1 00:00:01,360 --> 00:00:02,880 Viewers like you make this program possible. 2 00:00:03,000 --> 00:00:05,400 Support your local PBS station. 3 00:00:06,560 --> 00:00:21,520 ♪ 4 00:00:21,640 --> 00:00:24,200 Narrator: The Roman Republic is mourning the death 5 00:00:24,320 --> 00:00:28,680 of its most senior priest-- the pontifex maximus. 6 00:00:30,360 --> 00:00:34,080 It's a religious position of enormous prestige 7 00:00:34,200 --> 00:00:37,600 that also brings political authority and influence. 8 00:00:38,400 --> 00:00:39,960 Now the people of Rome 9 00:00:40,080 --> 00:00:42,840 must vote for their next pontifex. 10 00:00:44,800 --> 00:00:46,640 Candidates are expected to be 11 00:00:46,760 --> 00:00:50,480 senior politicians with established careers. 12 00:00:54,040 --> 00:00:59,080 Two elder statesmen have put themselves forward. 13 00:00:59,200 --> 00:01:03,320 But so, too, has a politician half their age. 14 00:01:06,120 --> 00:01:08,120 Julius Caesar. 15 00:01:10,800 --> 00:01:12,720 Man: This is an outrageous move. 16 00:01:12,840 --> 00:01:15,480 It is a blatant flouting of convention, 17 00:01:15,600 --> 00:01:18,320 it is arrogant, it is improper. 18 00:01:18,440 --> 00:01:20,720 But the thing is that Caesar doesn't really care for convention. 19 00:01:20,840 --> 00:01:22,400 Caesar is a gambler. 20 00:01:22,520 --> 00:01:24,000 Throughout his life, 21 00:01:24,120 --> 00:01:26,280 he is always rolling the dice. 22 00:01:26,400 --> 00:01:28,720 And I think it's actually pretty clear 23 00:01:28,840 --> 00:01:30,720 what Caesar wants right from the beginning. 24 00:01:30,840 --> 00:01:34,480 He wants to be the greatest man in Rome. 25 00:01:34,600 --> 00:01:42,920 ♪ 26 00:01:43,040 --> 00:01:46,080 Narrator: At the heart of the most powerful empire 27 00:01:46,200 --> 00:01:50,680 in the ancient world stands Rome. 28 00:01:50,800 --> 00:01:55,800 For 500 years, it was ruled by elected government. 29 00:01:55,920 --> 00:01:58,200 But in a little over a decade, 30 00:01:58,320 --> 00:02:03,960 this republic was overthrown by the ambitions of one man. 31 00:02:04,080 --> 00:02:07,840 Man: The story of Caesar is an incredibly enduring one, 32 00:02:07,960 --> 00:02:11,800 the resonance of it so powerful. 33 00:02:11,920 --> 00:02:14,680 It remains the most thrilling, the most extraordinary 34 00:02:14,800 --> 00:02:17,960 political story in Western history. 35 00:02:18,080 --> 00:02:21,200 Narrator: Now historians and experts who understand 36 00:02:21,320 --> 00:02:25,880 the nature of political power will chart his rise... 37 00:02:26,000 --> 00:02:29,680 Woman: Rome is ungovernable, and there's only one man 38 00:02:29,800 --> 00:02:31,440 in the city with the power 39 00:02:31,560 --> 00:02:33,120 to take control of the situation. 40 00:02:33,240 --> 00:02:36,080 Narrator: and ask how an individual can bend 41 00:02:36,200 --> 00:02:40,920 a centuries-old political system to breaking point. 42 00:02:41,040 --> 00:02:45,520 Julius Caesar is the most dangerous kind of demagogue. 43 00:02:45,640 --> 00:02:52,040 Narrator: This is the story of how ambition turns to tyranny... 44 00:02:52,160 --> 00:02:53,920 Man: He's a disgrace in every single way. 45 00:02:54,040 --> 00:02:56,200 He's immoral, he's irreligious, 46 00:02:56,320 --> 00:02:58,680 and he's a potential tyrant. 47 00:02:58,800 --> 00:03:01,880 Narrator: and how a dictator is born. 48 00:03:02,000 --> 00:03:05,120 Man: The awful lesson is that in the end, 49 00:03:05,240 --> 00:03:09,040 a populist can corrupt an entire state. 50 00:03:09,160 --> 00:03:11,320 Man 2: For every other political system, 51 00:03:11,440 --> 00:03:14,440 that values stability and justice and liberty, 52 00:03:14,560 --> 00:03:16,800 that should be, at the very least, a wake-up call. 53 00:03:20,440 --> 00:03:23,600 Woman: Democracy has to be constantly fought for. 54 00:03:25,680 --> 00:03:29,480 If we take it for granted, a new Caesar will come. 55 00:03:29,600 --> 00:03:43,800 ♪ 56 00:03:45,200 --> 00:03:47,080 [Birds squawking]ng] 57 00:03:47,200 --> 00:04:01,920 ♪ 58 00:04:02,040 --> 00:04:04,280 Narrator: The election of the new high priest of Rome 59 00:04:04,400 --> 00:04:06,440 is imminent. 60 00:04:09,880 --> 00:04:15,360 A surprise contender is 37-year-old Julius Caesar, 61 00:04:15,480 --> 00:04:18,320 a mid-ranking politician in the government 62 00:04:18,440 --> 00:04:20,880 at the heart of Rome and its empire. 63 00:04:23,160 --> 00:04:24,760 Tom Holland: In 63, Caesar is, 64 00:04:24,880 --> 00:04:26,520 relatively speaking, 65 00:04:26,640 --> 00:04:28,480 a junior magistrate, 66 00:04:28,600 --> 00:04:30,360 perhaps a kind of junior member of the cabinet, 67 00:04:30,480 --> 00:04:32,200 perhaps on the margins of the cabinet. 68 00:04:33,880 --> 00:04:38,360 Caesar is very cool, I think, in almost every sense of the word. 69 00:04:38,480 --> 00:04:41,200 He is very dandyish. He wears his toga 70 00:04:41,320 --> 00:04:43,280 in a distinctive way 71 00:04:43,400 --> 00:04:47,840 to stand out from the crowd, to set aside conventions. 72 00:04:47,960 --> 00:04:49,960 He's making a statement about the kind of man, 73 00:04:50,080 --> 00:04:53,000 the kind of politician that he wants to be. 74 00:04:57,840 --> 00:05:00,400 Narrator: Caesar lives in a time when most countries 75 00:05:00,520 --> 00:05:02,720 are ruled by kings. 76 00:05:02,840 --> 00:05:06,440 Rome prides itself on being a republic. 77 00:05:06,560 --> 00:05:10,040 Here, elected representatives share power. 78 00:05:11,240 --> 00:05:13,040 Holland: Five centuries earlier, the Roman people 79 00:05:13,160 --> 00:05:17,560 had risen up and expelled their king, a haughty tyrant, 80 00:05:17,680 --> 00:05:19,440 and brought the monarchy to an end. 81 00:05:19,560 --> 00:05:24,280 And the republic was designed precisely with the aim 82 00:05:24,400 --> 00:05:27,960 of ensuring that there would never be a king again. 83 00:05:28,080 --> 00:05:32,440 And there's a kind of collective memory among the Roman people, 84 00:05:32,560 --> 00:05:35,560 a deep-seated dread of tyranny. 85 00:05:37,280 --> 00:05:38,840 Andrew Wallace-Hadrill: The basic principle 86 00:05:38,960 --> 00:05:40,640 of the republic 87 00:05:40,760 --> 00:05:44,880 is that no individual can dominate the system. 88 00:05:45,000 --> 00:05:48,400 It's a fundamental part of their rhetoric. 89 00:05:48,520 --> 00:05:50,720 We just don't do monarchy. 90 00:05:52,480 --> 00:05:55,640 Narrator: At the heart of the republic is the Senate, 91 00:05:55,760 --> 00:05:58,040 the seat of government presided over 92 00:05:58,160 --> 00:06:01,920 by an elite body of wealthy aristocratic men. 93 00:06:03,600 --> 00:06:05,080 Shushma Malik: Rome was not a democracy 94 00:06:05,200 --> 00:06:06,640 as we might recognize it now. 95 00:06:06,760 --> 00:06:09,640 But living in a republic in Rome 96 00:06:09,760 --> 00:06:12,800 gives the people more participation 97 00:06:12,920 --> 00:06:16,000 in how Rome makes decisions, 98 00:06:16,120 --> 00:06:18,080 and the republican system of government 99 00:06:18,200 --> 00:06:21,360 essentially means that you have an advisory body, 100 00:06:21,480 --> 00:06:25,400 which is the Senate, made up of the best men, 101 00:06:25,520 --> 00:06:29,600 what the Romans thought of as an aristocracy. 102 00:06:29,720 --> 00:06:34,000 Wallace-Hadrill: Senators are elected in very sharp and bitter 103 00:06:34,120 --> 00:06:36,640 competition with each other, 104 00:06:36,760 --> 00:06:41,120 and Caesar has been making his way up the ladder. 105 00:06:44,160 --> 00:06:46,960 Narrator: Caesar's ambition is to maneuver his way 106 00:06:47,080 --> 00:06:50,520 up the strict hierarchy of the Senate. 107 00:06:50,640 --> 00:06:54,880 The higher the rank, the fiercer the competition. 108 00:06:55,000 --> 00:06:59,280 Right now, Caesar's a mid-ranking aedile. 109 00:06:59,400 --> 00:07:02,480 The ultimate prize is the consulship, 110 00:07:02,600 --> 00:07:05,840 a year-long post shared by two men. 111 00:07:07,680 --> 00:07:09,760 Wallace-Hadrill: To make your way in politics in Rome 112 00:07:09,880 --> 00:07:11,960 brings you status. 113 00:07:12,080 --> 00:07:16,560 And the key Roman word for that is dignitas, your dignity. 114 00:07:17,720 --> 00:07:19,880 Caesar says repeatedly that 115 00:07:20,000 --> 00:07:23,480 dignity was dearer to him than life itself. 116 00:07:23,600 --> 00:07:27,000 "My reputation is everything." 117 00:07:27,120 --> 00:07:29,320 Holland: And so, to win the consulship, 118 00:07:29,440 --> 00:07:32,840 this is what dignitas is all about. 119 00:07:32,960 --> 00:07:36,320 That is the kind of the sweetest fulfillment for a Roman. 120 00:07:36,440 --> 00:07:37,800 I mean, this is why, basically, 121 00:07:37,920 --> 00:07:39,800 Caesar wants to be pontifex maximus. 122 00:07:39,920 --> 00:07:43,680 It's not an end. It's a steppingstone to an end. 123 00:07:43,800 --> 00:07:47,600 [Bird caws, horse nickers] 124 00:07:47,720 --> 00:07:49,560 Narrator: Putting himself forward 125 00:07:49,680 --> 00:07:52,360 for the role of high priest is brazen, 126 00:07:52,480 --> 00:07:55,280 but Caesar is willing to gamble. 127 00:07:55,400 --> 00:07:57,560 Winning would fast-track 128 00:07:57,680 --> 00:07:59,840 his political career. 129 00:08:01,600 --> 00:08:04,800 Malik: The pontifex maximus is the chief priest in Rome, 130 00:08:04,920 --> 00:08:08,040 and as a result, they have quite a lot of power in determining 131 00:08:08,160 --> 00:08:11,160 big questions to do with public business 132 00:08:11,280 --> 00:08:14,920 and the daily routine of Roman political life. 133 00:08:17,080 --> 00:08:19,920 Holland: To hold the most eminent of all the priesthoods 134 00:08:20,040 --> 00:08:21,600 is a very great thing indeed. 135 00:08:21,720 --> 00:08:25,960 It marks you out as a figure of incredible authority. 136 00:08:26,080 --> 00:08:30,560 It's absolutely not the kind of role that someone like Caesar, 137 00:08:30,680 --> 00:08:34,320 a dandyish, slightly louche man, should be going for. 138 00:08:36,360 --> 00:08:39,040 Only someone of supreme self-confidence 139 00:08:39,160 --> 00:08:42,120 and a readiness to play fast and loose with the rules, 140 00:08:42,240 --> 00:08:45,120 who actually enjoys tweaking the tails of 141 00:08:45,240 --> 00:08:48,240 the conservative establishment, could do that. 142 00:08:49,640 --> 00:08:52,720 [Cawing] 143 00:08:52,840 --> 00:08:55,600 Narrator: But Caesar can't do it alone. 144 00:08:55,720 --> 00:08:58,560 He needs a backer to finance his campaign. 145 00:08:59,920 --> 00:09:01,440 Holland: Caesar was aristocratic, 146 00:09:01,560 --> 00:09:04,800 but by the standards of many in the Senate, 147 00:09:04,920 --> 00:09:06,760 he's not particularly rich. 148 00:09:06,880 --> 00:09:08,480 Not only is he not rich, he's essentially 149 00:09:08,600 --> 00:09:10,360 mortgaged up to the hilt. 150 00:09:13,880 --> 00:09:18,320 Narrator: Caesar's solution is to broker a dangerous alliance. 151 00:09:18,440 --> 00:09:20,520 [Growling] 152 00:09:20,640 --> 00:09:22,840 If you want to borrow an enormous sum of money, 153 00:09:22,960 --> 00:09:25,560 there's only one person you go to. 154 00:09:27,160 --> 00:09:29,360 And this is a figure who's notorious 155 00:09:29,480 --> 00:09:32,760 as the richest man in the city, 156 00:09:32,880 --> 00:09:35,040 a man called Crassus. 157 00:09:35,160 --> 00:09:37,320 Federico Santangelo: Marcus Licinius Crassus, 158 00:09:37,440 --> 00:09:39,360 the wealthiest man in Rome. 159 00:09:41,080 --> 00:09:43,160 He has a real estate empire, 160 00:09:43,280 --> 00:09:45,120 owns significant stretches 161 00:09:45,240 --> 00:09:47,160 of the city, 162 00:09:47,280 --> 00:09:49,920 and Crassus likes to have people in his debt. 163 00:09:50,040 --> 00:09:55,320 He uses his money to develop, consolidate, and expand 164 00:09:55,440 --> 00:09:57,240 his network of support. 165 00:09:57,360 --> 00:10:01,840 Holland: Think of the figure of a godfather, a mafia boss, 166 00:10:01,960 --> 00:10:04,200 the most intimidating, the most powerful. 167 00:10:05,720 --> 00:10:08,560 Everyone sees Crassus as a kind of 168 00:10:08,680 --> 00:10:10,800 rather menacing spider at the center of 169 00:10:10,920 --> 00:10:13,160 a web that spreads everywhere. 170 00:10:13,280 --> 00:10:15,320 Santangelo: It can be very dangerous to be 171 00:10:15,440 --> 00:10:17,120 in Crassus' debt. 172 00:10:19,760 --> 00:10:22,600 He can be, according to some ancient reports, 173 00:10:22,720 --> 00:10:24,640 pretty brutal. 174 00:10:27,600 --> 00:10:32,640 Crassus sees in Caesar an extremely capable individual. 175 00:10:32,760 --> 00:10:35,640 He knows that he has all the talent, 176 00:10:35,760 --> 00:10:37,920 all the potential to do extremely well 177 00:10:38,040 --> 00:10:39,720 in the Roman political game. 178 00:10:39,840 --> 00:10:43,120 Caesar is a tremendously valuable asset 179 00:10:43,240 --> 00:10:46,040 and one very much worth investing into. 180 00:10:48,880 --> 00:10:51,240 Holland: It's a gamble. 181 00:10:51,360 --> 00:10:54,080 Caesar knows that by borrowing from Crassus, there is a risk 182 00:10:54,200 --> 00:10:58,880 that he will end up as a fly wrapped up in the web. 183 00:10:59,000 --> 00:11:04,960 ♪ 184 00:11:05,080 --> 00:11:09,240 Narrator: The high priest will be elected by a public vote. 185 00:11:09,360 --> 00:11:13,560 Caesar plans to appeal to the ordinary people of Rome 186 00:11:13,680 --> 00:11:16,240 by exploiting their plight. 187 00:11:18,800 --> 00:11:22,240 Rome is increasingly divided. 188 00:11:22,360 --> 00:11:25,960 Over 100 years of violent conquest, 189 00:11:26,080 --> 00:11:29,440 it's grown from a small city to a vast empire 190 00:11:29,560 --> 00:11:32,080 stretching across the Mediterranean, 191 00:11:32,200 --> 00:11:34,360 and the spoils of war have brought 192 00:11:34,480 --> 00:11:38,080 a handful of men outrageous wealth. 193 00:11:40,000 --> 00:11:42,400 Wallace-Hadrill: The scale of conquest 194 00:11:42,520 --> 00:11:48,440 is producing enormous influx of money, influx of slaves. 195 00:11:48,560 --> 00:11:52,360 Rome is richer than it's ever been before. 196 00:11:52,480 --> 00:11:55,960 And yet, the greater the wealth of the wealthy in Rome, 197 00:11:56,080 --> 00:11:58,560 the greater the poverty of the poor in Rome. 198 00:11:59,760 --> 00:12:04,480 The people of Rome are half-starved, ill-housed. 199 00:12:04,600 --> 00:12:06,920 They're hundreds of thousands of people 200 00:12:07,040 --> 00:12:11,400 who are not sharing in the wealth that they can see. 201 00:12:11,520 --> 00:12:13,480 And Caesar says, "How do you win 202 00:12:13,600 --> 00:12:16,360 the support of the Roman people?" 203 00:12:16,480 --> 00:12:19,360 By being their friend, by being their supporter, 204 00:12:19,480 --> 00:12:25,280 and be recognized as someone who is on their side. 205 00:12:25,400 --> 00:12:28,040 Narrator: In his current political position, 206 00:12:28,160 --> 00:12:31,000 Caesar's in charge of public festivals 207 00:12:31,120 --> 00:12:33,560 and gladiatorial games. 208 00:12:33,680 --> 00:12:38,680 It gives him a direct line to the impoverished masses. 209 00:12:40,880 --> 00:12:43,080 Malik: Games in Rome are entertainment. 210 00:12:43,200 --> 00:12:45,600 They're something to do, and they're free. 211 00:12:45,720 --> 00:12:49,040 Not only do you get some way to 212 00:12:49,160 --> 00:12:52,120 escape the mundane reality of your life, 213 00:12:52,240 --> 00:12:54,840 but also there's some really vital food 214 00:12:54,960 --> 00:12:56,640 as part of that package as well. 215 00:12:59,400 --> 00:13:01,400 Caesar makes the decision to spend 216 00:13:01,520 --> 00:13:04,320 a considerable amount of money on the games that he throws. 217 00:13:04,440 --> 00:13:06,160 He makes them bigger and better 218 00:13:06,280 --> 00:13:07,840 than those who have gone before him. 219 00:13:07,960 --> 00:13:10,200 Great tables groaning with food, 220 00:13:10,320 --> 00:13:12,440 supplied with wine, um, 221 00:13:12,560 --> 00:13:15,440 all kinds of dazzle, of spectacle. 222 00:13:15,560 --> 00:13:17,880 The accounts we have of Caesar's games 223 00:13:18,000 --> 00:13:19,960 suggest that he did extraordinary things 224 00:13:20,080 --> 00:13:22,920 with gladiators in silver armor. 225 00:13:23,040 --> 00:13:26,560 These kinds of things would be memorable. 226 00:13:26,680 --> 00:13:28,360 Holland: It's about branding so that 227 00:13:28,480 --> 00:13:31,080 your name is on everybody's lips. 228 00:13:32,360 --> 00:13:34,760 And it's a kind of policy, I think, that 229 00:13:34,880 --> 00:13:37,520 perhaps has echoes of the way that in Italy, 230 00:13:37,640 --> 00:13:40,560 Silvio Berlusconi, say, would buy football teams 231 00:13:40,680 --> 00:13:42,800 or own TV channels. 232 00:13:42,920 --> 00:13:46,960 It's a way of wooing potential voters 233 00:13:47,080 --> 00:13:49,400 by entertaining them. 234 00:13:51,080 --> 00:13:53,080 Malik: I don't think there's necessarily any evidence 235 00:13:53,200 --> 00:13:55,520 that Julius Caesar really cares 236 00:13:55,640 --> 00:13:58,320 for the day-to-day welfare of the people of Rome. 237 00:13:58,440 --> 00:14:02,280 Rather, his tactics are very successful 238 00:14:02,400 --> 00:14:06,080 for getting him where he wants to go politically. 239 00:14:06,200 --> 00:14:11,840 ♪ 240 00:14:11,960 --> 00:14:17,160 [Caws] 241 00:14:17,280 --> 00:14:21,880 Narrator: It's the day of the pontifex maximus vote. 242 00:14:22,000 --> 00:14:24,080 All Caesar can do is hope 243 00:14:24,200 --> 00:14:27,840 his financial and political gamble will pay off. 244 00:14:30,080 --> 00:14:32,120 Holland: Caesar is getting ready to leave his house 245 00:14:32,240 --> 00:14:34,120 to go and hear the election result, 246 00:14:34,240 --> 00:14:36,120 and there's a famous story told about this, 247 00:14:36,240 --> 00:14:38,640 that he kisses his mother good-bye 248 00:14:38,760 --> 00:14:41,440 and he says to her, "Mother, either I come back 249 00:14:41,560 --> 00:14:43,080 "as pontifex maximus, 250 00:14:43,200 --> 00:14:45,880 or I won't be coming back at all." 251 00:14:47,520 --> 00:14:52,320 He knows the stakes are that high, 252 00:14:52,440 --> 00:14:57,000 that he either wins or he faces bankruptcy and political ruin. 253 00:14:57,120 --> 00:15:05,760 ♪ 254 00:15:05,880 --> 00:15:07,920 [Birds cawing] 255 00:15:10,120 --> 00:15:12,640 He's rolled the dice. He has wooed the voters. 256 00:15:12,760 --> 00:15:15,160 He has convinced them he's their man. 257 00:15:15,280 --> 00:15:18,000 He has won. He wins the office. 258 00:15:18,120 --> 00:15:25,440 ♪ 259 00:15:25,560 --> 00:15:28,840 It is a very key moment for Caesar. 260 00:15:28,960 --> 00:15:33,760 It lifts him up out of this mass of aristocrats like him, 261 00:15:33,880 --> 00:15:35,560 and it gives him a kind of dignity 262 00:15:35,680 --> 00:15:37,640 that he hadn't previously had. 263 00:15:37,760 --> 00:15:43,360 ♪ 264 00:15:43,480 --> 00:15:45,760 And now the path stretches ahead of him. 265 00:15:49,920 --> 00:15:52,240 Narrator: High Priest of Rome 266 00:15:52,360 --> 00:15:55,160 and popular with the voting public, 267 00:15:55,280 --> 00:16:00,000 Caesar is now a rising star in the Senate. 268 00:16:00,120 --> 00:16:02,840 Malik: Julius Caesar is very much in tune 269 00:16:02,960 --> 00:16:05,600 with how politics is developing. 270 00:16:05,720 --> 00:16:08,120 Caesar recognizes that the people are going to be 271 00:16:08,240 --> 00:16:11,920 an important part of politics going forward. 272 00:16:12,040 --> 00:16:15,600 Narrator: There are no political parties in Rome, 273 00:16:15,720 --> 00:16:19,040 but politicians fall into two camps. 274 00:16:19,160 --> 00:16:23,320 Caesar is a populares, a politician who believes 275 00:16:23,440 --> 00:16:27,360 decisions should be placed in the hands of the people. 276 00:16:27,480 --> 00:16:30,280 Populares stand in bitter opposition 277 00:16:30,400 --> 00:16:34,480 with the optimates, who believe government ought to rest 278 00:16:34,600 --> 00:16:37,440 solely in the hands of a conservative elite. 279 00:16:39,400 --> 00:16:43,320 Caesar absolutely hates the optimates. 280 00:16:43,440 --> 00:16:46,600 "Optimus" means the best. These are the best people. 281 00:16:46,720 --> 00:16:49,760 And undoubtedly, the optimates in Rome 282 00:16:49,880 --> 00:16:51,720 think of themselves in those terms. 283 00:16:51,840 --> 00:16:55,680 But what Rome needs is not this mob rule, 284 00:16:55,800 --> 00:17:00,440 this horrendous appeal to the unwashed masses. 285 00:17:00,560 --> 00:17:02,840 A populares politician, on the other hand, 286 00:17:02,960 --> 00:17:05,480 thinks that the people have been neglected 287 00:17:05,600 --> 00:17:07,840 in the bigger picture of Rome. 288 00:17:09,080 --> 00:17:11,560 Holland: Caesar's contempt for the conservatives 289 00:17:11,680 --> 00:17:14,560 in the Senate is entirely genuine. 290 00:17:14,680 --> 00:17:18,720 I think he feels that their perspective is old-fashioned, 291 00:17:18,840 --> 00:17:20,840 it's hypocritical, 292 00:17:20,960 --> 00:17:27,000 it ignores the needs of a people in a great imperial capital. 293 00:17:27,120 --> 00:17:33,800 The population of Rome is in a really agitated condition. 294 00:17:33,920 --> 00:17:36,960 Poverty of the masses can lead to revolution. 295 00:17:37,080 --> 00:17:42,720 It's dynamite. It can blow up at any moment. 296 00:17:42,840 --> 00:17:55,680 ♪ 297 00:17:55,800 --> 00:17:58,440 Narrator: Caesar's brazen wooing of the people 298 00:17:58,560 --> 00:18:01,080 has angered conservative optimates. 299 00:18:03,280 --> 00:18:05,640 So, when, just a few months later, 300 00:18:05,760 --> 00:18:08,400 a conspiracy to violently overthrow the Senate 301 00:18:08,520 --> 00:18:13,600 comes to light, Caesar is dangerously exposed. 302 00:18:15,440 --> 00:18:18,600 Malik: In the same year as we get a new pontifex maximus, 303 00:18:18,720 --> 00:18:21,840 we also have a conspiracy in Rome 304 00:18:21,960 --> 00:18:24,320 known as the Catiline Conspiracy. 305 00:18:24,440 --> 00:18:27,080 And this rocks the political establishment. 306 00:18:27,200 --> 00:18:30,120 A man named Lucius Sergius Catilina 307 00:18:30,240 --> 00:18:34,360 allies himself with those who are disenfranchised, 308 00:18:34,480 --> 00:18:37,400 the poor in Rome who do have resentment 309 00:18:37,520 --> 00:18:39,280 against the Senate, 310 00:18:39,400 --> 00:18:41,800 and decides that, actually, revolution 311 00:18:41,920 --> 00:18:44,680 and the overthrow of the Senate is the way forward. 312 00:18:44,800 --> 00:18:48,120 Narrator: Rumors begin to circulate 313 00:18:48,240 --> 00:18:51,840 that Caesar may have had a hand in the plot. 314 00:18:53,320 --> 00:18:55,640 Caesar may be increasingly popular with the people, 315 00:18:55,760 --> 00:18:57,760 but that, of course, just means that his rivals in the Senate 316 00:18:57,880 --> 00:19:00,360 are watching him with ever greater suspicion. 317 00:19:00,480 --> 00:19:04,640 And those who want to thwart his rise are, therefore, 318 00:19:04,760 --> 00:19:09,680 unsurprisingly, very, very keen to implicate him in the coup. 319 00:19:09,800 --> 00:19:14,560 ♪ 320 00:19:14,680 --> 00:19:17,880 Narrator: The conspirators are betrayed before they can act. 321 00:19:19,560 --> 00:19:24,800 Five senators, one a former consul, are arrested 322 00:19:24,920 --> 00:19:27,120 and await their fate. 323 00:19:30,160 --> 00:19:33,840 The current consuls want to send a clear message-- 324 00:19:33,960 --> 00:19:37,920 execute the conspirators without trial. 325 00:19:43,640 --> 00:19:47,600 Holland: Caesar knows that his enemies are trying to tar him 326 00:19:47,720 --> 00:19:51,840 as someone who perhaps had been taking part in the conspiracy. 327 00:19:51,960 --> 00:19:54,280 So, by taking part in the debate, 328 00:19:54,400 --> 00:19:56,920 Caesar is repudiating that. 329 00:19:57,040 --> 00:20:00,560 This is an opportunity for him to sway the Senate, 330 00:20:00,680 --> 00:20:02,360 and he's not going to let it go to waste. 331 00:20:02,480 --> 00:20:05,320 And he does it very, very brilliantly. 332 00:20:05,440 --> 00:20:10,400 Wallace-Hadrill: Caesar launches into a most moving speech. 333 00:20:10,520 --> 00:20:13,960 And he says what these conspirators have done 334 00:20:14,080 --> 00:20:17,040 is the most appalling crime 335 00:20:17,160 --> 00:20:18,800 for which there should be no mercy. 336 00:20:18,920 --> 00:20:22,920 But our ancestors have established laws. 337 00:20:23,040 --> 00:20:25,960 If we start executing Roman citizens, 338 00:20:26,080 --> 00:20:28,640 what will the Roman people make of it? 339 00:20:28,760 --> 00:20:32,320 He points out that it is against every law of the Roman state 340 00:20:32,440 --> 00:20:35,280 to put to death fellow citizens. 341 00:20:35,400 --> 00:20:38,720 "Therefore, I, Caesar, propose that rather than 342 00:20:38,840 --> 00:20:42,840 execute them, we hand them over and imprison them." 343 00:20:45,080 --> 00:20:46,680 Holland: This is something that is unheard of. 344 00:20:46,800 --> 00:20:49,680 The Romans don't have a kind of prison system. 345 00:20:49,800 --> 00:20:51,920 So, he's doing something radical, 346 00:20:52,040 --> 00:20:53,680 thinking outside the box, 347 00:20:53,800 --> 00:20:56,760 but at the same time, and this is the genius of it, 348 00:20:56,880 --> 00:20:59,680 he's casting himself as the defender of tradition. 349 00:20:59,800 --> 00:21:01,320 Everyone has said, "Oh, yes, we agree. 350 00:21:01,440 --> 00:21:03,320 They should be executed." 351 00:21:03,440 --> 00:21:05,880 Now they say, "Oh, Caesar's right. 352 00:21:06,000 --> 00:21:07,800 "Of course it's much better 353 00:21:07,920 --> 00:21:12,520 not to execute them and to have them imprisoned." 354 00:21:12,640 --> 00:21:16,240 Narrator: Caesar appears to have swayed the Senate. 355 00:21:16,360 --> 00:21:21,320 But the optimates have one young senator yet to speak. 356 00:21:21,440 --> 00:21:23,480 Holland: Rising to his feet, a man 357 00:21:23,600 --> 00:21:26,960 who will become his nemesis, a man called Cato. 358 00:21:29,600 --> 00:21:32,320 Rory Stewart: Cato and Caesar come from similar backgrounds, 359 00:21:32,440 --> 00:21:33,800 but they are 360 00:21:33,920 --> 00:21:35,920 total polar opposites. 361 00:21:36,040 --> 00:21:37,320 Caesar is known 362 00:21:37,440 --> 00:21:40,000 for his flamboyant fashion, 363 00:21:40,120 --> 00:21:41,760 rickety finances, bribing electors. 364 00:21:41,880 --> 00:21:44,640 Cato is somebody who represents 365 00:21:44,760 --> 00:21:48,080 the very most old-fashioned ideal of a Roman gentleman. 366 00:21:51,360 --> 00:21:54,280 Very, very austere. Very simple. 367 00:21:54,400 --> 00:21:56,880 He actually walks around barefoot. 368 00:21:57,000 --> 00:21:59,840 But above all, what he stands for 369 00:21:59,960 --> 00:22:02,320 is the old Roman constitution. 370 00:22:02,440 --> 00:22:05,560 And he sees Caesar as a populist. 371 00:22:05,680 --> 00:22:07,680 In other words, somebody who claims to be 372 00:22:07,800 --> 00:22:09,520 speaking on behalf of the people 373 00:22:09,640 --> 00:22:11,120 but is, in fact, just using that 374 00:22:11,240 --> 00:22:13,320 as a way to destroy the Constitution 375 00:22:13,440 --> 00:22:14,960 and take power for themselves. 376 00:22:15,080 --> 00:22:17,200 And he's disgusted. 377 00:22:19,480 --> 00:22:23,040 He, too, knows how to speak powerfully, 378 00:22:23,160 --> 00:22:26,040 and he puts exactly the opposite case, 379 00:22:26,160 --> 00:22:29,320 which is, This is no time to show mercy. 380 00:22:29,440 --> 00:22:33,120 Preserving the republic is the ultimate priority. 381 00:22:33,240 --> 00:22:37,520 "These people are planning to burn our houses, 382 00:22:37,640 --> 00:22:42,240 "to rape our wives, to end our civilization. 383 00:22:42,360 --> 00:22:45,800 "This is the worst threat you could have. 384 00:22:45,920 --> 00:22:48,920 We must execute them now." 385 00:22:53,800 --> 00:22:59,080 Narrator: Cato is also convinced that Caesar is in on the plot. 386 00:22:59,200 --> 00:23:01,640 But he has no proof. 387 00:23:01,760 --> 00:23:03,520 Holland: Cato is in full flow. 388 00:23:03,640 --> 00:23:06,280 The great conservative, 389 00:23:06,400 --> 00:23:09,480 the man of dignity. 390 00:23:09,600 --> 00:23:11,080 And he looks around, and he sees that 391 00:23:11,200 --> 00:23:12,760 Caesar has been given a message. 392 00:23:12,880 --> 00:23:14,680 And Cato, put off his speech, 393 00:23:14,800 --> 00:23:16,320 thinks, "What on earth is going on?" 394 00:23:16,440 --> 00:23:18,960 And his first thought is, "Wait a second, 395 00:23:19,080 --> 00:23:20,960 "this is a letter from one of the conspirators, 396 00:23:21,080 --> 00:23:23,440 and here's Caesar smirking at me." 397 00:23:29,040 --> 00:23:31,160 Holland: The letter has been sent by 398 00:23:31,280 --> 00:23:34,280 Cato's half-sister Servilia. 399 00:23:35,720 --> 00:23:38,000 Stewart: Caesar, who's having affairs with everybody else, 400 00:23:38,120 --> 00:23:40,960 is also sleeping with Cato's sister. 401 00:23:43,680 --> 00:23:45,640 Holland: Caesar is dragging Cato down 402 00:23:45,760 --> 00:23:51,280 into a kind of dimension of tawdry humiliation and smut 403 00:23:51,400 --> 00:23:56,480 that is calculated to infuriate him. 404 00:23:56,600 --> 00:23:59,960 Stewart: And this is the moment he gives 405 00:24:00,080 --> 00:24:03,560 an astonishing, blistering speech. 406 00:24:03,680 --> 00:24:08,560 Takes no prisoners, and says, "These people, these populists, 407 00:24:08,680 --> 00:24:11,520 "you can't see it yet, but I promise you, 408 00:24:11,640 --> 00:24:14,800 "these people pose an existential threat 409 00:24:14,920 --> 00:24:16,440 "to the survival of the republic, 410 00:24:16,560 --> 00:24:19,280 "and unless you act against them now-- 411 00:24:19,400 --> 00:24:22,480 "and by the way, I want to include Caesar in that-- 412 00:24:22,600 --> 00:24:24,520 "these people are ultimately going 413 00:24:24,640 --> 00:24:26,240 to bring the whole house crashing down." 414 00:24:26,360 --> 00:24:32,480 [Applause] 415 00:24:32,600 --> 00:24:35,680 Wallace-Hadrill: The Senate swings right around behind Cato. 416 00:24:35,800 --> 00:24:37,840 [Indistinct shouting] 417 00:24:40,360 --> 00:24:42,840 Holland: Caesar is obviously disappointed, I'm sure. 418 00:24:42,960 --> 00:24:45,400 It confirms him in his contempt, 419 00:24:45,520 --> 00:24:48,320 both for the mass of his conservative opponents 420 00:24:48,440 --> 00:24:51,440 and, most specifically, of course, for Cato. 421 00:24:51,560 --> 00:24:54,160 Stewart: Caesar, above all, is ambitious. 422 00:24:54,280 --> 00:24:57,280 He wants to become consul. He wants to rule Rome. 423 00:24:58,720 --> 00:25:01,880 Standing in his way is this infuriating man 424 00:25:02,000 --> 00:25:04,240 that he despises called Cato. 425 00:25:05,600 --> 00:25:07,680 Wallace-Hadrill: This young man shouldn't be 426 00:25:07,800 --> 00:25:09,360 one of the leading figures, 427 00:25:09,480 --> 00:25:13,320 but somehow his speech has established him 428 00:25:13,440 --> 00:25:16,200 as a man with enormous moral authority. 429 00:25:18,000 --> 00:25:19,720 Stewart: This is the moment where he realizes 430 00:25:19,840 --> 00:25:21,880 that he's standing for something. 431 00:25:22,000 --> 00:25:24,360 And that is-- and I was a politician-- 432 00:25:24,480 --> 00:25:27,760 it's an incredibly powerful moment in a politician's life 433 00:25:27,880 --> 00:25:29,840 when you find a cause. 434 00:25:29,960 --> 00:25:33,200 And from then on, the cause in Cato's life 435 00:25:33,320 --> 00:25:37,360 is the cause of defending the republic against tyranny. 436 00:25:37,480 --> 00:25:40,920 The time will come when historians of the age 437 00:25:41,040 --> 00:25:42,880 look at this as a defining moment, 438 00:25:43,000 --> 00:25:46,080 because the tension between Caesar and Cato 439 00:25:46,200 --> 00:25:48,200 is clearly expressive of deep tensions 440 00:25:48,320 --> 00:25:50,840 within the fabric of the republic. 441 00:25:50,960 --> 00:25:56,680 [Applause] 442 00:25:56,800 --> 00:25:58,600 Cato wins the day. 443 00:25:58,720 --> 00:26:00,840 Holland: The order is given. 444 00:26:00,960 --> 00:26:03,640 The conspirators will be put to death. 445 00:26:05,800 --> 00:26:08,000 I suspect that the lesson that Caesar takes 446 00:26:08,120 --> 00:26:10,640 from the whole Catilinarian debacle 447 00:26:10,760 --> 00:26:12,960 is that it's fine to play the populares, 448 00:26:13,080 --> 00:26:14,800 that Caesar is brilliant at that, 449 00:26:14,920 --> 00:26:17,920 but that ultimately just doing that is not enough. 450 00:26:18,040 --> 00:26:21,920 He has to have allies in the Senate. 451 00:26:22,040 --> 00:26:24,760 Because if you push too hard against them, 452 00:26:24,880 --> 00:26:26,520 people in the Senate still have the power. 453 00:26:26,640 --> 00:26:29,280 They have the will to close ranks. 454 00:26:29,400 --> 00:26:34,880 He, too, could end up with a noose around his neck. 455 00:26:35,000 --> 00:26:43,560 ♪ 456 00:26:43,680 --> 00:26:45,840 [Woman speaking indistinctly] 457 00:26:45,960 --> 00:27:07,240 ♪ 458 00:27:07,360 --> 00:27:12,040 Narrator: As Rome reels from the Catiline conspiracy, 459 00:27:12,160 --> 00:27:14,680 some senators demand extreme measures 460 00:27:14,800 --> 00:27:17,360 to guarantee their safety-- 461 00:27:17,480 --> 00:27:21,200 a military presence on the streets of Rome. 462 00:27:21,320 --> 00:27:31,880 ♪ 463 00:27:32,000 --> 00:27:34,960 They call for Rome's greatest general 464 00:27:35,080 --> 00:27:38,640 to return with his army from campaign in the east. 465 00:27:41,320 --> 00:27:43,920 Shelley P. Haley: Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus 466 00:27:44,040 --> 00:27:46,920 was born into a military family. 467 00:27:47,040 --> 00:27:48,920 Pompey grew up on 468 00:27:49,040 --> 00:27:51,560 his father's military campaigns. 469 00:27:51,680 --> 00:27:54,440 When he was young, his enemies call him 470 00:27:54,560 --> 00:27:58,880 "The teenage butcher," and he becomes 471 00:27:59,000 --> 00:28:02,560 the most powerful general in Rome. 472 00:28:06,040 --> 00:28:09,480 Narrator: The Roman Empire has expanded so far and fast 473 00:28:09,600 --> 00:28:13,560 it's had to hand huge powers to men like Pompey 474 00:28:13,680 --> 00:28:16,360 to command armies and govern territories 475 00:28:16,480 --> 00:28:18,840 far beyond the reach of Rome. 476 00:28:21,200 --> 00:28:29,040 Haley: Pompey has as much power, if not more, than the Senate. 477 00:28:29,160 --> 00:28:33,840 The best modern equivalent is warlord. 478 00:28:35,160 --> 00:28:37,000 Holland: Caesar sees in Pompey 479 00:28:37,120 --> 00:28:41,720 a kind of harbinger of the republic's future. 480 00:28:41,840 --> 00:28:45,720 Because what Pompey has done with the scale of his conquests 481 00:28:45,840 --> 00:28:50,880 is essentially to put the whole of the republic in his shade. 482 00:28:51,000 --> 00:28:54,640 Pompey is a disruptor, and his return 483 00:28:54,760 --> 00:28:57,080 will set the kaleidoscope spinning. 484 00:28:57,200 --> 00:28:58,680 And that offers opportunity 485 00:28:58,800 --> 00:29:01,800 for someone with Caesar's abilities and talents. 486 00:29:04,800 --> 00:29:08,240 Narrator: Caesar backs the call for Pompey's return, 487 00:29:08,360 --> 00:29:11,200 but not all in the Senate agree. 488 00:29:13,160 --> 00:29:16,320 For many optimates, the idea that one man 489 00:29:16,440 --> 00:29:20,720 should take charge of Rome is unthinkable. 490 00:29:20,840 --> 00:29:24,480 Haley: The Senate is extremely worried 491 00:29:24,600 --> 00:29:28,400 about the power that Pompey has. 492 00:29:28,520 --> 00:29:34,840 At their core, they are very distrustful 493 00:29:34,960 --> 00:29:38,120 of one man with too much power. 494 00:29:40,400 --> 00:29:44,520 Narrator: But by supporting calls for Pompey's return, 495 00:29:44,640 --> 00:29:47,760 Caesar's not just rankling his political opponents... 496 00:29:49,080 --> 00:29:53,720 he's risking his alliance with his financial backer--Crassus. 497 00:29:55,840 --> 00:29:58,720 Marcus Licinius Crassus 498 00:29:58,840 --> 00:30:01,960 has good reason not to love Pompey. 499 00:30:03,680 --> 00:30:06,120 Narrator: Crassus fought alongside Pompey 500 00:30:06,240 --> 00:30:10,040 against the slave rebellion led by Spartacus. 501 00:30:10,160 --> 00:30:13,120 Crassus secured the decisive victory, 502 00:30:13,240 --> 00:30:16,760 but Pompey took the credit. 503 00:30:16,880 --> 00:30:20,880 Santangelo: There is a degree of bitterness on Crassus' part. 504 00:30:21,000 --> 00:30:26,040 Let's be clear. Crassus hates Pompey. 505 00:30:27,840 --> 00:30:30,520 Narrator: Caesar pushes ahead. 506 00:30:30,640 --> 00:30:34,560 The law prohibits armed soldiers from entering Rome, 507 00:30:34,680 --> 00:30:36,880 so, Caesar backs a new law 508 00:30:37,000 --> 00:30:41,080 that would allow Pompey to enter the city with his troops. 509 00:30:42,840 --> 00:30:47,080 Like all new bills, it must first be debated in the Senate. 510 00:30:47,200 --> 00:30:49,080 If the majority agree, 511 00:30:49,200 --> 00:30:52,040 only then will it be presented in the Forum, 512 00:30:52,160 --> 00:30:56,480 Rome's public square, for the people to have their vote. 513 00:30:56,600 --> 00:30:59,400 Holland: Caesar, ever unconventional, 514 00:30:59,520 --> 00:31:02,880 sees an opportunity here to play the populares card again. 515 00:31:03,000 --> 00:31:05,760 And so, what he does, he just bypasses the Senate. 516 00:31:05,880 --> 00:31:07,920 He takes the bill directly to the Forum, 517 00:31:08,040 --> 00:31:11,640 which is obviously greeted with fury 518 00:31:11,760 --> 00:31:14,560 by conservatives in the Senate 519 00:31:14,680 --> 00:31:17,960 and particularly, of course, Caesar's great adversary Cato. 520 00:31:18,080 --> 00:31:20,720 [Liquid pouring] 521 00:31:20,840 --> 00:31:24,800 Stewart: Cato walks out and sees to his disgust 522 00:31:24,920 --> 00:31:29,400 that Caesar is trying to whip up a mob in favor of Pompey, 523 00:31:29,520 --> 00:31:32,800 and that Caesar has surrounded himself with gladiators. 524 00:31:32,920 --> 00:31:36,120 And gladiators are basically hired ruffians. 525 00:31:38,760 --> 00:31:42,480 Cato doesn't care. He walks absolutely alone, 526 00:31:42,600 --> 00:31:45,360 straight up the steps, and tells Caesar and the crowd 527 00:31:45,480 --> 00:31:47,160 that they should be ashamed of themselves. 528 00:31:47,280 --> 00:31:50,640 Cato does this nonsensical speech. 529 00:31:50,760 --> 00:31:55,240 "We don't need to put this much power 530 00:31:55,360 --> 00:31:57,760 into the hands of one man." 531 00:31:57,880 --> 00:31:59,840 Cato's fundamental point is the republic 532 00:31:59,960 --> 00:32:02,120 should defend itself through the constitution, 533 00:32:02,240 --> 00:32:04,360 and asserts that the Senate will continue 534 00:32:04,480 --> 00:32:06,080 to rule the country as it should. 535 00:32:06,200 --> 00:32:09,080 And bedlam breaks out. 536 00:32:12,520 --> 00:32:15,200 Stewart: He's hit from every side. 537 00:32:15,320 --> 00:32:16,960 The crowd throw stuff at him. 538 00:32:17,080 --> 00:32:19,160 The gladiators beat him up. 539 00:32:19,280 --> 00:32:21,240 But he doesn't care. 540 00:32:24,400 --> 00:32:28,600 Cato senses that by allowing himself to be beaten up, 541 00:32:28,720 --> 00:32:31,640 he's showing the public what is happening to Rome. 542 00:32:33,560 --> 00:32:36,280 And he will wear those bruises as a source of pride, 543 00:32:36,400 --> 00:32:39,360 because what he's saying is, "Look at these people. 544 00:32:39,480 --> 00:32:40,920 "Look at how they've battered me. 545 00:32:41,040 --> 00:32:42,640 "Look at the kind of leaders that you are 546 00:32:42,760 --> 00:32:44,560 "going to let come into Rome. 547 00:32:44,680 --> 00:32:49,040 How can you possibly support a man who's done this to me?" 548 00:32:50,640 --> 00:32:53,760 Narrator: Cato's tactic works. 549 00:32:55,440 --> 00:32:57,080 Holland: In the end, it's Cato and his followers 550 00:32:57,200 --> 00:32:59,120 who have the better of the whole occasion. 551 00:32:59,240 --> 00:33:03,360 For Caesar, obviously, infuriating. 552 00:33:03,480 --> 00:33:05,600 [Thunder] 553 00:33:08,240 --> 00:33:09,760 [Cawing] 554 00:33:09,880 --> 00:33:11,560 Narrator: The Senate, horrified 555 00:33:11,680 --> 00:33:14,120 by Caesar's brazen use of violence, 556 00:33:14,240 --> 00:33:17,000 have him immediately suspended, 557 00:33:17,120 --> 00:33:21,720 and the public vote on the bill to recall Pompey is aborted. 558 00:33:21,840 --> 00:33:24,800 Holland: Caesar is staring down the barrel, potentially, 559 00:33:24,920 --> 00:33:28,080 of the ruin of his career, having worked so hard. 560 00:33:28,200 --> 00:33:30,160 But actually, what might seem 561 00:33:30,280 --> 00:33:33,960 a humiliation, a defeat, can be turned around. 562 00:33:34,080 --> 00:33:35,600 And this is something that Caesar does 563 00:33:35,720 --> 00:33:38,080 again and again over the course of his career. 564 00:33:41,040 --> 00:33:43,960 Narrator: Caesar uses his sway with the people 565 00:33:44,080 --> 00:33:47,120 to show the Senate he won't bow down. 566 00:33:48,400 --> 00:33:50,360 Two days later, a crowd 567 00:33:50,480 --> 00:33:54,520 spontaneously manifests itself outside Caesar's house. 568 00:33:56,440 --> 00:33:58,680 People in the Senate fear that this is potentially 569 00:33:58,800 --> 00:34:00,800 an armed mob, that, before you can say it, 570 00:34:00,920 --> 00:34:02,480 will be marching on the Senate House. 571 00:34:02,600 --> 00:34:04,760 It's very clear to all concerned 572 00:34:04,880 --> 00:34:07,520 that everyone has a stake in deescalating this. 573 00:34:07,640 --> 00:34:10,640 [Men murmuring] 574 00:34:10,760 --> 00:34:13,800 Narrator: Caesar stands down his angry mob. 575 00:34:15,640 --> 00:34:19,680 The Senate decide it's better to keep him onside 576 00:34:19,800 --> 00:34:23,560 and allow him back. 577 00:34:23,680 --> 00:34:26,920 Holland: Caesar is always alert to new ways of doing politics, 578 00:34:27,040 --> 00:34:32,920 and his use of intimidation and combining it with violence 579 00:34:33,040 --> 00:34:36,240 is a way to, to make things happen in Rome. 580 00:34:38,160 --> 00:34:40,120 Stewart: From Cato's point of view, 581 00:34:40,240 --> 00:34:42,760 the Senate is being weak. 582 00:34:42,880 --> 00:34:44,840 They're worried by his popularity, 583 00:34:44,960 --> 00:34:46,560 but they're also trying to convince themselves 584 00:34:46,680 --> 00:34:48,120 they can somehow control him. 585 00:34:48,240 --> 00:34:50,640 And Cato is increasingly convinced 586 00:34:50,760 --> 00:34:53,640 that the Senate must act against Caesar 587 00:34:53,760 --> 00:34:56,040 before it's too late. 588 00:34:58,760 --> 00:35:02,640 [Birds cawing] 589 00:35:05,600 --> 00:35:08,200 Narrator: Rome is in turmoil, 590 00:35:08,320 --> 00:35:11,520 and Caesar's place in the Senate precarious. 591 00:35:11,640 --> 00:35:14,640 [Indistinct conversations] 592 00:35:14,760 --> 00:35:16,640 But his role as high priest 593 00:35:16,760 --> 00:35:20,080 offers him a chance to regain trust amongst his peers. 594 00:35:21,680 --> 00:35:24,800 His household must host an important ritual 595 00:35:24,920 --> 00:35:27,840 in honor of the goddess Bona Dea, 596 00:35:27,960 --> 00:35:30,400 who looks after the safety of Rome. 597 00:35:32,600 --> 00:35:34,600 Holland: In the case of Bona Dea, 598 00:35:34,720 --> 00:35:37,400 Caesar himself is not personally in charge, 599 00:35:37,520 --> 00:35:40,520 because the Bona Dea is a female-only ritual, 600 00:35:40,640 --> 00:35:43,280 and so, on this occasion, 601 00:35:43,400 --> 00:35:48,120 Caesar is going to have to rely on the women in his family. 602 00:35:49,760 --> 00:35:51,440 Nandini B. Pandey: So, on the scene, 603 00:35:51,560 --> 00:35:53,720 hosting this mysterious and incredibly important party 604 00:35:53,840 --> 00:35:56,440 is Caesar's wife Pompeia. 605 00:35:57,920 --> 00:36:01,720 Caesar's mother Aurelia is part of the ceremony, 606 00:36:01,840 --> 00:36:03,680 and there's no direct evidence 607 00:36:03,800 --> 00:36:05,520 that Caesar's daughter Julia is present, 608 00:36:05,640 --> 00:36:07,760 but it's impossible to imagine that she isn't, 609 00:36:07,880 --> 00:36:09,640 given the importance of this ritual. 610 00:36:12,080 --> 00:36:13,960 I suspect that Julia and Caesar 611 00:36:14,080 --> 00:36:16,400 are quite close. 612 00:36:16,520 --> 00:36:18,040 Julia is, in a way, 613 00:36:18,160 --> 00:36:19,840 his most valuable possession. 614 00:36:19,960 --> 00:36:22,200 She is his only legitimate heir. 615 00:36:22,320 --> 00:36:25,640 Ultimately, she'll be there to make a very useful 616 00:36:25,760 --> 00:36:28,880 political alliance for him through her own marriage. 617 00:36:33,240 --> 00:36:35,600 Narrator: The ritual sacrifice is overseen 618 00:36:35,720 --> 00:36:40,680 by one of the sacred order of priestesses, the Vestal Virgins. 619 00:36:42,520 --> 00:36:44,360 Pandey: Everybody who was anyone 620 00:36:44,480 --> 00:36:46,640 in Roman elite society 621 00:36:46,760 --> 00:36:49,560 who was also female would be part of the ceremony. 622 00:36:49,680 --> 00:36:51,800 So, there's a lot of pressure on his household 623 00:36:51,920 --> 00:36:53,680 to perform the ceremony right, 624 00:36:53,800 --> 00:36:56,040 to perform it well so that the gods 625 00:36:56,160 --> 00:36:58,240 that take care of Rome will be placated. 626 00:36:58,360 --> 00:37:05,520 ♪ 627 00:37:05,640 --> 00:37:08,000 Suddenly, the word comes to Aurelia 628 00:37:08,120 --> 00:37:09,960 that a mysterious stranger has entered 629 00:37:10,080 --> 00:37:11,840 disguised as a harp player. 630 00:37:11,960 --> 00:37:24,120 ♪ 631 00:37:24,240 --> 00:37:27,520 It turns out this is a man in drag 632 00:37:27,640 --> 00:37:33,240 trying to sneak into the house of Caesar as pontifex maximus. 633 00:37:33,360 --> 00:37:35,840 Narrator: It's a serious violation. 634 00:37:35,960 --> 00:37:39,960 The women go home, and gossip about Caesar and his wife 635 00:37:40,080 --> 00:37:42,080 spreads like wildfire. 636 00:37:43,360 --> 00:37:46,440 The man who had desecrated the rites of the Bona Dea 637 00:37:46,560 --> 00:37:50,360 by going into Caesar's house had, it was said-- 638 00:37:50,480 --> 00:37:52,680 this is the rumor that is buzzing round Rome-- 639 00:37:52,800 --> 00:37:56,320 had been conducting an affair with Caesar's wife. 640 00:37:56,440 --> 00:37:58,200 This is not the kind of thing that a Roman man 641 00:37:58,320 --> 00:37:59,840 wants to have said about him. 642 00:37:59,960 --> 00:38:01,320 If he can't control his women, 643 00:38:01,440 --> 00:38:02,800 if he can't control his family, 644 00:38:02,920 --> 00:38:04,600 it would reflect very, very badly 645 00:38:04,720 --> 00:38:07,000 on the pontifex maximus. 646 00:38:07,120 --> 00:38:12,440 Narrator: This is a scandal that Caesar could do without. 647 00:38:12,560 --> 00:38:15,280 To minimize the damage, he's willing to 648 00:38:15,400 --> 00:38:17,440 sacrifice his marriage. 649 00:38:19,840 --> 00:38:22,240 If there's one thing that Caesar hates, 650 00:38:22,360 --> 00:38:24,120 it's the idea that people might be laughing at him. 651 00:38:24,240 --> 00:38:26,040 He doesn't want to seem a figure of ridicule. 652 00:38:26,160 --> 00:38:29,840 So, what he does is brilliantly ruthless, brilliantly witty. 653 00:38:29,960 --> 00:38:34,800 He proclaims that he is going to divorce his wife 654 00:38:34,920 --> 00:38:38,480 not because she had actually been conducting affair, 655 00:38:38,600 --> 00:38:40,600 but because, as he puts it, 656 00:38:40,720 --> 00:38:44,040 Caesar's wife must be above suspicion. 657 00:38:44,160 --> 00:38:51,040 ♪ 658 00:38:51,160 --> 00:38:53,520 Pandey: There is no way that young Julia 659 00:38:53,640 --> 00:38:55,360 could have been unaware of the trouble 660 00:38:55,480 --> 00:38:58,800 that this scandal causes for her family. 661 00:38:58,920 --> 00:39:01,680 Julia fully recognizes the responsibility 662 00:39:01,800 --> 00:39:05,200 that falls on her shoulders, not just to be a good wife, 663 00:39:05,320 --> 00:39:08,480 to be beyond suspicion in her own marriage, 664 00:39:08,600 --> 00:39:10,360 but also to ensure that she's 665 00:39:10,480 --> 00:39:13,320 protecting the Julian family name. 666 00:39:13,440 --> 00:39:15,520 Caesar's entire genetic future 667 00:39:15,640 --> 00:39:17,080 and some of his political future 668 00:39:17,200 --> 00:39:19,920 are going to rest on little Julia's shoulders. 669 00:39:20,040 --> 00:39:35,640 ♪ 670 00:39:35,760 --> 00:39:39,240 Narrator: Caesar's reputation has been damaged. 671 00:39:39,360 --> 00:39:42,760 He needs to take back control. 672 00:39:42,880 --> 00:39:45,400 Now the conquering General Pompey 673 00:39:45,520 --> 00:39:47,120 has stood down his army 674 00:39:47,240 --> 00:39:50,160 and is due to return to Rome. 675 00:39:50,280 --> 00:39:54,480 It offers Caesar a fresh chance for a powerful alliance. 676 00:39:56,120 --> 00:39:59,400 Holland: Caesar sees in Pompey the face of the future, 677 00:39:59,520 --> 00:40:02,120 that this is what it is to be great in-- 678 00:40:02,240 --> 00:40:04,040 in what the republic has become. 679 00:40:04,160 --> 00:40:09,680 Running through his head is, "I want that." 680 00:40:14,040 --> 00:40:18,520 Narrator: For Caesar, Pompey is the model of success. 681 00:40:18,640 --> 00:40:22,360 But whilst everyone welcomes the wealth he brings to Rome, 682 00:40:22,480 --> 00:40:25,240 many in the Senate are wary. 683 00:40:27,360 --> 00:40:29,680 There's the fear, always the fear, 684 00:40:29,800 --> 00:40:32,800 that the conquering general may set himself up 685 00:40:32,920 --> 00:40:35,080 as the new tyrant of Rome. 686 00:40:37,400 --> 00:40:39,600 Narrator: But Pompey has just one thing 687 00:40:39,720 --> 00:40:41,560 on his political agenda. 688 00:40:43,240 --> 00:40:45,880 Holland: The huge challenge that Pompey faces when he comes back 689 00:40:46,000 --> 00:40:47,480 is to provide land for his veterans, 690 00:40:47,600 --> 00:40:49,000 the legions who've been following him. 691 00:40:49,120 --> 00:40:50,520 This is what Pompey has promised. 692 00:40:50,640 --> 00:40:52,600 The demand for land 693 00:40:52,720 --> 00:40:55,320 by the veterans of the great campaigns 694 00:40:55,440 --> 00:40:58,160 is persistent through time. 695 00:40:58,280 --> 00:41:03,640 What they need is a plot of land to live off. 696 00:41:03,760 --> 00:41:06,640 Haley: Land means independence. 697 00:41:06,760 --> 00:41:11,040 You're not dependent on granaries in Rome 698 00:41:11,160 --> 00:41:13,280 for your little ration. 699 00:41:13,400 --> 00:41:15,680 It means dignity. 700 00:41:15,800 --> 00:41:19,000 Pompey is a man of integrity. 701 00:41:19,120 --> 00:41:23,000 He gives his word. You will have a farm. 702 00:41:23,120 --> 00:41:25,600 He is going to see that through. 703 00:41:28,320 --> 00:41:30,000 Narrator: Pompey puts forward a bill 704 00:41:30,120 --> 00:41:33,360 to award land to his veterans. 705 00:41:33,480 --> 00:41:36,200 But many optimates, including Cato, 706 00:41:36,320 --> 00:41:40,080 are keen to cut him down to size and reject it. 707 00:41:42,760 --> 00:41:46,560 Stewart: Cato still sees Pompey as a danger to the republic. 708 00:41:46,680 --> 00:41:48,560 He's a billionaire celebrity 709 00:41:48,680 --> 00:41:51,120 coming in and throwing his weight around. 710 00:41:51,240 --> 00:41:56,360 It's vital to Cato that these big, overweening men 711 00:41:56,480 --> 00:41:58,400 are marginalized. 712 00:41:58,520 --> 00:42:00,720 When he sees Pompey facing 713 00:42:00,840 --> 00:42:03,080 major difficulties in the Senate, 714 00:42:03,200 --> 00:42:05,000 on the Roman political scene, 715 00:42:05,120 --> 00:42:09,320 surely Crassus must be taking a good deal of pleasure. 716 00:42:09,440 --> 00:42:11,040 Holland: Caesar sees the astonishing spectacle 717 00:42:11,160 --> 00:42:13,840 of Pompey, the conqueror of the gorgeous East. 718 00:42:13,960 --> 00:42:15,640 He's frustrated. He doesn't know what to do. 719 00:42:15,760 --> 00:42:17,280 He's absolutely paralyzed. 720 00:42:19,800 --> 00:42:21,440 Santangelo: Pompey realizes that he's becoming 721 00:42:21,560 --> 00:42:23,960 an increasingly isolated figure, 722 00:42:24,080 --> 00:42:25,600 and that presents him, Pompey, 723 00:42:25,720 --> 00:42:27,360 with a very real strategic challenge-- 724 00:42:27,480 --> 00:42:31,240 how to get out of this impasse. 725 00:42:31,360 --> 00:42:40,320 ♪ 726 00:42:40,440 --> 00:42:45,640 Haley: Pompey realizes that one way 727 00:42:45,760 --> 00:42:47,840 to win over the opponents 728 00:42:47,960 --> 00:42:50,480 is through marriage. 729 00:42:50,600 --> 00:42:54,720 Marriage was a tool for a Roman politician. 730 00:42:54,840 --> 00:42:56,440 Everybody knew it. 731 00:42:56,560 --> 00:42:58,120 Pompey is probably 732 00:42:58,240 --> 00:42:59,880 the most eligible bachelor in Rome at this time. 733 00:43:00,000 --> 00:43:02,400 He's known to be beloved by the ladies, 734 00:43:02,520 --> 00:43:06,240 but also has a strange sense of sexual fidelity for a man. 735 00:43:06,360 --> 00:43:08,400 He's not gadding about, bed hopping, 736 00:43:08,520 --> 00:43:11,080 playing the field like Caesar is. 737 00:43:11,200 --> 00:43:15,920 Stewart: Pompey, this billionaire celebrity general, 738 00:43:16,040 --> 00:43:19,640 comes to Cato and says he wants to marry his niece. 739 00:43:22,280 --> 00:43:25,320 This is a big moment of decision for Cato, 740 00:43:25,440 --> 00:43:28,520 because if Cato allies himself with Pompey, 741 00:43:28,640 --> 00:43:31,320 there's a possibility that through that compromise, 742 00:43:31,440 --> 00:43:34,000 he can keep Pompey on the side of the republic 743 00:43:34,120 --> 00:43:36,320 against people like Julius Caesar. 744 00:43:39,160 --> 00:43:42,640 But in the end, he won't compromise. 745 00:43:42,760 --> 00:43:46,920 Flat out, flat out rejects it. 746 00:43:48,960 --> 00:43:51,160 Stewart: He's not prepared to sully his family 747 00:43:51,280 --> 00:43:52,920 by allying with Pompey. 748 00:43:53,040 --> 00:43:54,960 He says, "I'm not going to be outmaneuvered 749 00:43:55,080 --> 00:43:56,560 by the bedroom of a girl." 750 00:43:56,680 --> 00:43:59,520 This is purely political. 751 00:44:01,880 --> 00:44:06,800 Pompey feels like he has no control 752 00:44:06,920 --> 00:44:09,200 over what's happening politically. 753 00:44:12,840 --> 00:44:18,960 And Cato is thinking, "I've got him." 754 00:44:19,080 --> 00:44:35,680 ♪ 755 00:44:35,800 --> 00:44:38,200 Narrator: Watching the great commander Pompey 756 00:44:38,320 --> 00:44:41,040 belittled by conservatives in the Senate, 757 00:44:41,160 --> 00:44:43,440 Caesar sees an opportunity 758 00:44:43,560 --> 00:44:47,000 that could serve both of their ambitions. 759 00:44:49,520 --> 00:44:52,120 Holland: Caesar recognizes in the problems 760 00:44:52,240 --> 00:44:55,920 that Pompey is facing massive opportunity. 761 00:44:56,040 --> 00:45:01,800 Pompey needs Caesar, Caesar needs Pompey. 762 00:45:01,920 --> 00:45:05,120 Nothing was going to happen for either one of them 763 00:45:05,240 --> 00:45:08,280 unless they joined forces. 764 00:45:10,640 --> 00:45:13,240 Narrator: Caesar knows the consulship election 765 00:45:13,360 --> 00:45:15,040 is imminent, 766 00:45:15,160 --> 00:45:17,440 when the public will vote for two men 767 00:45:17,560 --> 00:45:19,400 to share the most prestigious 768 00:45:19,520 --> 00:45:23,240 and powerful political position in Rome. 769 00:45:23,360 --> 00:45:25,600 [Flames crackling] 770 00:45:27,800 --> 00:45:31,160 With Pompey backing him, Caesar is certain 771 00:45:31,280 --> 00:45:33,960 their combined popularity will win him 772 00:45:34,080 --> 00:45:36,400 the highest seat in the Senate. 773 00:45:40,240 --> 00:45:42,240 Holland: To be a consul, 774 00:45:42,360 --> 00:45:44,040 to be known by the Roman people 775 00:45:44,160 --> 00:45:47,200 as someone who has served as a consul, 776 00:45:47,320 --> 00:45:50,560 this is the dream that every ambitious citizen 777 00:45:50,680 --> 00:45:52,360 in the republic nurtures. 778 00:45:52,480 --> 00:45:59,400 ♪ 779 00:45:59,520 --> 00:46:03,480 Narrator: Caesar wins the election by a landslide. 780 00:46:03,600 --> 00:46:09,880 ♪ 781 00:46:10,000 --> 00:46:12,480 Holland: It's only a few years since he was facing 782 00:46:12,600 --> 00:46:15,240 the potential utter ruin of his career. 783 00:46:15,360 --> 00:46:18,120 Had he failed to win election to pontifex maximus, 784 00:46:18,240 --> 00:46:21,280 he might have ended up a Catiline. 785 00:46:21,400 --> 00:46:27,520 But now he's won the consulship. It is a great, great thing. 786 00:46:27,640 --> 00:46:30,320 Narrator: But two consuls are elected, 787 00:46:30,440 --> 00:46:35,200 and Caesar is expected to share power. 788 00:46:35,320 --> 00:46:38,920 Stewart: The only consolation that Cato has got at this stage 789 00:46:39,040 --> 00:46:42,200 is that the second consul is one of Cato's allies, 790 00:46:42,320 --> 00:46:45,200 but Cato must already be beginning to suspect 791 00:46:45,320 --> 00:46:48,120 that he's maybe not the man to stand up to Caesar. 792 00:46:49,880 --> 00:46:52,400 Narrator: Now he's consul, Caesar needs to make good 793 00:46:52,520 --> 00:46:55,040 on his promise to Pompey 794 00:46:55,160 --> 00:46:59,240 by proposing a bill to award land to his veterans. 795 00:46:59,360 --> 00:47:04,680 Convention dictates that the Senate must debate it first, 796 00:47:04,800 --> 00:47:06,880 and if the majority agree, 797 00:47:07,000 --> 00:47:09,840 it will be put to a public vote. 798 00:47:09,960 --> 00:47:14,880 Holland: It's at this point that Caesar's familiar nemesis, 799 00:47:15,000 --> 00:47:18,000 Cato, stands up. 800 00:47:22,440 --> 00:47:25,280 Stewart: Cato filibusters. 801 00:47:25,400 --> 00:47:28,120 It's something that's still done in the House of Commons, 802 00:47:28,240 --> 00:47:30,960 something that's done a lot in the U.S. Senate. 803 00:47:31,080 --> 00:47:35,320 He speaks and speaks and speaks and speaks, 804 00:47:35,440 --> 00:47:37,360 and he speaks out the debate. 805 00:47:38,480 --> 00:47:42,600 Holland: It looks as though the bill has been defeated. 806 00:47:42,720 --> 00:47:45,000 Caesar's defeat, however, turns out to be 807 00:47:45,120 --> 00:47:47,680 only a seeming defeat. 808 00:47:47,800 --> 00:47:50,560 Narrator: Caesar knows conservatives in the Senate 809 00:47:50,680 --> 00:47:53,120 will do everything they can to obstruct him. 810 00:47:54,520 --> 00:47:58,320 So, he decides to play populares once again 811 00:47:58,440 --> 00:48:00,880 and bypass the Senate entirely. 812 00:48:02,280 --> 00:48:04,280 [Crowd cheering] 813 00:48:08,400 --> 00:48:12,200 He takes the bill straight to the public Forum 814 00:48:12,320 --> 00:48:14,880 for the people to have their vote. 815 00:48:18,880 --> 00:48:22,400 Stewart: What Caesar does is that he moves out of the Senate 816 00:48:22,520 --> 00:48:25,160 and he goes back to the people. 817 00:48:25,280 --> 00:48:27,880 Holland: He takes the bill into the Forum, 818 00:48:28,000 --> 00:48:30,680 and there in the Forum, gangs of heavies, 819 00:48:30,800 --> 00:48:34,680 gangs of Caesar supporters, Pompey's veterans. 820 00:48:34,800 --> 00:48:38,280 A very, very menacing atmosphere. 821 00:48:38,400 --> 00:48:41,080 Stewart: He stands on the rostrum, and he basically 822 00:48:41,200 --> 00:48:45,040 whips up a mob to try to get through what he wants. 823 00:48:48,800 --> 00:48:53,720 Then Caesar brings out his celebrity support... 824 00:48:53,840 --> 00:48:55,240 [Cheering] 825 00:48:55,360 --> 00:48:56,880 Pompey the Great. 826 00:48:57,000 --> 00:48:59,400 It's absolutely political theater. 827 00:48:59,520 --> 00:49:02,360 Crowd goes crazy. "Yay!" 828 00:49:02,480 --> 00:49:05,000 [Cheering continues] 829 00:49:05,120 --> 00:49:08,520 Holland: The real jaw dropper is when 830 00:49:08,640 --> 00:49:11,720 Caesar reveals his second celebrity backer. 831 00:49:11,840 --> 00:49:16,040 And the people go, "Wait a minute. 832 00:49:16,160 --> 00:49:19,320 What is going on here?" 833 00:49:19,440 --> 00:49:21,960 And that second celebrity backer 834 00:49:22,080 --> 00:49:25,720 is Pompey's deadliest enemy--Crassus. 835 00:49:25,840 --> 00:49:28,040 [Crowd cheering] 836 00:49:31,440 --> 00:49:33,000 Stewart: Crassus. 837 00:49:33,120 --> 00:49:35,840 Crassus, a disgusting billionaire 838 00:49:35,960 --> 00:49:39,200 who made his money in the most unscrupulous fashion, 839 00:49:39,320 --> 00:49:43,360 has now allied himself with Caesar and Pompey. 840 00:49:43,480 --> 00:49:44,880 Santangelo: Crassus seized the opportunity 841 00:49:45,000 --> 00:49:47,560 to make himself central in Roman politics 842 00:49:47,680 --> 00:49:49,440 by forging an alliance 843 00:49:49,560 --> 00:49:55,160 with two rather unlikely but extremely effective partners. 844 00:49:58,480 --> 00:50:02,280 Holland: Cato and his supporters gaze in horror 845 00:50:02,400 --> 00:50:04,920 as they realize what this means, 846 00:50:05,040 --> 00:50:08,320 that Caesar somehow has brought together 847 00:50:08,440 --> 00:50:11,760 the two most powerful men in Rome. 848 00:50:13,600 --> 00:50:18,560 Haley: Three men, taken from the Latin "triumvirate." 849 00:50:18,680 --> 00:50:20,640 Whether the Senate likes it or not, 850 00:50:20,760 --> 00:50:24,920 whether Cato likes it or not, doesn't matter. 851 00:50:25,040 --> 00:50:27,200 They are going to control Rome. 852 00:50:27,320 --> 00:50:30,080 It is Cato's nightmare coming to fruition. 853 00:50:30,200 --> 00:50:38,440 ♪ 854 00:50:38,560 --> 00:50:42,600 Narrator: Caesar presents the land bill to the people. 855 00:50:42,720 --> 00:50:44,920 But before they take their vote, 856 00:50:45,040 --> 00:50:47,560 there is one voice of opposition. 857 00:50:49,120 --> 00:50:53,480 Stewart: The second consul, the elected co-consul of Rome, 858 00:50:53,600 --> 00:50:56,320 effectively the elected prime minister of Rome... 859 00:50:58,240 --> 00:51:01,880 steps forward onto the rostra to try once more 860 00:51:02,000 --> 00:51:03,720 to argue against this bill. 861 00:51:03,840 --> 00:51:06,680 Caesar's not having any of that. 862 00:51:11,600 --> 00:51:13,000 [Crowd cheering] 863 00:51:14,160 --> 00:51:16,240 Holland: Caesar's heavies pile in. 864 00:51:18,360 --> 00:51:20,480 They attack him, they beat him up. 865 00:51:23,720 --> 00:51:25,240 Stewart: It's that moment, I think, Cato 866 00:51:25,360 --> 00:51:28,400 must sense that he's lost. 867 00:51:28,520 --> 00:51:31,560 Caesar just smiles. He laughs, 868 00:51:31,680 --> 00:51:33,840 leaves his colleague to crawl off 869 00:51:33,960 --> 00:51:36,400 and leave Rome to Caesar. 870 00:51:36,520 --> 00:51:52,520 ♪ 871 00:51:52,640 --> 00:51:54,680 [Birds chirping] 872 00:52:01,200 --> 00:52:05,280 Narrator: Caesar will ensure Pompey's veterans get their land 873 00:52:05,400 --> 00:52:09,560 and that Crassus gets lucrative tax breaks. 874 00:52:09,680 --> 00:52:13,160 For himself, he's lining up the command of Gaul, 875 00:52:13,280 --> 00:52:14,800 now modern France, 876 00:52:14,920 --> 00:52:17,880 a vast, unconquered province 877 00:52:18,000 --> 00:52:22,480 that promises him even greater power and glory. 878 00:52:22,600 --> 00:52:26,960 And he's securing this future with a marriage. 879 00:52:30,600 --> 00:52:35,520 Haley: Pompey, as we know, was rejected by Cato. 880 00:52:35,640 --> 00:52:37,920 But that's a blessing in disguise, 881 00:52:38,040 --> 00:52:44,280 because now he can accept Caesar's proposal 882 00:52:44,400 --> 00:52:46,840 that he marry Julia. 883 00:52:49,520 --> 00:52:51,880 Pandey: All these years, Caesar has been holding on to Julia 884 00:52:52,000 --> 00:52:55,280 as his ace in the hole for maintaining and creating 885 00:52:55,400 --> 00:52:58,200 political alliances and opportunities. 886 00:52:58,320 --> 00:53:00,920 Caesar sees the perfect moment to play that card. 887 00:53:01,040 --> 00:53:03,120 Pompey's marriage to Julia is 888 00:53:03,240 --> 00:53:06,960 absolutely essential to Caesar's ambitions. 889 00:53:07,080 --> 00:53:09,560 It's really this event that solidifies 890 00:53:09,680 --> 00:53:12,840 that alliance is more than just political. 891 00:53:12,960 --> 00:53:14,960 Both Pompey and Caesar are really putting 892 00:53:15,080 --> 00:53:16,600 their skin in the game 893 00:53:16,720 --> 00:53:19,480 by committing to this relationship. 894 00:53:21,720 --> 00:53:23,680 Holland: Caesar has really been adopting 895 00:53:23,800 --> 00:53:25,960 a kind of two-pronged strategy. 896 00:53:26,080 --> 00:53:29,200 The first strategy is to accumulate honors. 897 00:53:29,320 --> 00:53:31,520 So, he's become pontifex maximus. 898 00:53:31,640 --> 00:53:33,000 He's become consul. 899 00:53:33,120 --> 00:53:34,800 But it's that fusion of 900 00:53:34,920 --> 00:53:37,040 the traditional statesmanship 901 00:53:37,160 --> 00:53:39,960 and a readiness to play fast and loose with the rules 902 00:53:40,080 --> 00:53:42,040 that marks him out as someone, 903 00:53:42,160 --> 00:53:45,000 by the standards of the republic, of menace. 904 00:53:46,600 --> 00:53:49,880 He's won the highest political position in the land. 905 00:53:50,000 --> 00:53:52,080 He is effectively the master of Rome. 906 00:53:52,200 --> 00:53:56,240 But here is the question. What next? 907 00:53:58,720 --> 00:54:28,080 ♪