He came, he saw, he conquered. Julius Caesar was an epoch-making personality whose influence lingers today in populism, strongman politics, and the vast influence of Rome on Europe. Born of an aristocratic family, he was thrust into politics early, and politics was not ready for him.

This entry in the Great Men series chronicles Caesar’s meteoric rise to power and his rare combination of political and military genius. In it we meet the man who made an end of the republic and bought Rome 400 years of imperial glory.