On March 15, 44 B.C.E., Julius Caesar was stabbed to death in Rome, Italy. Caesar was the dictator of the Roman Republic, and his assassins were Roman senators, fellow politicians who helped shape Roman policy and government.
Military Success & Reforms
Gaius Julius Caesar had returned to Rome in triumph, hailed as a hero. During his time as a Roman general, he claimed to have killed almost two million people in fifty decisive battles. Although loved by the citizens of Rome, he caused, in many ways, worry among those in the Roman Senate - especially the old elite, the Optimates. The man who was soon to be hailed as dictator for life (dictator perpetuo) transferred his skill as a military commander into the ability to lead the Republic. Seeing the need and demonstrating that he truly loved the people of Rome, he decreed a number of significant and necessary reforms - reforms that further endeared him to the Roman citizenry.
While these reforms made him popular among the commoners, they brought panic to many of his enemies and even some of his friends. To these men, their beloved republic no longer existed, especially after Caesar was named dictator for life in February 44 BCE - a completely unconstitutional act. They believed they no longer had a voice as Rome was quickly coming under the control of a would-be tyrant. Caesar's extreme arrogance and vanity offended many in the Roman Senate.
A Conspiracy Rises
The time had come to save the Republic from this would-be king, and thereby a conspiracy was borne. The four leading men of the conspiracy were an unusual mix of both friends and enemies. The first two men believed they had not been rewarded substantially enough for their service to Caesar: Gaius Trebonius served as a praetor and consul and had fought with Caesar in Spain; Decimus Junius Brutus Albinus was governor of Gaul and had been victorious against the Gauls. The next two conspirators were obviously not friends of Caesar: Gaius Cassius Longinus who had served with both Crassus and Pompey as a naval commander and who some believe conceived the plot, and lastly, the greedy and arrogant Marcus Junius Brutus who had also served under Pompey and who was the brother-in-law of Cassius.
After considerable debate, the final decision was to strike during a session of the Senate at the Theater of Pompey on March 15, 44 BCE, the Ides of March. The attackers had chosen their weapon of choice wisely - a double-edged dagger or pugio of about eight inches long instead of a sword. Daggers were better for close contact and could be hidden under their togas.
The Attack
A large crowd accompanied Caesar on his way to the Senate. The dictator entered and sat on his throne. Mark Antony, who had accompanied Caesar, was conveniently delayed outside by Trebonius, as planned. In the theater, there were 200 senators in attendance along with ten tribunes and a number of slaves and secretaries.
Cimber approached the unsuspecting Caesar and handed him a petition on behalf of his exiled brother; Caesar, of course, did not rise to greet him. Cimber grabbed at Caesar's toga and pulled it back. Caesar reportedly said, "Why, this is violence?" Casca dealt the first blow with his knife; Caesar immediately tried to defend himself by raising his hands to cover his face. The remaining conspirators surrounded the shocked Caesar - Cassius struck him in the face, Decimus to the ribs. Caesar collapsed, dead, ironically at the foot of a statue of his old enemy Pompey.
Aftermath
While the conspiracy had all the makings of a great plan, little attempt was made to prepare for afterwards. The conspirators made their way to Capitoline Hill and the Temple of Jupiter. Brutus spoke from a platform at the foot of the hill, trying in vain to calm the crowd.
Brutus believed the death of Caesar would bring a return of the old Roman spirit; unfortunately, the city was in shock, and people became increasingly more hostile. On March 17 the Senate sought a compromise with the urging of Mark Antony: While the laws of Caesar would remain intact, there would be amnesty for the conspirators. Unfortunately, peace was impossible and the conspirators fled Rome and would all ultimately meet their end.
For Rome, the young Octavian, the adopted son of Caesar, received not only his war chest but also the support of the army. A final conflict between Mark Antony (with the help of Cleopatra) and Octavian would bring Octavian to power as Augustus, the first emperor of the Roman Empire.
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Theory:
ok, i think i've seen it all now. i have a trans teenager in my tiktok comments telling me i'm erasing trans people because...i said that nonbinary people can still be trans and sometimes are? i'm so confused. is it because i'm arguing with a child?
they seem really pissed i used transfemme as a synonym for trans women? is that bad or something?
transfemme can refer to some nonbinary people who don't like being called trans women but lean femme, but idk if that's a big enough deal to get mad over. unless you were saying something like "no nonbinary person can be transfemme" i think you're probably alright
yeah, i just used transfemme to refer to a trans woman.
I was a sub at a small high school last year with a huge trans and NB population. I noticed they will say stuff like this. I completely get why they would be on the defense especially after this last year, but sometimes it just seems like a combination of picking fights and exploring theory while still having their brains developing.
I personally would just leave it be.
yeah, it strikes me both as a misunderstanding about the difference between sex and gender and a sensitivity to trans erasure by the population writ large.
Yes.
Being trans means you don't identify with your AGAB (and/or identify with a gender that's not your AGAB). NBs don't generally identify with their AGAB. So yes obviously you can be NB and trans.
Probably because you're arguing with a child. Or a troll.
Where would kids even get education on queer studies and queer theory? Your average 15 year old probably hasn't read a bunch of queer theory and doesn't have the lifetime of experience to have picked it up by osmosis.
And there's a bunch of them on the internet who have strong opinions about things they really don't understand and cannot place in the context of history and theory. And yeah, it can't help at all that this is all happening in the middle of fascist actual, literal psychological operations to push TERF agendas and divide and conquer the queer community, creating even more confusion for already vulnerable kids.
I think every enby I've ever talked to about enby stuff considers their identity to be a trans thing. Like firmly in the camp that their issues are trans issues and vice versa.