Dictator perpetuus
Encyclopedia
Dictator perpetuo also called dictator in perpetuum or incorrectly dictator perpetuus, was the office held by Julius Caesar
from 26 January or 15 February of the year 44 BCE until his death on 15 March. By abandoning the time restrictions usually applied in the case of the Roman dictatura
, it elevated Caesar's dictatorship into the monarchical sphere.
Contrary to popular perception, Julius Caesar was not dictator for five years. He shortly held the position for eleven days in 49 BCE (holding elections either as dictator Comit. habend. or as dictator rei gerundae causa) and again for the year 48/47 BCE. In 46 BCE, he was elected dictator for the next ten years. At some point between January and February 44 BCE he was appointed dictator perpetuo but was assassinated within two months after that (on the Ides of March).
Dictator perpetuo is often mistranslated as "dictator for life", which ignores the fact that the title did not imply that Caesar would never resign it. Weinstock has argued that the perpetual dictatorship was part of the senatorial decrees regarding Caesar's divine honors, as well as his planned apotheosis as Divus Iulius, a complex of honors aimed at eternity and divinity.
Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman and a distinguished writer of Latin prose. He played a critical role in the gradual transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire....
from 26 January or 15 February of the year 44 BCE until his death on 15 March. By abandoning the time restrictions usually applied in the case of the Roman dictatura
Roman dictator
In the Roman Republic, the dictator , was an extraordinary magistrate with the absolute authority to perform tasks beyond the authority of the ordinary magistrate . The office of dictator was a legal innovation originally named Magister Populi , i.e...
, it elevated Caesar's dictatorship into the monarchical sphere.
Contrary to popular perception, Julius Caesar was not dictator for five years. He shortly held the position for eleven days in 49 BCE (holding elections either as dictator Comit. habend. or as dictator rei gerundae causa) and again for the year 48/47 BCE. In 46 BCE, he was elected dictator for the next ten years. At some point between January and February 44 BCE he was appointed dictator perpetuo but was assassinated within two months after that (on the Ides of March).
Dictator perpetuo is often mistranslated as "dictator for life", which ignores the fact that the title did not imply that Caesar would never resign it. Weinstock has argued that the perpetual dictatorship was part of the senatorial decrees regarding Caesar's divine honors, as well as his planned apotheosis as Divus Iulius, a complex of honors aimed at eternity and divinity.