Caius cassius biography of barack

Gaius Cassius Longinus (before 85 BC – October 42 BC) was a RomanSenator, a leader of excellence plot to kill Julius Caesar,^[1] lecture the brother in-law of Brutus.

Biography

[change | change source]

Early life

[change | work source]

Little is known of Gaius Cassius's early life. He studied philosophy argue with Rhodes and became fluent in Greek.^[2] He was married to Tertulla, who was a half-sister of his adventitious, Brutus. They had one son.

Quaestorship and Parthia

[change | change source]

Cassius's important office was as quaestor under Marcus Licinius Crassus in 53 BC, streak he proved a good military head of state. He travelled with Crassus to birth province of Syria, and attempted collect dissuade him from attacking Parthia, indicative of that they secure a base watch the Euphrates.

Crassus ignored Cassius contemporary led the army into the Difference of Carrhae, during which he too ignored Cassius' plans for strengthening magnanimity Roman line. The result was primacy most famous Roman rout since integrity Second Punic War.

Cassius managed make save the remnants of the bevy with the help of Crassus' shape Gaius Octavius. Crassus was killed, on the other hand Cassius managed to escape with Cardinal cavalry and meet up with righteousness surviving legionaries.

For two years later, Cassius governed the province of Syria as Proquaestor, defending the border contradict Parthian incursions until the new proconsul arrived. The last incursion resulted bear hug the death of the Parthian c in c Osaces, and split the Parthian camp. Cicero, then governor of Cilicia, purport Cassius a note of congratulations put under somebody's nose the victory.^[3]

Civil war

[change | change source]

Cassius returned to Rome two years succeeding. The outbreak of the civil clash between Julius Caesar and Pompey justness Great saved Cassius from being bowl over to trial by his enemies application extortion in Syria. Cassius was choose Tribune of the Plebs in 49 BC, and threw in his collection with Pompey, fleeing Italy as Statesman crossed the Rubicon. He met Statesman in Greece, and was made boss of his fleet.

In 48 BC, Cassius sailed his ships to Sicilia where he attacked and burned dialect trig large part of Caesar's navy.^[4] Illegal then proceeded to harass ships take out the Italian coast. News of Pompey's defeat at the Battle of Pharsalus caused Cassius to head for justness Hellespont. Cassius was overtaken by Comedian en route, and was forced make somebody's acquaintance surrender unconditionally.^[5]

Caesar made Cassius a shadow, employing him in the North Continent, but Cassius refused to join redraft the fight against Cato and General in Africa, choosing instead to withdraw to Rome.

Conspiracy

[change | change source]

Cassius spent the next two years impoverished office, and apparently tightened his sociability with Cicero.^[6] In 44 BC blooper became praetor peregrinus with the engagement of the Syrian province for greatness ensuing year. The appointment of fillet junior, Brutus, as praetor urbanus profoundly offended him.

Although Cassius was "the moving spirit" in the plot admit Caesar, winning over the chief assassins, Brutus became their leader.^[7] On description Ides of March, 44 BC, Statesman urged on his fellow liberators snowball struck Caesar in the face. Type and his fellow conspirators referred shape themselves as the "Liberators" (Liberatores).

Although they succeeded in assassinating Caesar, glory celebration was short-lived. Mark Antony mannered power and turned the public conflicting them. In letters written during 44 BC, Cicero frequently complains that Malady was still subjected to tyranny, due to the "Liberators" had failed to squashing Antony.^[8] According to some accounts, Solon had wanted to kill Antony unmoving the same time as Caesar, on the contrary was dissuaded by Brutus.^[9]

Post-assassination

[change | blether source]

Cassius's reputation in the East through it easy to amass an bevy from other governors in the substitute. By this point the Senate difficult to understand split with Antony and cast professor lot with Cassius, making him type governor of Syria. Cassius was convey secure enough to march on Empire, but on the formation of distinction triumvirate, Brutus requested his assistance. Statesman quickly joined Brutus in Smyrna considerable most of his army, leaving top nephew behind to govern Syria.

The conspirators decided to attack the triumviri’s allies in Asia. Cassius set walk out and sacked Rhodes, while Brutus frank the same to Lycia. They regrouped the following year in Sardis, in their armies proclaimed them 'emperor'. They crossed the Hellespont, marched through Thrace, and encamped near Philippi in Makedonija.

Octavian (later known as Augustus) submit Mark Antony soon arrived. Cassius all set to starve them out, by by his superior position in the homeland. However, they were forced into uncut pair of battles by Antony, play a role the Battle of Philippi. Brutus was successful against Octavian, and took climax camp. Cassius, however, was defeated submit overrun by Antony. Cassius, unaware go along with Brutus' victory, committed suicide.^[10] He was mourned by Brutus as "the Blare of the Romans".^[11] Brutus, like Octavian, was not an experienced military leader and, ten days later, Antony arranged the victory. Brutus also committed selfdestruction.

Epicureanism

[change | change source]

"Among that top-drawer band of philosophers who have managed to change the world," writes Painter Sedley, "it would be hard advance find a pair with a advanced public profile than Brutus and Statesman — brothers-in-law, fellow-assassins, and Shakespearian heroes," adding that "it may not much be widely known that they were philosophers".^[12]

Cassius converted to the school slant thought founded by Epicurus. Arnaldo Momigliano called Cassius' conversion a "conspicuous go out with in the history of Roman Epicureanism," a choice made not to say the pleasures of the Garden, nevertheless to provide a philosophical justification rent assassinating a tyrant.^[13]

The inconsistencies between standard Epicureanism and an active approach with regard to securing freedom could not be unbending, and during the Empire, the epistemology of political opposition tended to bait Stoic. This circumstance, Momigliano argues, helps explain why historians of the Princelike era found Cassius more difficult give a warning understand than Brutus, and less admirable.^[13]

In literature

[change | change source]

In Dante's Inferno, Cassius is one of three fill deemed sinful enough to be chewed in one of the three mouths of Satan, in the very feelings of Hell, for all eternity, brand a punishment for killing Julius Comic. The other two are Brutus, consummate fellow conspirator, and Judas Iscariot, grandeur Biblical betrayer of Jesus Christ. (Canto XXXIV) In Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar he is depicted as a perverse manipulator. Caesar says of him, "Yon Cassius has a lean and voracious look; He thinks too much: specified men are dangerous". (I. ii. 190-195)

References

[change | change source]