Gregory Aldrete

succeeded in taking over the state as one man, but he couldn't solve the problem. How do you rule Rome as one person and not get killed for looking like a king? That's the dilemma, the riddle that Caesar leaves behind him. He did it. He seized power as one guy, but how do you stay alive? How do you come up with something that the people will accept?

succeeded in taking over the state as one man, but he couldn't solve the problem. How do you rule Rome as one person and not get killed for looking like a king? That's the dilemma, the riddle that Caesar leaves behind him. He did it. He seized power as one guy, but how do you stay alive? How do you come up with something that the people will accept?

succeeded in taking over the state as one man, but he couldn't solve the problem. How do you rule Rome as one person and not get killed for looking like a king? That's the dilemma, the riddle that Caesar leaves behind him. He did it. He seized power as one guy, but how do you stay alive? How do you come up with something that the people will accept?

And Caesar did some other things which were bad. He was arrogant. He didn't even pretend that the Senate were his equals. He just kind of railroaded them around. He didn't respect them. He named a month after himself, July, Julius. He did egotistical things. So that pissed people off. They didn't like it. And when Caesar dies, it's this interesting moment. The Republic's sort of dead by then.

And Caesar did some other things which were bad. He was arrogant. He didn't even pretend that the Senate were his equals. He just kind of railroaded them around. He didn't respect them. He named a month after himself, July, Julius. He did egotistical things. So that pissed people off. They didn't like it. And when Caesar dies, it's this interesting moment. The Republic's sort of dead by then.

And Caesar did some other things which were bad. He was arrogant. He didn't even pretend that the Senate were his equals. He just kind of railroaded them around. He didn't respect them. He named a month after himself, July, Julius. He did egotistical things. So that pissed people off. They didn't like it. And when Caesar dies, it's this interesting moment. The Republic's sort of dead by then.

You're going to have a hard time reviving it. You've broken too many precedents. But there's a power vacuum now. Caesar's gone. What's going to happen next? And you have a whole group of people who want to be the next Caesar. So the most obvious is Mark Antony, who is Caesar's right-hand man, his lieutenant. He's a very good general. He's very charismatic.

You're going to have a hard time reviving it. You've broken too many precedents. But there's a power vacuum now. Caesar's gone. What's going to happen next? And you have a whole group of people who want to be the next Caesar. So the most obvious is Mark Antony, who is Caesar's right-hand man, his lieutenant. He's a very good general. He's very charismatic.

You're going to have a hard time reviving it. You've broken too many precedents. But there's a power vacuum now. Caesar's gone. What's going to happen next? And you have a whole group of people who want to be the next Caesar. So the most obvious is Mark Antony, who is Caesar's right-hand man, his lieutenant. He's a very good general. He's very charismatic.

Everybody kind of expects Mark Antony to just become the next Caesar. But there's also another of Caesar's lieutenants, a guy named Lepidus, sort of like Antony but not quite as great as him. There's the Senate itself, which wants to reassert its power, kind of become the dominant force in Rome again. There's the assassins who killed Caesar, led by Brutus and another guy, Cassius.

Everybody kind of expects Mark Antony to just become the next Caesar. But there's also another of Caesar's lieutenants, a guy named Lepidus, sort of like Antony but not quite as great as him. There's the Senate itself, which wants to reassert its power, kind of become the dominant force in Rome again. There's the assassins who killed Caesar, led by Brutus and another guy, Cassius.

Everybody kind of expects Mark Antony to just become the next Caesar. But there's also another of Caesar's lieutenants, a guy named Lepidus, sort of like Antony but not quite as great as him. There's the Senate itself, which wants to reassert its power, kind of become the dominant force in Rome again. There's the assassins who killed Caesar, led by Brutus and another guy, Cassius.

They now want to seize control. And finally, there's a really weird dark horse candidate to fill this power vacuum, and that's Julius Caesar's grandnephew, who at the time is a 17-year-old kid named Octavian. Who cares? He's nobody, absolutely nobody.

They now want to seize control. And finally, there's a really weird dark horse candidate to fill this power vacuum, and that's Julius Caesar's grandnephew, who at the time is a 17-year-old kid named Octavian. Who cares? He's nobody, absolutely nobody.

They now want to seize control. And finally, there's a really weird dark horse candidate to fill this power vacuum, and that's Julius Caesar's grandnephew, who at the time is a 17-year-old kid named Octavian. Who cares? He's nobody, absolutely nobody.

But when Caesar's will is opened after his death, so posthumously read, in his will, Caesar posthumously, and this is a little weird, posthumously adopts Octavian as his son. Now again, who cares? Antony gets the troops, Antony gets the money, the other people get everything. What does Octavian get? He gets to now rename himself Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus. Who cares?

But when Caesar's will is opened after his death, so posthumously read, in his will, Caesar posthumously, and this is a little weird, posthumously adopts Octavian as his son. Now again, who cares? Antony gets the troops, Antony gets the money, the other people get everything. What does Octavian get? He gets to now rename himself Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus. Who cares?

But when Caesar's will is opened after his death, so posthumously read, in his will, Caesar posthumously, and this is a little weird, posthumously adopts Octavian as his son. Now again, who cares? Antony gets the troops, Antony gets the money, the other people get everything. What does Octavian get? He gets to now rename himself Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus. Who cares?

Well, around the Mediterranean, there's about 12 legions full of hardened soldiers who are just kind of used to following a guy named Gaius Julius Caesar. And even though it's not quite logical, this 18-year-old kid inherits an army overnight. So he becomes a player in this game for power. And the next 30, 40 years is going to be those groups all vying with one another.

Well, around the Mediterranean, there's about 12 legions full of hardened soldiers who are just kind of used to following a guy named Gaius Julius Caesar. And even though it's not quite logical, this 18-year-old kid inherits an army overnight. So he becomes a player in this game for power. And the next 30, 40 years is going to be those groups all vying with one another.