We already brought you part one of our list of 15 things you probably did not know about Julius Caesar, and now we’re back with part two! Check out eight more fascinating facts about the notable Roman statesman that you definitely (probably) did not know below. You might be surprised by what you find out!
Number Eight: His Legacy Was Carried by His Adopted Son. Caesar died with a living son, but he had also adopted his nephew, Octavian. It was Octavian and not his biological son who carried on Caesar’s legacy by becoming the first ruler of the Roman Empire after the fall of the Roman Republic.
Number Seven: The Killers Misjudged the Public’s Reaction. Many of the conspirators who were involved with Caesar’s death ended up having to flee the area because of the uproar that followed his death. They expected the public to be grateful, but that clearly was not the case.
Number Six: There Is a Statue Depicting His Stab Wounds. One statue made of wax depicts Caesar with all 23 of his stab wounds. The statue was made in his honor.
Number Five: He Wasn’t Born Via C-Section. Many people believe Caesar was born by caesarean section, but in reality, that is quite unlikely. C-sections were, at the time, usually fatal to the mother, but Caesar’s mom lived another 50 or so years after his birth.
Number Four: He Was Kidnapped by Pirates. When he was in his mid-20s, in 75 B.C., Caesar’s ship was attacked by pirates. The pirates announced a ransom for Caesar after kidnapping him, but Caesar was so offended by the low amount that he insisted they ask for more.
Number Three: He Had a Complicated Love Life. Caesar got married when he was a teenager, but she later died. Caesar married again in 67 B.C., but he divorced her after an incident revealed she may have been cheating on him with another man. Caesar got married again in 59 B.C., and he stayed with his last wife until he died.
Number Two: He Had a Son With Cleopatra. Though Caesar never married Cleopatra, he was quite the womanizer, and the two had a son together. The son’s name was Ptolemy Caesar.
Number One: He Is Responsible for Leap Year. Before Caesar, the Roman calendar was based on the lunar cycle. Because the lunar calendar did not align with the seasons, Caesar implemented the Julian calendar when he came into power. Caesar added the extra day every four years to account for the fact that an actual solar year is 365.25 days long.