Julius Caesar takes place in ancient Rome in 44 B.C., when Rome was the center of an empire stretching from Britain to North Africa and from Persia to Spain.

A succession of men aspired to become the absolute ruler of Rome, but only Julius Caesar seemed likely to achieve this status. Those citizens who favored more democratic rule feared that Caesar’s power would lead to the enslavement of Roman citizens by one of their own.

The task of governing the Mediterranean world resulted in class dissent in Rome, notably when the brothers Gracchus attempted to reform the agrarian laws (2nd century BC). Civil war broke out, and the republic was further destabilized by the rivalry between Marius and Sulla and by that between Pompey and Caesar.

After the disintegration of the 1st Triumvirate, Caesar established a dictatorship (48-44 BC). On his assassination, civil war restarted and the 2nd Triumvirate was created. This resulted in war between Antony and Octavian, and the republic collapsed when the latter took absolute power as emperor with the title of Augustus (27 BC).