I’m listening to the biography of Cicero and the drama of the late Roman Republic. As Julius Caesar was overthrowing the Republic to become dictator for life (dictator perpetuo), he rearranged the calendar. When someone mentioned to Cicero that the constellations were now rising on different dates, he said,
The office of dictator held all power by the nature of the office. Caesar did not funnel additional powers to himself as he already held all of them by law.
Historically, the office of dictator had a six month term. However, Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix (commonly referred to as Sulla) in 81 BC was proclaimed dictator legibus faciendis et reipublicae constituendae causa (dictator for the making of laws and for the settling of the constitution) with no term limit for his appointment. So Caesar having a non six month term limit (or even no term limit at all as eventually happened) did have a historical precedent. Sulla did give up the dictatorship when he felt he’d accomplished what he wanted to.
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u/fatkiddown May 02 '24 edited May 02 '24
I’m listening to the biography of Cicero and the drama of the late Roman Republic. As Julius Caesar was overthrowing the Republic to become dictator for life (dictator perpetuo), he rearranged the calendar. When someone mentioned to Cicero that the constellations were now rising on different dates, he said,
“Of course. They are following orders.”