Julius Caesar

Who: Roman military commander and politician, part of First Triumvirate, defeated his rival Pompey and became dictator in 44 B.C.E., assassinated same year

When: 100-44 B.C.E.

Where: Roman Republic

Significance: due to his and his rivals' wars, the Republic's government collapsed, his death triggered the civil war that led to the death of the Republic and birth of Roman Empire