Marcus Junius Brutus (85 BCE to 42 BCE) was a Roman senator most famous for his role in the assassination of Julius Caesar on the Ides of March (15 March) 44 BCE. Said to have been descended from the semi-legendary founder of the Roman Republic, Brutus came to oppose the autocratic behavior shown by Caesar after the latter became dictator. After killing Caesar, Brutus fled east, where he and fellow conspirator Gaius Cassius Longinus put together an army. Brutus was ultimately defeated by Caesar's successors at the Battle of Philippi in 42 BCE and committed suicide shortly thereafter. He is alternately remembered as a noble man who acted in opposition to tyranny or as one of the most notorious traitors in history.
More about: Marcus Junius BrutusDefinition
Timeline
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85 BCE - 42 BCELife of Marcus Junius Brutus.
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58 BCEMarcus Junius Brutus accompanies Cato the Younger to Cyprus.
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53 BCEMarcus Junius Brutus begins his political career as quaestor.
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48 BCECaesar defeats Pompey (Battle of Pharsalus); Pompey flees to Egypt and is killed by courtiers of Ptolemy XIII.
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44 BCECaesar becomes dictator for life. On the 'Ides of March' (15th) he is killed by conspirators including Brutus and Cassius. Octavian, son of Caesar's niece Atia, is posthumously adopted as his heir.
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42 BCEOctavian and Antony defeat Republicans under Brutus and Cassius at the Battle of Philippi (Greece).
