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Marcus Junius Brutus ( 85 BC – 42 BC ), or '''Quintus Servilius Caepio Brutus''', was a Roman Senator of the late Roman Republic . He is best known in modern times for taking a leading role in the assassination conspiracy against the dictator Julius Caesar .Europius, ''Abridgement of Roman History'' {Link without Title} LIFE Brutus was the son of Marcus Junius Brutus The Elder , a Legate to Pompey The Great , and his wife Servilia Caepionis , the half-sister of Cato The Younger and mistress of Julius Caesar . Some sources refer to the possibility of Caesar being his real father, Plutarch , ''Life of Brutus'', 5.2. but this is unlikely since Caesar was fifteen at the time of Brutus's birth and the affair with his mother started some ten years later. Brutus's uncle Quintus Servilius Caepio (son of Quintus Servilius Caepio The Younger ) adopted him when he was a young man and Brutus was known as Q. Servilius Caepio Brutus for an unknown period of time. Brutus held his uncle . Cicero . ad Fam. iii. 4. From his first appearance in the Senate , Brutus aligned with the Optimates (the conservative faction) against the First Triumvirate of Marcus Licinius Crassus , Cnaeus Pompeius Magnus and Gaius Julius Caesar . He had every reason to hate Pompey, who had had his father murdered in 77 BC , during the Proscription s by Sulla . When Civil War broke out in 49 BC between Pompey and Caesar, Brutus followed his old enemy and present leader of the Optimates, Pompey. When the Battle Of Pharsalus began, Caesar ordered his officers not to kill Brutus in battle but to spare him and take him prisoner if he gave himself up voluntarily, and if he persisted in fighting against capture, to let him alone and do him no violence.Plutarch, ''Life of Brutus'', 5.1. After the disaster of the battle of Pharsalus, Brutus wrote to Caesar with apologies and Caesar immediately forgave him. Caesar accepted him into his inner circle and made him governor of Gaul when he left for Africa in pursuit of Cato and Metellus Scipio . In 45 BC , Caesar nominated him to be a Praetor . Also, in June 45 BC , Brutus divorced his wife Claudia and re-married to his first cousin, Porcia Catonis , the quiet young daughter of Cato. Plutarch , ''Marcus Brutus'', 13.3.Cicero. Brutus. 77, 94 Conspiracy to kill Caesar Around this time many of the Roman senators began to fear Caesar's growing power in the senate following his appointment as dictator for life. Cassius Dio , Roman History, 44.8.4. Even Caesar's friends began to turn against him and Brutus was one of them. However, Brutus was pressured into joining the conspiracy against Caesar by the other senatorsCassius Dio, Roman History, 44.12.2. and he also discovered messages written on the busts of his ancestors.Cassius Dio, Roman History, 44.12.3. Brutus, influenced by the fact that he was Cato's nephew and Porcia's husband, finally decided to move against Caesar in 44 BC .Cassius Dio, 44.13.1. His wife Porcia was the only woman privy to the plot. Cassius Dio , 44.13.Plutarch, ''Marcus Brutus'', 14.4 The conspirators planned to carry out their plot on the Ides Of March that same year. On that day, Caesar was delayed going to the senate because his wife Calpurnia Pisonis , having had a dream of ill omen, tried to convince him not to goPlutarch. ''Marcus Brutus''. 15.1. and the conspirators feared the plot had been found out.Cassius Dio. Roman History. 44.18.1. Yet Brutus persisted waiting for Caesar at the senate, and allegedly still chose to remain even when a messenger brought him news that would otherwise have caused him to leave.Plutarch. ''Marcus Brutus''. 15.5. When Caesar finally did come to the Senate, they attacked him. Publius Servilius Casca was allegedly the first to attack Caesar with a blow to the shoulder and Caesar managed to block the hand.Plutarch. ''Marcus Brutus''. 17.5. However, upon seeing Brutus was with the conspirators, he covered his face with the toga and resigned himself to the dagger-strokes.Plutarch. ''Marcus Brutus''. 17.6. The conspirators attacked in such numbers that they even wounded one another. Brutus is said to have been wounded in the hand.Plutarch. ''Marcus Brutus''. 17.7. Nicolaus . ''Life of Augustus''. 24. After the assassination After the assassination of Julius Caesar , Marcus Brutus was approached with a compromise. If Julius Caesar was declared a tyrant, then all of Caesars' appointments to the senate were null and void. This meant that Brutus would no longer be a senator and elections would have to be held. Conversely, if he agreed to recognize and honor Caesar's will, he and the other assassins would be granted amnesty and retain their positions. Brutus accepted the offer and Julius Caesar was not declared a tyrant. Part of the offer was that Brutus had to leave Rome, which he did. After leaving Rome, Brutus lived in Crete from 44 to 42 BC . In . The following battles are known as the Battle Of Philippi . The First Battle Of Philippi was fought on October 3, 42 BC , in which Brutus managed to defeat Octavian's forces although Cassius was defeated by Antony's forces. The Second Battle Of Philippi was fought on October 23, 42 BC and ended in the defeat of Brutus. After the defeat, he fled into the nearby hills with only about 4 legions. Knowing his army had been defeated and that he would be captured, Brutus committed suicide. His last words were allegedly "Yes, we must escape, but this time with our hands, not our feet".Plutarch, Marcus Brutus. 52.3. As a show of respect, Mark Antony covered the body of Brutus with a purple garment or mantle. The body of Brutus was cremated, and his ashes were sent to his mother, Servilia Caepionis .Plutarch, ''Marcus Brutus'', 53.4. His wife Porcia also committed suicide upon hearing of her husband's death. Valerius Maximus , De factis mem. iv.6.5. Cassius Dio , Roman History. 47.49.3. Appian , The Civil Wars, Book 5.136. Valerius Maximus , De factis mem. iv.6.5. This is counter to the popular notion provided in Shakespeare 's Julius Caesar , which says Porcia Catonis committed suicide prior to Brutus's death. A debatable account from Nicolaus Of Damascus supports this notion. Chronology
BRUTUS IN POPULAR CULTURE Influence
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