The Assassination
- Arianne Sumallo
- Nov 4, 2015
- 2 min read
The assassination of the beloved roman dictator occured on the 15th of March 44 BCE. Gaius Julius Caesar, on his way to the senate, was attacked by a group of republican senators whom he considered his 'friends,' and was repeatedly stabbed 23 times.
Caesar's high rank of power after declaring himslef dictator for life had turned many in the senate against him. The senators had concluded that the only way to have their turn in the spotlight and to gather more power for themselves was to assassinate him. The senate meeting was their only chance to attack, for Caesar had scheduled to leave Rome on the 18th of March to fight a war and had selected loyal members of his army to rule the Empire whilst he was gone. The senators, in particular, were already very frustrated with the attention and power Caesar continued to gain, but were furious of the idea of taking orders from one of Caesar's men. Crassius Longinus was the first to begin the plot against the the infamous roman dictator and seeked advice and support from his brother-in-law Marcus Brutus.
Julius Caesar was oblivious to the anger radiating from the senators towads him, dissmissing his security force not long before his assassination. It has been said that a warning note was given to him when he had entered the senate meeting but had chose to ignore it. Entering the meeting, Caesar was met with a hall of senators holding daggers, readying for attack. Servilius Casca, whose family was very loyal to Caesar, had struck the first blow, stabbing Caesar in the neck as Caesar entered the hall. After that blow, the other senators continued their attacks stabbing Caesar another 22 times. It is believed that his last words were between the lines of, "You, too, my child?" after he had seen Marcus Brutus wounded him in the groin.
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