In the popular imagination, when thinking of the imperial greatness of Rome, one tends to think more of Julius Caesar (who does not belong to the imperial phase of the Roman State) than of his adopted heir, Augustus, who did establish a new political regime, that of the Principate, usually called Empire. This confusion is due to two reasons: on the one hand, the political rise of Caesar - who accumulated unprecedented political, military and religious power - marked a milestone in the history of Rome during the last century of the Republic. On the other hand, the great biographer of the first emperors, Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus, a historian linked to the Roman senatorial class and who wrote in Trajan's time, begins his account of the twelve emperors with Julius Caesar, thus conferring on him a political rank that the latter never held.

What we know of his biography - also because of his effort to bequeath an account of himself to his contemporaries and to posterity through the Comentarii - presents him as someone with extraordinary gifts for military command, of preclar political intelligence and of B ability to inspire trust and loyalty, especially among the soldiers of the XIII Legion. But, apart from the data that throws this brilliant political degree program of Caesar -which includes the consulship in 59 BC. and several important posts, such as the quaestorship and the provincial government in Hispania, Suetonius lists the virtues of this Roman politician and military man that made him become a central reference point at a time when Roman politics was polarized between the more traditional -called optimates- and those who called for reforms in line with the transformation of an administration that had to reconcile the government of Rome with that of the provinces and who were usually referred to as popular.

The virtues highlighted by the historian of Hippo are still inspiring today as a true "school of leadership". According to Suetonius, Caesar based his military successes not only on well-thought-out plans, but also on his skill to seize opportunities and master the surprise effect, as he demonstrated in battles such as Ilerda (49 BC), Pharsalia (48 BC) and Zela (47 BC). His capacity for endurance and suffering was proverbial, and he always led from the front, even in combat.

For this Roman historian, moreover, his prestige and social success - proper to one who, coming from the patrician sphere and being related to him, presented himself as the most popular of all Romans - was based on qualities that are always pointed out as essential in every leader: his eloquence and his talent; his moderation and his clemency, even "after his triumphs"; his loyal and considerate relationship with his friends and collaborators which Suetonius sums up with the words "zeal and fidelity" and which, of course, was not incompatible with a desire never to make deep enmities. Caesar demanded much, both from his men and from his political allies, such as Pompey and Crassus, with whom he formed the first triumvirate in 60 B.C. His attitude combined "authority" and "indulgence", which enabled him to quell revolts and conspiracies, except for the one that finally cost him his life in 44 B.C., when he was stabbed at the foot of Pompey's statue.

In spite of his proven capacity of management and that more than proven strategic mentality - that had in the management of the State, more than in his own health, his main obsession, as Suetonius affirms - the reformist proposal of Caesar failed and was truncated. Suetonius also gives reasons that invite reflection. For this Roman historian, "arrogance" and "abuse of power" - the latter exercised not only by military domination, but also by judicial corruption - were the causes of his sad end, which, however, also contributed to ennoble one of the most sublime pages of history.