Julius Caesar was assassinated by a group of senators primarily due to their growing fear of his rise to power and his desire to become dictator of Rome, challenging the existing republican system.
Over the years, Julius Caesar accumulates key positions in Rome: victorious general in Gaul, consul, and then appointed dictator for life. By continually achieving military successes, Caesar has become extremely popular with the people, which seriously worries the Senators. Little by little, he frees himself from the rules meant to limit his power, concentrates important decisions in his own hands, and openly ignores the authority of the Senate. Essentially, Rome increasingly resembles a monarchy, with Caesar solely in command, and this does not sit well with everyone in the Senate. This drift towards authoritarianism then triggers serious panic among the Senators who are attached to their privileges and the old republican tradition.
At the time, many senators viewed with suspicion Caesar's hold on so much power. For them, it clearly meant the end of the Roman Republic, where powers were traditionally distributed among several institutions and officials to prevent dictatorship. By becoming dictator for life, Caesar had removed all limits to his authority, which frankly worried the defenders of the old Roman political traditions. They feared a disguised monarchy, or worse, the return of a system of kings that they had loathed for centuries. For these senators, it was absolutely necessary to intervene to preserve the Republic as they knew it.
The Roman Senate was far from a club of friends. Quite a few senators feared Caesar's overwhelming ambition and crushing influence, worried about losing their own status. Some had personal scores to settle with him, long harboring deep grudges. For example, Cassius saw Caesar as an unbearable rival, resenting his military glory and charisma with the people. Even Brutus, traditionally close to Caesar, was torn between his personal friendship and his sense of republican duty. In the Senate, resentment, jealousy, and fear dangerously intertwined, creating an ideal environment for deadly intrigues to take shape.
The assassination of Julius Caesar was secretly organized by a group of about sixty senators, led by Brutus and Cassius. They decided to act on the ides of March (March 15 in the Roman calendar), in 44 BC, during a Senate meeting at the Theatre of Pompey. On the day, they surrounded Caesar under the pretext of honoring him, then they brutally struck him with 23 stab wounds. Caesar, taken by surprise by the attack, recognized among his murderers his close friend Brutus, which further amplified his shock and dismay. Weakened by the wound inflicted by Casca, the first senator to strike, he ultimately collapsed at the foot of Pompey's statue.
Did you know that the word 'assassin' originates from the Arabic term 'hashshashin', which referred to a Shiite sect known for its political murders during the Middle Ages? Julius Caesar, although a famous victim of political assassination, has no connection to this surprising linguistic origin.
Two of the conspirators responsible for the assassination of Julius Caesar, Brutus and Cassius, appear in Dante's work 'The Divine Comedy.' In this work, they are found in the last circle of Hell, alongside Judas Iscariot.
The Julian calendar, established by Julius Caesar shortly before his death, was used in Europe until the 16th century, when it was replaced by the Gregorian calendar. However, some countries continued to use the Julian calendar until the 20th century!
The famous warning "Beware the Ides of March," spoken by a seer to Julius Caesar, refers to a real historical event reported by several ancient authors, including Plutarch and Suetonius.
The group of senators involved in this assassination included, among others, Marcus Junius Brutus, Gaius Cassius Longinus, and Decimus Junius Brutus. These senators feared that Caesar would become king and thus put an end to the Roman Republic.
The immediate consequence was a political vacuum and a period of conflicts. The assassination plunged Rome into several years of civil war and indirectly led to the definitive end of the Roman Republic with the rise of the Empire under Augustus.
March 15, known as the Ides of March, was a symbolically significant date in the Roman calendar, traditionally associated with financial and political deadlines. The conspirators chose this strategic date to highlight their political act and thus draw the attention of all Roman citizens.
According to certain historical traditions, Caesar is said to have uttered the famous phrase: 'Tu quoque mi fili' (You too, my son). However, this phrase remains controversial: some believe it may have been added by later authors to dramatize the event. Other sources suggest that Caesar said nothing in front of the conspirators.
Several ancient sources mention that before Caesar's assassination, he received various warnings such as omens, prophetic dreams, and notably the warnings from the haruspex Spurinna, who foretold an imminent danger around the Ides of March.
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