Crossing the RubiconA dramatic account of the fateful year leading to the ultimate crisis of the Roman Republic and the rise of Caesars autocracy When the Senate ordered Julius Caesar, conqueror of Gaul, to disband his troops, he instead marched his soldiers across the Rubicon River, in violation of Roman law. The Senate turned to its proconsul, Pompey the Great, for help. But Pompeys response was unexpected: he commanded magistrates and senators to abandon Romea city