Marcus Junius Brutus was the most famous Roman politician and orator.
He was important as he was involved in the assassination of Julius Caesar. Brutus joined the Optimate faction led by the Roman general, Pompey the Great, to fight against Caesar.
Born in 85 BCE, Brutus was the son of a Roman politician, Marcus Junius Brutus Maior, who was killed by Gnaeus Pompey in 78 BCE. Brutus was raised by Marcus Porcius Cato, who was the half-brother of Brutus's mother, Servilia.
Later, he was adopted by his uncle Quintus Servilius Caepio, who was honored by Brutus to the core of his heart.
He even called himself Quintus Servilius Caepio Brutus for a certain time period. After Caesar's assassination, Brutus chose his birth name in order to highlight his blood relation with his ancestor Gaius Servilius Ahala, the famous tyrannicide.
Brutus admired his uncle and held him in high regard. He started off his political journey after being selected as Cato's assistant in Cyprus. Brutus was extremely intelligent and knew how to gain profits.
He took the chance of helping the poverty-stricken city of Salamis in Cyprus and lent out money at a high-interest rate of 48%. Eventually, he prospered with immense wealth and returned to Rome, where he married Claudia Pulchra. Keep on reading to learn more interesting facts about Brutus.
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Facts About Brutus
Brutus was falsely accused by a man named Vettius, of conspiring against Pompey in 59 BC. Pompey, the Roman general killed Brutus's father, who participated in the rebellion of Lepidus. This accusation of Vettius was proven wrong by Julius Caesar.
Marcus Brutus was helped by Caesar to get through several allegations made against Brutus. There was a good reason to help Brutus. Julius Caesar was having an affair with Brutus's mother, Servilia, and therefore, he did his best to help Brutus get out of the trouble.
Brutus was chosen as a quaestor, who was responsible for collecting the taxes in Cilicia. This province was ruled by his father-in-law. He utilized this opportunity to settle various accounts in Cyprus.
During that time, the political tension reached its peak in Rome, between Caesar and the Senate. Rome was governed at that time by the Senate and the People of the Roman Republic.
It was highly influential and the supreme body in Rome who took the ultimate decisions. No other magistrate or emperor possessed the right to pass on any orders without the permission of the Senate. This idealistic mindset was opposed by Julius Caesar, the conqueror of Gaul, who wanted to overthrow Pompey, the conqueror of Rome and Hispania.
He targeted to eradicate the Senate and its conservative politicians and wanted to establish his autocratic rule. Civil war became imminent at that time between Pompey and Caesar.
Brutus tried to oppose Caesar and engaged himself with Pompey and conspired with him to kill Caesar. Brutus served as the military commander in Macedonia and Cilicia. Julius Caesar along with his mighty troop and supporters were broadly known as the Populares, while the traditionalist Roman Senate and its conservative followers including Pompey, were known as the Optimates.
Historical Facts About Brutus
Marcus Junius Brutus took part in the Battle of Pharsalus that took place in Greece on January 49 BC. He sided with Pompey to defeat Ceasar. However, Pompey was defeated by him at the end of the battle in 48 BC.
Brutus settled with Caesar, who pardoned him after the defeat. He became Caesar's friend and became an integral part of the several missions carried out by Caesar. Brutus's career flourished with the immense help that he received from him. Caesar appointed him as the governor of Cisalpine Gaul in 46-45 BC.
He was also made the Praetor in 44 BC. Such high honors were not received by any other man at that time. It was Caesar, who made sure to promote Brutus on such high grounds.
He had a deep affection for Brutus, who was the son of his lover, Servilia. During the war with Pompey, Caesar ordered his troops to not make Brutus prisoner and not inflict any harm on him.
In fact, Caesar also wanted to make him the consulate in 41 BC. In spite of these favors, Brutus could not remain loyal to him and he longed for the Senate's rule.
Although he worked for Caesar, he was a conservative at heart and did not accept Caesars's autocratic rule. He was divorced from Claudia and married his first cousin Porcia, who was also the daughter of the conservative politician Marcus Porcius Cato.
This marriage was not approved by his mother, and a lot of people claim that Brutus did not provide any justified reason to give a divorce to Claudia. The tyrannical behavior of Caesar with the prestigious Senators was not approved by Brutus, who thought of it as extremely un-Republican.
Therefore he took side with the Senate and conspired to kill Caesar. A total of 60 senators along with Marcus Junius Brutus plotted against Caesar.
Cassius, who was a friend of Marcus Junius Brutus, also took part in the conspiracy. The Senate took the advantage of the closeness between Brutus and Caesar, and therefore, made plans accordingly.
The assassination was carried out by them on 15 March, 44 BC, during a meeting at the Senate, where Caesar was killed brutally. Later, the Senate granted amnesty to all the assassins including Brutus and Casseus.
This proposal of granting amnesty was put forth by Mark Antony, who was a close friend of Caesar. However, they were forced to leave Rome due to the public uproar. Brutus reached Crete in 44 BC, along with Casseus to stay hidden for some time.
Facts About Brutus' Rule
Mark Antony regarded him as the noblest Roman and granted him amnesty. Marcus Junius Brutus gained fame as Caesar's assassin. He was a leading conspirator who took side with the Roman elite Senators.
After the murder of Caesar, Brutus and his friend fled to Crete in order to protect themselves from the public outrage in Rome. He was the former praetor of Crete.
Caesar's consul Mark Anthony came to power after the assassination. The very next day, everyone came to know about the hefty amount of money left by Caesar to the people of Rome. He also left three-quarters of his estate to his great-nephew, Octavian.
Thus, Octavian gained the consulship from Mark Antony and planned to execute the assassinates of Caesar. Brutus, who was at Crete, got this news from Cicero, that a war between Octavian and Antony was ongoing and that both of them didn't possess an army big enough to defend Rome.
Thus, Brutus rallied his army with a total of 17 legions to attack Octavian and seek this chance to restore the powers of the Senate.
Upon hearing this news, Octavian settled matters with Mark Antony and made peace with him. Together, they led a troop bearing 19 legions and initiated a civil war. Brutus was defeated at the Battle of Philippi, and he committed suicide after that.
Facts About Brutus' Character
The character of Brutus is portrayed by many as a deceiver, who backstabbed his friend Caesar. In spite of such claims, Brutus is regarded as a tragic hero owing to his noble personality.
Although he murdered Caeser, it was for the benefit of his country, Rome. He was trapped in the major conflict of choosing his devotion and love for Rome over his loyalty towards his friend.
The love for his country was much stronger than the bond he shared with Caesar. He was aware of the fact that the life of the plebeians or the commoners would become extremely difficult with the tyrannical rule of Caesar.
In fact, he even made sure that his deceased friend received a proper funeral ceremony. He possessed all the traits of a tragic hero, including poor judgment, idealism, and honor for his country.
Although he joined forces with Cassius, he never believed him.
Brutus respected Caesar and explained to everyone the reason for killing him, which is for the betterment of his people and his country. He took several wrong decisions that eventually led to his downfall, one of which is that he chose to join Pompey, even though he knew that Pompey murdered his father.
Brutus was a man of high morals. Under his leadership, the city of Gaul flourished well.
A compendium was made in his honor by the famous philosopher, Cicero, who named it, Brutus, a History of Famous Orators. His dignified personality came into the picture at his very end as well, when he decided to comment suicide after losing in the Battle of Philippi, instead of getting humiliated and dragged to Rome.
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