Dictator perpetuo

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Dictator perpetuo, meaning “dictator for life,” was the title Julius Caesar held at the end of his life. He received it in early 44 BC, between January 26 and February 15. By removing the usual time limits of the Roman dictatorship, it made Caesar seem like a king, which helped fuel opposition and led to his assassination on March 15, 44 BC.

Caesar had already been dictator several times: for eleven days in 49 BC, again in 48–47 BC, and for ten years in 46 BC. Between January and February 44 BC he was named dictator perpetuo, but he was killed less than two months later on the Ides of March. Some scholars, like Stefan Weinstock, see the perpetual dictatorship as part of efforts to honor Caesar as a divine figure (Divus Iulius) and to plan his apotheosis.