Gaius Cassius Longinus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | c. 86 BC[2] |
| Died | 3 October 42 BC (aged 44) |
| Cause of death | Suicide |
| Resting place | Thasos, Greece |
| Nationality | Roman |
| Other names | Last of the Romans[3] |
| Occupation(s) | General and politician |
| Known for | Assassination of Julius Caesar |
| Office | Tribune of the plebs (49 BC) Praetor (44 BC) Consul designate (41 BC) |
| Spouse | Junia Tertia |
| Children | Gaius Cassius Longinus |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance | Roman Republic Pompey |
| Years | 54–42 BC |
| Battles / wars | Battle of Carrhae Caesar's civil war Battle of Philippi |
Gaius Cassius Longinus (Classical Latin: [ˈɡaːi.ʊs ˈkassi.ʊs ˈlɔŋɡɪnʊs]; c. 86 BC – 3 October 42 BC) was a Roman senator and general best known as a leading instigator of the plot to assassinate Julius Caesar on 15 March 44 BC.[4][5][6] He was the brother-in-law of Brutus, another leader of the conspiracy. He commanded troops with Brutus during the Battle of Philippi against the combined forces of Mark Antony and Octavian, Caesar's former supporters, and committed suicide after being defeated by Mark Antony.
Cassius was elected as tribune of the plebs in 49 BC. He opposed Caesar, and eventually he commanded a fleet against him during Caesar's Civil War: after Caesar defeated Pompey in the Battle of Pharsalus, Caesar overtook Cassius and forced him to surrender. After Caesar's death, Cassius fled to the East, where he amassed an army of twelve legions. He was supported and made governor by the Senate. Later he and Brutus marched west against the allies of the Second Triumvirate.
He followed the teachings of the philosopher Epicurus, although scholars debate whether or not these beliefs affected his political life. Cassius is a main character in William Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar that depicts the assassination of Caesar and its aftermath. He is also shown in the lowest circle of Hell in Dante's Inferno as punishment for betraying and killing Caesar.[7][8]
- ^ Nodelman, pp. 57–59.
- ^ Polo, Francisco Pina; Fernndez, Alejandro Daz (2019). The Quaestorship in the Roman Republic. De Gruyter. p. 232. ISBN 978-3-11-066341-9.
- ^ Plutarch, Life of Brutus, 44.2.
- ^ Ronald Syme, The Roman Revolution (Oxford University Press, 1939, reprinted 2002), p. 57 online; Elizabeth Rawson, "Caesar: Civil War and Dictatorship," in The Cambridge Ancient History: The Last Age of the Roman Republic 146–43 BC (Cambridge University Press, 1994), vol. 9, p. 465.
- ^ Plutarch. "Life of Caesar". University of Chicago. p. 595.
...at this juncture Decimus Brutus, surnamed Albinus, who was so trusted by Caesar that he was entered in his will as his second heir, but was partner in the conspiracy of the other Brutus and Cassius, fearing that if Caesar should elude that day, their undertaking would become known, ridiculed the seers and chided Caesar for laying himself open to malicious charges on the part of the senators...
- ^ Suetonius (121). "De Vita Caesarum" [The Twelve Casesars]. University of Chicago. p. 107. Archived from the original on 2012-05-30.
More than sixty joined the conspiracy against [Caesar], led by Gaius Cassius and Marcus and Decimus Brutus.
- ^ Dante, Inferno: Canto XXXIV
- ^ Cook, W. R., & Herzman, R. B. (1979). "Inferno XXXIII: The Past and the Present in Dante's "Imagery of Betrayal". Italica, 56(4), 377–383. JSTOR 478665. "For the vision of Satan that is Dante the pilgrim's last glimpse of hell shows the three mouths of Satan gnawing on each of the three great traitors - Brutus, Cassius, and Judas."