The Consuls of Rome

Once he was back in Rome, Julius Caesar decided that he wanted to be a consul. Do you remember who the consuls were? Rome got rid of its kings because the kings were tyrants who did whatever they wanted.

But there was a problem: Rome already had two consuls. There was no room for Caesar.

Instead, Caesar was given the job of governing the Romans who lived all the way over in Spain. Many Romans had settled here, and they needed a Roman leader to run their colony.

Governing Spain was not Caesar’s idea of an important job! But he knew that he could not become consul in Rome yet. So in 69 BC/BCE, he gathered together his men and his possessions, and set off for Spain. He traveled up through Italy, over the Alps.

On the way through the Alps, Caesar and his friends came to a tiny, shabby village high up in the mountains. The streets were made of mud. The people were dressed in rags. Goats ran around between the houses, and the children played barefoot in the dirt.

“What a disgusting place to live!” one of Caesar’s friends exclaimed. “Can you imagine spending your life here?”

Caesar turned around to him. “I would rather be the most important man here,” he snapped, “than second in command in Rome.”

They traveled on to Spain. In Spain, Caesar worked hard and became popular. He drove away the mountain bandits that kept attacking the Roman cities in Spain. But all the time, he longed to go back to Rome and become powerful there, in his home town.

One day, he was sitting in his library reading about the life of Alexander the Great. His friends were there with him, talking about life in Spain and when they might be able to return to Rome.

His friends had never seen him weep before. “Caesar! Caesar! What is wrong?” they asked.

“Don’t you think I have reason to be sad?” Caesar asked them. “By the time he was my age, Alexander the Great was already the king of five or six different countries! And I haven’t done anything remarkable yet! I should weep and be sad! When will I have the chance to become famous?”

Finally, Caesar was allowed to return to Rome. He convinced the two consuls who ruled Rome that he should become consul as well. Now three powerful men ruled Rome—and Caesar was one of them! The three rulers were called the triumvirate. Tri means “three.” How many wheels does a tricycle have? Three. How many children are there when triplets are born? Three. Triumvirate means “three leaders.”

But Caesar became more and more popular with the people of Rome. They knew that he was a good general and a strong fighter, and they thought that Caesar could keep them safe. Before long, no one paid much attention to the other two consuls. Caesar was the only one who mattered.