Julius Caesar was a general, politician and scholar in ancient Rome who conquered the vast region of Gaul and helped initiate the end of the Roman Republic when he became dictator of the Roman Empire. Caesar wielded his power to enlarge the senate, created needed government reforms, and decreased Rome's debt. Despite his brilliant military prowess, political skills and popularity with Rome’s lower and middle-class, his rule was cut short when opponents who were threatened by his rising power, brutally assassinated him in the Roman Senate.