⚔️ 49 BC | Roman Civil War (Part 1) What you’re seeing: The opening of the Roman Civil War between Julius Caesar and Pompey the Great. After conquering Gaul, Caesar was ordered by the Senate to disband his army. Instead, he crossed the Rubicon into Italy with troops under arms, turning a political crisis into civil war. Where is this? The Rubicon, a small river marking the boundary between Caesar’s province, Cisalpine Gaul, and Italy proper. Its exact ancient course is debated today. Who was Caesar? Julius Caesar was a Roman general, politician, and governor of Gaul. His victories made him powerful, wealthy, and loved by his soldiers, but deeply threatening to many senators in Rome. Who was Pompey? Pompey the Great, or Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, was Rome’s senior general before Caesar’s rise. Once Caesar’s ally, he became the Senate’s main military defender in 49 BC. Why did this matter? Crossing the Rubicon with an army was rebellion. Caesar had made himself an enemy of the state, a...