Gaius Julius Caesar was intelligent, courageous, and connected. For the majority of his adult life, though, he took little advantage of his gifts. Then, in his early forties, he came into his own as an orator, politician, general, writer, and statesman.

Caesar dedicated himself to a singular mission: building Rome into an empire over which he would rule. As he realized his grand vision, the world he had created crashed down on him. Friends and foes alike turned against him. A group of conspirators in the Roman Senate murdered him in one of history's most infamous assassinations. But while Caesar died, he also lived on. Here is his fascinating story.