The Julii Caesares were the most illustrious family of the patrician ''

gens In ancient Rome, a gens ( or , ; : gentes ) was a family consisting of individuals who shared the same ''nomen gentilicium'' and who claimed descent from a common ancestor. A branch of a gens, sometimes identified by a distinct cognomen, was cal ...

Julia''. The family first appears in history during the

Second Punic War The Second Punic War (218 to 201 BC) was the second of Punic Wars, three wars fought between Ancient Carthage, Carthage and Roman Republic, Rome, the two main powers of the western Mediterranean Basin, Mediterranean in the 3rd century BC. For ...

, when Sextus Julius Caesar was

praetor ''Praetor'' ( , ), also ''pretor'', was the title granted by the government of ancient Rome to a man acting in one of two official capacities: (i) the commander of an army, and (ii) as an elected ''magistratus'' (magistrate), assigned to disch ...

Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...

. His son, Sextus Julius Caesar, obtained the

consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states thro ...

ship in 157 BC; but the most famous descendant of this

stirps In ancient Rome, a gens ( or , ; : gentes ) was a family consisting of individuals who shared the same ''nomen gentilicium'' and who claimed descent from a common ancestor. A branch of a gens, sometimes identified by a distinct cognomen, was cal ...

is Gaius Julius Caesar, a general who conquered

Gaul Gaul () was a region of Western Europe first clearly described by the Roman people, Romans, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and parts of Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany, and Northern Italy. It covered an area of . Ac ...

and became the undisputed master of

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

following the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

. Having been granted dictatorial power by the

Roman Senate The Roman Senate () was the highest and constituting assembly of ancient Rome and its aristocracy. With different powers throughout its existence it lasted from the first days of the city of Rome (traditionally founded in 753 BC) as the Sena ...

and instituting a number of political and social reforms, he was assassinated in 44 BC. After overcoming several rivals, Caesar's adopted son and heir,

Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian (), was the founder of the Roman Empire, who reigned as the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death in A ...

, was proclaimed

Augustus Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian (), was the founder of the Roman Empire, who reigned as the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death in A ...

by the senate, inaugurating what became the

Julio-Claudian The Julio-Claudian dynasty comprised the first five Roman emperors: Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, and Nero. This line of emperors ruled the Roman Empire, from its formation (under Augustus, in 27 BC) until the last of the line, Emper ...

line of Roman emperors.

History

The first of the Julii Caesares to appear in history was Sextus Julius Caesar, praetor in Sicily in 208 BC.''Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology'', vol. I, p. 536. From the

filiation Filiation is the legal term for the recognized legal status of the relationship between family members, or more specifically the legal relationship between parent and child. As described by the Government of Quebec: Filiation is the relationship ...

of his son, Sextus, "Sex. f. L. n.", we know that his father was named Lucius, but precisely who this Lucius was and whether he bore the surname ''Caesar'' is uncertain.Broughton, vol. I, p. 446. On the assumption that the Caesares were descended from earlier notable families of the Julia gens, some scholars have suggested that he was the son of Lucius Julius Libo, consul in 267 BC. The ''

Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology The ''Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology'' is a biographical dictionary of classical antiquity, edited by William Smith (lexicographer), William Smith and originally published in London by John Taylor (English publisher), Tayl ...

'' says this of the

cognomen A ''cognomen'' (; : ''cognomina''; from ''co-'' "together with" and ''(g)nomen'' "name") was the third name of a citizen of ancient Rome, under Roman naming conventions. Initially, it was a nickname, but lost that purpose when it became hereditar ...

''Caesar'':

It is uncertain which member of the Julia gens first obtained the surname of ''Caesar'', but the first who occurs in history is Sextus Julius Caesar,
praetor ''Praetor'' ( , ), also ''pretor'', was the title granted by the government of ancient Rome to a man acting in one of two official capacities: (i) the commander of an army, and (ii) as an elected ''magistratus'' (magistrate), assigned to disch ...
in BC 208. The origin of the name is equally uncertain. Spartianus, in his life of Aelius Verus, mentions four different opinions respecting its origin: #That the word signified an elephant in the language of the
Moors The term Moor is an Endonym and exonym, exonym used in European languages to designate the Muslims, Muslim populations of North Africa (the Maghreb) and the Iberian Peninsula (particularly al-Andalus) during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a s ...
, and was given as a surname to one of the Julii because he had killed an elephant. #That it was given to one of the Julii because he had been cut (''caesus'') out of his mother's womb after her death; or #Because he had been born with a great quantity of hair (''caesaries'') on his head; or #Because he had azure-colored (''caesii'') eyes of an almost supernatural kind. Of these opinions the third, which is also given by Festus, seems to come nearest the truth. ''Caesar'' and ''caesaries'' are both probably connected with the Sanskrit ''kêsa'', "hair", and it is quite in accordance with the Roman custom for a surname to be given to an individual from some peculiarity in his personal appearance. The second opinion, which seems to have been the most popular one with the ancient writers, arose without doubt from a
false etymology A false etymology (fake etymology or pseudo-etymology) is a false theory about the origin or derivation of a specific word or phrase. When a false etymology becomes a popular belief in a cultural/linguistic community, it is a folk etymology (or po ...
. With respect to the first, which was the one adopted, says Spartianus, by the most learned men, it is impossible to disprove it absolutely, as we know next to nothing of the ancient Moorish language; but it has no inherent probability in it; and the statement of
Servius Servius may refer to: * Servius (praenomen), a personal name during the Roman Republic * Servius the Grammarian (fl. 4th/5th century), Roman Latin grammarian * Servius Asinius Celer (died AD 46), Roman senator * Servius Cornelius Cethegus, Roma ...
is undoubtedly false, that the grandfather of the dictator obtained the surname on account of killing an elephant with his own hand in Africa, as there were several of the Julii with this name before his time. An inquiry into the etymology of this name is of some interest, as no other name has ever obtained such celebrity — ''"clarum et duraturum cum aeternitate mundi nomen."'' It was assumed by Augustus as the adopted son of the dictator, and was by Augustus handed down to his adopted son
Tiberius Tiberius Julius Caesar Augustus ( ; 16 November 42 BC – 16 March AD 37) was Roman emperor from AD 14 until 37. He succeeded his stepfather Augustus, the first Roman emperor. Tiberius was born in Rome in 42 BC to Roman politician Tiberius Cl ...
. It continued to be used by
Caligula Gaius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (31 August 12 – 24 January 41), also called Gaius and Caligula (), was Roman emperor from AD 37 until his assassination in 41. He was the son of the Roman general Germanicus and Augustus' granddaughter Ag ...
,
Claudius Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; ; 1 August 10 BC – 13 October AD 54), or Claudius, was a Roman emperor, ruling from AD 41 to 54. A member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, Claudius was born to Nero Claudius Drusus, Drusus and Ant ...
, and
Nero Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37 – 9 June AD 68) was a Roman emperor and the final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 until his ...
, as members either by adoption or female descent of Caesar's family; but though the family became extinct with Nero, succeeding emperors still retained it as part of their titles, and it was the practice to prefix it to their own name, as for instance, ''Imperator Caesar
Domitian Domitian ( ; ; 24 October 51 – 18 September 96) was Roman emperor from 81 to 96. The son of Vespasian and the younger brother of Titus, his two predecessors on the throne, he was the last member of the Flavian dynasty. Described as "a r ...
us Augustus''. When
Hadrian Hadrian ( ; ; 24 January 76 – 10 July 138) was Roman emperor from 117 to 138. Hadrian was born in Italica, close to modern Seville in Spain, an Italic peoples, Italic settlement in Hispania Baetica; his branch of the Aelia gens, Aelia '' ...
adopted Aelius Verus, he allowed the latter to take the title of ''Caesar''; and from this time, though the title of ''Augustus'' continued to be confined to the reigning prince, that of ''Caesar'' was also granted to the second person in the state and the heir presumptive to the throne.

Outside of the Imperial family, the last of the Julii known to have borne the surname of ''Caesar'' was Lucius Julius Caesar, who had been consul in 64 BC, and who was still living in 40 BC. Although other members of the family may have lived after this time, none seem to have achieved sufficient prominence to be recorded in subsequent generations.

Descendancy

The genealogy of the Julii Caesares was studied by Wilhelm Drumann in his monumental history of Rome, and the following tables are based largely on his reconstruction of the family.Drumann, vol. III, pp. 113 ''ff''. In most respects, Drumann's genealogy forms the basis for modern scholarship on the family, with one important exception: Drumann believed that the Sextus Julius Caesar who was a

military tribune A military tribune () was an officer of the Roman army who ranked below the legate and above the centurion. Young men of Equestrian rank often served as military tribunes as a stepping stone to the Senate. The should not be confused with the ...

in 181 BC and the Sextus who was consul in BC 157 were father and son. While chronology suggested that the tribune might be the son of the Sextus who had been praetor in 208 BC, the consul's filiation indicated that his grandfather's name was ''Lucius''. Accordingly, Drumann inferred the existence of an otherwise unknown Lucius Julius Caesar between the praetor and the military tribune, although in order to make sense chronologically, the praetor would have to have been rather elderly and the tribune very young when they held their respective offices. More recent scholarship has concluded that the military tribune and the consul were the same man, which means that his grandfather, Lucius, was the father of the praetor of 208 BC, rather than his son. It is therefore Sextus, the praetor of 208 BC, rather than an otherwise unknown Lucius Julius Caesar, who was the father of Lucius Julius Caesar, praetor in 183 BC, and Sextus, the consul of 157 BC. These sons provide the first two branches of the family; but the third branch, representing the ancestors of Gaius Julius Caesar, the dictator, are less certain. We know that Caesar's grandfather was also named ''Gaius'', and that he married a woman of the Marcia gens. Drumann supposed that he might have been the son of a senator named Gaius Julius, who wrote a Roman history in Greek about 143 BC. This Gaius, he proposed, might have been a brother of Sextus Julius Caesar, the consul of 157, and therefore a son of the Sextus who was military tribune in 181. Since the two Sexti were in fact the same man, this would probably make the senator Gaius a third son of Sextus Julius Caesar, the praetor of 208 BC. If he was a senator in 143, and the great-grandfather of Caesar, who was born in BC 100, he was probably not the consul's son, as ''his'' eponymous and presumably eldest son, Sextus, was praetor in BC 123. The rest of the genealogy is well-known. As Caesar left no legitimate sons to carry on his name and legacy, by his will he adopted his grand-nephew, Gaius Octavius, who thus became "Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus", the future emperor

. Octavian had only a daughter, and therefore adopted two of his grandchildren by

Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa (; BC – 12 BC) was a Roman general, statesman and architect who was a close friend, son-in-law and lieutenant to the Roman emperor Augustus. Agrippa is well known for his important military victories, notably the B ...

, who thus became

Gaius Gaius, sometimes spelled Caius, was a common Latin praenomen; see Gaius (praenomen). People * Gaius (biblical figure) (1st century AD) *Gaius (jurist) (), Roman jurist * Gaius Acilius * Gaius Antonius * Gaius Antonius Hybrida * Gaius Asinius Gal ...

and Lucius Julius Caesar; but when both died young, the emperor adopted their brother, who became Agrippa Julius Caesar (Postumus), and a stepson, Tiberius Claudius Nero, who became Tiberius Julius Caesar. Tiberius' son, Nero Claudius Drusus, became

Drusus Julius Caesar Drusus Julius Caesar (7 October – 14 September AD 23), also called Drusus the Younger, was the son of Emperor Tiberius, and heir to the Roman Empire following the death of his adoptive brother Germanicus in AD 19. He was born at Rome to a ...

, and he adopted a nephew, Tiberius Claudius Nero Germanicus, who became Germanicus Julius Caesar; their children also became part of the Julia gens. The line draws to a close with the death of Germanicus' son, Gaius Julius Caesar Germanicus, better known simply as Gaius or

Caligula Gaius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (31 August 12 – 24 January 41), also called Gaius and Caligula (), was Roman emperor from AD 37 until his assassination in 41. He was the son of the Roman general Germanicus and Augustus' granddaughter Ag ...

, in AD 41; after this, the imperial authority passed to Gaius' uncle, Tiberius Claudius Nero Germanicus, and out of the Julian line.''Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology'', vol. I, pp. 424–430, 563–565.

Genealogical tables

The table below reflects known and probable relationships, with speculative descent indicated by a question mark "(?)". *Lucius Julius (Libo?) ** Sextus Julius Caesar, praetor in 208 BC. *** Lucius Julius Caesar, praetor in 183 BC. **** Lucius Julius Caesar, praetor in 166 BC. *** Sextus Julius Caesar, consul in 157 BC. **** Sextus Julius Caesar, praetor in 123 BC. **** Lucius Julius Caesar, married Poppilia. ***** Lucius Julius Caesar, married Fulvia. Consul in 90 BC, he was put to death by Fimbria in 87. ****** Lucius Julius Caesar, consul in 64 BC. ******* Lucius Julius Caesar ''filius'', a partisan of Pompeius during the

. ****** Julia, wife of (1) Marcus Antonius Creticus and (2)

Publius Cornelius Lentulus Sura Publius Cornelius Lentulus Sura (114 BC – 5 December 63 BC) was one of the chief figures in the Catilinarian conspiracy. He was also the step-father of the future triumvir Mark Antony. Biography When accused by Sulla He was praetor in ...

; mother of

Marcus Antonius Marcus Antonius (14 January 1 August 30 BC), commonly known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman politician and general who played a critical role in the transformation of the Roman Republic from a constitutional republic into the ...

, the triumvir. *****

Gaius Julius Caesar Strabo Gaius Julius Caesar Strabo "Vopiscus" (c. 131 – 87 BC) was the younger son of Lucius Julius Caesar and his wife Popillia, and younger brother of Lucius Julius Caesar, consul in 90 BC. His cognomen 'Strabo' indicates he was possibly cross-eyed, a ...

, the orator, put to death by Fimbria in 87. ***** (?) Julia, wife of

Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix (, ; 138–78 BC), commonly known as Sulla, was a Roman people, Roman general and statesman of the late Roman Republic. A great commander and ruthless politician, Sulla used violence to advance his career and his co ...

. *** (?) Gaius Julius Caesar, a senator, said to have written a Roman history in Greek. **** (?) Gaius Julius Caesar, grandfather of the dictator, married Marcia. ***** Gaius Julius Caesar, married Aurelia. Praetor in an uncertain year, he died suddenly in BC 84. ****** Julia Major, wife of (1) Lucius Pinarius and (2) Quintus Pedius; grandmother of Lucius Pinarius and Quintus Pedius. ****** Julia Minor, wife of Marcus Atius Balbus; grandmother of

Octavia the Younger Octavia the Younger (; 69 BC – 11 BC) was the elder sister of the first Roman emperor, Augustus (known also as Octavian), the half-sister of Octavia the Elder, and the fourth wife of Mark Antony. She was also the great-grandmother of the Emp ...

and

****** Gaius Julius Caesar, the dictator, married (1) Cornelia, (2) Pompeia, (3) Calpurnia. ******* Julia, wife of

Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (; 29 September 106 BC – 28 September 48 BC), known in English as Pompey ( ) or Pompey the Great, was a Roman people, Roman general and statesman who was prominent in the last decades of the Rom ...

. ******* Ptolemaeus Caesar (Caesarion), son by

Cleopatra Cleopatra VII Thea Philopator (; The name Cleopatra is pronounced , or sometimes in both British and American English, see and respectively. Her name was pronounced in the Greek dialect of Egypt (see Koine Greek phonology). She was ...

. ******* (by adoption)

, grandnephew (through Caesar's sister Julia Minor), born Gaius Octavius; subsequently known as the emperor Augustus, married (1) Claudia, (2) Scribonia, (3)

Livia Livia Drusilla (30 January 59 BC AD 29) was List of Roman and Byzantine empresses, Roman empress from 27 BC to AD 14 as the wife of Augustus, the first Roman emperor. She was known as Julia Augusta after her formal Adoption ...

. ********

Julia the Elder Julia the Elder (30 October 39 BC – AD 14), known to her contemporaries as Julia Caesaris filia or Julia Augusti filia (Classical Latin: IVLIA•CAESARIS•FILIA or IVLIA•AVGVSTI•FILIA), was the daughter and only biological child of Augustu ...

, wife of (1)

Marcus Claudius Marcellus Marcus Claudius Marcellus (; 270 – 208 BC) was a Roman general and politician during the 3rd century BC. Five times elected as Roman consul, consul of the Roman Republic (222, 215, 214, 210, and 208 BC). Marcellus gained the most prestigious a ...

, (2)

, (3) Tiberius Claudius Nero ******** (by adoption) Gaius (Julius) Caesar, grandson, born Gaius Vipsanius Agrippa, married Claudia Livia Julia. ******** (by adoption) Lucius (Julius) Caesar, grandson, born Lucius Vipsanius Agrippa. ******** (by adoption) Tiberius (Julius) Caesar, stepson, son-in-law and successor, born Tiberius Claudius Nero; married (1)

Vipsania Agrippina Vipsania Agrippina (; unknown – 20 AD) was the first wife of the Roman emperor, Emperor Tiberius. She was the daughter of Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa and Attica (wife of Agrippa), Attica, thus being a granddaughter of Titus Pomponius Atticus, t ...

, (2) Julia the Elder. ********* Tiberius Claudius Nero (Tiberillus), died in infancy, 11 BC. *********

the Younger, born Nero Claudius Drusus, married Claudia Livia Julia. **********

Julia Livia Julia Livia (AD 7–43) was the daughter of Drusus Julius Caesar and Livilla, and granddaughter of the Roman Emperor Tiberius. She was also a first cousin of the emperor Caligula, and niece of the emperor Claudius. Biography Early life Julia wa ...

, wife of (1) Nero Julius Caesar Germanicus, (2) Gaius Rubellius Blandus. ********** Tiberius Julius Caesar Nero Gemellus, put to death by Caligula, ''circa'' AD 38. ********** Tiberius Claudius Caesar Germanicus Gemellus, died AD 23. ********* (by adoption) Germanicus Julius Caesar, nephew, born Tiberius Claudius Nero; married

. **********

Nero Julius Caesar Nero Julius Caesar (c. AD 6–31) was the adopted grandson and heir of the Roman emperor Tiberius, alongside his brother Drusus. Born into the prominent Julio-Claudian dynasty, Nero was the son of Tiberius' general and heir, Germanicus. After ...

, accused of treason, he died in AD 31. Married Julia Livia. ********** Drusus (Julius) Caesar, accused of treason, he died in AD 33. Married Aemilia Lepida. ********** Gaius (Julius) Caesar Germanicus, better known as the emperor Caligula, married (1)

Junia Claudilla Junia Claudilla (d. AD 34, 36 or 37),#refBarrett, Barrett (1989), p. 32 also known as Junia Claudia, was the first wife of the Roman Emperor Caligula before he came to power. Biography Early life Her father was a distinguished Roman Senate, senat ...

, (2) Livia Orestilla, (3)

Lollia Paulina Lollia Paulina (sometimes written Paullina)Milonia Caesonia. ***********

Julia Drusilla Julia Drusilla (16 September 16 – 10 June 38 AD) was a member of the Roman imperial family, the second daughter and fifth child of Germanicus and Agrippina the Elder to survive infancy. She was the favorite sister of Emperor Caligula, who ...

. ********** Julia Agrippina, better known as Agrippina the Younger, wife of (1) Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus, (2) Gaius Sallustius Crispus, (3) Tiberius Claudius Drusus, the emperor Claudius; mother of Emperor

Nero Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37 – 9 June AD 68) was a Roman emperor and the final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 until his ...

. **********

, wife of (1) Lucius Cassius Longinus, (2) Marcus Aemilius Lepidus. **********

Julia Livilla Julia Livilla ( – ) was the youngest child of Germanicus and Agrippina the Elder and the youngest sister of the Emperor Caligula. Life Julia Livilla was the youngest great-granddaughter of Emperor Augustus, great-niece and adoptive grandda ...

, wife of Marcus Vinicius. ******** (by adoption) Agrippa Julius Caesar, grandson, born Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa Postumus. ***** Julia, wife of

Gaius Marius Gaius Marius (; – 13 January 86 BC) was a Roman general and statesman. Victor of the Cimbrian War, Cimbric and Jugurthine War, Jugurthine wars, he held the office of Roman consul, consul an unprecedented seven times. Rising from a fami ...

. ***** Sextus Julius Caesar, consul in BC 91. ****** Sextus Julius Caesar, '' Flamen Quirinalis''. ******* Sextus Julius Caesar, governor of Syria, killed in a revolt, BC 46.

Male lineage

The male line of the family, showing both natural and adoptive lineage through the Julio-Claudian emperors.

Footnotes

References

Bibliography

* Wilhelm Drumann, ''Geschichte Roms in seinem Übergang von der republikanischen zur monarchischen Verfassung, oder: Pompeius, Caesar, Cicero und ihre Zeitgenossen'', Königsberg (1834–1844).
"Caesar"
in ''

'', William Smith, ed., Little, Brown and Company, Boston (1849). * T. Robert S. Broughton, ''The Magistrates of the Roman Republic'', American Philological Association (1952). * Miriam Griffin
Companion to Julius Caesar''
John Wiley & Sons (2009), , . * Suetonius, ''

The Twelve Caesars ''De vita Caesarum'' (Latin; "About the Life of the Caesars"), commonly known as ''The Twelve Caesars'' or ''The Lives of the Twelve Caesars'', is a set of twelve biographies of Julius Caesar and the first 11 Roman Emperor, emperors of the Roma ...

''. {{Authority control Ancient Roman prosopographical lists * Roman stirpes