Hello, and welcome to the history of Rome, episode 40 in the Consulship of Julius and Caesar.

Last week, we followed Julius Caesar's rise of the Cursus honorum, which was capped by

a successful election of the consulship for a term to be served in 59 BC.

On his way up the political ladder, Caesar had spent lavishly, bribed when necessary, made

a lot of friends, and even more enemies.

More than anything else, he had established himself as a man to be reckoned with.

He was an able governor and a brilliant military commander, a master orator, and a shrewd politician.

For most Romans, the consulship marked the end of a long career.

For Julius Caesar, it was only the beginning.

The consulter elections that saw Caesar emerge triumphant was a dirty affair, one that saw

rampant bribery on all sides.

It was obvious that Caesar was going to win in a walk, so the important thing to the

conservative Senate was to elect someone who would stand as a bulwark against any radical

reforms they suspected Caesar would try and push through.

To this end, they threw all their support behind Marcus Calpernia's biblis, who had served

his eight-hour long-side Caesar years earlier, and forever bore a grudge against his former

colleague for taking credit for things Biblis himself had accomplished while in that office.

That personal enmity, coupled with a naturally conservative world view, made him the perfect

foil for Caesar's charismatic populism.

In anticipation of the struggle with the Senate, Caesar had been lining up support across

the Roman world, men at all levels of society who would back him through thick and thin.

Some because they genuinely believed in Caesar's programs, some simply out of crass self-interest.

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