Assassination of Julius Caesar
Area Sacra, Rome
What happened
On 15 March 44 BCE, known to Romans as the Ides of March, about 60 senators led by Marcus Junius Brutus, Gaius Cassius Longinus and Decimus Junius Brutus Albinus attacked Julius Caesar at a Senate meeting in a hall of the Theatre of Pompey in Rome. Caesar died there. Early in 44 BCE he had been named dictator in perpetuity.
Why it matters
The senators said they were protecting the Roman Republic. Their plan failed, and Rome fell into new civil wars that ended the Republic.
What came next
Caesar's heir Octavian joined Mark Antony and Lepidus, and they defeated Brutus and Cassius at the battle of Philippi. In 27 BCE Octavian was renamed Augustus and became Rome's first emperor.
Did you know?
The famous line "Et tu, Brute?" is best known from Shakespeare's 1599 play. Ancient writers disagreed about what Caesar said, and two of them say he said nothing.
Timeline
- 15 February 44 BCEAt the Lupercalia festival, Mark Antony offers Caesar a diadem (a royal headband).
- 15 March 44 BCECaesar is killed at a Senate meeting.
- 27 November 43 BCEAntony, Octavian and Lepidus form the Second Triumvirate.
- 27 BCEOctavian is renamed Augustus, Rome's first emperor.