The relationship between events during the bacterial cell cycle has been the subject of frequent debate. While early models proposed a relatively rigid view in which DNA replication was inextricably coupled to attainment of a specific cell mass, and cell division was triggered by the completion of chromosome replication, more recent data suggest these models were oversimplified. Instead, an intricate set of intersecting, and at times opposing, forces coordinate DNA replication, cell division, and cell growth with one another, thereby ensuring the precise spatial and temporal control of cell cycle events.