The Two Great Caesars

     When we think of the name Caesar, to most people, only one person comes to mind. The great Gaius Julius Caesar. A man known for his positions in politics, military background, and even his latin writings. However, there's another Caesar that others might think of first, and his name isn't even Caesar. He's also not even a real person. This man is none other than Edward Sallow of the Fallout game series. A charismatic leader who possessed similar attributes to his great Roman predecessor. These two, however, are alike in many ways, but also very different.

    One of the biggest parts that should be discussed is their politics and how they rose to power. Both of them did not start out being military geniuses and rulers of great legions. Gaius Julius Caesar was birthed into a noble family, the "gens Julia,"  noted for being descendants of Iulus, who was then the son of prince Aeneas, who was then the son of Venus, the goddess of many things including beauty, love, sex, and a variety of other things. Caesar first saw a hint of power when his father died, forcing him to become the head of the family at a young age. During this time, there was a civil war between his uncle, Gaius Marius, and Lucius Cornelius Sulla, the current dictator. Caesar was forced to flee from Sulla after receiving threats, allowing him to join an army under Marcus Minucius Thermus in Asia and Serviliuis Isauricus in Cilicia. After some victories and prominence over in these parts, Caesar then returned to Rome, where he was elected as a military tribune where he started his political career. Successful in these parts, he climbed the political ladder, aligning himself with powerful and rich allies, eventually becoming a consul. From then on out, he lead great military campaigns. Gaius Julius Caesar's rise to power was a very long and complex one compared to that of Edward Sallow, who doesn't have nearly as long a story.

     Edward Sallow was a part of an organization called the "Followers of the Apocalypse," who erupted after the Great War as keepers of knowledge, taking a stance to prevent anything like the war from happening again. Not surprisingly, Sallow did not feel like his belonged with this group for he had a taste for something more than just being a scribe. The followers sent Sallow, along with eight others to an area in Arizona, where he learned about ancient Rome. Here, he was captured by the "Blackfoot Tribe," who weren't spectacular on the battlefield, but nonetheless were able to take the group hostage. This particular tribe, however, was at war with several other tribes in the area. They ended up receiving many defeats from these other tribes. Sallow, who saw this as an opportunity, offered his advice and knowledge, teaching the Blackfoots how to use guns, military tactics, etc. Once the tide began to turn in their favor, the tribe set Sallow as their new leader. With his new found power, he transformed the tribe and went by the name "Caesar" from there on out. 

     Gaius Julius Caesar was a man loved by his people, offering lands to the poor, and always working not just for the benefit of himself, but for the benefit of his people. He took on the role of Dictator because he believed the Roman Republic was failing due to all the chaos that he felt was going on. His beliefs that even though slaves and lower class people did all the work while the rich nobles still held power, gave him a filtered viewpoint, giving more power and land to the those of lower class. Even though the exact opposite occurred, Edward Sallow received the same respect.

     Edward Sallow, after his rise to power, conquered all the tribes in the area. He believed that there was no tribe that should exist other than his Legion. During all his conquering, he enslaved all other tribes, forcing them to join him or die. This turned into a sort of brainwash maneuver, making his newly transformed people into loyal subjects who believed in the same cause as him. Democracy did not exist in Caesar's Legion. They all had to follow the same opinions as their great leader. There was no power distribution among the rich and poor, the only goal was total control.

     Although the two were very opposite in the way they did their politics, Their military background was very similar. They both conquered tribes, Gaius for the germanic tribes of Gaul, and Sallow for the small minor tribes spread throughout the wasteland. They both even shared a similar death. Gaius, being stabbed by his political enemies on the steps of Senate, and Sallow being killed a vary of different ways, but one major one shouting the famous "Death to all tyrants!" and then being killed. This phrase was shouted by Gaius's enemies when they killed him.

     In conclusion, it's interesting that so many games in our lives take inspiration from our history. This one is particularly interesting because the lore behind the Fallout series is very extensive and it all makes sense when you put all the pieces together from our actual history and it's fictional history.