Caesar’s return to Rome in 49 BC: the capital without consent
In January 49 BC Julius Caesar led his troops across the Rubicon, the river between his province and Italy, and started a civil war with Pompey and the Senate.
0:45 · Episode film
AI-generated historical dramatization.
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Why Caesar crossed the Rubicon in January 49 BC, whether he said “the die is cast”, why Pompey abandoned Italy, and what Caesar did back in Rome.
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Rome, spring 49 BC. Caesar returns with civil war already under way. He has crossed the Rubicon, advanced through Italy and driven Pompey to withdraw across the Adriatic. In the capital, Caesar seeks the Senate's cooperation and proposes negotiations, but fear and division obstruct agreement. He gains access to the public treasury despite the resistance of the tribune Metellus. Control of Rome brings money and political weight; Pompey's armies remain undefeated. Caesar soon leaves for Spain. The struggle for the Republic's future will be decided across a widening theatre of war.
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