Decimus Junius Brutus Albinus | |
|---|---|
 Decimus Junius Brutus Albinus on the far right leading Julius Caesar toPompey's Theater. Painting byAbel de Pujol. | |
| Born | 27 April 81 BC |
| Died | September 43 BC (aged 38) |
| Cause of death | Executed by a Gallic chief loyal toMark Antony |
| Occupation(s) | General and politician |
| Known for | Assassination of Julius Caesar |
| Office |
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| Spouse | Valeria Polla |
| Relatives | Decimus Junius Brutus (father) Sempronia (mother) Aulus Postumius Albinus (adoptive father) |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance | Julius Caesar (until 44 BC) Liberatores (44–43 BC) |
| Years | 56–43 BC |
| Conflicts | Gallic Wars Caesar's Civil War Battle of Mutina |
Decimus Junius Brutus Albinus (27 April 81 BC – September 43 BC) was aRoman general and politician of thelate republican period and one of the leading instigators ofJulius Caesar'sassassination. He had previously been an important supporter of Caesar in theGallic Wars and inthe civil war againstPompey. Decimus Brutus is often confused with his distant cousin and fellow conspirator,Marcus Junius Brutus.
Due to a typographical error in a 16th-century English publication, he is often known in English-speaking popular culture asDecius Brutus.
Decimus was probably son of the Roman senatorDecimus Junius Brutus and his notorious wifeSempronia, one of the participants in the conspiracy ofCatilina in 63 BC.[5][i] His birthday seems to have been 27 April,[9] and he was probably born in the year 81 BC, perhaps slightly earlier.[10] Decimus was of distinguished ancestry: his father,grandfather andgreat-grandfather had all beenconsuls,[11] and his mother was likely descended fromGaius Gracchus, the ill-fated popular reformer.[12] He was alsoadopted by apatrician named Postumius Albinus, one of the last members of the ancient noble house which bore that name.[13] Although some ancient sources accordingly refer to Decimus as 'Albinus', and the name also appears on some coins he himself minted, Decimus does not seem to have changed his name to reflect the adoption, as was customary, and his contemporaries continued referring to him by his birth name, even in official contexts.[14][ii]
On several occasionsJulius Caesar expressed how he loved Decimus Brutus like a son. Syme argued that if a Brutus was the natural son of Caesar, Decimus was more likely thanMarcus Brutus.[20] Decimus was named an heir in the second degree in Caesar's will and was designated to become guardian of any child Caesar would have. Roman historianAppian interpreted this as being an adoption of Decimus by Caesar.[21]
Decimus Brutus spent his youth mainly in the company ofPublius Clodius Pulcher,Gaius Scribonius Curio, andMarcus Antonius.[citation needed]
He served in Caesar's army during theGallic Wars and was given the command of the fleet in the war against theVeneti in 56 BC.[22] In the decisiveBattle of Morbihan, Decimus Brutus succeeded in destroying the Veneti's fleet. Using sickle-like hooks fitted on long poles, Decimus Brutus attacked the enemy's sails, leaving them immobilized and easy prey to Roman boarding parties. He also served againstVercingetorix in 52 BC.[23]
When theRepublican Civil War broke out, Decimus Brutus sided with his commander, Caesar, and was entrusted once again with fleet operations.Richard Billows argued that Caesar loved Decimus Brutus almost as a son.[24] In 50 BC he married Paula Valeria, the sister ofGaius Valerius Triarius, a friend of Cicero who later fought alongside Pompey at Pharsalus.[25][26][27]
The Greek city of Massilia (present-dayMarseille) sided withPompey the Great, and Caesar, hastening to reachHispania and cut Pompey off from his legions, left Decimus Brutus in charge of thenaval blockade of Massilia. Within thirty days, Decimus Brutus built a fleet from scratch,defeated the Massilian fleet twice, and together withGaius Trebonius (who commanded the siege) secured the capitulation of Massilia.[28]
When Caesar returned to Rome asdictator after the final defeat of the Conservative faction in theBattle of Munda (45 BC), Marcus Brutus joined the conspiracy against Caesar, after being convinced by Cassius and Decimus.[citation needed] In 44 BC, Decimus was madePraetor Peregrinus by personal appointment of Caesar and was designated to be the governor ofCisalpine Gaul in the following year.
On theIdes of March (March 15), Caesar initially decided not to attend the Senate meeting in thecuria at thetheatre of Pompey due to the concerns of his wife. He was persuaded to attend by Decimus Brutus, who escorted him to the senate house, and neatly evadedMark Antony, who may have told Caesar of the assassination plot. After Caesar was attacked by the first assassin,Servilius Casca, Decimus and the rest of the conspirators attacked and killed him. In all, Caesar suffered approximately 23 stab wounds. According toNicolaus of Damascus, Decimus struck him through the thigh.
The assassins received an amnesty the next day, issued by the senate at the instigation of Mark Antony, Caesar's fellowconsul. But the situation was not peaceful; Rome's population and Caesar'slegionaries wanted to see the conspirators punished. The group decided to lie low, and Decimus used his office ofPraetor Peregrinus to stay away from Rome. Decimus was named an heir in the second degree in Caesar's will.
The climate of reconciliation soon passed, and slowly the conspirators were starting to feel the strain of the assassination. Already in March 44 BC, Decimus Brutus found his (earlier) allocation of the province ofCisalpine Gaul opposed by Antony.[29] Nevertheless, by the autumn, Decimus Brutus was campaigning against local tribes in theprovince assigned to him by Caesar aspropraetor, with his own troops.[30] He was ordered by the Senate to surrender his province to Antony but refused, an act of provocation to which Antony was only too happy to respond. Defeating Decimus Brutus was a way for Antony to regain his ascendancy and get control of the strategically important Italian Gaul; while conversely Cicero encouraged the former to destroy Antony and thereby restore the commonwealth.[31]
In 43 BC Decimus Brutus occupied Mutina, laying in provisions for a protracted siege. Antony obliged him, and blockaded Decimus Brutus' forces, intent on starving them out.
Nevertheless, the consuls of the year,Aulus Hirtius andGaius Pansa, marched northward to raise the siege. Guided byCicero (whosePhilippics date from this time), the Senate was inclined to view Mark Antony as an enemy.Caesar Octavian, the nineteen-year-old heir of Caesar, and already raised to the rank ofpropraetor, accompanied Gaius Pansa north. The first confrontation occurred on April 14 at thebattle of Forum Gallorum, where Antony hoped to deal with his opponents piecemeal. Antony defeated the forces of Gaius Pansa and Octavian, which resulted in Pansa suffering mortal wounds; however, Antony was then defeated by a surprise attack from Hirtius. A second battle on 21 April atMutina resulted in a further defeat for Antony and Hirtius' death. Antony withdrew, unwilling to become the subject of a doublecircumvallation as Vercingetorix had done to Caesar atAlesia.
With the siege raised, Decimus Brutus cautiously thanked Octavian, now commander of the legions that had rescued him, from the other side of the river. Octavian coldly indicated he had come to oppose Antony, not aid Caesar's murderers. Decimus Brutus was given the command to wage war against Antony, but many of his soldiers deserted to Octavian.
With Cicero's support, however, Decimus Brutus crossed the Alps to joinPlancus in the war against Antony; but when Plancus switched sides his position became untenable and he was forced to flee.[32] He attempted to reachMacedonia, whereMarcus Junius Brutus andCassius had stationed themselves, but was executeden route in mid-September by Camelus, a Gallic chief loyal to Mark Antony.[33]
Several letters written by Decimus Brutus during the last two years of his life are preserved among Cicero's collected correspondence.
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Decimus' legacy is not as notable as that of the other Brutus who was among the conspirators,Marcus Brutus, whom he is often confused for, or merged with, in depictions.[34][failed verification]
InShakespeare'sJulius Caesar, Decimus Brutus is mistakenly called "Decius". He also appears in the playCato, a Tragedy byJoseph Addison also here under the name "Decius".[35] He appears with his actual name in the playThe Tragedy of Cicero.[36]
InAllan Massie's 1993 book entitledCaesar, Decimus Junius Brutus Albinus narrates his story and reason for joining in Caesar's assassination while being held captive by the Gallic chief.
InColleen McCullough's novelsCaesar andThe October Horse (of herMasters of Rome series) Decimus Brutus is an important character. In these novels, he andGaius Trebonius are portrayed as the real leaders of the assassination conspiracy.
InConn Iggulden'sEmperor series of books the historical figures of Decimus Brutus and Marcus Brutus are blended together into the one character named Marcus Brutus.
InBen Kane's booksThe Forgotten Legion,The Silver Eagle, andRoad To Rome, Decimus Brutus is shown as a fairly major character to the plot and the rest of the book as Fabiola's lover.[37]
InRobert Harris' novel,Dictator, it is Decimus, not Marcus, who is the Brutus targeted during Caesar's assassination by Caesar's alleged accusatory words, "Even you?". The phrase, more often rendered as "Et tu", is immortalized in Shakespeare'sJulius Caesar.[38]
InS.J.A Turney's series of novels titledMarius Mules, Decimus Brutus is heavily featured as a brilliant naval commander and one of Caesar's most loyal officers.
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