After an eight-year tenure as governor of Gaul, a Roman province, Julius Caesar was ordered back to Rome. Instead of returning as a private citizen, he marched his army into Italy, starting a four-year civil war. After his final victory over Pompey, his primary rival for power, Julius Caesar named himself Rome’s dictator in 45 BCE. Unlike the temporary dictators before him, Caesar made changes quickly. The Senators disagreed with his decisions and ordered his execution. After Caesar was stabbed to death on the Senate floor on March 15, 44 BCE, Rome went through yet another period of unrest. Fighting over who would rule Rome and its provinces consumed noblemen, military leaders and politicians. When the chaos finally subsided, the next ruler of Rome was not a consul or a temporary dictator, but rather an emperor. By 27 BCE, with Augustus Caesar in power, the period known as the Roman Republic was over, and the Roman Empire had begun. The Roman Republic ended in
A 45 BCE.
B 44 BCE.
C 27 BCE.
D 26 BCE.