There have been lots of great military commanders over the centuries, but one of the best ever and definitely the best in European history is Julius Caesar. The greatest military commander must have smart strategies and use their power to grow and conquer. On July 12 or 13, 100 B.C., in Rome, Italy, Caesar was born (Nice). Being a descendant of the Trojan Prince, Aeneas, he grew up to be full of himself (Nice). Though Caesar was egotistical, he was the greatest military commander in European history because his military IQ was astounding, he cared for and fought beside his men, and he also expanded the Roman Empire to its greatest lengths. Like many great and powerful leaders Julius Caesar was quite arrogant. This generally frowned upon quality …show more content…
With these he marched against the Calaici and Lusitani and conquered them, and advancing as far as the ocean, subdued the tribes which never before had been subject to the Romans” (Plutarch). In only a short period of time Caesar conquered all the way to the ocean and even conquered some tribes that had never been touched by the Romans before, which means he conquered a lot of land in one go. Julius Caesar conquered all of Gaul, which is modern day France and Belgium (Billows 130-165). Being able to conquer the densely populated Gaul Empire meant adding about 260,360 square miles to the land of the Roman Empire. By 51 BCE Caesar had conquered 800 cities and subdued 300 tribes (Bishnoi.) By the end of Caesar’s leadership he had conquered a lot of people and places, which meant all that land belonged to the Roman Empire. All in all, Caesar may have been egotistical, but he was truly the greatest military leader in European history due to his astounding military IQ, the way he cared for and fought with his men, and how he expanded the Roman Empire to its great lengths that we know today. His success gained the Roman Empire its wealth, provided a stable economy so there could be specialization, which allowed them to invent things such as roads, highways, plumbing and sewage, concrete, and even the calender. Julius Caesar’s legacy lives on through these innovations that are used in everyday life to this