Assassination of Ceasar

The Assassination of Julius Caesar

Ides of March · 44 BC · The Death of the Roman Republic

SPQR

Julius Caesar was assassinated on the Ides of March (15 March), 44 BC, during a session of the Roman Senate at the Curia of Pompey in Rome. The act was carried out by a group of between sixty and seventy senators who described themselves as liberatores—men who believed they were acting in defence of the Republic.

Causes and Preceding Incidents

By early 44 BC, Caesar’s political position had become exceptional. His appointment as dictator perpetuo confirmed the concentration of authority in a single individual and convinced many senators that constitutional balance could no longer be restored through ordinary means.

Several developments intensified this perception:

• The Temple Incident: Caesar remained seated when approached by a senatorial delegation at the Temple of Venus Genetrix, an act widely interpreted as a dismissal of senatorial dignity.
• The Diadem on the Statue: When tribunes removed a royal diadem from a statue of Caesar, he responded by stripping them of office, reinforcing fears that opposition to royal symbolism would not be tolerated.
• The Lupercalia Festival: During the festival of 15 February 44 BC, Mark Antony publicly offered Caesar a diadem. Although refused, the gesture was widely viewed as a test of public acceptance rather than a rejection of kingship.

The Conspiracy

The conspiracy was organised chiefly by Gaius Cassius Longinus and Marcus Junius Brutus. Brutus was chosen as its moral centre due to his reputation for virtue and his descent from Lucius Junius Brutus, traditionally regarded as the founder of the Roman Republic.

The group included former allies of Caesar, among them Decimus Junius Brutus Albinus and Gaius Trebonius. Debate arose over whether Mark Antony should also be killed, but Brutus opposed the idea, arguing that restraint was essential if the act were to appear as a defence of liberty rather than a purge.

The Ides of March

On the morning of 15 March, Caesar hesitated. His wife Calpurnia had been troubled by ominous dreams, and the seer Spurinna had warned him to beware the Ides. Ultimately, Decimus Brutus persuaded him that failing to attend the Senate would appear dishonourable.

Once seated, the conspirators approached Caesar under the guise of a petition. Lucius Tillius Cimber initiated the attack by pulling at Caesar’s toga, while Publius Servilius Casca delivered the first blow.

Caesar was stabbed twenty-three times. Ancient sources suggest that only one wound was fatal, with death resulting primarily from blood loss. He collapsed near a statue of Pompey the Great, his former rival.

Aftermath

Caesar’s final words remain uncertain. Later tradition popularised the phrase “Et tu, Brute?”, though earlier historians suggest he may have spoken little or nothing.

The assassination failed to restore the Republic. Instead, it created a power vacuum that led to renewed civil war. Public sentiment turned against the conspirators after Mark Antony’s funeral oration and the reading of Caesar’s will. Within a few years, Octavian (Augustus) emerged as sole ruler, marking the definitive end of the Roman Republic.

The removal of Caesar did not reverse Rome’s transformation. It exposed how far the Republic had already eroded and ensured that political authority would re-emerge in a new, imperial form.

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From the annals of history — Rome was never the same.

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Continue reading:

• Ceasar wars and campaigns that reshaped the Roman Republic
• The Legacy of Gaius Julius Ceasar