The Roman General Who Crossed a Small Italian River With One Legion on 10 January 49 BCE and Started a Five-Year Civil War
Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon — a small river marking the southern boundary of his Cisalpine Gaul governorship — on the night of 10-11 January 49 BCE with the XIII Gemina legion. The crossing was technically treason. It triggered the Roman civil war of 49-45 BCE, the defeat of Pompey, and the foundation of Caesarian autocracy. He reportedly said "alea iacta est" — "the die is cast" — as he crossed.
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