NOVA MCGILL
Contributor
On March 15, 44 BCE, a day known as the Ides of March, the Roman leader Julius Caesar was assassinated in one of the most famous political killings in history. Caesar had risen to great power, declaring himself dictator for life, which alarmed many Roman senators who feared he would end the Roman Republic and make himself king.
A group of conspirators, led by Marcus Junius Brutus and Gaius Cassius Longinus, plotted to kill him. They believed that by removing Caesar, they could restore the Republic and prevent tyranny. On that fateful day, Caesar attended a Senate meeting at the Theatre of Pompey in Rome, unaware of the danger.
As he took his seat, the conspirators surrounded him under the pretense of presenting a petition. Suddenly, one of them struck and the rest quickly followed. Caesar was stabbed 23 times. According to tradition, he was especially shocked to see Brutus among the attackers, a man he trusted. Though the famous phrase “Et tu, Brute?” is often associated with the moment, it comes from later literary accounts, including works by William Shakespeare.
Caesar’s assassination did not restore peace as the conspirators had hoped. Instead, it plunged Rome into a series of civil wars that ultimately led to the end of the Roman Republic and the rise of the Roman Empire under his adopted heir, Augustus.
Photo from allthatsinteresting.com and Wikimedia Commons