BRUTUS, MARK JUNIUS(Marcus Iunius Brutus) (85?–42 BC), Roman senator. Brutus came from a family that consciously cultivated tyrant-fighting traditions. On his paternal side, his family was traced back to Lucius Junius Brutus, who overthrew in 509 BC. Tarquiniev; on his mother's side, among his ancestors was Gaius Servilius Agala, who in 439 BC. killed Spurius Melius, who claimed dictatorial power. In fact, this pedigree is quite dubious: the Brutus family can be traced with certainty no further than the end of the 4th century. BC. After in 77 BC. Brutus's father was treacherously killed by Pompey the Great, the boy was adopted by his mother's brother Quintus Servilius Caepio, and therefore contemporaries often referred to him as Quintus Caepio Brutus. The first mention of Brutus as a political figure dates back to the so-called period. the first triumvirate, which took shape in 60 BC. alliance of Caesar, Pompey and Crassus. Then Brutus was falsely accused of preparing an assassination attempt on Pompey (59 BC). Soon (in 58 BC) he went to Cyprus (actually into exile) in the retinue of his other uncle, Marcus Porcius Cato. Perhaps Brutus's provision of a loan to this province at interest dates back to this time. Brutus next traveled east in 53 BC, accompanying his father-in-law Appius Claudius, proconsul of Cilicia in Asia Minor. Perhaps this trip was also connected with financial transactions.
When in 49 BC. A civil war began between Caesar and Pompey, Brutus took the side of Pompey, the murderer of his father. Without a doubt, he was prompted to this by the example of Uncle Cato. Brutus distinguished himself at the battle of Dyrrachium, on the Adriatic coast of modern Albania. After Pompey's decisive defeat at Pharsalus in northern Greece (48 BC), Caesar not only spared Brutus's life, but also appointed him to responsible positions. The future assassin of Caesar became proconsul of Cisalpine Gaul (46 BC), city praetor in Rome (44 BC), by 43 BC. he was promised control of Macedonia, a province north of Greece, and in the future a consulate. Despite all these signs of favor on the part of Caesar, Brutus responded to the proposal of Gaius Cassius Longinus to kill the great dictator and became the soul of the conspiracy. The traditional version of the circumstances of the murder made immortal a small touch - Caesar’s woeful amazement (“And you, Brutus!”) when he saw Brutus among the attackers.
After Mark Antony’s fiery speech at Caesar’s funeral, the leaders of the conspiracy considered it best to leave the capital. In September 44 BC. Brutus was already in Athens. He then went north to Macedonia, the province that Caesar had assigned to him. The former proconsul Quintus Hortensius, the son of the famous orator Hortensius, recognized the legitimacy of Brutus' claims and transferred the province to him along with the army.
Meanwhile, Anthony demanded Macedonia from the Senate for himself, or more precisely, for his brother Guy. However, when Guy crossed the Adriatic Sea, Brutus' troops locked him in Apollonia on the coast and forced him to surrender (March 43 BC). After this, the Senate confirmed Brutus as proconsul of Macedonia, and after Antony's defeat at Mutina in northern Italy (April 43 BC), Brutus and Cassius were appointed commanders-in-chief of the troops of the eastern provinces. First of all, Brutus made a campaign against the Thracians, mainly for the sake of booty. But when in November 43 BC. Antony, Octavian (the future Emperor Augustus) and Marcus Aemilius Lepidus formed the second triumvirate, Brutus, who realized that he would have to fight this new coalition, moved to Asia Minor to recruit men, a fleet and funds here, and then join Cassius . Precious time was spent collecting money in Lycia on the coast of Asia Minor and on the island of Rhodes off its coast, and only in the second half of 42 BC. Brutus and Cassius moved west. The meeting with the army of Anthony and Octavian took place in Macedonia, where the double battle of Philippi took place. In the first battle, Brutus defeated Octavian, but Cassius, who thought that defeat was inevitable, committed suicide. In the second battle, about three weeks later, Brutus was defeated, after which he committed suicide (October 23, 42 BC).
Although Brutus is often portrayed as a man of strict rules who fought for republican freedoms, rejecting unnecessary bloodshed, he is very far from being “the noblest of the Romans”, as Shakespeare called him. A typical aristocratic senator, he stubbornly defended the legalized privileges and other interests of the nobility, the class traditionally in power in Rome. Brutus's severity towards the provincials and his willingness to become proconsul, for which he was completely unprepared, speak of his unshakable belief that the calling of people belonging to his class was to rule and use the state apparatus in their own interests. But what he was not able to come to terms with was the appropriation of all power by one person. However, there is no doubt that Brutus, a scientist and scribe (the great orator, writer and politician Cicero named one of his significant treatises after him, and several others, no less important, were dedicated to Brutus), could have found other arguments to justify of his bloody deed. Greek philosophy justified the murder of a tyrant, and Caesar's seduction of Servilia, Brutus's mother, could have given him personal motives for murder. However, all these considerations are secondary: Caesar's true guilt was in accepting the position of dictator for life, dictator perpetuus. Brutus, who was undoubtedly under the influence of his uncle Cato, whom he sincerely admired (this is evidenced by Brutus’ divorce from Claudius for the sake of marrying Portia, the daughter of his uncle, after his death, and the panegyric, then composed by Brutus to Cato), formed an unshakable conviction , that the entire class of senators should rule, and not an individual. In the words of Brutus himself: “I will oppose any power that places itself above the law.”
Reading time: 11 minLifeGid continues the series “Stories with Alexey Kurilko”. The writer focuses on a man whose name has become synonymous with the word “betrayal.” The one whom Dante placed in the very heart of hell in The Divine Comedy.
There are names that are familiar to everyone. But not everyone knows the details of the life of the bearer of this name. Not everyone knows where and when it became known, and why it carries a negative charge, for example, or, on the contrary, a positive charge, this or that assessment.
But the name is considered iconic, and sometimes becomes synonymous with some quality of character. Let's say, we can calmly call a lazy, indifferent couch potato Oblomov. Although, more precisely, the surname of this literary hero is transformed into a word that eloquently and briefly conveys what previously needed to be explained at length - “active” passivity, or simply “bummer”.
We automatically call the bloodthirsty killer and torturer Herod. Although in fact, historically, without the biblical legend, he was not the worst and far from being such a cruel king and person. However, the torturer is Herod.
What could we call a vile traitor? Well, first of all, Judas. Why, Judas Iscariot! There really is a reason! Betrayed! Even worse, he sold it. For thirty pieces of silver! And who?! The Lord God Himself, Jesus! It is not surprising if you, without hesitation, call the one who betrayed you Judas.
Well, if it suddenly turns out that he was not alone, that someone else helped him betray you, and someone very close to you, then you definitely won’t be able to resist the catchphrase: “And you, Brutus!”
Brutus' betrayal undermined Caesar
Now there are books and films in which they try to somehow explain, whitewash, justify the act of Marcus Junius Brutus. Like, all this is a consequence of his noble nature. He, they say, could not do otherwise, it was written in his nature.
And he did all this for the sake of the republic and in the name of justice. Just you know, committing meanness, hiding behind beautiful words, is not new! And good deeds are not achieved by bad deeds.
He was right who said: “When someone kills a murderer, the number of murderers remains the same.” And in the case of Brutus and Caesar - not just murder. There is also betrayal, and in droves for one unarmed person!
No. Brutus does not look like a hero, and it is difficult to make him a noble man, since he has stained his hands with blood, even the blood of a tyrant. Yes, even if that tyrant is wrong even three times, you cannot act so vilely, basely and cowardly! This is unethical, unaesthetic, although “cheap and practical.”
After all, only a few were able to carry weapons under their togas, secretly, since it was forbidden to enter the Senate armed. The rest struck Caesar with styluses - writing sticks. Handmade, however. But not for the poet and thinker that our “hero” wanted to see himself as.
Many books and films have been dedicated to the assassination of Caesar.
Ninth Circle of Hell
Those who have read Dante’s “Divine Comedy” know that in the very center of hell, in the icy kingdom of the ninth circle, the devil himself, in the form of an animal-like monster with three heads, torments three frozen souls that belonged to the very category that interests us.
All three, according to Dante, are considered the most terrible sinners who once lived on earth, for all three were traitors. It is betrayal that is considered the most terrible sin. They are subject to the harshest demands. Their names are known: Gaius Cassius, Marcus Junius Brutus and, of course, Judas.
For Dante, these three were the greatest sinners in all of human history. The third requires a separate discussion, but the first two were involved in the murder of Gaius Julius Caesar - who, by the way, is also suffering here in hell, nearby. True, not in the ninth, but in the very first circle of hell.
But in this case we are specifically interested in Brutus, whose name has become a symbol of betrayal. After all, he not only betrayed, but also personally struck a blow to someone who trusted him so much and loved him so much that he asked in bewilderment: “And you, Brutus!?”
However, this is so according to Shakespeare! And when he composed his historical plays about the times of Ancient Rome and Ancient Greece, he always referred to Plutarch. But you shouldn't trust this couple.
Personally, I prefer to believe in another version, even more terrible and sad. Namely: Caesar once had a whirlwind romance with Servilia, Brutus’s mother, which from time to time died out and then flared up with new passion. This gives reason for some historians to repeat, following the gossips who lived in those distant times, that Marcus Junius Brutus was the illegitimate child of Caesar. And so he did not shout: “And you, Brutus?”, but something completely different. But let's not get ahead of ourselves.
Rod Brutov
Marcus Junius Brutus (85-42 BC) was of plebeian descent. Although Guy Junius Brutus himself, like his father, had reason to believe that their family was very ancient, aristocratic, and dates back to that same legendary Brutus, who in distant years killed the last king, and since then the Roman Republic was formed.
In fact, their origin was lower and could not come from the legendary founder of the Roman Republic, who overthrew the last king, Tarquin the Proud, who was his uncle. And if so, then “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”
Marcus Junius himself, when he earned the right to issue his own coins, first of all began to mint money that depicted exactly that Brutus, whose name went down in history as the name of the man who gave Rome freedom. From then on, the Romans swore that they would never be ruled by one person.
For the sake of this freedom, the father of our hero, also Marcus Junius Brutus, died. In Rome, it was customary for names to pass from generation to generation, and Junius most often meant “younger” - so, his father died when the boy was barely eight years old. He was a senator and an ardent supporter of the Senate republic. After the death of the dictator and tyrant Sulla, whose long and bloody dictatorship he opposed, the time had come to return to the old order - the republican system in its purest form.
Waited for the hour for revenge
But some, and most importantly Pompey, who had temporarily made peace with Caesar, desired more power. And, as they say now, he “ordered” the death of his father: on his orders, he was secretly and vilely killed. Brutus's father knew that he was in danger of death and tried to escape from Rome. But Pompey's mercenaries overtook the senator on the Via Aemilium, near the Po River in northern Italy, and killed him.
Brutus vowed to avenge his father's death, and even then, being too young, he harbored a deep grudge and waited for the right hour. In any case, he grew up hating Pompey, who, as he believed, killed his father.
Brutus' mother's affair with Caesar
Unlike his respected and heroic father, Brutus’s mother, Servilia, was known throughout the city not for her noble behavior, but quite the opposite. She was considered a depraved woman.
However, in that era, debauchery in high society was not considered shameful. Rome gradually sank into debauchery; one might say it was the Golden Age of debauchery. Of course, particularly dissolute women were condemned and reproached, but, in principle, they turned a blind eye to everything unless it clearly crossed the line of what was permitted. However, these lines were blurred.
In their youth, Servilia and Julius Caesar had an affair, although both were already married by that time. However, their romance was very stormy and long-lasting, which later gave rise to suspicions that Marcus Junius could be the son of Caesar.
In any case, Caesar and Servilia retained warm feelings for each other throughout their lives. When Caesar became popular and rich, Servilia had the audacity to ask him for various valuable gifts. And if at first it was all sorts of trinkets, such as a pearl necklace, then as he moved up the career ladder, her requests also grew. And soon he was already giving her or her family entire houses and estates confiscated from the enemies of the fatherland.
Beauty Servilia - mother of Brutus
Honest teacher and friend
Brutus grew up without a father. Later he had a stepfather, but he did not replace his father. His mother’s half-brother, Marcus Porcius Cato Jr., played a big role. He became for Brutus more than a father - an idol, because he was, in fact, an exemplary Roman. Everyone in Rome looked up to Cato. The boys dreamed of being just like him.
Marcus Porcius Cato was brave, selfless, fundamentally honest and fair. Soon in Rome it became customary to say: “One witness is not a witness, even if it is Cato himself.” Or this proverb came into use in Rome: “I wouldn’t believe it even if Cato himself told me about it.” This is what a noble and honest idol and teacher Brutus had.
But their age difference was small. Marcus Porcius Cato Jr. became something like an older comrade or brother for the boy. Friendship with him, of course, influenced his development, but alas, not so much that he could become as honest and noble.
This friend of Brutus was a Stoic - for him, virtue was higher than pleasure or anything that is done for one’s own good. The main virtue of a true Roman is good for the Motherland and Roman society.
Brutus received a classical Roman education, knew several languages, visited Athens, but most of all he loved Greece. It was not without reason that they said about Greece that even when conquered, it completely conquered the invader. Gradually, everything Greek seeped into everything Roman. Including the construction of thoughts, worldview, values and ideals. And the Greek core turned out to be the basis of literally all Roman cultural achievements.
Brutus considered Greece, or rather Athens, the birthplace of democratic ideas about a wonderful social order, which in Rome at that time was shaking. The very ideas for which his father died.
In Rome at this time, the first triumvirate was formed: the Union of three consuls, with dictatorial, albeit temporary, powers - Caesar, Pompey and Crassus - the most prominent politicians. But it was not the powers that turned out to be temporary, but the union of this troika itself—the triumvirate. After the death of Crassus, Caesar and Pompey entered into confrontation. Both promise the people the same thing: freedom, happiness and fulfillment of the people's will. And both actually want the same thing - sole and complete power.
How Caesar saved Brutus from death
Marcus Junius Brutus found himself in a very difficult situation. Both dictators tried to win over the young writer
- and he has already written something - and the aspiring politician - and he has already earned the title of “first among the youth” - on his side. He was respected by the people, and his proud name was not an empty phrase for either Pompey or Caesar - it could play into the popularity of one or the other. Although, for sure, his republican ideas were deeply alien to both of them. Brutus acts as his two idols do - Uncle Marcus Porcius Cato the Younger and the great Cicero - the idol of the youth of that time. And his friend Cassius did the same. Everyone supported Pompey. And Pompey was defeated! They did not stand on ceremony with Pompey's friends and associates. And although Caesar soon announced a general amnesty, many were killed quietly in broad daylight. Servilia, Brutus's mother, rushed to Caesar and began to ask him to intercede for her son. And Julius Caesar saved the young man, whose life was not worth a penny today.
Moreover: not only did he not punish the young man, but, like Cicero, he brought him closer to himself. Showered with gifts. Appointed to a prestigious position. Caesar knew how to be not only generous, but also magnanimous. Well, okay, why they stand on ceremony with Marcus Tullius Cicero, a brilliant Roman orator, a wonderful writer, known not only to all of Rome, but to the whole world - it’s clear. But why are they so ceremonious with Brutus? Yes, he liked this guy. And the mother asked.
It must be said that the talented Brutus started his career well and quickly gained some fame. He wrote and composed both in prose and in other genres. He made several public speeches at the courts, and quite successfully. He was noticed. He was respected.
Caesar forgave and accepted Brutus, but he planned his murder
Ugly loan shark
Just don’t idealize him! Not only because he soon committed a terrible sin: he was not a saint before that either. Cicero himself, in one letter, admitted to a friend that Marcus Junius Brutus was greedy, and that he was a malicious secret moneylender who lent money under a pseudonym, and at almost 50%! To be precise - under 48. This was simply unheard of! Cicero was so outraged that at first he did not want to have anything in common with such a person.
Those who try to idealize Brutus are often embarrassed by this circumstance, and try to justify all this as nothing other than the bad heredity of his mother, who was indeed extremely selfish. But what difference does it make why he had this trait? What if we kick an owl, what an owl might hit a stump, but all the same - the owl can’t live! Right? Although both Cicero and Brutus, nevertheless, will become friends, comrades and comrades... What can you do? Politics is a dirty business.
They say that when Caesar was informed against Brutus that he was allegedly preparing an assassination attempt on him, Gaius Julius did not believe it. He treated him too well. And one day, when they again informed him that Brutus was clearly plotting something, Caesar, pointing to his chest, asked: “Do you really think that my boy cannot wait until this becomes dead flesh?” That is, there is a possibility that Caesar was preparing Brutus to be his successor. And many people claim this.
Brutus betrayed those who believed in him
Payback for mercy towards enemies
However, Brutus did not decide to betray immediately, but after much hesitation. He even had to be persuaded. Letters were thrown at him in which he was reproached as a coward who did not dare to give freedom to the Fatherland, as his great ancestor did. Opponents of autocracy suddenly saw their leader in Brutus, favored by Caesar. Brutus was like a banner for them to overthrow the dictatorship. Although in fact they used him stupidly, playing on his vanity. They actually called out to Brutus: kill the tyrant! And this “tyrant,” to his misfortune, always pursued a policy of mercy towards his enemies. He never executed former enemies or opponents. Moreover: he often even helped them make a good career, and in this sense he was unique. Which is what ruined him.
Despite the terrible omens, and there were many of them, Caesar, as planned, went to the Senate on the very day that was to become fatal for his fate. What he was repeatedly warned about! Moreover, Caesar set off without security, which is typical. And his friends and closest associates were simply distracted. And so - on March 15, 44, right at the statue of his defeated rival Pompey, Caesar was attacked by numerous conspirators. No one wanted to answer for his murder, so Brutus proposed a cowardly plan: everyone would attack at the same time, and everyone should strike at least one blow so that everyone without exception would be guilty of his death. So that Caesar's blood would be on all the conspirators.
The first to strike was the same Gaius Cassius. But his hands were shaking so much that the blow was weak and not fatal. Caesar shouted: “What are you doing, bastard Cassius?” But no one began to listen to Caesar, and everyone attacked him en masse. Caesar defended himself as best he could until he saw that his closest friend Brutus was among the attackers. And then... then it was as if his strength left him. He just said in surprise and somehow confused, half-questioningly: “How? And you, my child? To which, according to one of the ancient historians, the cynical Marcus Junius Brutus said: “And I, Caesar.” He had no choice but to lift the edge of his toga and cover his head with it as a sign of complete shame and despair. Then the conspirators dealt fatal blows to a man who did not even think of resisting. The betrayal of a friend was the final fatal blow for Caesar.
With his murder, Marcus Junius Brutus, unlike his legendary ancestor, did not receive dividends in the form of respect and glory. On the contrary, for posterity he became a symbol of vile betrayal and the insidious murder of his closest friend.
But there is still a God on earth. Although the ancient Romans were not Christians. Dante placed the innocently murdered Caesar in the first circle of hell because he was not baptized. Where is God? Yes everywhere! The conspirators’ plan, even though it was successful, ultimately failed. The 300 sesterces that Caesar bequeathed to the Romans were “compensated” by his murder. Brutus escaped. He gathered an army, but was defeated. Then he decided to kill himself. But even here he could not die heroically. Fearing that his hand would tremble at the last minute, he ordered the slave to hold the sword, on which he rushed to die himself. In Rome, death by one's own sword was considered honorable. But he received neither honor nor glory, which Brutus cared so much about. Although it has become a classic. A classic of betrayal and the treacherous murder of your closest friend. And we can only repeat after Milady from The Three Musketeers, brilliantly played by Margarita Terekhova: “Cursed be he!”
What to watch: famous film adaptations
- Funny film "Asterix at the Olympic Games" (2008)
- TV series "Rome", 2 seasons (2005-2007)
- "Julius Caesar" with Marlon Brando
There are plenty of iconic personalities in world history. And if you want to continue the fascinating reading, we have for you other characters from “True Tales” - the 16th President of the United States, the great Abraham Lincoln, the mysterious Joan of Arc, and many others.
The ancient Roman Empire was a powerful power that conquered many lands. An important role in the creation of such a large state was played by both monarchs and generals who, at the head of their armies, conquered foreign territories. One of the most famous of these commanders is His murder is shrouded in many mysteries and secrets, but the only thing that remains unchanged is that his last words were: “And you, Brutus!” However, many wonder why this was the last thing that came out of the conqueror's mouth.
Marcus Junius Brutus
All of Brutus's ancestors were ardent fighters for freedom, defending the people from despots and actively promoting tyranny. His paternal grandfather, Lucius Junius Brutus, took part in the overthrow of Gaius Servillius Agala, and his father himself was killed for his views by Pompey the Great when Brutus was still a child. His mother's brother, the famous warrior Quintus Servilius Caepio, took him in to raise him.
Marcus Junius Brutus participated with his uncle in many battles, acting on the side of Pompey, opposing Caesar. It is unknown why after the defeat of Pompey’s army at Pharsalus, which took place in 48 BC. e., Caesar decided to save Brutus’s life, and subsequently appointed him to several serious positions at once. Already in 46 BC. e. he became proconsul, and in 44 BC. e. - praetor in Rome.
Caesar and Brutus
The ancient Roman emperor showed obvious favor to Brutus, but this only led to the fact that Caesar became the victim of an insidious conspiracy and was betrayed by a man who, it would seem, should be eternally grateful to him. However, Brutus became not only a participant, but also the head of the conspiracy. His ideological inspiration was Gaius Cassius Longinus, who wanted to kill the dictator. The days of the one who said: “And you, Brutus!” - were numbered.
CONSPIRACY
In organizing the conspiracy, Brutus was guided not only by state motives, but also by personal ones. Caesar seduced his mother, Servilia, which disgraced and dishonored the young Roman senator. Some historians even believe that Brutus was the illegitimate son of the great commander, otherwise why would he sympathize with him so much...
The participants in the conspiracy were also senators, dissatisfied with the fact that Caesar sought to limit the full power of this government body and turn it into a monarchy. According to many political figures of those times, the ideal model was a government under which all segments of the population would be in harmony. With such a system, the existence of a tyrannical ruler, which, according to the senators, Caesar was, is impossible.
Murder
March 15, 44 BC e. Caesar said his last words, which became a catchphrase: “And you, Brutus!” The signal for the attack was given by the emperor's confidant Lucius Cimber. None of the conspirators wanted to single-handedly commit murder, so as not to take on the sin, so they agreed that each of them would strike Caesar with a stele, since they were not allowed into the Senate building with weapons.
After the blows of the first conspirators, the commander was still alive and tried to resist. When Brutus’s turn came to plunge the stele into his patron, Caesar cried out with great surprise: “And you, Brutus!” - because he did not have the slightest reason not to trust his pet, and he never expected such betrayal from him.
Even many centuries later, the words spoken by Caesar remain known throughout the world. Plutarch, who captured them on paper, and Shakespeare, who wrote the play “Julius Caesar,” contributed a lot to this. The catchphrase “And you, Brutus!” still symbolizes the betrayal and treachery of a loved one.
(85? - 42 BC)
Most historians agree that the portrait written by Shakespeare of the initiator of the murder of Caesar greatly embellished the real figure. Brutus returned to Rome, leaving his post as governor of Cisalpine Galia and the title of city praetor when Gaius Julius Longinus convinced him to lead a Republican plot to assassinate Caesar in March 44. But it was no longer possible to restore the republic after the assassination attempt, even using the oratory of Cicero. The young Octavian (Caesar's heir and future Emperor Augustus) entered into a triumvirate in October with Mark Antony (Caesar's self-appointed representative) and the army commander Marcus Aemilius Lipidus. The Senate outlawed the murderers, and even Cicero, who was not personally involved in the conspiracy, became a victim of the harsh repression that followed.
At the end of 42, Brutus and Cassius with great care chose the field of the upcoming battle with Antony and Octavian in Macedonia. Their armies were stationed on the tops of two opposing hills west of Philippi, or about fifteen miles northwest of the city of Kavalla, in modern Greece. At the beginning of the battle, Cassius retreated, and, unaware that Brutus was close to victory, killed himself with the help of his servant Pindar. However, the liberator troops still maintained a favorable position. The Caesarians were far from home. And the lack of provisions and the constantly worsening weather only aggravated their situation. Brutus could only wait. But unrest began among the troops, and three weeks after the first battle, the commanders were forced to order a retreat. October 23, 42 BC e. Brutus' troops attacked Antony's positions. Carried away by the pursuit of the enemy, they disrupted the battle formation, and Anthony’s counterattack was successful. As darkness fell, Brutus retreated north into the mountains and took with him about fifteen thousand people. By morning, almost the entire army fled. Brutus persuaded a certain Strato to hold the sword, which he threw himself on.
By order of Octavian, Brutus's head was to be taken to Rome and placed before Caesar's altar, but during the crossing by sea the head was lost. The body was dismembered and burned, and the ashes were given to Brutus’s mother, Servilla, who honored the ashes of her son until the end of her life.
See Max Radin (1939).
Continuing the “History in the Picture” section...
Another heartbreaking story from the life of ancient Rome is reflected in the paintings of Jacques-Louis David.
J.-L. David, "The lictors bring the bodies of his two sons to Brutus."
Lucius Junius Brutus, pictured in the dark corner on the left, was one of the founders of the Roman Republic. He was, one might say, the leader of the revolution, since he led the revolt against the last Roman king, Tarquin the Proud, in 509 BC. uh..
The story was that Tarquin completely forgot himself and did one outrageous thing, which became the last straw in the cup of people's patience. I will tell you what kind of action this was in the next issue of our program =)) In the meantime, we are talking about Brutus, who prompted the people to depose the king. The army also defected to the rebels and King Tarquinius and his sons were expelled. Thus, a Republic was created in Rome with a pair of consuls elected annually. The first consuls in 509 BC. e. Lucius Junius Brutus and Tarquinius Collatinus were elected.
However, the royal family was expelled, but not broken. And in the same year, a pro-royal conspiracy arose in Rome with the support of the Tarquins. The conspirators included noble young men, including the sons of Brutus Titus and Tiberius. However, one of the slaves reported the conspirators to the consuls, and therefore they were captured. And the father was forced to execute his traitorous sons.
Below the cut are excerpts from Plutarch and Titus Livy describing this episode. It should be noted that Plutarch tells everything more dramatically, while Livy tells it more meaningfully.
In Titus Livy, the description of these events takes up almost a quarter of the first and half of the second book, so I will only cite under the cut the episode with the conspiracy and execution, which occurred after the revolution. However, a link to the full version of Livy’s work is attached.
Titus Livy:
"3. (1) Although no one doubted that war was threatening from the Tarquins, it came later than everyone thought. And something happened that they were not worried about: freedom was almost destroyed by treachery and treason. (2) They were found among Roman youth, some young men, and not the least in nobility, whose passions had more scope under the kings: peers and comrades of the young Tarquins, themselves accustomed to living like kings.(3) Yearning in the midst of general equality for their former self-will, they began to complain among themselves that someone else's freedom turned into their slavery: the king is a man, he can achieve what is needed, here legal, there illegal, he is capable of beneficence and mercy, can be angry and forgive, distinguishes friend from foe; (4) and the law - deaf, inexorable, he is more savior and better for the weak than for the strong9, he knows neither leniency nor mercy for those who have transgressed; it is dangerous to live in innocence alone among so many human sins.
(5) These souls were already affected by corruption, when suddenly the royal ambassadors appeared and now demanded not the return of the king, but at least the release of the royal property. The Senate, having heard their request, deliberated for several days: not to return the property meant giving a reason for war, but to return it meant giving funds and assistance for the war. (6) Meanwhile, the ambassadors were busy with something else: openly busying themselves with the royal property, they secretly plotted, preparing the return of royal power. They went around houses with requests, as if for obvious business, testing the mood of noble young men. (7) To those who liked their speeches, they handed letters from the Tarquins and agreed to secretly let the royal family into the city at night.
4. (1) This project was first entrusted to the brothers Vitellius and Aquilius. Vitellius's sister was married to the consul Brutus, and from this marriage there were already adult children - Titus and Tiberius; Their uncles also initiated them into their conspiracy. (2) There were also other accomplices from noble youth, whose names were forgotten over time. 3 Meanwhile, the decision to hand over the royal property prevailed in the Senate, and the ambassadors took advantage of this opportunity to linger in the city, asking the consuls for time to prepare carts for the royal goods. They spend all this time in meetings with the conspirators, insistently demanding from them letters to the Tarquins: (4) otherwise how will they believe that the ambassadors are not empty words about such an important matter? It was these letters, given as a pledge of fidelity, that made the crime obvious.
(5) And it happened like this: on the eve of their departure to the Tarquinii, the ambassadors were just having dinner with the Vitellii, and there, having removed the witnesses, the conspirators talked to their hearts' content, as is often the case, about their recent plot. Their conversation was overheard by one of the slaves, who had already suspected something was wrong before, (6) but waited until the letters were in the hands of the ambassadors so that they could be caught red-handed. Realizing that the letters had been delivered, he reported everything to the consuls. 7 The consuls went out to seize the ambassadors and the conspirators, and quietly suppressed the whole undertaking, taking care first of all that the letters should not be lost. The traitors were immediately thrown into chains, and they hesitated for some time about the ambassadors, but then, although guilt seemed to equate them with enemies, the law accepted among peoples nevertheless prevailed.
5. (1) The matter of the royal property, which was decided to be given away, again comes to the Senate. The senators, in a fit of anger, prohibit the extradition, but also prohibit the transfer to the treasury: (2) the royal property is given over to the common people for plunder, so that anyone who touches the spoils will forever lose hope of reconciliation with the kings. The arable land of the Tarquins, located between the city and the Tiber, was dedicated to Mars and henceforth became the Field of Mars. (3) They say that there was grain standing there, ready for harvest. And since it would be blasphemy to use the harvest from this field, a huge crowd of people sent there, squeezing the bread, poured it along with the straw in baskets into the Tiber, which, as always, became shallow in the summer heat. (4) The heaps of straw that had settled in the shallows were covered with silt, and over time an island grew from this and other sediments, then, I think, it was strengthened with an artificial embankment so that the place would become high enough and the solid soil would support even temples and porticos.
(5) After the theft of the royal property, a sentence was passed on the traitors and an execution was carried out, especially notable in that the consular rank obliged the father to execute the children and the one who should have been removed even from the spectacle of the execution was appointed by fate as the executor. (6) The noblest youths stood chained to the pillars, but, passing them, as if they were strangers, everyone's eyes turned to the sons of the consul. It was not so much the execution itself that aroused pity, but the crime that deserved execution: (7) these people decided to betray the newly liberated fatherland, and the liberator father, and the consulate originating from the house of Junius, and the senate, and the common people, and everything that there was divine and human in Rome - to betray the former Proud Tsar, and now a hated exile. (8) The consuls took their places, the lictors went to carry out the execution; the naked are flogged with rods, beheaded with axes, but all the time all eyes are riveted on the face and gaze of the father, who expressed paternal feeling, even while committing popular reprisals."
Plutarch:
"4. When the young people gave their consent and entered into a conspiracy with the Aquilians, it was decided that everyone would take a great and terrible oath, making a libation of human blood and touching the entrails of the murdered person. For this, the conspirators gathered in the house of the Aquilians. The house where they intended to perform such a monstrous The ceremony was, as one might expect, dark and almost empty, and therefore no one noticed a slave named Vindicius hiding there. Not that he hid out of malice or some kind of premonition, but, having accidentally found himself inside and seeing the quickly approaching people, was afraid to catch their eye and hid behind an empty box, so that he witnessed everything that was happening and overheard all the conversations. Those gathered decided to kill the consuls and, writing about this intention to Tarquin, gave the letter to the ambassadors, who, taking advantage of the hospitality of the Aquilians, lived there and were present at the oath. When the conspirators left, Vindicius slowly slipped out of his hiding place; he did not want to keep secret what he had learned, but hesitated, quite rightly considering it far from safe to accuse the sons of Brutus before their father or the nephews of Collatinus before their own with a grave crime uncle, and among private individuals not finding anyone in Rome to whom he could entrust information of such importance. But least of all he could remain silent, his conscience would not give him peace, and he went to Valery, attracted primarily by the courtesy and mercy of this husband, who was available to everyone who needed his help, constantly kept the doors of the house open and never despised speeches and needs a person of low rank.
5. When Vindicius appeared to him and told him everything in the presence of only Valery’s wife and his brother Mark, Valery, shocked and frightened, did not let the slave go, but locked him in some room, putting his wife at the door, and ordered his brother to surround him courtyard, to find, if possible, the letters and to take the slaves into custody, while he himself, with clients and friends, of whom there were always many around him, and numerous servants, went to the Aquilian house. Valery did not find the owners; since, apparently, no one expected his arrival, he got inside and found letters in the room where the ambassadors were staying. At this time, Aquilia came running and, confronting Valery at the door, tried to snatch his find from him. Valery's companions began to defend themselves and, throwing togas around the necks of their opponents, with great difficulty, showered with blows and generously distributing them themselves, finally escaped through narrow alleys into the forum. At the same time, the same thing happened in the royal court: Mark laid his hand on other letters hidden among the things packed and ready to be sent, and dragged the royal entourage to the forum as much as he could grab.
6. When the consuls put an end to the disorder, Valerius ordered Vindicius to be brought in, and the accusation was brought, and then the letters were read. Those caught did not dare to say a word in their defense, they remained embarrassed and dejectedly silent, and everyone else, only a few, wanting to please Brutus, mentioned expulsion. Some glimmer of hope was also seen in the tears of Collatin and in the silence of Valery. But Brutus, calling out to each of his sons individually, said: “Well, Titus, well, Tiberius, why don’t you answer the accusation?” And when, despite the question being repeated three times, neither one nor the other made a sound, the father, turning to the lictors, said: “The matter is now up to you.” They immediately grabbed the young people, tore off their clothes, put their hands behind their backs and began to flog them with rods, and while the others were unable to watch this, the consul himself, they say, did not look away, compassion did not in the least soften the angry and the stern expression of his face - with a heavy gaze he watched how his children were being punished until the lictors, having spread them out on the ground, cut off their heads with axes. Having handed over the remaining conspirators to his colleague in office, Brutus got up and left. His act, with all the desire, can neither be praised nor condemned. Either high valor made his soul completely impassive, or, on the contrary, great suffering brought it to complete insensibility. Both are serious matters, both of them go beyond the boundaries of human nature, but the first is characteristic of a deity, the second - of a wild beast. It is fairer, however, for the judgment of this man to follow in the footsteps of his glory, and our own weakness of will should not be the reason for distrust of his valor. In any case, the Romans believe that it did not cost Romulus as much work to found the city as it took Brutus to establish and strengthen a democratic form of government."
