Caesar seizes the emergency funds from the treasury to fund his campaign , but , failing to pay off his soldiers , is later forced to decimate his own rebellious Ninth Legion . Pompey amasses a huge army in Greece while Caesar leads a one-year campaign against opposition in Spain . In Greece , Caesar is forced to retreat inland by Pompey at the Battle of Dyrrachium but is victorious when the Senators force Pompey into an impetuous attack at the Battle of Pharsalus . Caesar overturns the Republic and has himself made dictator for life ( essentially the first emperor ) , only to be assassinated by rivals just four years into his rule
assassinated
Assassination of Julius Caesar
Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire