Caesar Crosses the Rubicon
On the night of 10-11 January 49 BCE, Julius Caesar led the Thirteenth Legion across the Rubicon — a small river in northern Italy that served as the legal boundary between his Gallic command and Italy proper — initiating the civil war that would end the Republic. The crossing was illegal under Roman law, which forbade a general from bringing troops into Italy without permission; Caesar knew it meant either war or trial and likely exile. The Senate had rejected his demand to stand for the consulship in absentia and had declared him a public enemy; Caesar's response was to move quickly, counting on surprise and the demoralization of his opponents. His forces swept through Italy almost without resistance, and Pompey, unable to defend Rome, fled to Greece with most of the Senate. Caesar's phrase on crossing — variously reported as 'the die is cast' or 'let the dice fly high' — became one of history's most quoted expressions of decisive commitment.
- Category: Political
