Caesar

Gaul, 54 BCE. Julius Caesar commands an experienced army and uses conquest, clemency and relentless campaigning to secure wealth and prestige beyond the Alps. Rebellion under Vercingetorix culminates in the siege of Alesia, where Caesar’s legions confront both a trapped army and a vast relief force. Victory makes him Rome’s most formidable commander, but the deaths of Julia and Crassus remove the personal ties that had held his alliance with Pompey together.

In Rome, Pompey moves closer to Caesar’s senatorial enemies as disputes over office, prosecution and the surrender of command become impossible to resolve. Caesar crosses the Rubicon in 49 BCE and rapidly occupies Italy, while Pompey and the Senate withdraw east. Their contest reaches its decisive point at Pharsalus, after which Pompey seeks refuge in Egypt and Caesar follows into a new political crisis.