WARRIORS OF CHRIST'S ARMY Russian priests in the Great Patriotic War ________________________________________________________________________________ Today, few people know about the priests who fought on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War. No one will say exactly how many of them there were, going into battle without a cassock or crosses, in a soldier’s overcoat, with a rifle in hand and a prayer on their lips. Nobody kept statistics. But the priests not only fought, defending their faith and the Fatherland, but also received awards - almost forty clergy were awarded medals “For the Defense of Leningrad” and “For the Defense of Moscow”, more than fifty - “For Valiant Labor During the War”, several dozen – medal “Partisan of the Great Patriotic War”. How many others have been spared awards? _______________________________________________________________________ Priest Fyodor Puzanov (1888-1965) Participant in two world wars, Knight of St. George - awarded crosses of the 1st, 2nd and 4th degrees, awarded the St. George Medal of the 2nd degree and the medal “Partisan of the Patriotic War” of the 2nd degrees. He took holy orders in 1926. In 1929 he was sent to prison, then served in a rural church. During the war, he collected 500,000 rubles in the villages of Zapolye and Borodich and transferred them through the partisans to Leningrad to create a tank column of the Red Army. “During the partisan movement, since 1942 I had contact with the partisans, I completed many tasks,” the priest wrote in 1944 to Archbishop Gregory of Pskov and Porkhov. - I helped the partisans with bread, I was the first to give my cow, linen, whatever the partisans needed, they turned to me, for which I received the state award of the 2nd degree “Partisan of the Patriotic War.” From 1948 until his death, rector of the Assumption Church in the village of Molochkovo, Soletsky district, Novgorod region. Cross of St. George, 2nd degree Cross of St. George, 3rd degree Cross of St. George, 4th degree Medal “Partisan of the Patriotic War”, 2nd degree ________________________________________________________________________________ Archimandrite Kirill (in the world Ivan Dmitrievich Pavlov) (1919-2017) Confessor of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, ecclesiastical father of three Russian Patriarchs: Alexy I, Pimen and Alexy II. Participant of the Great Patriotic War with the rank of lieutenant, participated in the defense of Stalingrad (commanded a platoon), in battles near Lake Balaton in Hungary, ended the war in Austria. Demobilized in 1946. During the war, Ivan Pavlov turned to faith. He recalled that while on guard duty in the destroyed Stalingrad in April 1943, he found a Gospel among the ruins of a house. Sometimes Archimandrite Kirill is identified with the famous sergeant Ya. F. Pavlov, who also took part in the Battle of Stalingrad and defended the famous “Pavlov’s house”. However, we are talking about a namesake - guard senior sergeant Yakov Pavlov after the war was at party work and did not take monastic vows. After demobilization, Ivan Pavlov entered the Moscow Theological Seminary, and upon graduation, the Moscow Theological Academy, from which he graduated in 1954. On August 25, 1954, he was tonsured a monk at the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. In 1954-1955, at the beginning of his stay in the Lavra, the elder was a sexton at the Trinity Cathedral, then later - the Lavra cashier, assistant treasurer and, finally, the treasurer of the Lavra. In 1956 he was awarded a loincloth, and in 1957 - a pectoral cross. On October 30, 1959, Bishop Pimen (Izvekov) of Dmitrov elevated Hieromonk Kirill to the rank of hegumen in the Lavra Refectory Church; in 1962 he received a decorated cross. On October 7, 1965, His Holiness Patriarch Alexy I elevated Father Kirill to the rank of archimandrite. In 1979, in connection with his sixtieth birthday, the Lavra’s confessor, Archimandrite Kirill, was awarded the right to wear a second cross with decoration. In 1999 he was awarded the Patriarchal Pectoral Cross. He died on the evening of February 20, 2017 at the Patriarchal residence in Peredelkino. He was buried in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. Awarded: - Order of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Grand Duke Vladimir, III degree (1971); - Order of St. Sergius of Radonezh, 1st degree (1999); - Order of the Patriotic War, 2nd degree; - Order of Glory, 3rd degree; - medal “For the Defense of Stalingrad” - anniversary medal “65 years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945.” Order of St. Sergius of Radonezh, first degree Order of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Grand Duke Vladimir, third degree Order of the Patriotic War, 2nd degree Order of Glory, 3rd degree Medal “For the Defense of Stalingrad” Jubilee medal “65 years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945.” _______________________________________________________________________ Archpriest Gleb Kaleda (1921-1994) Born in 1921 in Petrograd. Father - Alexander Vasilyevich Kaleda († 1958) - economist, mother - Alexandra Romanovna († 1933). The family was Orthodox. He spent his early childhood in Belarus, his father’s homeland. Since 1927, the family has lived in Moscow. Here, the eldest son in the family, Gleb, graduated from high school. From the beginning of the Great Patriotic War he was drafted into the army, and from December 1941 to September 1945. was in the active army, served as a radio operator in a division of guards Katyusha mortars, participated in the battles of Volkhov, Stalingrad, Kursk, in Belarus and near Koenigsberg. Guard Private Kaleda was awarded 16 orders and medals, including the Order of the Red Banner of Battle, two Orders of the Patriotic War and the Medal “For Courage.” After the war, in 1945, having passed the first-year exams as an external student, he entered the Moscow Geological Exploration Institute, from which he graduated with honors in 1951, following the institute course of study. He defended his PhD thesis, worked in educational institutions, research institutes, expeditions and part-time in educational organizations. He defended his doctoral dissertation on the topic: “Lateral variability of sediments on tectonic structures. Its significance for the search, forecast and exploration of oil and gas fields.” In 1972, he was secretly ordained as a deacon and priest, and from that moment on, extensive scientific activity (defense of a doctoral dissertation, assignment of the title of professor, leadership of a sector and department) takes place simultaneously with secret priestly service in the house church. After entering open priestly ministry in 1990 and until 1994, he was a cleric and rector in Moscow churches, the founder and first rector of Orthodox catechetical courses (which laid the foundation of today’s St. Tikhon’s Theological Institute), head. sector of education and catechesis of the Department for Religious Education and Catechesis of the Moscow Patriarchate, the first rector of the Church of the Most Holy Theotokos at Butyrskaya prison (being at the same time a priest of the Church of St. Sergius of Radonezh in the Vysokopetrovsky Monastery); in 1994 he was elevated to the rank of archpriest. He has theological works devoted to issues of apologetics, Orthodox upbringing and education, published in the ZhMP, “Orthodox Conversation”, in the journals “The Path of Orthodoxy”, “Alpha and Omega” and other publications. The list of his scientific publications includes over 170 titles. At the same time, he sought to protect Orthodox doctrine from pseudo-scientific attacks. During the period of Khrushchev’s persecution, he wrote an apologetic work, “The Bible and the Science of the Creation of the World,” in which he showed the absence of fundamental contradictions between the biblical and scientific ideas about the origin of the Universe. After secretly accepting the priesthood, he composed a large theological work, “The Domestic Church,” in which he considered the family as a special church ministry. Once, talking about the fate of the Church, he raised his hand with his fingers spread wide apart and exclaimed: “Five of my confessors died “there,” and so that it became clear what this five-fold spiritual orphanhood meant for him, and what power the Lord gave to him. a person to overcome everything. The last service in his life to All Saints who have shone in the Russian land, Fr. Gleb served as a service to the martyrs, in red vestments, and his sermon about the feat of famous and unknown millions of witnesses, confessors, martyrs and passion-bearers - about his people - was inspired. ...Shortly before going to the hospital for the last time, he said at the Liturgy of the Transfiguration: “It is good for us to be on Tabor, but the path to salvation lies through Golgotha.” Being seriously ill and in the Botkin hospital, he suffered greatly from pain, but was still keenly interested in what was happening in the parish. Dictated his observations about Orthodox education for the materials of the Bishops' Council. Died on November 1, 1994. His last words were: “Don’t worry, I feel very good.” He was buried at the Vagankovskoye cemetery. Awarded: - pectoral cross (from Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Rus', 1993) - Order of the Red Banner (02/28/1945) - Order of the Patriotic War, II degree (09/30/1944) - Medal "For Courage" (07/15/1943) Order of the Red Banner Order of the Patriotic War, 2nd class medal “For Courage” _______________________________________________________________________ Archpriest Nikolai Kolosov (1915-2011) The son of a priest, for this he was expelled from school. He fought in the Tula region, in 1943 he fought on the Bolokhovo-Mtsensk line. Bodies of the dead and wounded were everywhere. There is a continuous groan in the air. People are moaning, horses are moaning. I thought then: “And they also say that there is no hell. This is hell." They stood on the Sozh River in the Smolensk region. In August 1944 he was wounded near Bialystok. After the war he entered the seminary. On the eve of Peter's Day 1948, he was ordained to the priesthood. Went through Khrushchev's persecution. Russian priests in the Great Patriotic War Metropolitan Nikolai (Kutepov) of Nizhny Novgorod and Arzamas (1924-2001) Born on the Kutepovo farm (now Kireyevsky district of the Tula region) in a peasant family. After graduating from high school, he was enrolled in the Tula Machine Gun School and in 1942 was sent to the front. He fought as a private at Stalingrad. After being wounded (two machine-gun wounds and frostbite on his extremities), he was hospitalized, from where, after amputation of both toes, he was demobilized and returned to Tula in 1943. From October 1946 he was secretary of Tula Archbishop Anthony (Martsenko), who was arrested in December 1951. In September 1950 he entered the 3rd grade of the Moscow Theological Seminary. In 1953, he was accepted into the clergy of the Vologda diocese and appointed to the position of supernumerary psalm-reader at the Cherepovets Cathedral. On July 12, 1953, Bishop Gabriel (Ogorodnikov) ordained him as a deacon to the Kazan Church in the city of Ustyuzhna. In 1954-1958 he studied at the Leningrad Theological Academy. Candidate of Theology. In November 1959 he was ordained to the priesthood. On December 20, 1959, he became a monk, becoming the last tonsure of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra before its closure, and at the beginning of 1960 he was appointed inspector of the Saratov Theological Seminary, which was closed after the end of the 1960/1961 academic year. On August 28, 1961 he was elevated to the rank of archimandrite. On September 10, 1961, he was consecrated Bishop of Mukachevo and Uzhgorod. Since October 9, 1963, Bishop of Omsk and Tyumen. December 16, 1969 - Bishop of Rostov and Novocherkassk. Since December 1, 1970 - Bishop of Vladimir and Suzdal. On September 9, 1972, he was elevated to the rank of archbishop. Since April 17, 1975 - Archbishop of Kaluga and Borovsk. Since June 11, 1977 - Archbishop of Gorky and Arzamas. On February 25, 1991, he was elevated to the rank of metropolitan. Died at 8:45 am on June 21, 2001. Awarded: - Order of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Grand Duke Vladimir, II degree (1963) - Order of St. Sergius of Radonezh, II degree (1981) - Order of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Grand Duke Vladimir, I degree (1986) - Medal "For Military Merit" - Order of the Patriotic War, II degree - Order of the Red Banner of Labor - Order of Friendship of Peoples Order of St. Sergius of Radonezh, second degree Order of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Grand Duke Vladimir, first degree Order of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Grand Duke Vladimir, second degree Order of the Patriotic War, 2nd degree Medal "For Military Merit" Order of the Red Banner of Labor Order of Friendship of Peoples _______________________________________________________________________ Archpriest Alexey Osipov (1924-2004) Born in the Saratov province, graduated from high school in 1942. Sent to the heavy mortar division of the Reserve Headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief. This division was attached to the 57th Army, which was repelling the German offensive south of Stalingrad. With the beginning of our counteroffensive, fire spotter Private Osipov had to go through heavy fighting through the Kalmyk steppes to Rostov-on-Don. Here, on February 3, 1943, in one battle, Alexey Pavlovich received two wounds. First there was shrapnel in the forearm and chest, but he did not leave the battlefield, and in the evening his foot was crushed. The foot and part of the lower leg could not be saved and were amputated. After treatment, the young disabled soldier, awarded the medals “For Courage” and “For the Defense of Stalingrad,” returned to his native place on the Volga. In 1945, in a very short time, he graduated from the Stalingrad Teachers' Institute with honors and passed the exams as an external student for the course at the Voronezh Pedagogical Institute. He was expelled for reading in the choir. He graduated from the Odessa Theological Seminary, the Moscow Theological Academy and graduated in 1952 with a candidate's degree in theology. Sent to the Novosibirsk diocese, in October 1952 Alexy Osipov was ordained by Metropolitan Bartholomew as a deacon and priest. Father Alexy became the first priest of the Novosibirsk diocese - a graduate of the revived Academy. For less than six months, priest Alexy Osipov served in the Ascension Cathedral; during the Great Lent of 1953, he was appointed to the St. Nicholas Church in the village of Novolugovoy. In 1957, he was again appointed to the cathedral as rector. In 1958 he again served in Novolugovo, in 1960 - in the St. Nicholas Church of Abakan, and since 1961 as rector of the St. Nicholas Church in Starokuznetsk (now part of Novokuznetsk). Father Alexy served in this church for twenty years until 1980. From 1980 until his death on May 29, 2004, Archpriest Alexy Osipov lived and served in the Moscow region. Awarded: - the right to wear a miter (1992) - the right to serve the Divine Liturgy with the Royal Doors open until the Cherubic Song (1999) - Order of St. Sergius of Radonezh, III degree - Order of the Holy Blessed Prince Daniel of Moscow, III degree - Order of the Patriotic War, I degree - Order of the Patriotic War, II degree - Medal "For Courage" - Medal "For the Defense of Stalingrad" Order of St. Sergius of Radonezh, third degree Order of the Holy Blessed Prince Daniil of Moscow, third degree, Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree, Order of the Patriotic War, 2nd degree, medal “For Courage” Medal “For the Defense of Stalingrad” ________________________________________________________________________________ Archdeacon Andrei Mazur (1926-2018) Priest of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarchal Archdeacon of two Patriarchs of Moscow and all Rus': Alexy II and Kirill. Participant of the Great Patriotic War. Born in 1926 in the village of New Kokorev in Western Ukraine (until 1939 - part of Poland), located near the Pochaev Lavra. Father Lazar Prokopievich is the church warden of the village temple. Mother, Agafya Filippovna, died in 1930.
The National Museum of Antiquities in the Netherlands has released a sensational photograph of the Roman dictator. In the image, the ruler's head turned out to be unnaturally convex and swollen. The head was made using . Fox News reports this.
“The doctor said that this happens during a difficult birth. You can’t imagine this as an artist,” explained anthropologist Maya Dollosi.
The reconstruction was carried out thanks to a marble sculpture of Caesar from the museum's collection.
“The sculpture is very damaged, so it was decided to supplement the missing parts, such as the nose and chin, based on another portrait of the ruler - the so-called bust from Tusculum, which is kept in Turin, Italy,” the institution said.
As is known, Caesar is usually depicted in sculptural portraits with a large, but generally normal head. Contemporaries did not note her strange shape, there is no mention of this, but more attention was paid to her bald head, which the dictator was ashamed of, very fair skin and a rather weak physique.
Let us remind you that we previously reported that this was reported by the press service of the Polish Academy of Sciences.
“We have managed to find so far the only drawings of the secretary bird, carved on the wall during the time of the pharaohs. We can say that these birds were the rarest “treasures” that the troops of the “lords of two kingdoms” brought back to Egypt from the legendary country of Punt,” says Filip Taterka, leader of the expedition to Deir el-Bahri.
As the chronicles of ancient times tell, Ancient Egypt sent numerous military and research expeditions far beyond its borders. His troops and travelers penetrated the territory of Libya, Nubia and Sinai, and the ships of the ancient Egyptians, according to some historians, could reach the Cape of Good Hope and explore most of the coast of Africa.
Thus, the largest expedition of this kind was organized during the reign of Queen Hatshepsut, who sent an army to the territory of a supposedly fabulously rich and exotic country, which the ancient Egyptians called “Punt,” or “land of the gods.” Once on its territory, the Egyptian expeditionary force established trade relations with its inhabitants, purchasing ebony, incense, skins and exotic animals.
Out of vanity, and not as a symbol of victory.
In his book “The Lives of the Twelve Caesars” (121), the ancient Roman historian Suetonius notes that Julius Caesar“he usually combed his thinning hair from the crown of his head to his forehead,” and therefore “with the greatest pleasure he accepted and took advantage of the right” given to him by the Senate to “wear the laurel wreath” of the winner whenever he pleased.
Caesar was very worried about his baldness. Cleopatra, with whom he had an affair, recommended the emperor a recipe for a “proven” remedy: a healing ointment made from crushed burnt mice, bear fat, horse teeth and deer bone marrow, which should be rubbed into the head until it “sprouts.” Apparently, the miracle balm was ineffective.
Caesar, by the way, was not the only general with a hair problem. According to the Greek historian Polybius, the Carthaginian commander Hannibal(247-183 BC) found a way to get around this annoying nuisance: “He ordered the production of several wigs, dyed to match the appearance of people who differed greatly in age, and constantly changed them.” Even Hannibal's close friends sometimes had difficulty recognizing him.
Before the establishment of the empire, the Romans wore their hair simply. Subsequently, hairstyles became more and more sophisticated, wigs came into fashion. Yes, empress Messalina(17-48) had a whole collection of light yellow wigs, which she wore while “working part-time” in brothels. (By law, Roman prostitutes were required to wear light yellow wigs as a sign of their profession.) Wigs continued to be worn after Rome became Christian (in 313), but the Church soon condemned them as a mortal sin.
The tradition of presenting a laurel wreath to the winner dates back to the 6th century BC. e. - to the Pythian Games in Delphi. These competitions were held in honor of the god Apollo, who was usually depicted in a wreath of laurel leaves - in memory of the nymph Daphne, who turned into a laurel tree in order to escape Apollo's harassment.
In addition to the symbol of victory, the laurel was also considered healing plant, therefore, doctors who had undergone training also received a wreath of its leaves. This is where academic expressions such as “ bachelor's degreeat", "Bachelor of Arts" (abbr. English BA) and " bachelorsciences"(abbreviated English: BSc). They all come from the Latin Vassa lauri, " laurel fruit».
No one, however, knows where the Latin surname “Caesar” came from.
According to Pliny the Elder, the origin of the surname is due to the fact that the first Caesar (like Macbeth) was “cut out of his mother’s womb”: caesus in Latin “cut”. It is Pliny’s idea that underlies the origin of the term “caesarean section”. But this is a misconception: in those days, such operations were carried out only in order to extract a living fetus from the womb of a dead mother, and Caesar’s mother, Aurelia, as we know, lived long after the birth of her son.
The most plausible, in our opinion, explanation of the surname “Caesar” is that it comes from the Latin caesaries, i.e. “beautiful head of curls.”
He who truly loves is not jealous. The main essence of love is trust. Take away trust from love - you take away from it the consciousness of its own strength and duration, all of its bright side, and therefore all of its greatness.
Gaius Julius Caesar (100-44 BC) - Roman dictator in 49, 48-46, 45, from 44 BC. e. - for life. Politician and commander. He began his political activity as a supporter of the republican group, holding the position of military tribune in 73 BC. e., aedile in 65 BC. e., praetor in 62 BC. e. Seeking a consulate, in 60 BC. e. Julius Caesar entered into an alliance with the Roman commanders Gnaeus Pompey and Crassus (1st triumvirate). Consul in 59 BC e., then governor of Gaul; in 58-51 BC e. subjugated all of Trans-Alpine Gaul to Rome. In 49 BC e., relying on the army, began the struggle for autocracy. Having defeated Pompey and his supporters in 49-45 BC. e. (Crassus died in 53 BC), found himself at the head of the state. Having concentrated in his hands a number of the most important republican positions (dictator, consul, etc.), Gaius Julius Caesar became a de facto monarch. Killed as a result of a Republican conspiracy. Author of Notes on the Gallic War and Notes on the Civil Wars; carried out a calendar reform (Julian calendar). Julius Caesar was born on July 13, 100 BC. e. With his reign, a regime of sole power was established, and the last years of the Roman Republic are associated. The name of Caesar was turned into the title of the Roman emperors; Subsequently, the Russian words “tsar”, “Caesar”, and the German “Kaiser” came from it.
The youth of Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar came from a noble patrician family: his father served as praetor and then proconsul of Asia, his mother belonged to the noble plebeian family of the Aurelians. Young Caesar's family connections determined his position in the political world: his father's sister, Julia, was married to Gaius Marius, the de facto sole ruler of Rome, and Caesar's first wife, Cornelia, was the daughter of Cinna, Marius's successor. In 84 BC e. young Caesar was elected priest of Jupiter. Establishment of the dictatorship of Sulla in 82 BC. e. and the persecution of Mari's supporters affected Caesar's position: he was removed from his position as a priest and a divorce from Cornelia was demanded. Caesar refused, which resulted in the confiscation of his wife's property and the deprivation of his father's inheritance. Caesar's wreath. Sulla, however, pardoned the young man, although he was suspicious of him, believing that “there are many Maries in the boy.”
Beginning of military and government activities
Having left Rome for Asia, Julius Caesar was in military service, lived in Bithynia, Cilicia, and participated in the capture of Mytilene. He returned to Rome after Sulla's death and spoke at trials. In order to improve his oratory, he went to the island of Rhodes to the famous rhetorician Apollonius Molon. Returning from Rhodes, he was captured by pirates, paid a ransom, but then took brutal revenge by capturing sea robbers and putting them to death. In Rome, Yu. Caesar received the positions of priest-pontiff and military tribune, and from 68 BC. e. - quaestor, married Pompeia, a relative of Gnaeus Pompey - his future ally and then enemy. Taking over in 66 BC. e. the position of aedile, he was involved in the improvement of the city, organizing magnificent festivities and grain distributions; all this contributed to his popularity. Having become a senator, Julius participates in political intrigues in order to support Pompey, who was busy at that time with the war in the East and returned in triumph in 61 BC. e.
First triumvirate
In 60 BC e. On the eve of the consular elections, a secret political alliance was concluded - a triumvirate - between Pompey, Caesar and the winner of Spartacus, Crassus. Caesar was elected consul in 59 BC. e. together with Bibulus. Having passed the agrarian laws, Julius Caesar acquired a large number of followers who received land. Strengthening the triumvirate, he married his daughter to Pompey.
Gallic War
Having become proconsul of Gaul at the end of his consular powers, Julius Caesar conquered new territories for Rome here. The Gallic War demonstrated Caesar's exceptional diplomatic and strategic skill, his ability to exploit contradictions among the Gallic leaders. Having defeated the Germans in a fierce battle on the territory of modern Alsace, Caesar not only repelled their invasion, but then, for the first time in Roman history, he undertook a campaign across the Rhine, crossing his troops over a specially built bridge. Caesar also made a campaign to Britain, where he won several victories and crossed the Thames; however, realizing the fragility of his position, he soon left the island. In 56 BC e. During the meeting of the triumvirs in Luca with Caesar, who had arrived from Gaul for this purpose, a new agreement was concluded on mutual political support. In 54 BC e. Julius Caesar urgently returned to Gaul in connection with the uprising that had begun there. Despite desperate resistance and superior numbers, the Gauls were again conquered, many cities were captured and destroyed; to 50 BC e. Caesar restored the territories subject to Rome.
Julius Caesar - commander
As a commander, Caesar was distinguished by decisiveness and at the same time caution. He was hardy, and on a campaign he always walked ahead of the army - with his head uncovered in the heat, in the cold, and in the rain. The great commander knew how to motivate his soldiers with a short and well-constructed speech, personally knew his centurions and the best soldiers and enjoyed extraordinary popularity and authority among them.
Civil War
After the death of Crassus in 53 BC. e. the triumvirate fell apart. Pompey, in his rivalry with Julius Caesar, led the supporters of traditional Senate republican rule. The Senate, fearing Caesar, refused to extend his powers in Gaul. Realizing his popularity among the troops and in Rome itself, the commander decides to seize power by force. January 12, 49 BC e. he gathered the soldiers of the 13th Legion, made a speech to them and made the famous crossing of the river. Rubicon, thus crossing the border of Italy (legend attributes to him the words “the die is cast”, uttered before the crossing and marking the beginning of the civil war). In the very first days, Gaius Julius Caesar occupied several cities without encountering resistance. Panic began in Rome. Confused Pompey, the consuls and the Senate left the capital. Having entered Rome, Caesar convened the rest of the Senate and offered cooperation in joint government. Caesar's wreath. He quickly and successfully carried out a campaign against Pompey in the territory of his province - Spain. Returning to Rome, Caesar was proclaimed dictator. Pompey, teaming up with Metellus Scipio, hastily gathered a huge army, but Caesar inflicted a crushing defeat on him in the famous battle of Pharsalus; Pompey himself fled to the Asian provinces and was killed in Egypt. Pursuing Pompey, Caesar went to Egypt, to Alexandria, where he was presented with the head of his murdered rival. Caesar refused the terrible gift, and, according to biographers, mourned his death. While in Egypt, Julius Caesar intervened in political intrigues on the side of Queen Cleopatra; Alexandria was subdued. Meanwhile, the Pompeians, of whom Cato and Scipio took the leading roles, were gathering new forces based in North Africa. After a campaign in Syria and Cilicia (it was from here that Caesar wrote in his report “he came, he saw, he conquered”), he returned to Rome and then defeated the supporters of Pompey at the Battle of Thapsus (46 BC) in North Africa. The cities of North Africa expressed their submission, Numidia was annexed to the Roman possessions, turned into the province of New Africa.
Caesar the Dictator
Upon returning to Rome, Julius Caesar celebrates a magnificent triumph, arranges grandiose shows, games and treats for the people, and rewards the soldiers. He is proclaimed dictator for a 10-year term, and soon receives the titles of “emperor” and “father of the fatherland.” Caesar carries out laws on Roman citizenship, on government in cities, on the reduction of grain distributions in Rome, as well as a law against luxury. He reforms the calendar, which receives his name (read the history of the calendar in the description of the month January). After the last victory over the Pompeians at Munda (in Spain, 45 BC), Julius Caesar began to be given immoderate honors. His statues were erected in temples and among images of kings. He wore red royal boots, red royal vestments, had the right to sit on a gilded chair, and had a large honorary guard. The month of July was named after him, and a list of his honors was written in gold letters on silver columns. Caesar autocratically appointed and removed officials from power.
Conspiracy and assassination of Julius Caesar
Discontent was brewing in society, especially in republican circles, and there were rumors about Caesar's desire for royal power. His relationship with Cleopatra, who lived in Rome at that time, also made an unfavorable impression. A plot arose to assassinate the dictator. Among the conspirators were his closest associates Cassius and the young Marcus Junius Brutus, who, it was claimed, was even the illegitimate son of Caesar. March 15, 44 BC e. - on the Ides of March - at a meeting of the Senate, the conspirators, in front of the frightened senators, attacked Caesar with daggers. According to legend, seeing young Brutus among the murderers, Caesar exclaimed: “And you, my child” (or: “And you, Brutus”), stopped resisting and fell at the foot of the statue of his enemy Pompey.
Caesar also went down in history as the largest Roman writer - his “Notes on the Gallic War” and “Notes on the Civil War” are rightfully considered an example of Latin prose. Caesar's wreath
A person cannot love twice in his life; only one love is possible, deep and boundless as the sea.
