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> In 44 BC, at the age of 56, Caesar was as energetic as ever. The core premise of this counterfactual seems highly dubious. Caesar spent his entire adult life

> In 44 BC, at the age of 56, Caesar was as energetic as ever. The core premise of this counterfactual seems highly dubious. Caesar spent his entire adult life under incredible amounts of toil and stress. He likely suffered from various serious ailments. He was a hard mid 50s. We know what happens to all humans at this age and under these conditions. I've read a lot about this period and always come away with the impression Caesar seemed very burned out and done with it all. He had achieved everything he had set out to achieve and more. There was nothing much left for him to do, even if he was a "workaholic" that would've surely kept going by default. It's not unreasonable to accept the theory that he might've even dismissed his bodyguard, and ignored the assassination plot rumors, in hopes of the glorious suicide-by-assassination exit he received. He was clever enough to do something exactly like this and clever enough not to tell anyone about his plan. The man rolled deep with bodyguards for decades, was highly paranoid about his own safety, and then dropped it all while surrounded by people that we know that that he knew wanted to kill him, and had even tried. Even the distant German king Ariovistus received messages from Caesar's peers in Rome offering rewards if he was killed. Caesar reported this in his commentaries, and this was years before he had defeated and humiliated huge numbers of powerful people. Even if the plot had failed, and even if a burned out Caesar is impressive compared to any of his contemporaries, and even if it's unlikely anyone could've beaten him. It still seems very unlikely he could've kept up the pace for another decade, which is what any serious expansion would've required.

Calavar 4y ago
> It's not unreasonable to accept the theory that he might've even dismissed his bodyguard, and ignored the assassination plot rumors, in hopes of the glorious suicide-by-assassination exit he received. He was clever enough to do something exactly like this and clever enough not to tell anyone about his plan The article only mentions it in passing, but multiple contemporary sources attest to the fact that Caesar was planning on a military campaign into Dacia and Parthia within the next year and that he intended to lead the army himself. That doesn't sound like the way a man who intended to commit suicide by assassination would chose to spend his final months.
- staunch 4y ago
  > That doesn't sound like the way a man who intended to commit suicide by assassination would chose to spend his final months. My read on Caesar is that he's the kind of person that would absolutely never commit suicide directly, because it would be too undignified, but might expose himself to danger with the hope of dying gloriously as he did. Napoleon was deliberately modeling his life after Caesar and seemed to have made multiple attempts at letting himself be killed, using similar logic. He was just too damn "unlucky" to ever take a fatal shot. It's safe to assume Caesar would've gone on his expeditions if he hadn't been assassinated. But it seems very plausible he hoped something like the Ides of March would take place. That, to my mind, is the best explanation for why he exposed himself to such obvious danger. It makes a lot more sense than the idea that he became lazy, stupid, arrogant, or incompetent about his own personal security. Something he had previously been incredibly meticulous about. Of course it's true that we'll never know for certain.
  - throw1234651234 4y ago
    Your theory is that he: a). Was bored with everything. b). Wanted his death to reflect well on his legacy. c). Was afraid that he will embarrass himself in his old age, tainting his legacy. It's an interesting perspective and one that I never considered before, though I don't exactly spend time thinking about Roman history. Do you think c has to be true? It seems to be the only way that all of this comes together. Otherwise he could just disappear somewhere.
    - staunch 4y ago
      Crassus, Caesar's very close ally/friend, had just recently destroyed his own (fairly weak) reputation as a general and died fighting in Parthia. That had to be on Caesar's mind because it was a major motivation for his own expedition. Caesar would have almost certainly done much better than Crassus, being a much better general. Still, it must have given him some pause, especially considering the unappealing style of warfare to be fought there which the Romans weren't well suited for. Caesar had by this time been at the very top of the social hierarchy in Rome for years. He had achieved his lifelong ambition of being considered one of the greatest Romans of all time. He had nothing left to prove to anyone. He was simply too smart not to have not considered the fact that that he had very little to gain and a lot to lose. My feeling is that his own health, a lack of strong motivation, and a concern about tainting his reputation would've added up to a desire for a glorious and early death by assassination.

Calavar 4y ago

> It's not unreasonable to accept the theory that he might've even dismissed his bodyguard, and ignored the assassination plot rumors, in hopes of the glorious suicide-by-assassination exit he received. He was clever enough to do something exactly like this and clever enough not to tell anyone about his plan The article only mentions it in passing, but multiple contemporary sources attest to the fact that Caesar was planning on a military campaign into Dacia and Parthia within the next year and that he intended to lead the army himself. That doesn't sound like the way a man who intended to commit suicide by assassination would chose to spend his final months.

staunch 4y ago
> That doesn't sound like the way a man who intended to commit suicide by assassination would chose to spend his final months. My read on Caesar is that he's the kind of person that would absolutely never commit suicide directly, because it would be too undignified, but might expose himself to danger with the hope of dying gloriously as he did. Napoleon was deliberately modeling his life after Caesar and seemed to have made multiple attempts at letting himself be killed, using similar logic. He was just too damn "unlucky" to ever take a fatal shot. It's safe to assume Caesar would've gone on his expeditions if he hadn't been assassinated. But it seems very plausible he hoped something like the Ides of March would take place. That, to my mind, is the best explanation for why he exposed himself to such obvious danger. It makes a lot more sense than the idea that he became lazy, stupid, arrogant, or incompetent about his own personal security. Something he had previously been incredibly meticulous about. Of course it's true that we'll never know for certain.
- throw1234651234 4y ago
  Your theory is that he: a). Was bored with everything. b). Wanted his death to reflect well on his legacy. c). Was afraid that he will embarrass himself in his old age, tainting his legacy. It's an interesting perspective and one that I never considered before, though I don't exactly spend time thinking about Roman history. Do you think c has to be true? It seems to be the only way that all of this comes together. Otherwise he could just disappear somewhere.
  - staunch 4y ago
    Crassus, Caesar's very close ally/friend, had just recently destroyed his own (fairly weak) reputation as a general and died fighting in Parthia. That had to be on Caesar's mind because it was a major motivation for his own expedition. Caesar would have almost certainly done much better than Crassus, being a much better general. Still, it must have given him some pause, especially considering the unappealing style of warfare to be fought there which the Romans weren't well suited for. Caesar had by this time been at the very top of the social hierarchy in Rome for years. He had achieved his lifelong ambition of being considered one of the greatest Romans of all time. He had nothing left to prove to anyone. He was simply too smart not to have not considered the fact that that he had very little to gain and a lot to lose. My feeling is that his own health, a lack of strong motivation, and a concern about tainting his reputation would've added up to a desire for a glorious and early death by assassination.