Beware the Ides of March

Yes, I am reading about the end of the Roman Republic, and Julius Caesar had a premonition to beware of the Ides of March.  He did not heed it, and it was the end for him, betrayed by two of his trusted advisers, Cassius and Brutus.

The Roman Republic was in a state of serious disrepair when Caesar came to power.  He was a brilliant general who had impressive accomplishments on the battle field, but he did very little to effectively reform the corrupt government of Rome.  He came to power by essentially declaring civil war on Italy when the senators tried to oust him, and he never got rid of the faction that wished him harm.  What Brutus and Cassius didn't realize was that getting rid of Caesar did not get rid of the problem, it only created a power vacuum and  more chaos.  They thought they would gain more favorable territories as a result, but in fact it set them up against Antonius, and in the end, they too fame to an end.

The only good that came of the whole mess was that Caesar's declared heir, Octavian, a boy of 18 at the time of Caesar's death, made all the difference for Rome.  He was a small and sickly man without military genius, political allies, or physical strength, but he did have the authority that being Caesar's heir awarded him and he used it very well.  So remember this Ides of March, watch your back!