a sociopath, a psychopath. 1211 01:33:22,420 --> 01:33:26,540 Any path you can think of, Clodius is it. 1212 01:33:28,660 --> 01:33:31,900 - Clodius holds a powerful position in the Senate - 1213 01:33:31,900 --> 01:33:34,900 one of ten tribunes of the people. 1214 01:33:36,420 --> 01:33:39,820 Tribunes serve as a check on the Senate's authority 1215 01:33:39,820 --> 01:33:43,140 to protect the interests of ordinary Romans. 1216 01:33:44,140 --> 01:33:48,540 With special powers, tribunes can veto proposals 1217 01:33:48,540 --> 01:33:52,300 or bypass the Senate and take bills directly to the people. 1218 01:33:53,900 --> 01:33:58,180 By pushing through a law entitling every citizen to free grain, 1219 01:33:58,180 --> 01:34:02,060 Clodius has won huge popular support. 1220 01:34:03,420 --> 01:34:08,180 - Clodius essentially creates himself a private army. 1221 01:34:09,900 --> 01:34:13,820 - There are people who are grateful to Clodius because he is providing them 1222 01:34:13,820 --> 01:34:18,860 with bread, and they are ready to be recruited to his paramilitary gangs. 1223 01:34:19,860 --> 01:34:25,900 - Clodius uses his gangs to beat up anyone who stands in his way, 1224 01:34:25,900 --> 01:34:29,900 a trick he learned from Caesar himself. 1225 01:34:29,900 --> 01:34:34,300 - Clodius, for years, had served as Caesar's agent, 1226 01:34:34,300 --> 01:34:38,420 enforcing Caesar's interests in Rome, and Clodius learned 1227 01:34:38,420 --> 01:34:42,940 from Caesar that power can come directly from the people. 1228 01:34:42,940 --> 01:34:47,100 Clodius elevates this to a whole new level. 1229 01:34:52,140 --> 01:34:55,700 Political order in the streets of the capital 1230 01:34:55,700 --> 01:34:58,420 rapidly starts to collapse. 1231 01:35:00,420 --> 01:35:04,660 - The behaviour of Clodius makes Rome virtually impossible 1232 01:35:04,660 --> 01:35:06,740 to function properly. 1233 01:35:06,740 --> 01:35:09,220 It's become a dysfunctional city. 1234 01:35:09,220 --> 01:35:15,660 And he turns into a figure of terror for the Roman establishment. 1235 01:35:18,420 --> 01:35:23,140 - Desperate to regain control of Rome, some conservative senators 1236 01:35:23,140 --> 01:35:28,180 hire gladiators and thugs to fight back against Clodius. 1237 01:35:33,660 --> 01:35:36,420 Then, on a road outside Rome... 1238 01:35:38,660 --> 01:35:41,220 ..Clodius is discovered in a ditch. 1239 01:35:48,900 --> 01:35:51,940 His body is carried back into the city 1240 01:35:51,940 --> 01:35:55,220 and taken to his wife, Fulvia. 1241 01:35:57,740 --> 01:36:01,140 - When the body comes, Fulvia receives it, 1242 01:36:01,140 --> 01:36:06,060 and she does not do what should properly be done. 1243 01:36:10,140 --> 01:36:13,060 For a proper Roman aristocratic funeral, 1244 01:36:13,060 --> 01:36:18,420 she should wash the body and dress it before displaying it publicly, 1245 01:36:18,420 --> 01:36:23,420 but she allows the crowd that has gathered to see his broken 1246 01:36:23,420 --> 01:36:27,140 and wounded body, his bloody clothes, 1247 01:36:27,140 --> 01:36:29,660 and she weeps in front of them. 1248 01:36:32,980 --> 01:36:36,660 Several of Clodius' allies address the crowd... 1249 01:36:38,340 --> 01:36:40,100 ..and so Fulvia's weeping, 1250 01:36:40,100 --> 01:36:42,580 and these speeches drive the crowd into a rage. 1251 01:36:42,580 --> 01:36:45,660 - Rome is a powder keg. 1252 01:36:45,660 --> 01:36:49,420 It won't even take a spark. 1253 01:36:49,420 --> 01:36:53,420 It's going to be spontaneous combustion. 1254 01:36:55,420 --> 01:36:58,420 - A rumour spreads that Clodius has been murdered 1255 01:36:58,420 --> 01:37:00,740 by a prominent senator. 1256 01:37:00,740 --> 01:37:05,460 Fulvia leads an angry mob into the heart of Rome, 1257 01:37:05,460 --> 01:37:08,420 where they stage an impromptu funeral 1258 01:37:08,420 --> 01:37:10,740 right outside the Senate House. 1259 01:37:12,900 --> 01:37:16,540 - The unruly, angry mob break into the Senate House, 1260 01:37:16,540 --> 01:37:20,900 and in a rampage, they heap up benches and anything else 1261 01:37:20,900 --> 01:37:23,300 they could get their hands on that would burn, 1262 01:37:23,300 --> 01:37:26,740 and they heap it all up and they put Clodius on the top of the heap. 1263 01:37:33,900 --> 01:37:38,900 The choice to build Clodius' pyre out of items from the Senate House 1264 01:37:38,900 --> 01:37:43,140 is an indication of anger directed at the Senate. 1265 01:37:45,420 --> 01:37:49,420 Clodius' murderer is sort of the front man 1266 01:37:49,420 --> 01:37:52,180 for the conservative faction within the Senate, 1267 01:37:52,180 --> 01:37:57,780 and so populist anger will have been directed at the elite. 1268 01:38:00,420 --> 01:38:03,140 The pyre burns, and it burns so well 1269 01:38:03,140 --> 01:38:06,420 that it also burns down the Senate House, 1270 01:38:06,420 --> 01:38:12,500 which is truly symbolic of the state of the Republic in that moment. 1271 01:38:12,500 --> 01:38:17,060 The city is ungovernable, it is uncontrollable. 1272 01:38:20,420 --> 01:38:23,300 - The spectacle of the Senate House burning, 1273 01:38:23,300 --> 01:38:26,140 it's absolutely horrifying. 1274 01:38:27,140 --> 01:38:32,420 It's as terrifying as the spectacle of the Capitol 1275 01:38:32,420 --> 01:38:35,860 being invaded by an angry mob under Trump. 1276 01:38:37,420 --> 01:38:44,060 It marks the system - the Republic - not in any sense working any longer. 1277 01:38:46,420 --> 01:38:50,060 - For Cato, this was a moment of mounting horror, 1278 01:38:50,060 --> 01:38:52,900 a sense of all the standards collapsing, 1279 01:38:52,900 --> 01:38:56,780 and now we have the Senate House literally burnt to the ground, 1280 01:38:56,780 --> 01:38:58,900 mobs rampaging through the streets. 1281 01:38:58,900 --> 01:39:02,140 I mean, everything that he treasures about Rome 1282 01:39:02,140 --> 01:39:05,460 and the Republic is now in ruins or in flames. 1283 01:39:11,140 --> 01:39:16,060 - With violence consuming the city, senators need to act fast. 1284 01:39:17,420 --> 01:39:20,900 A military general could help them quell the unrest. 1285 01:39:24,420 --> 01:39:27,820 But even Cato knows that the only candidates 1286 01:39:27,820 --> 01:39:32,380 with enough popular support are Caesar or Pompey. 1287 01:39:33,380 --> 01:39:36,660 - The thing that worries Cato most at this moment 1288 01:39:36,660 --> 01:39:39,820 is that Caesar is going to be able to come back. 1289 01:39:39,820 --> 01:39:43,420 He sees Julius Caesar as the embodiment of the threat, 1290 01:39:43,420 --> 01:39:46,860 as an immoral man and a potential tyrant. 1291 01:39:47,860 --> 01:39:52,140 And so Cato decides, in increasing desperation, to do something 1292 01:39:52,140 --> 01:39:54,420 that he'd refused to do years earlier... 1293 01:39:55,900 --> 01:39:58,500 ..which is to try to ally with Pompey, 1294 01:39:58,500 --> 01:40:03,420 and Cato has to gamble that Pompey is the lesser of the two evils. 1295 01:40:05,940 --> 01:40:11,420 - In times of crisis, the Senate have special powers at their disposal. 1296 01:40:11,420 --> 01:40:16,420 They could make Pompey what they call a Dictator - 1297 01:40:16,420 --> 01:40:20,660 an emergency office that gives one man sole control of Rome 1298 01:40:20,660 --> 01:40:23,900 for a strictly limited period. 1299 01:40:25,660 --> 01:40:28,140 But the Optimates hate the idea. 1300 01:40:28,140 --> 01:40:31,420 It goes against everything the Republic stands for. 1301 01:40:32,420 --> 01:40:34,740 So Pompey is offered a compromise. 1302 01:40:37,140 --> 01:40:41,740 - What they come up with is a sole consulship for Pompey. 1303 01:40:41,740 --> 01:40:44,180 Extraordinary means and extraordinary measures. 1304 01:40:46,140 --> 01:40:52,420 - Pompey's position as sole consul is a watershed moment. 1305 01:40:53,420 --> 01:40:55,740 This has never happened before. 1306 01:40:57,540 --> 01:41:00,380 Pompey is overjoyed. 1307 01:41:00,380 --> 01:41:02,420 "The Senate loves me." 1308 01:41:08,900 --> 01:41:11,820 - After months of turmoil in Rome, 1309 01:41:11,820 --> 01:41:15,420 Pompey's soldiers bring calm to the city streets. 1310 01:41:17,660 --> 01:41:22,220 Then Pompey relinquishes his power at the end of his term, 1311 01:41:22,220 --> 01:41:25,420 much to the approval of the Optimates. 1312 01:41:39,420 --> 01:41:43,820 In Gaul, Caesar is nearing the end of his term as Governor. 1313 01:41:44,820 --> 01:41:47,420 For years, this position has protected him 1314 01:41:47,420 --> 01:41:49,420 against his enemies in Rome. 1315 01:41:50,420 --> 01:41:54,420 - As his ten-year period of office starts to come towards its close, 1316 01:41:54,420 --> 01:41:58,060 the big question is what will his enemies do 1317 01:41:58,060 --> 01:42:00,060 once he is a private citizen, 1318 01:42:00,060 --> 01:42:03,100 in other words, once he is liable for prosecution. 1319 01:42:04,420 --> 01:42:06,420 - But Caesar has a plan. 1320 01:42:07,420 --> 01:42:10,140 Although he has opponents in the Senate, 1321 01:42:10,140 --> 01:42:14,980 he knows his success in Gaul has won him the love of the Roman people. 1322 01:42:14,980 --> 01:42:18,900 With the annual consulship election coming round again, 1323 01:42:18,900 --> 01:42:23,900 Caesar plans to stand, certain he will win the popular vote. 1324 01:42:25,180 --> 01:42:29,300 - This, of course, is crucial for Caesar's ambitions, 1325 01:42:29,300 --> 01:42:33,100 not just because it offers him the chance of a second consulship 1326 01:42:33,100 --> 01:42:37,500 but also because he will go straight from his governorship in Gaul 1327 01:42:37,500 --> 01:42:39,300 to becoming consul. 1328 01:42:40,660 --> 01:42:44,420 - Cato is now very concerned that Caesar, 1329 01:42:44,420 --> 01:42:47,260 flushed with his victories in Gaul, 1330 01:42:47,260 --> 01:42:50,900 will be able to get himself elected as consul 1331 01:42:50,900 --> 01:42:54,740 and by becoming consul, become immune to prosecution, 1332 01:42:54,740 --> 01:42:58,900 so Cato will not be able to get him for all his lawbreaking. 1333 01:43:02,420 --> 01:43:06,140 - For Caesar's enemies, there's a window of opportunity. 1334 01:43:07,540 --> 01:43:11,420 The Senate still have the power to terminate Caesar's governorship. 1335 01:43:12,900 --> 01:43:14,980 If they can be persuaded to recall him, 1336 01:43:14,980 --> 01:43:17,580 he could be forced to face trial 1337 01:43:17,580 --> 01:43:20,420 before he has a chance to win the consulship. 1338 01:43:21,900 --> 01:43:24,300 The idea divides the Senate. 1339 01:43:26,900 --> 01:43:31,900 - The Senate starts to split into two violently opposed factions - 1340 01:43:31,900 --> 01:43:35,900 the faction that supports Caesar, and those on the other side 1341 01:43:35,900 --> 01:43:39,820 who are absolutely determined to bring him down. 1342 01:43:41,260 --> 01:43:43,420 - Caught in the middle is Pompey. 1343 01:43:44,420 --> 01:43:49,900 He is forced to choose between his new-found favour with the Optimates 1344 01:43:49,900 --> 01:43:52,300 and his old alliance with Caesar. 1345 01:43:53,900 --> 01:43:58,660 - Trying desperately to reconcile these two irreconcilable blocks 1346 01:43:58,660 --> 01:44:03,780 is Pompey, who wants to be the friend of both blocks of men. 1347 01:44:05,140 --> 01:44:10,660 - Pompey decides that the approval of the Senate 1348 01:44:10,660 --> 01:44:14,780 is more important than his relationship with Caesar. 1349 01:44:17,140 --> 01:44:21,420 - Pompey stands with the Optimates, and backs the debate about 1350 01:44:21,420 --> 01:44:24,140 terminating Caesar's governorship in Gaul. 1351 01:44:30,740 --> 01:44:35,140 - For Caesar, the fact that Pompey decides to move against him 1352 01:44:35,140 --> 01:44:37,420 is a disastrous development... 1353 01:44:38,420 --> 01:44:41,540 ..because Cato's faction now absolutely has 1354 01:44:41,540 --> 01:44:43,420 the wind in their sails. 1355 01:44:49,220 --> 01:44:53,380 This, of course, stirs up Caesar's deepest worry... 1356 01:44:55,420 --> 01:44:59,780 ..that all his astonishing conquests will be as nothing. 1357 01:45:00,780 --> 01:45:04,420 He is staring down the barrel of political oblivion. 1358 01:45:09,900 --> 01:45:12,660 - On the 1st of March, 50 BC, 1359 01:45:12,660 --> 01:45:15,420 the debate over Caesar's governorship begins. 1360 01:45:16,780 --> 01:45:18,500 It will end with a vote. 1361 01:45:19,500 --> 01:45:23,420 The Optimates need a majority to recall Caesar to Rome. 1362 01:45:25,420 --> 01:45:27,420 But Caesar is prepared. 1363 01:45:28,420 --> 01:45:33,140 He's banking on a man he's bribed, another tribune of the people. 1364 01:45:35,420 --> 01:45:40,100 Caesar's man uses his power as a tribune to obstruct the debate. 1365 01:45:42,660 --> 01:45:47,140 - The tribune vetoes and vetoes and vetoes every proposal 1366 01:45:47,140 --> 01:45:51,540 that is put by the Senate to try and strip Caesar of his command. 1367 01:45:52,900 --> 01:45:55,660 - The tribune not only blocks the proposal 1368 01:45:55,660 --> 01:45:57,900 to revoke Caesar's governorship, 1369 01:45:57,900 --> 01:46:01,780 he has a counter-demand direct from Caesar. 1370 01:46:03,500 --> 01:46:07,420 - He puts a proposal to the Senate that if Caesar is stripped 1371 01:46:07,420 --> 01:46:11,660 of his command, then Pompey should be stripped of HIS command in Spain. 1372 01:46:14,900 --> 01:46:16,820 And this, of course, ups the stakes, 1373 01:46:16,820 --> 01:46:19,700 because it now means that Pompey's command as well is in play. 1374 01:46:19,700 --> 01:46:22,620 - Pompey isn't going to give up his army. Are you kidding? 1375 01:46:22,620 --> 01:46:29,140 His power lies in having an army at his command. 1376 01:46:30,420 --> 01:46:33,300 He is not going to give that up. 1377 01:46:39,900 --> 01:46:43,900 - Rome's two most powerful generals are now in a dangerous game 1378 01:46:43,900 --> 01:46:46,020 of brinkmanship. 1379 01:46:46,020 --> 01:46:49,420 If they cannot resolve their stand-off peacefully, 1380 01:46:49,420 --> 01:46:52,300 everyone fears where it might lead. 1381 01:46:53,740 --> 01:46:57,420 - The tension between Caesar and Pompey at this point is escalating 1382 01:46:57,420 --> 01:47:00,540 because of the back and forth they're having via the Senate. 1383 01:47:01,540 --> 01:47:05,420 The problem is, the Romans know very well the logical outcome 1384 01:47:05,420 --> 01:47:07,340 of this could be civil war. 1385 01:47:09,140 --> 01:47:11,420 - In a frantic bid to de-escalate, 1386 01:47:11,420 --> 01:47:15,780 the Senate again debates the proposal that both Caesar and Pompey 1387 01:47:15,780 --> 01:47:18,180 give up their armies, 1388 01:47:18,180 --> 01:47:21,540 and that Caesar be allowed to stand for the consulship. 1389 01:47:22,540 --> 01:47:24,340 For the Optimates, 1390 01:47:24,340 --> 01:47:27,140 this would mean abandoning their bid to prosecute him. 1391 01:47:30,140 --> 01:47:35,140 But even Caesar's opponents are eager to avert catastrophe. 1392 01:47:36,660 --> 01:47:41,140 - The vote was 370 for, 1393 01:47:41,140 --> 01:47:44,420 to 22 against, 1394 01:47:44,420 --> 01:47:48,980 and it's clearly because the Senate wants to avoid civil war. 1395 01:47:48,980 --> 01:47:54,100 - And it might appear at that point that peace is around the corner, 1396 01:47:54,100 --> 01:47:58,660 but, of course, Caesar's enemies aren't going to let that happen. 1397 01:48:00,420 --> 01:48:02,820 - Despite the overwhelming vote, 1398 01:48:02,820 --> 01:48:06,060 one of the current consuls is a die-hard Optimate. 1399 01:48:07,900 --> 01:48:10,420 Loathe to compromise with Caesar, 1400 01:48:10,420 --> 01:48:15,900 he uses his power as consul to do something reckless and radical. 1401 01:48:17,420 --> 01:48:21,900 - It's absolutely outrageous for a consul to ignore 1402 01:48:21,900 --> 01:48:24,060 the expressed will of the Senate, 1403 01:48:24,060 --> 01:48:26,660 but the Consuls are very powerful people. 1404 01:48:26,660 --> 01:48:33,220 They have imperium - the right to control military strength, 1405 01:48:33,220 --> 01:48:36,900 and in their determination to block Caesar, 1406 01:48:36,900 --> 01:48:40,500 the consul actually takes a sword to Pompey and says, 1407 01:48:40,500 --> 01:48:45,460 "Here, the command is yours and you must protect us from Caesar." 1408 01:48:47,060 --> 01:48:50,820 - This is a signal that he has been appointed 1409 01:48:50,820 --> 01:48:54,580 as Commander of Armed Forces 1410 01:48:54,580 --> 01:48:57,540 on behalf of the Senate. 1411 01:48:59,420 --> 01:49:01,100 - Pompey should refuse. 1412 01:49:01,100 --> 01:49:06,300 If he had his head screwed on, Pompey should refuse. 1413 01:49:08,420 --> 01:49:11,500 But the diabolical thing that the senators do 1414 01:49:11,500 --> 01:49:16,140 is to persuade Pompey that he's their hero 1415 01:49:16,140 --> 01:49:18,500 and that Caesar is the enemy. 1416 01:49:18,500 --> 01:49:21,020 - He accepts the sword... 1417 01:49:22,660 --> 01:49:26,380 ..and this is then a declaration 1418 01:49:26,380 --> 01:49:30,420 that he is willing to take up arms... 1419 01:49:30,420 --> 01:49:32,660 ..against Caesar. 1420 01:49:35,860 --> 01:49:38,740 - This raises the stakes once again. 1421 01:49:43,420 --> 01:49:48,900 Pompey now has the authority to bring Rome's legions down on Caesar. 1422 01:49:50,900 --> 01:49:54,420 - Pompey has both symbolically and literally 1423 01:49:54,420 --> 01:49:56,220 taken up the sword against him, 1424 01:49:56,220 --> 01:49:59,780 and so Caesar now has absolutely no illusions as to what he's facing. 1425 01:49:59,780 --> 01:50:02,500 But, you know, he makes one final gambit. 1426 01:50:02,500 --> 01:50:04,820 He sends a letter to the Senate. 1427 01:50:07,420 --> 01:50:10,220 - Caesar's letter is brought before the Senate 1428 01:50:10,220 --> 01:50:15,900 by one of his most loyal soldiers - a man called Mark Antony. 1429 01:50:17,420 --> 01:50:19,900 - Antony is one of those figures from antiquity 1430 01:50:19,900 --> 01:50:22,140 that gets almost nothing but bad press. 1431 01:50:22,140 --> 01:50:25,900 Antony is a womaniser and he's a drunkard. 1432 01:50:25,900 --> 01:50:29,220 What's easy to overlook is that Antony is interested in literature, 1433 01:50:29,220 --> 01:50:32,900 he's interested in art, he's one of the best educated men of his time, 1434 01:50:32,900 --> 01:50:35,420 which is why he's a terrific orator. 1435 01:50:36,420 --> 01:50:39,300 He joins Caesar's army as an officer, 1436 01:50:39,300 --> 01:50:42,940 and they've become friendly, they've become close, 1437 01:50:42,940 --> 01:50:45,500 all during the context of the Gallic War. 1438 01:50:47,420 --> 01:50:51,900 - Caesar has used his popularity to get Antony elected as a tribune. 1439 01:50:53,140 --> 01:50:57,140 His role is to protect the interests of the Roman people, 1440 01:50:57,140 --> 01:51:00,700 but Antony is really serving Caesar. 1441 01:51:01,700 --> 01:51:07,140 - When Mark Antony comes to the Senate with a letter from Caesar, 1442 01:51:07,140 --> 01:51:11,780 the Senate won't even let him read the letter out, 1443 01:51:11,780 --> 01:51:16,900 and they're simply putting their fingers in their ears 1444 01:51:16,900 --> 01:51:21,420 and saying, "La, la, la, la, la. We don't want to hear you, Caesar." 1445 01:51:22,660 --> 01:51:25,700 - But they're forced to hear it by Mark Antony... 1446 01:51:26,700 --> 01:51:31,140 ..and the letter appears to be just another letter 1447 01:51:31,140 --> 01:51:36,100 which says, "Let's disarm, let's find a way toward peace." 1448 01:51:36,100 --> 01:51:41,060 But in addition to that sentiment, Antony will then go on to say, 1449 01:51:41,060 --> 01:51:44,900 speaking for Caesar, that if this is impossible, 1450 01:51:44,900 --> 01:51:48,420 if the Senate insists on being so aggressive, 1451 01:51:48,420 --> 01:51:51,900 then Caesar must defend his prestige, 1452 01:51:51,900 --> 01:51:55,900 he must protect the freedom of the Roman people. 1453 01:51:55,900 --> 01:51:59,540 They take it to mean that Caesar is threatening civil war. 1454 01:52:02,660 --> 01:52:04,980 - I think for Caesar, it's very clear. 1455 01:52:04,980 --> 01:52:08,940 Either his enemies in the Senate back down, 1456 01:52:08,940 --> 01:52:12,420 or else, with reluctance, 1457 01:52:12,420 --> 01:52:18,340 Caesar will have no choice but to defend Rome by marching on Rome. 1458 01:52:20,900 --> 01:52:25,220 - Some people believe that it's possible to compromise with Caesar 1459 01:52:25,220 --> 01:52:26,900 and avoid civil war. 1460 01:52:28,260 --> 01:52:30,900 But Cato thinks that Caesar is a fundamental threat 1461 01:52:30,900 --> 01:52:33,940 to the Republic and a stand must be taken, 1462 01:52:33,940 --> 01:52:40,660 so he pushes very, very hard for an aggressive response towards Caesar. 1463 01:52:42,900 --> 01:52:45,900 In the heart of all politics, 1464 01:52:45,900 --> 01:52:49,140 it doesn't matter whether you're dealing with Putin and Ukraine 1465 01:52:49,140 --> 01:52:52,220 or you're dealing with Hitler, the question is, 1466 01:52:52,220 --> 01:52:56,420 is compromise and peace possible with a tyrant, 1467 01:52:56,420 --> 01:53:00,060 or is trying to compromise just a form of appeasement? 1468 01:53:00,060 --> 01:53:02,020 It just encourages the other side. 1469 01:53:03,660 --> 01:53:05,900 - The Senate must now decide - 1470 01:53:05,900 --> 01:53:09,420 compromise with Caesar or confront him. 1471 01:53:11,420 --> 01:53:15,420 For Caesar's enemies, backing down is not an option, 1472 01:53:15,420 --> 01:53:19,420 so they bring a radical bill to the chamber. 1473 01:53:19,420 --> 01:53:22,900 - It's called the Ultimate Decree of the Senate, 1474 01:53:22,900 --> 01:53:27,740 which would make Caesar an outlaw of the state. 1475 01:53:27,740 --> 01:53:30,900 This is as far from compromise... 1476 01:53:31,900 --> 01:53:33,860 ..as one can get. 1477 01:53:34,860 --> 01:53:41,020 We're talking about a decree that says you have permission to murder 1478 01:53:41,020 --> 01:53:47,460 Caesar if he crosses the boundary into Rome, with or without an army. 1479 01:53:47,460 --> 01:53:51,140 This is huge. It is absolutely huge. 1480 01:53:52,980 --> 01:53:57,580 - And it's effectively a declaration of war on Caesar. 1481 01:54:01,140 --> 01:54:05,420 - The Senate are persuaded that this is the Republic's last chance. 1482 01:54:06,420 --> 01:54:09,660 The emergency decree is passed. 1483 01:54:18,660 --> 01:54:23,420 - Antony is told in advance that if he interposes his veto 1484 01:54:23,420 --> 01:54:25,860 against the Senate's Ultimate Decree, 1485 01:54:25,860 --> 01:54:29,500 if he exercises his rights as a tribune, 1486 01:54:29,500 --> 01:54:32,140 he should be concerned for his personal safety. 1487 01:54:34,580 --> 01:54:38,420 And so he flees Rome because of the menace of the Senate. 1488 01:54:44,060 --> 01:54:47,980 He makes quite a show of disguising himself as a slave 1489 01:54:47,980 --> 01:54:52,300 so he won't be recognised, and he goes on to send Caesar in advance 1490 01:54:52,300 --> 01:54:54,420 the notice that he is in peril. 1491 01:54:57,900 --> 01:55:01,140 - The moment Caesar gets the news, he acts decisively, 1492 01:55:01,140 --> 01:55:03,900 he acts with his customary speed, 1493 01:55:03,900 --> 01:55:07,420 but, of course, to act he needs an army at his back. 1494 01:55:08,900 --> 01:55:12,300 But he knows exactly how to press their buttons. 1495 01:55:12,300 --> 01:55:16,700 He says to them that the insult that is being done to his tribune, 1496 01:55:16,700 --> 01:55:21,020 Mark Antony, this is an insult to his men too. 1497 01:55:22,660 --> 01:55:26,300 - The legions know the tribunes cannot be threatened, 1498 01:55:26,300 --> 01:55:28,140 they cannot be harmed. 1499 01:55:29,140 --> 01:55:31,740 - That's good propaganda for Caesar. 1500 01:55:31,740 --> 01:55:34,140 Turn against the tribunes of the Roman people, 1501 01:55:34,140 --> 01:55:36,300 you're turning against the Roman people. 1502 01:55:38,660 --> 01:55:41,260 - If you side with Julius Caesar... 1503 01:55:41,260 --> 01:55:44,580 ..you side with freedom. 1504 01:55:51,420 --> 01:55:54,820 - On the 9th of January, 49 BC, 1505 01:55:54,820 --> 01:55:59,660 just north of the Rubicon - the river separating Gaul from Italy, 1506 01:55:59,660 --> 01:56:01,700 Caesar hosts a dinner. 1507 01:56:05,420 --> 01:56:07,420 - Caesar faces a choice. 1508 01:56:07,420 --> 01:56:10,140 He could lay down his command, 1509 01:56:10,140 --> 01:56:14,900 risk prosecution and the very strong possibility of exile, 1510 01:56:14,900 --> 01:56:18,940 or plunge Rome into a bloody civil war. 1511 01:56:22,140 --> 01:56:27,260 He has been pushed into a corner by his enemies. 1512 01:56:28,660 --> 01:56:34,580 We're told that he hesitates in a kind of...an anguish of indecision. 1513 01:56:37,140 --> 01:56:39,580 But in the end, he's a gambler... 1514 01:56:40,580 --> 01:56:43,220 ..and, as he has done throughout his career, 1515 01:56:43,220 --> 01:56:45,620 he is ready to roll the dice. 1516 01:56:53,900 --> 01:56:57,780 On the 10th of January, he gives the command. 1517 01:56:57,780 --> 01:57:01,020 His legion crosses the Rubicon, 1518 01:57:01,020 --> 01:57:04,420 and the Roman Republic... 1519 01:57:05,420 --> 01:57:08,420 ..collapses into civil war. 1520 01:57:10,780 --> 01:57:12,580 - Next time.... 1521 01:57:13,580 --> 01:57:16,020 ..Caesar triumphs in war... 1522 01:57:17,420 --> 01:57:20,140 ..but as he takes ever more power for himself, 1523 01:57:20,140 --> 01:57:24,380 he leaves his enemies little choice. 1524 01:58:08,420 --> 01:58:13,500 For three years, Julius Caesar has been fighting a bloody civil war 1525 01:58:13,500 --> 01:58:16,140 for control of the Roman Republic, 1526 01:58:16,140 --> 01:58:19,900 against his former ally Pompey the Great. 1527 01:58:21,340 --> 01:58:23,820 But now, Pompey is dead. 1528 01:58:26,100 --> 01:58:29,460 And Caesar gives thanks to the gods for his victory. 1529 01:58:31,620 --> 01:58:33,980 He will soon return to Rome. 1530 01:58:35,540 --> 01:58:40,860 - At stake is how Rome is going to be governed from now on. 1531 01:58:40,860 --> 01:58:43,260 It's one thing to win, 1532 01:58:43,260 --> 01:58:46,180 but what's he going to do with his victory? 1533 01:58:48,300 --> 01:58:50,460 - Caesar has grand plans. 1534 01:58:51,740 --> 01:58:55,020 He wants to rule Rome's vast empire 1535 01:58:55,020 --> 01:58:58,060 and restore the city of his birth to greatness. 1536 01:59:00,060 --> 01:59:02,860 But, in less than two years, 1537 01:59:02,860 --> 01:59:04,660 Caesar will be dead... 1538 01:59:06,460 --> 01:59:09,820 ..and the Roman Republic will lie in ruins. 1539 01:59:15,660 --> 01:59:19,740 At the heart of the most powerful empire in the ancient world 1540 01:59:19,740 --> 01:59:21,180 stands Rome. 1541 01:59:23,140 --> 01:59:28,220 For 500 years, it was ruled by elected government. 1542 01:59:28,220 --> 01:59:30,780 But, in a little over a decade, 1543 01:59:30,780 --> 01:59:35,380 this republic was overthrown by the ambitions of one man. 1544 01:59:36,940 --> 01:59:40,420 - The story of Caesar is an incredibly enduring one. 1545 01:59:40,420 --> 01:59:44,180 The resonance of it is so powerful. 1546 01:59:44,180 --> 01:59:47,060 It remains the most thrilling, the most extraordinary 1547 01:59:47,060 --> 01:59:50,140 political story in Western history. 1548 01:59:50,140 --> 01:59:54,340 - Now, historians and experts who understand the nature 1549 01:59:54,340 --> 01:59:57,660 of political power will chart his rise... 1550 01:59:57,660 --> 02:00:02,660 - He's so smart, he just knows how to use his opportunities. 1551 02:00:02,660 --> 02:00:07,220 - ..and ask how an individual can push a centuries-old 1552 02:00:07,220 --> 02:00:09,900 political system to breaking point. 1553 02:00:09,900 --> 02:00:14,700 - Julius Caesar is the most dangerous kind of demagogue. 1554 02:00:14,700 --> 02:00:21,180 - This is the story of how ambition turns to tyranny... 1555 02:00:21,180 --> 02:00:23,060 - He's a disgrace in every single way. 1556 02:00:23,060 --> 02:00:25,220 He's immoral, he's irreligious, 1557 02:00:25,220 --> 02:00:27,740 and he's a potential tyrant. 1558 02:00:27,740 --> 02:00:31,140 - ..and how a dictator is born. 1559 02:00:31,140 --> 02:00:34,100 - The awful lesson is that, in the end, 1560 02:00:34,100 --> 02:00:37,020 a populist can corrupt an entire state. 1561 02:00:38,700 --> 02:00:42,540 - For every other political system that values stability and justice, 1562 02:00:42,540 --> 02:00:46,140 and liberty, that should be, at the very least, a wake-up call. 1563 02:00:49,580 --> 02:00:52,620 - Democracy has to be constantly fought for. 1564 02:00:54,820 --> 02:00:56,780 If we take it for granted, 1565 02:00:56,780 --> 02:00:58,580 a new Caesar will come. 1566 02:01:23,660 --> 02:01:28,340 - Caesar is planning his victorious return to Rome. 1567 02:01:28,340 --> 02:01:30,780 To demonstrate his greatness, 1568 02:01:30,780 --> 02:01:33,580 he makes his defeated enemies an offer. 1569 02:01:35,340 --> 02:01:38,700 - As the man who is in the process of winning the civil war, 1570 02:01:38,700 --> 02:01:40,700 he could have murdered his enemies, 1571 02:01:40,700 --> 02:01:42,740 he could have launched a bloodbath. 1572 02:01:42,740 --> 02:01:43,940 But he doesn't. 1573 02:01:43,940 --> 02:01:48,140 He tries to win his defeated enemies over to him 1574 02:01:48,140 --> 02:01:50,260 by showing them mercy. 1575 02:01:51,380 --> 02:01:57,260 But mercy is something that a superior shows to an inferior, 1576 02:01:57,260 --> 02:01:59,460 a master can show a slave. 1577 02:01:59,460 --> 02:02:02,700 It broadcasts Caesar's magnanimity. 1578 02:02:02,700 --> 02:02:05,900 It also broadcasts Caesar's greatness. 1579 02:02:07,740 --> 02:02:11,380 - Caesar also knows he needs his erstwhile enemies on side. 1580 02:02:12,900 --> 02:02:16,540 Rome has been devastated by civil war. 1581 02:02:16,540 --> 02:02:20,500 To revive it, he'll need the support of republican senators 1582 02:02:20,500 --> 02:02:23,260 who have survived the war. 1583 02:02:23,260 --> 02:02:27,700 - If he can persuade his opponents to rally to his cause, 1584 02:02:27,700 --> 02:02:32,220 and to work for the good - both of Caesar and of the republic - 1585 02:02:32,220 --> 02:02:35,420 Caesar would be unchallenged as the ruler of Rome. 1586 02:02:37,020 --> 02:02:40,860 - The problem is that Caesar's enemies think that what 1587 02:02:40,860 --> 02:02:43,620 Caesar stands for is tyranny. 1588 02:02:43,620 --> 02:02:47,220 Total takeover of the system by one man, 1589 02:02:47,220 --> 02:02:49,940 backed by military strength. 1590 02:02:49,940 --> 02:02:53,140 Caesar doesn't see it that way at all. 1591 02:02:53,140 --> 02:02:56,220 Caesar says, "Of course you can be friends with me. 1592 02:02:56,220 --> 02:02:58,380 "I forgive you. Come on. 1593 02:02:58,380 --> 02:03:01,900 "We all have, at heart, the same cause, 1594 02:03:01,900 --> 02:03:05,420 "which is the Roman Republic, the good of Rome." 1595 02:03:09,060 --> 02:03:10,900 - But for Caesar, 1596 02:03:10,900 --> 02:03:13,420 one man matters above all others. 1597 02:03:16,260 --> 02:03:18,460 From the beginning of his career, 1598 02:03:18,460 --> 02:03:21,220 Cato has defended the republic 1599 02:03:21,220 --> 02:03:23,660 and obstructed Caesar's ambitions. 1600 02:03:25,660 --> 02:03:28,180 - Cato has seen, in Caesar, 1601 02:03:28,180 --> 02:03:30,780 corruption, the pride, the envy. 1602 02:03:30,780 --> 02:03:33,060 He was predicting from the very beginning that, 1603 02:03:33,060 --> 02:03:35,180 unless people moved against Caesar, 1604 02:03:35,180 --> 02:03:39,540 Caesar would try to turn himself into some kind of mini-emperor. 1605 02:03:39,540 --> 02:03:42,260 Cato is fighting for the domination of the Senate, 1606 02:03:42,260 --> 02:03:44,140 the old constitution. 1607 02:03:44,140 --> 02:03:47,540 He is fighting to preserve the dream of Rome. 1608 02:03:49,500 --> 02:03:52,700 - Caesar's army has defeated republican legions 1609 02:03:52,700 --> 02:03:55,780 led by Cato in North Africa. 1610 02:03:55,780 --> 02:03:58,820 And now, he has Cato cornered. 1611 02:04:00,100 --> 02:04:04,500 - If Caesar can get Cato to accept his mercy, 1612 02:04:04,500 --> 02:04:07,620 it will give him authority as the master of Rome, 1613 02:04:07,620 --> 02:04:09,100 the master of Rome's empire. 1614 02:04:18,540 --> 02:04:24,500 - Cato understands that Caesar will want to pardon him, 1615 02:04:24,500 --> 02:04:28,540 and he'll want to bring him in behind Caesar. 1616 02:04:28,540 --> 02:04:30,260 And that's necessary for Caesar, 1617 02:04:30,260 --> 02:04:33,980 because Cato is a very powerful politician. 1618 02:04:35,740 --> 02:04:37,820 Cato has to now make a decision. 1619 02:04:39,060 --> 02:04:41,140 And he probably could convince himself, 1620 02:04:41,140 --> 02:04:43,020 as many people convince themselves, 1621 02:04:43,020 --> 02:04:45,860 "Maybe I can do more good on the inside than the outside." 1622 02:04:47,700 --> 02:04:52,220 But for Cato, any compromise with a tyrant... 1623 02:04:53,260 --> 02:04:55,500 ..is the destruction of the Roman Republic. 1624 02:04:57,780 --> 02:05:01,100 The idea of compromising with Caesar feels emotionally to him 1625 02:05:01,100 --> 02:05:03,940 as it might do for somebody in the 1930s being asked 1626 02:05:03,940 --> 02:05:05,460 to compromise with Hitler. 1627 02:05:12,580 --> 02:05:16,100 And, alone, he does something extraordinary. 1628 02:05:19,060 --> 02:05:20,540 He takes his sword... 1629 02:05:21,620 --> 02:05:23,700 ..plunges it into his chest. 1630 02:05:32,580 --> 02:05:34,540 His son comes running in, 1631 02:05:34,540 --> 02:05:36,980 tries to beg him, get doctors. 1632 02:05:39,420 --> 02:05:43,500 And he must be in the most extreme and astonishing agony. 1633 02:05:45,300 --> 02:05:48,300 But Cato, looking into the eyes of his son, 1634 02:05:48,300 --> 02:05:51,940 reaches his hands into his bowels, into his guts, 1635 02:05:51,940 --> 02:05:54,740 and rips out his own entrails 1636 02:05:54,740 --> 02:05:55,980 and dies. 1637 02:06:02,660 --> 02:06:07,860 - Cato's suicide is a very deliberate and planned action, 1638 02:06:07,860 --> 02:06:10,900 with heavy symbolism and 1639 02:06:10,900 --> 02:06:13,700 absolute lack of compromise. 1640 02:06:17,060 --> 02:06:22,380 - Cato had always had a perhaps unique ability to get under Caesar's skin. 1641 02:06:22,380 --> 02:06:27,180 And, even with Cato dead, his ghost continues to haunt Caesar. 1642 02:06:27,180 --> 02:06:32,060 As a spirit in the underworld, Cato remains undefeated. 1643 02:06:34,180 --> 02:06:36,940 - Cato's death is the ultimate statement. 1644 02:06:38,060 --> 02:06:43,500 No real Roman should ever compromise with a man like Caesar. 1645 02:06:43,500 --> 02:06:47,340 No real Roman should ever accept the way this state is going. 1646 02:06:47,340 --> 02:06:49,660 And the message that he sends is, 1647 02:06:49,660 --> 02:06:51,740 "Shame. Shame on you." 1648 02:06:55,420 --> 02:07:01,620 - Cato is able to establish himself as a martyr, 1649 02:07:01,620 --> 02:07:04,540 and Caesar as a tyrant. 1650 02:07:17,420 --> 02:07:20,620 - Caesar finally returns to Rome, 1651 02:07:20,620 --> 02:07:25,500 where Cato's martyrdom threatens to reinvigorate republican opposition. 1652 02:07:26,980 --> 02:07:31,860 Caesar faces a battle to persuade everyone he's not a tyrant, 1653 02:07:31,860 --> 02:07:34,300 but the saviour Rome needs. 1654 02:07:36,100 --> 02:07:39,860 - The civil war has caused food shortages. 1655 02:07:39,860 --> 02:07:43,900 People are very hungry, and there is violence on the streets. 1656 02:07:43,900 --> 02:07:45,700 Rome is in a state of crisis, 1657 02:07:45,700 --> 02:07:48,220 it does need significant intervention, 1658 02:07:48,220 --> 02:07:52,100 and it does need people to take action immediately. 1659 02:07:55,700 --> 02:07:59,460 - When Caesar comes back, there are two great questions facing him. 1660 02:07:59,460 --> 02:08:05,260 One is, what can he do, as a man who is now wielding greater power 1661 02:08:05,260 --> 02:08:06,860 than any man has ever had before, 1662 02:08:06,860 --> 02:08:11,100 to solve the manifold crises that are facing Rome? 1663 02:08:11,100 --> 02:08:14,500 And the other, can the Republic be put back together again? 1664 02:08:14,500 --> 02:08:16,620 If it can't, then what should replace it? 1665 02:08:18,340 --> 02:08:20,500 - Since the start of the civil war, 1666 02:08:20,500 --> 02:08:24,100 the Senate has been barely functioning. 1667 02:08:24,100 --> 02:08:27,580 For centuries, it's been the heart of republican government, 1668 02:08:27,580 --> 02:08:31,380 founded on the principle that the people elect officials 1669 02:08:31,380 --> 02:08:35,580 who use their seat in the Senate to propose laws 1670 02:08:35,580 --> 02:08:39,100 that are put back to the Roman citizens for their vote. 1671 02:08:40,900 --> 02:08:46,460 Caesar must decide whether to revive the system or abandon it. 1672 02:08:46,460 --> 02:08:51,700 - Caesar wants to find a way of making the Roman state work. 1673 02:08:51,700 --> 02:08:54,980 - He has no choice but to get the Senate back up, 1674 02:08:54,980 --> 02:08:59,380 and he knows as well that the key to this is to get conservatives 1675 02:08:59,380 --> 02:09:02,380 who have opposed him on his side. 1676 02:09:03,980 --> 02:09:06,820 - Caesar needs his opponents to trust him. 1677 02:09:08,100 --> 02:09:09,740 To help persuade them, 1678 02:09:09,740 --> 02:09:13,460 he courts a young man held in high regard by republicans. 1679 02:09:16,060 --> 02:09:18,420 Marcus Junius Brutus. 1680 02:09:21,140 --> 02:09:24,940 - Brutus is the descendent of the founder of the Republic, 1681 02:09:24,940 --> 02:09:29,300 the man who expelled Rome's final king 500 years before. 1682 02:09:29,300 --> 02:09:30,900 And he led the people to swear 1683 02:09:30,900 --> 02:09:34,260 an oath that they would never again suffer one-man rule. 1684 02:09:35,540 --> 02:09:39,300 So, Brutus is the poster boy of the Roman Republic, 1685 02:09:39,300 --> 02:09:41,540 and those who are more conservative-minded 1686 02:09:41,540 --> 02:09:42,940 look up to Brutus. 1687 02:09:42,940 --> 02:09:47,140 But what's really fascinating is that he's also connected to Caesar. 1688 02:09:47,140 --> 02:09:51,660 Caesar's long-term lover and great friend is Brutus's mother. 1689 02:09:51,660 --> 02:09:54,500 And so, Caesar looks out for Brutus throughout his life. 1690 02:09:55,740 --> 02:10:00,100 There's even a rumour that, er, Brutus may actually be 1691 02:10:00,100 --> 02:10:01,740 Caesar's love child. 1692 02:10:03,420 --> 02:10:07,340 - With Brutus on his side, Caesar could win the legitimacy 1693 02:10:07,340 --> 02:10:11,380 he needs to get the Senate working for him. 1694 02:10:11,380 --> 02:10:14,580 He offers Brutus a powerful position - 1695 02:10:14,580 --> 02:10:17,340 the governorship of one of Rome's territories. 1696 02:10:18,900 --> 02:10:21,460 - Brutus isn't going to turn that down. 1697 02:10:21,460 --> 02:10:24,980 He still has reservations about what Caesar's up to, 1698 02:10:24,980 --> 02:10:29,020 but, like many of his generation, he wants to get to the top, 1699 02:10:29,020 --> 02:10:31,540 he wants great political prestige and power. 1700 02:10:33,700 --> 02:10:36,500 As soon as Brutus jumps onto Caesar's bandwagon, 1701 02:10:36,500 --> 02:10:39,100 he's got the authority and the cachet, 1702 02:10:39,100 --> 02:10:42,980 and he convinces other senators to accept Caesar's pardon 1703 02:10:42,980 --> 02:10:44,460 and to join him. 1704 02:10:47,100 --> 02:10:50,620 - Amongst the old guard that Brutus needs to persuade 1705 02:10:50,620 --> 02:10:53,020 are senior republican statesmen. 1706 02:10:54,340 --> 02:10:59,140 - Marcus Tullius Cicero is an orator, he's a lawyer, 1707 02:10:59,140 --> 02:11:01,580 he's the consummate politician. 1708 02:11:02,660 --> 02:11:05,700 He is political to his core, 1709 02:11:05,700 --> 02:11:08,460 and he stands for the Republic, 1710 02:11:08,460 --> 02:11:11,540 he stands for the senatorial system, 1711 02:11:11,540 --> 02:11:15,020 and he believes that this is the way in which Rome will thrive. 1712 02:11:17,100 --> 02:11:21,300 Although Cicero has high political principles, he's a realist. 1713 02:11:21,300 --> 02:11:25,260 He can see that the Senate has not given the leadership 1714 02:11:25,260 --> 02:11:31,060 that Rome needs, and he hopes that he can lead Caesar towards 1715 02:11:31,060 --> 02:11:34,020 being somebody who rebuilds the Republic. 1716 02:11:34,020 --> 02:11:38,020 Caesar has power, and maybe that power can be used for good. 1717 02:11:41,660 --> 02:11:46,220 - By the Autumn of 46 BC, Brutus has helped bring old 1718 02:11:46,220 --> 02:11:49,940 opponents like Cicero over to Caesar's side. 1719 02:11:53,340 --> 02:11:55,380 The Senate is reconvened... 1720 02:11:57,900 --> 02:12:02,140 ..but Caesar has no intention of restoring its full authority. 1721 02:12:04,300 --> 02:12:09,580 - Caesar is the man who has been in the saddle for years and years. 1722 02:12:09,580 --> 02:12:12,740 His instincts are those of a military commander - 1723 02:12:12,740 --> 02:12:14,980 he gives orders, they're obeyed. 1724 02:12:14,980 --> 02:12:19,540 And so, it's unsurprising that he should find the requirements of 1725 02:12:19,540 --> 02:12:22,460 a republican system of government frustrating, 1726 02:12:22,460 --> 02:12:24,780 and I suspect also a little beneath him. 1727 02:12:29,780 --> 02:12:33,060 - Caesar promises he's restoring the Republic, 1728 02:12:33,060 --> 02:12:36,060 whilst also seeking a way to legitimately take 1729 02:12:36,060 --> 02:12:37,780 full command of the Senate. 1730 02:12:39,940 --> 02:12:42,140 - Caesar, by Roman standards - 1731 02:12:42,140 --> 02:12:44,820 and the Romans are an inherently conservative people - 1732 02:12:44,820 --> 02:12:46,860 is incredibly radical. 1733 02:12:46,860 --> 02:12:49,740 And yet, he looks back to the past, which is what Romans had 1734 02:12:49,740 --> 02:12:53,260 always done whenever they were faced with a crisis. 1735 02:12:53,260 --> 02:12:57,340 And in this lumber box of Rome's constitutional past, 1736 02:12:57,340 --> 02:13:00,180 there's an office called the dictatorship. 1737 02:13:02,380 --> 02:13:06,220 - The position of dictator had a very established place within 1738 02:13:06,220 --> 02:13:10,860 the Roman system of government, as an extraordinary power 1739 02:13:10,860 --> 02:13:13,620 in a period where Rome was in particular crisis. 1740 02:13:15,580 --> 02:13:20,060 - The Roman Republic is founded on the idea of power being shared. 1741 02:13:21,940 --> 02:13:27,260 Only in extreme crisis can the office of dictator give one man 1742 02:13:27,260 --> 02:13:29,420 temporary control of Rome. 1743 02:13:32,300 --> 02:13:35,460 - In an emergency, you should only be a dictator for 1744 02:13:35,460 --> 02:13:37,300 a maximum of six months. 1745 02:13:37,300 --> 02:13:41,140 You take Rome out of that emergency, and then hand power back. 1746 02:13:42,580 --> 02:13:46,060 - Now Caesar pushes the limits of constitutional propriety 1747 02:13:46,060 --> 02:13:49,060 even further - he demands that he be made dictator, 1748 02:13:49,060 --> 02:13:51,300 not for six months... 1749 02:13:52,900 --> 02:13:54,420 ..not for a year... 1750 02:13:56,020 --> 02:13:57,620 ..but ten years. 1751 02:14:00,100 --> 02:14:02,980 - The Senate reluctantly agree, 1752 02:14:02,980 --> 02:14:07,060 but on the condition they will review his position every year. 1753 02:14:08,740 --> 02:14:12,860 - Men like Brutus are willing to give Caesar these powers because 1754 02:14:12,860 --> 02:14:14,940 they think they're temporary. 1755 02:14:14,940 --> 02:14:19,060 But it's a huge gamble - it's expecting Caesar 1756 02:14:19,060 --> 02:14:21,060 not to be corrupted by power. 1757 02:14:23,340 --> 02:14:28,660 - Cicero is open to the idea that maybe Caesar is a necessary evil. 1758 02:14:30,540 --> 02:14:33,700 When a society is going through really great strains, 1759 02:14:33,700 --> 02:14:37,820 when the political system doesn't seem to be delivering for people, 1760 02:14:37,820 --> 02:14:42,740 then having a strong leader can be a very seductive idea. 1761 02:14:46,100 --> 02:14:48,900 - The Republic is in a state of ruin. 1762 02:14:48,900 --> 02:14:55,300 The predominant feeling in Rome is a kind of exhausted hope 1763 02:14:55,300 --> 02:14:59,660 that perhaps Caesar will be able to use these exceptional powers 1764 02:14:59,660 --> 02:15:01,220 to bring Rome back to life. 1765 02:15:03,580 --> 02:15:06,580 - So, Caesar is made a dictator. 1766 02:15:06,580 --> 02:15:11,060 And they give him the permission to sit between the consuls, 1767 02:15:11,060 --> 02:15:15,140 ie, superior to both of the consuls, 1768 02:15:15,140 --> 02:15:17,780 give him a special seat to sit on, 1769 02:15:17,780 --> 02:15:19,020 give him a throne. 1770 02:15:24,740 --> 02:15:27,660 - Using his newly-sanctioned authority, 1771 02:15:27,660 --> 02:15:30,900 Caesar expands the powers a dictator can hold. 1772 02:15:31,940 --> 02:15:37,740 He creates a new title for himself - the Prefect of Morals. 1773 02:15:39,420 --> 02:15:43,220 - Praefectus Morum - the man in charge of morals. 1774 02:15:43,220 --> 02:15:45,660 That's a really, really scary title. 1775 02:15:46,940 --> 02:15:50,380 But what's really important is that gives him a power 1776 02:15:50,380 --> 02:15:52,420 to get people in and out of the Senate. 1777 02:15:56,220 --> 02:15:58,860 - Caesar increases the size of the Senate 1778 02:15:58,860 --> 02:16:01,340 from 600 to 900 men. 1779 02:16:02,420 --> 02:16:06,380 Caesar loyalists now outnumber conservative opponents. 1780 02:16:08,740 --> 02:16:12,020 For centuries, the Republican system has given people 1781 02:16:12,020 --> 02:16:14,780 the right to vote for magistrates - 1782 02:16:14,780 --> 02:16:17,580 men who hold powerful roles in the Senate. 1783 02:16:18,700 --> 02:16:24,420 Now, Caesar decides he will appoint all of the magistrates himself. 1784 02:16:25,540 --> 02:16:29,340 - Caesar's new power - to choose the magistrates - 1785 02:16:29,340 --> 02:16:34,940 is a very serious abandonment of Republican tradition, 1786 02:16:34,940 --> 02:16:40,460 because it's precisely the power of the Roman people to choose, 1787 02:16:40,460 --> 02:16:43,860 each year, who are going to be its magistrates that gives 1788 02:16:43,860 --> 02:16:46,060 the Roman people its voice. 1789 02:16:46,060 --> 02:16:48,220 And Caesar, the Popularis, 1790 02:16:48,220 --> 02:16:52,060 Caesar, the man who believes in the power of the Roman people, 1791 02:16:52,060 --> 02:16:54,420 is now, paradoxically, 1792 02:16:54,420 --> 02:16:58,860 removing one of the central powers of the Roman people. 1793 02:17:01,140 --> 02:17:05,260 - In just a few months, Caesar centralises five centuries 1794 02:17:05,260 --> 02:17:08,540 of Republican powers in the office of dictator. 1795 02:17:10,260 --> 02:17:15,100 He takes control of Rome's laws, finances, armies, 1796 02:17:15,100 --> 02:17:16,700 and elected officials. 1797 02:17:18,540 --> 02:17:21,100 As long as he is dictator, 1798 02:17:21,100 --> 02:17:23,180 Caesar alone controls Rome. 1799 02:17:24,740 --> 02:17:29,500 - Caesar is taking power as his own personal possession 1800 02:17:29,500 --> 02:17:31,380 and handing it out as he wishes. 1801 02:17:31,380 --> 02:17:36,100 And that is a huge challenge to the whole concept of the Republic. 1802 02:17:36,100 --> 02:17:41,540 - You're talking about the suspension of all the normal rules of 1803 02:17:41,540 --> 02:17:44,540 how Roman political life works. 1804 02:17:46,620 --> 02:17:51,300 - For senators of a conservative inclination, Caesar's reforms 1805 02:17:51,300 --> 02:17:53,700 seem wanton vandalism. 1806 02:17:53,700 --> 02:17:55,980 But this is not how Caesar sees it. 1807 02:17:55,980 --> 02:18:00,100 Caesar is bringing in policies that are designed to heal Rome. 1808 02:18:08,140 --> 02:18:12,980 - Caesar uses his power to put other radical policies into action. 1809 02:18:15,220 --> 02:18:20,060 - Caesar has got a hell of a lot to do to deal with 1810 02:18:20,060 --> 02:18:22,900 all the problems that have been bubbling away, 1811 02:18:22,900 --> 02:18:28,500 and try to get Rome back on an even kilter. 1812 02:18:28,500 --> 02:18:34,220 Er, it's astonishing how much he could do so quickly. 1813 02:18:34,220 --> 02:18:36,300 - A lot of things aren't working, 1814 02:18:36,300 --> 02:18:38,500 and a lot of things need repair - 1815 02:18:38,500 --> 02:18:41,660 roads, infrastructure, aqueducts. 1816 02:18:42,740 --> 02:18:44,460 There are food shortages. 1817 02:18:45,620 --> 02:18:49,380 - But he's in a position now to ensure that the mass of 1818 02:18:49,380 --> 02:18:51,140 the Roman people will be fed. 1819 02:18:52,140 --> 02:18:58,660 He feels that he alone has the ability and the vision to solve 1820 02:18:58,660 --> 02:19:03,860 problems that his contemporaries had manifestly been unable to solve. 1821 02:19:05,260 --> 02:19:10,380 He sponsors the rebuilding and beautification of the Senate house. 1822 02:19:10,380 --> 02:19:13,860 He draws up plans to build the largest temple of the world 1823 02:19:13,860 --> 02:19:15,020 on the Campus Martius. 1824 02:19:15,020 --> 02:19:19,380 He even has an astonishing scheme to divert the very course of 1825 02:19:19,380 --> 02:19:22,940 the Tiber, as though he is a man so divine that, with his finger, 1826 02:19:22,940 --> 02:19:26,260 he can, you know, reorder the course of rivers. 1827 02:19:29,180 --> 02:19:33,300 Nothing is beyond the reach of Caesar to correct, 1828 02:19:33,300 --> 02:19:35,460 to regulate, to improve - 1829 02:19:35,460 --> 02:19:36,860 even the dimension of time. 1830 02:19:38,740 --> 02:19:41,180 The Roman calendar, by Caesar's lifetime, 1831 02:19:41,180 --> 02:19:42,780 is in a state of chaos. 1832 02:19:42,780 --> 02:19:46,940 It doesn't synchronise at all with the rhythms of the seasons, 1833 02:19:46,940 --> 02:19:48,300 the patterns of the years. 1834 02:19:48,300 --> 02:19:54,060 And so, amid all the many other things that Caesar is doing, 1835 02:19:54,060 --> 02:19:57,020 he orders a recalibration of the calendar. 1836 02:19:59,260 --> 02:20:04,180 - He gives us a calendar which we have continued to use 1837 02:20:04,180 --> 02:20:06,420 for the next two millennia! 1838 02:20:11,220 --> 02:20:15,500 - It probably seems like life is going to get better under Caesar. 1839 02:20:17,460 --> 02:20:20,860 He offers the people a little bit of stability, 1840 02:20:20,860 --> 02:20:23,220 an improvement to their day-to-day lives. 1841 02:20:26,860 --> 02:20:28,820 - Rome begins to prosper. 1842 02:20:31,100 --> 02:20:34,700 But Republican senators remain anxious that Caesar won't 1843 02:20:34,700 --> 02:20:37,940 willingly relinquish his power at the end of his term. 1844 02:20:39,820 --> 02:20:42,340 Their hands aren't completely tied. 1845 02:20:43,540 --> 02:20:46,740 Just as the Senate can grant him the dictatorship, 1846 02:20:46,740 --> 02:20:48,580 if enough turn against him, 1847 02:20:48,580 --> 02:20:51,020 they could vote to take it away. 1848 02:21:00,620 --> 02:21:04,020 Caesar wants to make it clear who holds the reigns. 1849 02:21:05,380 --> 02:21:09,700 He temporarily moves the base of power to his own villa, 1850 02:21:09,700 --> 02:21:12,500 20km outside Rome. 1851 02:21:14,620 --> 02:21:18,820 - What Caesar does, by taking power outside of Rome, 1852 02:21:18,820 --> 02:21:23,140 is demonstrating that, instead of power being where Rome is, 1853 02:21:23,140 --> 02:21:25,100 power is where Caesar is. 1854 02:21:27,300 --> 02:21:31,620 - Caesar decides to fill all influential positions in the Senate 1855 02:21:31,620 --> 02:21:33,540 with those loyal to him. 1856 02:21:35,540 --> 02:21:41,900 He summons Rome's elite to find out if they have a place in his plan. 1857 02:21:41,900 --> 02:21:44,980 - So, you have this extraordinary spectacle - 1858 02:21:44,980 --> 02:21:48,220 the great and the good of Rome effectively queueing 1859 02:21:48,220 --> 02:21:49,460 at Caesar's door. 1860 02:21:51,860 --> 02:21:54,540 - To ensure conservatives stay loyal, 1861 02:21:54,540 --> 02:21:59,140 Caesar meets a man they all look up to - Brutus. 1862 02:22:01,540 --> 02:22:04,780 - He sees Brutus as if he's a son who he's looked after, 1863 02:22:04,780 --> 02:22:06,660 cherished and promoted. 1864 02:22:07,660 --> 02:22:10,780 Now, Caesar promises Brutus fantastic things. 1865 02:22:10,780 --> 02:22:13,300 He's going to get a key appointment this year, 1866 02:22:13,300 --> 02:22:15,780 and this will all put him on track for a consulship 1867 02:22:15,780 --> 02:22:16,940 in the future, as well. 1868 02:22:19,380 --> 02:22:23,220 It's a really bittersweet moment for Brutus. 1869 02:22:25,100 --> 02:22:28,780 On the one hand, he is climbing that ladder of offices. 1870 02:22:28,780 --> 02:22:31,180 The consulship is in reach. 1871 02:22:31,180 --> 02:22:36,420 But at the same time, he doesn't like the fact that Caesar 1872 02:22:36,420 --> 02:22:39,700 is centralising all of this power around himself. 1873 02:22:43,220 --> 02:22:47,020 But in the end, he's able to shrug it off because, 1874 02:22:47,020 --> 02:22:49,500 at the moment, he's benefitting from the system. 1875 02:22:52,700 --> 02:22:57,860 - Another man Caesar wants at his side is his most loyal general, 1876 02:22:57,860 --> 02:22:59,180 Mark Antony. 1877 02:23:01,180 --> 02:23:05,020 - Antony has been Caesar's right-hand man throughout the civil war. 1878 02:23:08,820 --> 02:23:10,220 - Mark Antony is one of the 1879 02:23:10,220 --> 02:23:13,020 best-educated men of his time, 1880 02:23:13,020 --> 02:23:15,660 which is why he's a terrific orator, 1881 02:23:15,660 --> 02:23:18,740 as well as a talented, valorous general. 1882 02:23:22,580 --> 02:23:25,500 But he's also inclined to drink too much... 1883 02:23:28,140 --> 02:23:30,940 ..had sex too often. 1884 02:23:30,940 --> 02:23:34,820 And these are vices that don't necessarily sit well with a man 1885 02:23:34,820 --> 02:23:36,660 who's a distinguished Roman noble. 1886 02:23:39,300 --> 02:23:44,260 But one of the reasons Caesar is able to succeed is that, 1887 02:23:44,260 --> 02:23:49,620 throughout his career, he has a talent for drawing people 1888 02:23:49,620 --> 02:23:52,540 into intimate associations with himself. 1889 02:23:53,940 --> 02:23:59,220 And so Caesar can exploit the talents of ambitious men 1890 02:23:59,220 --> 02:24:01,100 who are centred around him. 1891 02:24:04,700 --> 02:24:08,220 - Caesar promises Mark Antony the consulship. 1892 02:24:11,980 --> 02:24:15,980 - Caesar becomes the focus of attention for many 1893 02:24:15,980 --> 02:24:20,140 ambitious young men who see in Caesar an opportunity to become 1894 02:24:20,140 --> 02:24:23,420 either wealthy or powerful, or influential ahead of their time. 1895 02:24:23,420 --> 02:24:28,580 Caesar is it. He is how you participate in this new Republic. 1896 02:24:30,940 --> 02:24:34,220 - Caesar is convinced the men he's chosen will help him 1897 02:24:34,220 --> 02:24:36,260 maintain control of the Senate. 1898 02:24:38,100 --> 02:24:40,780 But there are many he simply overlooks. 1899 02:24:42,180 --> 02:24:45,860 - Seeing Caesar handing the power to his own underlings, 1900 02:24:45,860 --> 02:24:48,660 Cicero is sitting outside waiting. 1901 02:24:48,660 --> 02:24:53,700 This is definitely not the way that former consuls should be treated. 1902 02:24:53,700 --> 02:24:57,180 Caesar is not using his position for the public good. 1903 02:24:57,180 --> 02:25:01,580 He is using it to belittle somebody who had great respect in the Senate. 1904 02:25:03,460 --> 02:25:06,900 - Caesar ignores some of Rome's most senior statesmen... 1905 02:25:08,340 --> 02:25:12,180 ..but he also offends some of its most ambitious men. 1906 02:25:14,500 --> 02:25:17,580 - Looking in on all of this is Cassius. 1907 02:25:17,580 --> 02:25:21,580 Cassius is 41, in his prime. 1908 02:25:21,580 --> 02:25:26,500 He is a successful soldier and a very skilled politician. 1909 02:25:27,660 --> 02:25:30,060 He comes from an elite Roman family 1910 02:25:30,060 --> 02:25:33,740 who've produced seven consuls in the last 100 years. 1911 02:25:36,220 --> 02:25:39,580 And he does go to Caesar asking for promotion. 1912 02:25:39,580 --> 02:25:42,340 He gets something, but not enough. 1913 02:25:44,780 --> 02:25:48,620 Cassius is not happy with Caesar personally, 1914 02:25:48,620 --> 02:25:50,860 and certainly not politically. 1915 02:25:50,860 --> 02:25:54,580 Everything now is increasingly going through Caesar himself. 1916 02:25:58,180 --> 02:26:01,380 - TOM HOLLAND: - There is, of course, a problem for Caesar. 1917 02:26:01,380 --> 02:26:06,300 Whereas before, people who were defeated in elections really 1918 02:26:06,300 --> 02:26:08,060 only had themselves to blame, 1919 02:26:08,060 --> 02:26:10,980 now it is possible for them to blame Caesar. 1920 02:26:10,980 --> 02:26:15,540 And this, of course, is storing up quite a reservoir of resentment. 1921 02:26:34,660 --> 02:26:39,060 - Back in Rome, senators who want a seat at Caesar's table 1922 02:26:39,060 --> 02:26:42,220 contrive ways to ingratiate themselves. 1923 02:26:43,380 --> 02:26:46,940 - Caesar's ability to choose the magistrates changes 1924 02:26:46,940 --> 02:26:49,020 the nature of political life. 1925 02:26:49,020 --> 02:26:51,460 And now, you've got to earn his favour. 1926 02:26:52,780 --> 02:26:58,180 So, the Senate dream up honour after honour, after honour, 1927 02:26:58,180 --> 02:27:04,140 give him a special wreath in gold leaf to put around his head. 1928 02:27:04,140 --> 02:27:07,660 But the more you honour Caesar, 1929 02:27:07,660 --> 02:27:11,020 the more invidious you make his position. 1930 02:27:12,500 --> 02:27:15,700 - While resentment towards Caesar festers, 1931 02:27:15,700 --> 02:27:20,980 he grows increasingly impatient with petty Roman politics. 1932 02:27:20,980 --> 02:27:24,740 And when a delegation approaches him with more honours, 1933 02:27:24,740 --> 02:27:27,140 he doesn't do what's expected of him. 1934 02:27:29,420 --> 02:27:33,180 - A whole body of senators go into Caesar's forum, 1935 02:27:33,180 --> 02:27:38,380 and there he is, enthroned, looking as grand as could be. 1936 02:27:38,380 --> 02:27:40,940 And there's the Senate saying, 1937 02:27:40,940 --> 02:27:44,500 "Caesar, we would like to honour you." 1938 02:27:44,500 --> 02:27:46,420 And Caesar doesn't stand up. 1939 02:27:51,940 --> 02:27:55,060 - In Rome, equals stand to greet each other. 1940 02:27:55,060 --> 02:27:58,740 It's as if he's saying, in plain view, 1941 02:27:58,740 --> 02:28:01,460 that the entire Senate is beneath him. 1942 02:28:04,260 --> 02:28:07,900 - The problem that both Caesar and the Senate face 1943 02:28:07,900 --> 02:28:11,660 is that Caesar's preponderance has made the traditional function 1944 02:28:11,660 --> 02:28:15,340 of the Senate, the role of the helmsmen guiding the ship of state, 1945 02:28:15,340 --> 02:28:16,940 essentially irrelevant. 1946 02:28:18,500 --> 02:28:21,460 Caesar is too impatient, 1947 02:28:21,460 --> 02:28:26,700 too unsubtle not to let his fellow senators know 1948 02:28:26,700 --> 02:28:28,140 that he knows this. 1949 02:28:32,020 --> 02:28:36,740 - For Cicero, if Caesar is willing to disregard the basic rules of 1950 02:28:36,740 --> 02:28:39,860 the Senate, in terms of how people treat each other, 1951 02:28:39,860 --> 02:28:42,300 then what does that mean for any other rules that 1952 02:28:42,300 --> 02:28:44,460 the Senate may have? 1953 02:28:44,460 --> 02:28:47,100 This is a shocking moment. 1954 02:28:47,100 --> 02:28:49,420 And Cicero gives up his hope in Caesar. 1955 02:28:51,660 --> 02:28:56,420 - It's a massive shock and must really irk men like Brutus. 1956 02:28:56,420 --> 02:29:00,220 He's still been holding out hope that Caesar is going 1957 02:29:00,220 --> 02:29:01,700 to restore the Republic. 1958 02:29:04,700 --> 02:29:08,820 But is Caesar going to restore authority to a Senate 1959 02:29:08,820 --> 02:29:11,140 that he doesn't seem to care much for any more? 1960 02:29:12,940 --> 02:29:17,740 - For some senators, Caesar's blatant disregard for the unwritten rules 1961 02:29:17,740 --> 02:29:19,700 is a step too far. 1962 02:29:21,180 --> 02:29:26,140 As a constitutional lawyer in Britain, I have spent many years 1963 02:29:26,140 --> 02:29:30,220 believing in the beauty of unwritten constitutions. 1964 02:29:30,220 --> 02:29:32,660 But they have their weakness, too. 1965 02:29:32,660 --> 02:29:38,420 If that constitution is really just a gentlemen's agreement, 1966 02:29:38,420 --> 02:29:43,700 what happens when one of them decide that everything's going 1967 02:29:43,700 --> 02:29:46,060 to change in their favour? 1968 02:29:46,060 --> 02:29:52,580 - Political process is dependent upon integrity and mutual respect. 1969 02:29:52,580 --> 02:29:55,060 If those rules break down, 1970 02:29:55,060 --> 02:29:58,620 it's very difficult to see the way forward for a democracy. 1971 02:30:00,660 --> 02:30:05,420 - If you believe in a system of government that is designed 1972 02:30:05,420 --> 02:30:07,580 to balance power, 1973 02:30:07,580 --> 02:30:09,660 you have a moral duty to defend it. 1974 02:30:12,220 --> 02:30:16,780 - As Caesar shows increasing disregard for republican conventions, 1975 02:30:16,780 --> 02:30:19,620 it's Cassius who dares to speak up. 1976 02:30:21,860 --> 02:30:26,900 - Cassius really does try to challenge Caesar openly, 1977 02:30:26,900 --> 02:30:28,300 in plain view. 1978 02:30:31,940 --> 02:30:33,900 - Rather perceptively, he says, 1979 02:30:33,900 --> 02:30:38,380 "All these honours are getting us into really dangerous territory. 1980 02:30:38,380 --> 02:30:40,500 "We are creating a monster here." 1981 02:30:42,980 --> 02:30:48,500 - Cassius is an idealist, and he does care about the Republican ideal. 1982 02:30:48,500 --> 02:30:51,300 But the more powerful Caesar becomes, 1983 02:30:51,300 --> 02:30:55,180 the more dangerous speaking out is for people like Cassius. 1984 02:30:56,500 --> 02:30:59,380 Cassius knows the tide is turning. 1985 02:30:59,380 --> 02:31:03,940 It's time to act but, of course, Cassius can't act alone. 1986 02:31:05,620 --> 02:31:09,940 He must suspect that people are feeling as he does, 1987 02:31:09,940 --> 02:31:12,220 but will they be as brave? 1988 02:31:15,340 --> 02:31:19,140 - What's happening is that the opposition to Caesar is 1989 02:31:19,140 --> 02:31:21,620 becoming more coherent. 1990 02:31:21,620 --> 02:31:23,660 It's crystallising - 1991 02:31:23,660 --> 02:31:27,900 crystallising around a number of people, a number of ideas. 1992 02:31:31,340 --> 02:31:33,980 - Whatever else he is, Caesar is not an idiot. 1993 02:31:33,980 --> 02:31:37,500 Of course he understands the resentments that are festering away 1994 02:31:37,500 --> 02:31:38,620 in the Senate. 1995 02:31:38,620 --> 02:31:42,660 He's a Roman - I mean, every Roman is aware that the resentment 1996 02:31:42,660 --> 02:31:45,780 of your fellow senators is part of the deal for greatness. 1997 02:31:45,780 --> 02:31:48,380 Is he afraid, though? Is he anxious? 1998 02:31:48,380 --> 02:31:50,780 Is he alarmed by this? I think not. 1999 02:31:54,580 --> 02:31:58,620 - Caesar has better things to do than indulge his detractors. 2000 02:31:59,900 --> 02:32:02,580 His ambitions reach beyond Rome. 2001 02:32:05,340 --> 02:32:09,020 Caesar plans to conquer the one great foe Rome has 2002 02:32:09,020 --> 02:32:11,100 so far failed to subdue. 2003 02:32:12,300 --> 02:32:13,900 The Parthian Empire. 2004 02:32:15,940 --> 02:32:18,700 It was in Parthia nine years earlier 2005 02:32:18,700 --> 02:32:23,020 that Caesar's old ally, Crassus, lost many Roman legions... 2006 02:32:23,020 --> 02:32:24,420 ..and his own life. 2007 02:32:26,260 --> 02:32:30,980 Caesar believes he is the man to bring Parthia to heel. 2008 02:32:32,300 --> 02:32:36,900 - What Caesar has in mind is to launch the most formidable 2009 02:32:36,900 --> 02:32:40,220 and massive invasion the Romans have ever launched. 2010 02:32:41,420 --> 02:32:45,220 If Caesar is successful, he will return to Rome 2011 02:32:45,220 --> 02:32:47,340 the greatest conqueror in history. 2012 02:32:54,460 --> 02:32:58,260 - Caesar announces he'll leave for Parthia in three months' time... 2013 02:32:59,580 --> 02:33:02,020 ..shortly after the middle of March - 2014 02:33:02,020 --> 02:33:04,940 known to the Romans as the Ides. 2015 02:33:06,620 --> 02:33:10,020 - He's always happiest at the head of an army 2016 02:33:10,020 --> 02:33:12,300 defeating visible foes. 2017 02:33:12,300 --> 02:33:15,820 The toughest foe of all is the foe you can't see, 2018 02:33:15,820 --> 02:33:20,540 is your old friends and your old enemies plotting together 2019 02:33:20,540 --> 02:33:22,820 and sinking a knife in your back. 2020 02:33:25,380 --> 02:33:27,700 - Before he leaves for Parthia, 2021 02:33:27,700 --> 02:33:32,740 Caesar uses supporters in the Senate to create him a role that will 2022 02:33:32,740 --> 02:33:35,740 consolidate his power indefinitely. 2023 02:33:37,100 --> 02:33:40,740 - They offer to make him dictator, not just for ten years 2024 02:33:40,740 --> 02:33:44,300 but perpetuous, forever. 2025 02:33:44,300 --> 02:33:46,820 Which means that, if he accepts, 2026 02:33:46,820 --> 02:33:49,620 no-one will ever be able to take his dictatorship away. 2027 02:33:53,940 --> 02:33:58,020 - It's a quite extraordinary thing - a really, really explicit 2028 02:33:58,020 --> 02:34:02,060 contravention of Roman customary practice. 2029 02:34:02,060 --> 02:34:09,380 The entire idea of the non-monarchical state is that 2030 02:34:09,380 --> 02:34:12,020 no-one has power in perpetuity. 2031 02:34:16,140 --> 02:34:19,940 - There is a moment when Caesar dooms himself. 2032 02:34:19,940 --> 02:34:25,100 It's when he accepts the office of dictator in perpetuity, 2033 02:34:25,100 --> 02:34:26,580 dictator for life. 2034 02:34:26,580 --> 02:34:29,340 Because, up until that moment, 2035 02:34:29,340 --> 02:34:36,500 it had been possible for other senators to envisage a time when 2036 02:34:36,500 --> 02:34:40,500 the normal rhythms of the Republic would be restored to them. 2037 02:34:46,380 --> 02:34:50,580 - Step by step, Caesar is being corrupted by this power he's got. 2038 02:34:51,980 --> 02:34:56,300 The moment he accepts the title "dictator for life", 2039 02:34:56,300 --> 02:34:58,260 the mask comes off. 2040 02:34:58,260 --> 02:35:00,620 He is not going to restore the Republic. 2041 02:35:03,220 --> 02:35:07,140 The Roman Republic, as the Romans have known it for so long, 2042 02:35:07,140 --> 02:35:08,540 is on the brink of collapse. 2043 02:35:13,340 --> 02:35:15,660 - Cassius saw this coming. 2044 02:35:15,660 --> 02:35:21,100 He said, "I told you so when he wanted to appoint the magistrates. 2045 02:35:23,060 --> 02:35:27,220 "I told you so when he wanted to be a dictator for six months, 2046 02:35:27,220 --> 02:35:29,620 "let alone ten years, 2047 02:35:29,620 --> 02:35:34,380 "and now, in perpetuity - I saw this coming." 2048 02:35:46,220 --> 02:35:49,980 - A month before Caesar's planned departure for Parthia, 2049 02:35:49,980 --> 02:35:53,660 a festival called Lupercalia gives him a chance to gauge 2050 02:35:53,660 --> 02:35:56,900 the people's appetite for the rule of one man. 2051 02:35:59,220 --> 02:36:01,940 Caesar presides over sacred rituals 2052 02:36:01,940 --> 02:36:04,620 that celebrate the King who founded Rome. 2053 02:36:07,260 --> 02:36:10,860 - The Lupercalia begins with a sacrifice performed by 2054 02:36:10,860 --> 02:36:12,620 the priests for this festival. 2055 02:36:12,620 --> 02:36:17,460 They sacrifice goats, and they sacrifice puppies. 2056 02:36:17,460 --> 02:36:20,380 And the chief priest is Mark Antony. 2057 02:36:21,700 --> 02:36:25,340 He has to smear blood on his body 2058 02:36:25,340 --> 02:36:28,500 and exhibit his sweaty masculinity to the people. 2059 02:36:33,580 --> 02:36:37,420 - The main spectacle takes place in front of a large crowd 2060 02:36:37,420 --> 02:36:38,980 in the public forum. 2061 02:36:40,660 --> 02:36:43,980 - Antony comes to Caesar, and he presents Caesar 2062 02:36:43,980 --> 02:36:45,380 with this diadem. 2063 02:36:46,980 --> 02:36:49,860 - Which is the symbol of kingship. 2064 02:36:54,220 --> 02:36:59,580 This is the kind of public drama that has been choreographed 2065 02:36:59,580 --> 02:37:02,100 by Caesar and Antony together. 2066 02:37:05,780 --> 02:37:09,220 - It's an incredibly bold manoeuvre. 2067 02:37:09,220 --> 02:37:11,780 - Some of our sources say this was a test. 2068 02:37:11,780 --> 02:37:15,780 That Caesar was trying to decide whether or not monarchy was going 2069 02:37:15,780 --> 02:37:18,860 to be a route that he could take going forward 2070 02:37:18,860 --> 02:37:20,700 in his political regime. 2071 02:37:22,300 --> 02:37:26,020 However, as Antony offers Caesar the diadem, 2072 02:37:26,020 --> 02:37:28,260 the crowd show their extreme displeasure. 2073 02:37:30,940 --> 02:37:34,260 And the response shows him, in no uncertain terms, 2074 02:37:34,260 --> 02:37:35,980 that the people do not want a king. 2075 02:37:38,220 --> 02:37:41,820 - And so, he very ostentatiously removes the diadem. 2076 02:37:41,820 --> 02:37:45,740 He tells Antony, "Take it away! Give it to Jupiter. 2077 02:37:45,740 --> 02:37:48,020 "For in Rome, there can be only the one king - 2078 02:37:48,020 --> 02:37:49,500 "Jupiter, King of the Gods." 2079 02:37:52,220 --> 02:37:56,540 - The Lupercalia is really the tipping point for Brutus. 2080 02:37:56,540 --> 02:38:02,020 His family history has been geared towards saving the Republic, 2081 02:38:02,020 --> 02:38:05,900 and not allowing any man to become the king. 2082 02:38:05,900 --> 02:38:09,700 Yet here is Antony offering Caesar a crown, 2083 02:38:09,700 --> 02:38:12,140 and Brutus is powerless to stop it. 2084 02:38:14,140 --> 02:38:18,860 He now realises that Caesar is the tyrant that Cato predicted 2085 02:38:18,860 --> 02:38:22,220 he'd become, and now, he's got to be stopped, whatever the cost. 2086 02:38:27,780 --> 02:38:32,380 - Later that same day, Caesar attends a ritual sacrifice 2087 02:38:32,380 --> 02:38:35,940 where the omens will reveal the mood of the gods. 2088 02:38:38,140 --> 02:38:41,580 - A part of the Lupercalia is a sacrifice to Jupiter, 2089 02:38:41,580 --> 02:38:44,620 which was overseen by a man named Spurinna, 2090 02:38:44,620 --> 02:38:49,140 the priest in charge of reading the entrails. 2091 02:38:49,140 --> 02:38:52,580 He's one of the people in Rome who performed a really important 2092 02:38:52,580 --> 02:38:56,740 function in reading the signs to determine whether the omens 2093 02:38:56,740 --> 02:38:58,500 were approved by the gods. 2094 02:39:01,660 --> 02:39:07,980 - Spurinna must be alert to whispers, to rumours of conspiracy. 2095 02:39:07,980 --> 02:39:10,740 He will have picked up the threat, 2096 02:39:10,740 --> 02:39:13,540 the danger that was closing in on Caesar. 2097 02:39:18,380 --> 02:39:21,900 - Spurinna can't say out loud to Caesar that he might be 2098 02:39:21,900 --> 02:39:24,260 causing political unrest, 2099 02:39:24,260 --> 02:39:26,900 but he does find a way to show him. 2100 02:39:30,260 --> 02:39:33,180 - Spurinna is consulting the entrails, 2101 02:39:33,180 --> 02:39:36,140 reaching around inside the slaughtered animal. 2102 02:39:39,500 --> 02:39:42,500 And he is looking for the heart of the bull... 2103 02:39:45,020 --> 02:39:46,580 ..and there is no heart. 2104 02:39:50,980 --> 02:39:56,020 It's hard to imagine a more terrifying or ominous portent. 2105 02:39:59,700 --> 02:40:04,100 "Beware," Spurinna says, "of the Ides of March." 2106 02:40:20,620 --> 02:40:23,700 Why does Caesar ignore these warnings? 2107 02:40:23,700 --> 02:40:26,060 I mean, he absolutely could have acted on them. 2108 02:40:27,940 --> 02:40:34,100 But I think Caesar is convinced by a sense of his own destiny. 2109 02:40:36,980 --> 02:40:42,620 It is his authority, his rule that is preserving peace in Rome. 2110 02:40:42,620 --> 02:40:47,700 He thinks that no-one could possibly be so stupid as 2111 02:40:47,700 --> 02:40:48,980 to conspire against him. 2112 02:40:52,100 --> 02:40:53,740 - In the wake of the Lupercalia, 2113 02:40:53,740 --> 02:40:56,700 there's this real hotbed of discontent towards Caesar. 2114 02:40:56,700 --> 02:41:00,500 People are really now starting to see what Cato had seen all along. 2115 02:41:03,220 --> 02:41:06,140 - For the first time ever, 2116 02:41:06,140 --> 02:41:09,020 Cassius now sees ordinary people 2117 02:41:09,020 --> 02:41:12,580 expressing their revulsion for Caesar's ego. 2118 02:41:14,420 --> 02:41:19,700 Cassius needs to organise senatorial forces against Caesar. 2119 02:41:21,260 --> 02:41:23,740 He needs a figurehead. 2120 02:41:23,740 --> 02:41:26,220 He really needs Brutus. 2121 02:41:29,060 --> 02:41:33,780 - People, senators, are calling on Brutus to do something, to act. 2122 02:41:34,940 --> 02:41:38,020 We see graffiti plastered over Rome, 2123 02:41:38,020 --> 02:41:41,580 and it says things like, "Brutus, are you asleep?" 2124 02:41:41,580 --> 02:41:44,380 "Brutus, live up to your name." 2125 02:41:44,380 --> 02:41:46,460 He has to get himself into gear, 2126 02:41:46,460 --> 02:41:49,860 to free Rome from this new threat of a monarchy. 2127 02:41:52,220 --> 02:41:56,220 - Brutus will know that the tide is turning on Caesar. 2128 02:41:57,460 --> 02:41:59,940 This is the right moment. 2129 02:41:59,940 --> 02:42:03,860 Cassius will be able to persuade Brutus that his better interests 2130 02:42:03,860 --> 02:42:05,700 lie with the plotters. 2131 02:42:05,700 --> 02:42:07,580 - And they finally meet. 2132 02:42:07,580 --> 02:42:10,300 There's a big question in our sources about 2133 02:42:10,300 --> 02:42:11,860 who instigated the plot, 2134 02:42:11,860 --> 02:42:14,860 but the meeting of these two minds is crucial. 2135 02:42:14,860 --> 02:42:17,220 They can now test the waters. 2136 02:42:17,220 --> 02:42:20,580 What are they going to do about the problem of Caesar? 2137 02:42:26,140 --> 02:42:29,740 - As Caesar prepares to leave for Parthia, 2138 02:42:29,740 --> 02:42:34,540 Cassius and Brutus invite some of Rome's most influential men 2139 02:42:34,540 --> 02:42:35,820 to a dinner party. 2140 02:42:37,740 --> 02:42:39,540 - They can't ask questions like, 2141 02:42:39,540 --> 02:42:41,740 "What do you think we should do with Caesar?" 2142 02:42:41,740 --> 02:42:43,580 They use philosophical discourse. 2143 02:42:45,940 --> 02:42:50,980 - Abstract, hypothetical, even amusing discussions. 2144 02:42:52,980 --> 02:42:56,380 - To discuss what one should do in the case of a tyranny 2145 02:42:56,380 --> 02:42:58,620 over one's country. 2146 02:42:58,620 --> 02:43:02,060 - So, this is a conspiracy of conversations. 2147 02:43:04,780 --> 02:43:07,780 Cassius and Brutus manage to bring together some 2148 02:43:07,780 --> 02:43:11,460 long-standing enemies and sceptics of Caesar - 2149 02:43:11,460 --> 02:43:14,860 but also, it's possible to turn even friends and associates 2150 02:43:14,860 --> 02:43:17,140 of Caesar now. 2151 02:43:17,140 --> 02:43:22,180 His power grab is just so shameless and out of control. 2152 02:43:24,900 --> 02:43:29,140 - One of the things that they agree on quite quickly is that there aren't 2153 02:43:29,140 --> 02:43:31,060 really many options left. 2154 02:43:33,060 --> 02:43:37,460 Caesar has the entire Roman army at his beck and call, 2155 02:43:37,460 --> 02:43:40,940 and it seems the only option is to kill the tyrant. 2156 02:43:45,740 --> 02:43:49,100 - Brutus and Cassius succeed in recruiting more than 2157 02:43:49,100 --> 02:43:51,540 20 like-minded senators, 2158 02:43:51,540 --> 02:43:55,220 who agree to play their part in the tyrannicide. 2159 02:43:56,500 --> 02:43:59,500 - To succeed, they really have to convince everyone that 2160 02:43:59,500 --> 02:44:02,220 they're not just trying to take power for themselves, 2161 02:44:02,220 --> 02:44:05,580 but they're liberating Rome from tyrannical rule. 2162 02:44:05,580 --> 02:44:09,940 And, for this message to work, they can't just stab Caesar in 2163 02:44:09,940 --> 02:44:12,740 some street or some shady setting. 2164 02:44:12,740 --> 02:44:14,900 He has to be killed in the Senate. 2165 02:44:16,660 --> 02:44:19,780 - But Caesar is only due at the Senate once more 2166 02:44:19,780 --> 02:44:21,620 before he departs for Parthia. 2167 02:44:22,940 --> 02:44:25,260 That will be in the middle of the month - 2168 02:44:25,260 --> 02:44:27,060 the Ides of March. 2169 02:44:28,340 --> 02:44:31,060 Either the conspirators act then, 2170 02:44:31,060 --> 02:44:33,020 or it will be too late. 2171 02:44:52,740 --> 02:44:55,300 - The Ides of March, 44 BC, 2172 02:44:55,300 --> 02:44:59,380 is probably the day for which we have more information 2173 02:44:59,380 --> 02:45:01,940 than any other day in the whole of ancient history. 2174 02:45:03,700 --> 02:45:07,900 - Caesar is woken that morning by his wife, Calpurnia, 2175 02:45:07,900 --> 02:45:09,700 in a state of dread. 2176 02:45:10,740 --> 02:45:14,420 - Not only has Spurinna warned him about the Ides of March, 2177 02:45:14,420 --> 02:45:18,260 but also, his wife had a dream in which Caesar is assassinated. 2178 02:45:22,060 --> 02:45:23,700 - Leaving his house that morning, 2179 02:45:23,700 --> 02:45:26,500 it's his responsibility to preside over a sacrifice. 2180 02:45:33,980 --> 02:45:36,180 Spurinna is there officiating. 2181 02:45:39,100 --> 02:45:41,620 And Caesar smiles and says to Spurinna, 2182 02:45:41,620 --> 02:45:46,100 "Well, the Ides of March have arrived." 2183 02:45:46,100 --> 02:45:50,780 To which Spurinna responds, "They have arrived, Caesar, 2184 02:45:50,780 --> 02:45:52,620 "but they have not yet gone." 2185 02:46:00,780 --> 02:46:04,500 - So, these two things combined do have an effect on Caesar. 2186 02:46:07,580 --> 02:46:11,780 - He is asked by his wife, "Just stay for the Ides of March. 2187 02:46:11,780 --> 02:46:13,420 "Don't go to the Senate house." 2188 02:46:13,420 --> 02:46:17,100 And he is persuaded by this, and he decides he won't go. 2189 02:46:23,020 --> 02:46:24,980 - Word reaches Brutus and Cassius 2190 02:46:24,980 --> 02:46:27,820 that Caesar is not coming to the Senate after all. 2191 02:46:27,820 --> 02:46:30,340 The stakes are really high. 2192 02:46:30,340 --> 02:46:33,580 They've gambled everything on this being successful. 2193 02:46:36,740 --> 02:46:39,940 - The urgent necessity is to make Caesar come to 2194 02:46:39,940 --> 02:46:41,820 the meeting of the Senate. 2195 02:46:41,820 --> 02:46:44,020 The conspirators send one of their number - 2196 02:46:44,020 --> 02:46:46,620 the one they thought he would trust most - 2197 02:46:46,620 --> 02:46:48,700 Decimus, one of his loyal generals. 2198 02:46:53,060 --> 02:46:55,620 - Decimus has been with Caesar from the start. 2199 02:46:55,620 --> 02:46:58,460 He had served under Caesar as a military general, 2200 02:46:58,460 --> 02:47:00,300 and he'd been a lifelong supporter. 2201 02:47:07,620 --> 02:47:09,620 Yet, like Brutus and Cassius, 2202 02:47:09,620 --> 02:47:12,660 he was now feeling disenchanted by Caesar's regime. 2203 02:47:19,260 --> 02:47:23,020 - Decimus says to Caesar, "This is behaviour unbecoming of you. 2204 02:47:23,020 --> 02:47:26,300 "What am I supposed to go and tell the Senate? 2205 02:47:26,300 --> 02:47:29,380 "That you're scared of shadows? 2206 02:47:29,380 --> 02:47:32,780 "That you're obedient to a woman's importunities? 2207 02:47:32,780 --> 02:47:35,460 "This is not behaviour appropriate to Caesar." 2208 02:47:37,100 --> 02:47:41,540 Caesar's whole career had been built on courage, 2209 02:47:41,540 --> 02:47:45,100 on a readiness to confront risk. 2210 02:47:45,100 --> 02:47:49,500 And so, the idea that he, of all men, would start at shadows, 2211 02:47:49,500 --> 02:47:51,340 I think it's unthinkable. 2212 02:47:52,980 --> 02:47:55,740 And so Caesar is shamed, and he goes to the Senate. 2213 02:48:02,300 --> 02:48:04,260 - When Caesar finally leaves his house, 2214 02:48:04,260 --> 02:48:05,780 the plan kicks into action. 2215 02:48:08,100 --> 02:48:11,140 The conspirators have planned everything in detail, 2216 02:48:11,140 --> 02:48:15,620 and they know that they have to isolate Caesar from his supporters. 2217 02:48:15,620 --> 02:48:18,580 They need to stop anyone from springing to his defence, 2218 02:48:18,580 --> 02:48:21,940 and they need to make it clear that it's only Caesar's tyranny 2219 02:48:21,940 --> 02:48:23,220 that they are targeting. 2220 02:48:23,220 --> 02:48:26,580 That this isn't going to turn into a bloodbath of all of his supporters. 2221 02:48:26,580 --> 02:48:29,580 The one man that they need to prevent from being 2222 02:48:29,580 --> 02:48:31,660 at Caesar's side is Mark Antony. 2223 02:48:36,100 --> 02:48:39,340 - Antony is a big, strong, powerful man 2224 02:48:39,340 --> 02:48:42,900 who's devoted to Julius Caesar. 2225 02:48:44,100 --> 02:48:48,780 Antony is kept out of the Senate by way of conversation, 2226 02:48:48,780 --> 02:48:50,300 by way of dialogue. 2227 02:49:00,860 --> 02:49:05,780 - Caesar goes in as the most important person in Rome. 2228 02:49:05,780 --> 02:49:09,180 All kind of senators come up and start asking him for favours, 2229 02:49:09,180 --> 02:49:10,500 asking him questions. 2230 02:49:13,060 --> 02:49:15,540 - Cassius watches this. 2231 02:49:15,540 --> 02:49:19,540 He watches Caesar heading for his, well, 2232 02:49:19,540 --> 02:49:22,380 what is effectively his throne, 2233 02:49:22,380 --> 02:49:29,220 and sees before him the vindication of why this is necessary. 2234 02:49:39,780 --> 02:49:42,660 - As the first conspirator approaches Caesar, 2235 02:49:42,660 --> 02:49:45,020 Brutus must be in turmoil. 2236 02:49:45,020 --> 02:49:49,500 This is a man he's known his entire life, he has supported him. 2237 02:49:49,500 --> 02:49:52,980 In many respects, he's treated him like a son. 2238 02:49:52,980 --> 02:49:56,620 And yet, he also poses the greatest threat to the Republic 2239 02:49:56,620 --> 02:49:59,260 in its entire 500-year history. 2240 02:50:03,700 --> 02:50:07,700 - Caesar is approached by a particularly importunate senator 2241 02:50:07,700 --> 02:50:09,060 with a petition. 2242 02:50:10,460 --> 02:50:12,020 He pays attention to it... 2243 02:50:14,580 --> 02:50:19,260 ..and suddenly, he's feeling a searing pain on his neck. 2244 02:50:32,060 --> 02:50:35,100 And he looks round, and he sees a man with a dagger. 2245 02:50:35,100 --> 02:50:38,180 It's dripping with blood - his blood - and he cries out, 2246 02:50:38,180 --> 02:50:41,300 "This is violence! What are you doing?" 2247 02:50:41,300 --> 02:50:45,900 There is an authentic tone of shock, of surprise. 2248 02:50:47,740 --> 02:50:52,620 - It's deeply shocking to see knives drawn in the Senate. 2249 02:50:52,620 --> 02:50:56,700 It's one of the most extraordinary historical moments. 2250 02:51:02,540 --> 02:51:05,700 - The blows continue to rain down on Caesar 2251 02:51:05,700 --> 02:51:09,340 because it has been agreed by the assassins that all of them must 2252 02:51:09,340 --> 02:51:11,460 dip their fingers in Caesar's blood, 2253 02:51:11,460 --> 02:51:13,740 all of them must inflict a wound. 2254 02:51:24,660 --> 02:51:28,420 The moment when Caesar irrevocably accepts his fate 2255 02:51:28,420 --> 02:51:29,900 and surrenders to it... 2256 02:51:33,420 --> 02:51:37,700 ..is when he sees the face of the man who perhaps 2257 02:51:37,700 --> 02:51:40,620 he had most loved, most trusted. 2258 02:51:44,580 --> 02:51:47,060 Caesar says to Brutus, 2259 02:51:47,060 --> 02:51:49,100 "And you, my boy?" 2260 02:52:12,300 --> 02:52:15,260 - As Brutus looks upon the bloody corpse of Caesar, 2261 02:52:15,260 --> 02:52:17,940 he's hoping the Senate are going to rush to his side to 2262 02:52:17,940 --> 02:52:22,060 show that this was a tyrannicide, justly executed. 2263 02:52:22,060 --> 02:52:25,020 But actually, it's a pandemonium. 2264 02:52:25,020 --> 02:52:27,660 There's panic and everyone flees. 2265 02:52:29,060 --> 02:52:31,420 - As the liberators come out of the Senate house, 2266 02:52:31,420 --> 02:52:34,060 they're covered in blood - and understandably, 2267 02:52:34,060 --> 02:52:36,780 the people are quite confused about what's happened. 2268 02:52:38,300 --> 02:52:41,180 Brutus and Cassius think that they'll be paraded through 2269 02:52:41,180 --> 02:52:43,060 the streets as the liberators. 2270 02:52:43,060 --> 02:52:45,420 But the people are scared. 2271 02:52:45,420 --> 02:52:48,540 It throws Rome into a state of violence once again. 2272 02:52:52,420 --> 02:52:56,340 - Brutus and Cassius thought they were saving the Republic. 2273 02:52:56,340 --> 02:52:59,900 But all they really achieved was the creation of more chaos. 2274 02:52:59,900 --> 02:53:04,060 - The very chaos which Caesar had been trying desperately 2275 02:53:04,060 --> 02:53:06,060 to bring under control 2276 02:53:06,060 --> 02:53:08,060 is unleashed again. 2277 02:53:13,540 --> 02:53:19,100 - And Caesar's body is left there on the marble floor, 2278 02:53:19,100 --> 02:53:20,980 surrounded by his own blood. 2279 02:53:41,020 --> 02:53:44,340 I think the tragedy of the Roman Republic is that 2280 02:53:44,340 --> 02:53:50,260 its greatest man - the man who, in so many ways, 2281 02:53:50,260 --> 02:53:55,940 exemplified all its qualities to an absolute pitch of achievement - 2282 02:53:55,940 --> 02:54:00,580 those achievements brought the Roman Republic crashing down into rubble. 2283 02:54:02,580 --> 02:54:04,900 - Caesar had greatness in many ways. 2284 02:54:04,900 --> 02:54:10,780 He was a brilliant military leader, he was a great politician. 2285 02:54:10,780 --> 02:54:16,060 But ultimately, the power that he had taken unto himself 2286 02:54:16,060 --> 02:54:17,420 corrupted him. 2287 02:54:18,820 --> 02:54:22,020 - When Julius Caesar commenced his political career, 2288 02:54:22,020 --> 02:54:25,020 he could never have imagined that the Roman Republic 2289 02:54:25,020 --> 02:54:27,220 would come to an end. 2290 02:54:27,220 --> 02:54:30,060 And he certainly couldn't have imagined that he would be 2291 02:54:30,060 --> 02:54:31,820 the agent that brought that about. 2292 02:54:31,820 --> 02:54:34,980 And yet, that's what happened in a very short time. 2293 02:54:34,980 --> 02:54:38,860 What are the lessons for modern representational systems 2294 02:54:38,860 --> 02:54:41,140 that aren't nearly so old? 2295 02:54:41,140 --> 02:54:44,180 Could modern democracy collapse? 2296 02:54:44,180 --> 02:54:47,020 Perhaps we simply take our political norms for granted. 2297 02:54:48,100 --> 02:54:52,300 - There was a moment where the Roman Republic seemed the most 2298 02:54:52,300 --> 02:54:54,060 perfect political state on Earth. 2299 02:54:54,060 --> 02:54:57,020 Then it had got itself into trouble. 2300 02:54:57,020 --> 02:54:59,140 And this reminds us a bit of our own period. 2301 02:54:59,140 --> 02:55:01,340 From about 1989, democracy was on the rise. 2302 02:55:01,340 --> 02:55:04,100 The number of democracies in the world doubled. 2303 02:55:04,100 --> 02:55:08,100 And then, a period of deep, deep uncertainty began, 2304 02:55:08,100 --> 02:55:10,540 including the rise of populism. 2305 02:55:10,540 --> 02:55:14,940 And it's in that environment authoritarianisms rise, 2306 02:55:14,940 --> 02:55:19,020 that strong men come forward to challenge democracy. 2307 02:55:20,900 --> 02:55:23,660 - I think the Caesar story really is a wake-up call. 2308 02:55:25,060 --> 02:55:28,180 Democracy has to be constantly fought for. 2309 02:55:28,180 --> 02:55:33,220 If we take it for granted, a new Caesar will come. 2310 02:55:36,700 --> 02:55:38,900 - After 500 years, 2311 02:55:38,900 --> 02:55:42,940 the Roman Republic dies with Julius Caesar, 2312 02:55:42,940 --> 02:55:46,860 and Rome is plunged once more into civil war. 2313 02:55:48,220 --> 02:55:50,060 In the decades that follow, 2314 02:55:50,060 --> 02:55:53,460 it will be fought over by Brutus, Cassius, 2315 02:55:53,460 --> 02:55:55,900 Mark Anthony, and a boy - 2316 02:55:55,900 --> 02:55:59,140 named in Caesar's will as his heir, 2317 02:55:59,140 --> 02:56:00,660 Octavian. 2318 02:56:01,860 --> 02:56:07,060 Ultimately, Caesar's death marks the beginning of an era of emperors 2319 02:56:07,060 --> 02:56:10,980 that will endure for the next 500 years. 2320 02:56:12,900 --> 02:56:16,620 - We know that Romans were keen to imagine that people might talk 2321 02:56:16,620 --> 02:56:18,620 about them long into the future. 2322 02:56:18,620 --> 02:56:20,700 But, of course, 2,000 years on, 2323 02:56:20,700 --> 02:56:23,700 we're definitely still talking about Caesar. 2324 02:56:23,700 --> 02:56:30,020 And I'm sure that Caesar would be absolutely delighted to know 2325 02:56:30,020 --> 02:56:33,700 that his glory, his fame, endures into the present day.