ON THIS DAY...

WITH SHAUN WALLACE

JJuly 12, 100BC

ULIUS CAESAR, one of history’s most famous figures, was born. Caesar came from a noble but uninfluential family in Rome. An eventful youth saw him caught up in civil war, joining the army and even being captured by pirates. These escapades aside, his political nous and skills at oratory saw him rise through Rome’s elite. Aged 39 he became Governor of Spain and, three years later, he commanded the vast region of Gaul.

He carried out a series of brilliant campaigns and forged his name as a legendary military leader. He stabilised the region and made forays across the Rhine into Germanic territory and over the Channel into Britain. However, the victories came at a cost. Back in Rome, his former ally, Pompey, worried about his ever-increasing power and ordered Caesar to give up his armies and return to the city.

Instead, Caesar and his troops crossed the