Rubicon facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Rubicon River
The mouth of the Rubicon in Bellaria
Country	Italy
Physical characteristics
Main source	Sogliano al Rubicone 250 m (820 ft)
River mouth	Adriatic Sea
Length	80 km (50 mi)

The Rubicon is a river in Italy. It flows into the Adriatic Sea, which is part of the Mediterranean Sea. This river is famous because of a historical event involving Julius Caesar.

Back in the time of ancient Rome, there was a river called the Rubicon. It marked an important border. This border separated Italy from a Roman province called Gallia Cisalpina. A province was like a region controlled by Rome, but Italy itself was the heartland of the Roman Republic.

Why Is the Rubicon River Famous?

The Rubicon River is known for a phrase: "crossing the Rubicon." This means reaching a point of no return. It refers to a famous moment in history involving the Roman general and leader, Julius Caesar.

Julius Caesar's Big Decision

In 49 BC, Julius Caesar was a very powerful general. He was leading Roman armies in Gallia Cisalpina. Roman law said that no general could bring their army into Italy without permission from the Roman Senate. The Senate was the main governing body of Rome.

Caesar was ordered to give up his army and return to Rome as a private citizen. He knew that if he did this, his enemies in the Senate might try to harm him or take away his power.

The Point of No Return

Caesar faced a huge choice. He could obey the Senate and risk losing everything, or he could cross the Rubicon River with his army. Crossing the river meant breaking Roman law and starting a civil war against the Senate.

He decided to cross the river. As he led his soldiers across, he supposedly said, "Alea iacta est!" This Latin phrase means "The die is cast!" It meant he had made his decision, and there was no going back. This act started a long civil war in Rome.

The Modern Rubicon River

Today, there is a river in Italy called the Rubicone. It flows into the Adriatic Sea, south of the city of Ravenna. For a long time, people weren't sure if this was the exact river Julius Caesar crossed.

In 1933, a leader named Benito Mussolini officially named this river the Rubicon. This was done to connect the modern river to the famous historical event. So, while we have a river named Rubicon today, its exact historical identity is still a topic of discussion among historians.

Images for kids

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  Julius Caesar paused on the banks of the Rubicon.

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  The Rubicon to the right of Cesena, at Pisciatello

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  The Rubicon in winter.