How did Caesar use his victory in the civil war, and why was he assassinated on the Ides of March 44 BC?
Caesar's dictatorship and assassination: his victory in the civil war, his accumulation of powers and honours, his reforms, the motives of the conspirators, and the assassination on the Ides of March 44 BC, with evaluation of the prescribed sources.
An OCR A-Level Ancient History depth study guide to Caesar's dictatorship and assassination. Covers his victory in the civil war, his accumulation of powers and honours (dictator for life), his reforms, the motives of the conspirators led by Brutus and Cassius, and the assassination on the Ides of March 44 BC, with evaluation of Plutarch, Suetonius, Cicero and Appian.
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What this dot point is asking
The depth study reaches the climax of Caesar's career: his dictatorship and his assassination. This page covers his victory in the civil war, his accumulation of powers and honours, his reforms, the motives of the conspirators, and the assassination on the Ides of March 44 BC. The prescribed sources include Plutarch's Lives of Caesar and Brutus, Suetonius's Julius Caesar, Cicero's letters and Appian, and the essay rewards a ranked argument, built on the sources, about why Caesar was killed.
The answer
Victory and the accumulation of power
The dictatorship for life is the decisive fact: it made Caesar's dominance permanent, which the senatorial class could not accept within a Republic.
Reforms and clemency
The reforms complicate the picture: Caesar was an effective ruler, so his assassination was driven less by misgovernment than by his position as a permanent autocrat in a state that prized shared, temporary power.
The conspiracy and the Ides of March
Caesar's dominance offended Republican sentiment and senatorial dignity, and gestures suggesting he aimed at kingship (the diadem offered at the Lupercalia in February 44 BC) alarmed traditionalists. A conspiracy of some sixty senators formed, led by Cassius and Brutus (whose commitment to liberty the sources stress, though many conspirators had personal motives), and on the Ides of March (15 March) 44 BC they stabbed Caesar to death in the Senate.
The assassins believed they were restoring the Republic, but instead they triggered renewed civil war. The depth-study debate is why Caesar was killed:
- The fear that he had become a king and destroyed the Republic (the deepest cause).
- Personal resentment and frustrated ambition among pardoned men.
- The ideological commitment of Brutus and Cassius to liberty.
Examples in context
A model answer ranks the ideological and personal motives and weighs the late biographies against contemporary Cicero.
Try this
Q1. "Caesar was killed because he had made himself a king in all but name." How far do the sources support this view? [20 marks, depth essay style]
- What the marker wants. An argument from the sources that the permanent, monarchical character of his power (dictator for life, the honours, the kingship rumours) was the deepest cause, weighed against personal resentment and the conspirators' ideals, with a judgement and source evaluation.
Q2. What permanent office did Caesar hold from early 44 BC? [2 marks]
- Cue. The dictatorship for life (dictator perpetuo), which made his supremacy permanent and was a key cause of the conspiracy against him.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of OCR exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
OCR H407/21 202020 marksAssess the reasons why Caesar was assassinated in 44 BC. [shown at the 20-mark cap; the depth essay is worth 36 in the full paper]Show worked answer →
A Section B depth-study essay (AO1, AO2 and AO3), shown at the 20-mark cap (worth 36 in the full paper).
Factors. Caesar's accumulation of unprecedented powers and honours (dictator for life from 44 BC, the trappings of monarchy) offended Republican sentiment and the dignity of the senatorial class; rumours and gestures that he aimed at kingship (the diadem at the Lupercalia) alarmed traditionalists; personal resentment and frustrated ambition among men he had pardoned; and the ideological commitment of Brutus and Cassius to liberty and the Republic.
Judgement. Argue from Plutarch, Suetonius and Cicero that the fear that Caesar had made himself a king and destroyed the Republic was the deepest cause, with personal motives reinforcing it; the top level argues from the sources and judges.
OCR H407/21 202212 marksHow useful is Suetonius's Life of Julius Caesar for understanding the conspiracy against Caesar? [shown at the 12-mark source-utility style]Show worked answer →
A source-utility evaluation (AO3) on a prescribed source.
Value. Suetonius gives biographical detail on Caesar's powers, honours and behaviour, valuable for the offence he caused (the dictatorship for life, the honours, the alleged desire for kingship) and for the conspiracy and the assassination.
Limitations. Suetonius writes biography organised by themes, loves anecdote and omen, and writes long after the events under the emperors; he is selective and shaped to characterise, so his account must be tested against Cicero's contemporary letters.
Judgement. Useful for the honours and the conspiracy, but late and anecdotal, to be set against contemporary Cicero. Top answers judge usefulness for the enquiry.
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Sources & how we know this
- OCR A Level Ancient History H407 specification — OCR (2017)
- Plutarch, Lives of Caesar and Brutus; Suetonius, Julius Caesar; Cicero, Letters; Appian, Civil Wars 2 — Perseus Digital Library