The Roman Civil War (49–45 BCE) began because Rome was divided between two political orientations: the Populares, who appealed to the people and supported reforms (led most famously by Julius Caesar), and the Optimates, the conservative senatorial elite who defended traditional power (supported by men like Cato and eventually Pompey). Caesar and Pompey had once been allies in the First Triumvirate, but after Crassus and Caesar’s daughter Julia died, Pompey moved toward the Optimates, who feared