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Caesar Crosses the Rubicon
In January 49 BCE, Gaius Julius Caesar led the Thirteenth Legion across the Rubicon into Italy, openly defying the Senate's authority and triggering …
Timeline
- -49Rome · LazioThe Senate ordered Caesar to disband his legions and return to Rome to stand trial; Pompey backed the Senate's resolution, and negotiations between the two sides broke down.
- -49Rubicon River · Emilia-RomagnaCaesar led the Thirteenth Legion south from Gaul across the Rubicon; according to Suetonius he said "the die is cast," and the civil war officially began.
- -49Italian Peninsula · ItalyCaesar advanced south with lightning speed; Pompey and the Senate faction abandoned Italy and crossed east, and Caesar took control of Rome without meeting major resistance.
Sources
- Suetonius, Life of Julius Caesar, 31-32 — Suetonius https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Suetonius/12Caesars/Julius*.html
- Caesar, Commentaries on the Civil War, Book I — Julius Caesar https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Caesar/Civil_War/1*.html