The conspiracy to assassinate Julius Caesar involved a number of high ranking Romans who did assassinate Julius Caesar on March 15, 44 B.C. Bust of Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (Classical Latin: IMP·C·IVLIVS·CAESAR·DIVVS) (b. ...

History

The following passage is part of an eyewitness account of this conspiracy written by Nicolaus of Damascus, a few years after the assassination: Nicolaus of Damascus (Nikolāos Damaskēnos) was a Greek historical and philosophical writer who lived in the Augustan Age. ...

The conspirators never met openly, but they assembled a few at a time in each others' homes. There were many discussions and proposals, as might be expected, while they investigated how and where to execute their design. Some suggested that they should make the attempt as he was going along the Sacred Way, which was one of his favorite walks. Another idea was for it to be done at the elections during which he had to cross a bridge to appoint the magistrates in the Campus Martius; they should draw lots for some to push him from the bridge and for others to run up and kill him. A third plan was to wait for a coming gladiatorial show. The advantage of that would be that, because of the show, no suspicion would be aroused if arms were seen prepared for the attempt. But the majority opinion favored killing him while he sat in the Senate, where he would be by himself since non-Senators would not be admitted, and where the many conspirators could hide their daggers beneath their togas. This plan won the day.

The Roman Senate traditionally met in the Curia Hostilia, which had been recently repaired from the fires that destroyed it years before, but the Senate had abandoned it for the new house under construction. Thus Caesar summoned the Senate to meet in the Theatrum Pompeium on the Ides of March (March 15) 44 BC. As the Senate convened, Caesar was attacked and stabbed to death by a group of senators who called themselves the Liberators (Liberatores); the Liberators justified their action on the grounds that they committed tyrannicide, not murder, and were preserving the Republic from Caesar's alleged monarchical ambitions. Among the assassins were Gaius Trebonius, Decimus Junius Brutus, Marcus Junius Brutus, and Gaius Cassius Longinus. The Roman Senate (Latin, Senatus) was a deliberative body which was important in the government of both the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. ... In the Roman calendar the ides of March falls on March 15. ... Gaius Trebonius (died 43 BC) was a military commander and politician of the late Roman Republic, a trusted associate of Julius Caesar who later participated in his assassination. ... Decimus Junius Brutus Albinus (died 43 BC) was a Roman politician and general of the 1st century BC, one of Julius Caesars assassins. ... Marcus Junius Brutus Caepio (85 BC – 42 BC), or simply Brutus, was a Roman senator of the late Roman Republic. ... Gaius Cassius Longinus was the prime mover and Senator in the conspiracy against Julius Caesar. ...

Commentary

Historically, the death of Julius Caesar is condemned as a conspiracy because he was attacked and stabbed to death by a group of Roman senators who agreed to murder him. It is no defense to a conspiracy charge that the group called themselves the "Liberators" (Liberatores) and justified their action on the grounds that they committed tyrannicide, not murder, thereby preserving the Republic of Rome from Caesar's alleged monarchical ambitions. Under the law of conspiracy, the ends (preserving the Republic) did not justify the means (agreeing to assassinate Caesar).