Who was Brutus's father?

[Primus Pilus]

This is the main item that I personally disagree with MPC on regarding Caesar. While Caesar may have been a braggart (the evidence being his own writings) I don't believe he ever intended the destruction of the Gauls as a peop

I think you missed my point PP. I don't disagree with what you wrote but my contention is this: When did the Roman public ever feel squeamish about the genocide of a foreign people? Why would slaughtering a million Gauls, or any other nation for that matter, have turned people against him? Cato's censorious comments on this matter were a political dig in Caesar's ribs. I'm not convinced his outrage was genuine in any way.

 

Didn't miss your point at all. I suppose I just blathered on a bit and didn't address the point directly enough. I agree that the Roman people weren't squeamish and in fact the majority were quite pleased with Caesar's conquests. The voting of 3 separate public thanks by the senate, in spite of some obvious political opposition to Caesar, presents one illustration in support of public popularity. Cato's major concern was legality and Caesar's growing power, not the plight of the Gallic people... but I think we are all pretty much in agreement on that.

 

My apologies though for diverting the topic away from Brutus' father.

[Ingsoc]

We know Lucius Brutus executed his own sons for treason and died in battle almost immediately afterward, so unless there was subsequent unrecorded male issue from a quickie before the campaign, the line is not direct. This is suggested also in that Lucius was a patrician, but the later Bruti were plebeian, I believe.

 

In 493, another L Junius Brutus was a tribune of the plebs (Dion. Hal.6.70.1-89.1; Plut. Cor. 7.1). Maybe the plebeian tyrannicide was actually descended from him? It's interesting that Atticus had another resolution to this.

 

Or maybe either Titus or Tiberius had children of their own who at some point transfer to a plebian rank.

[Pompieus]

Does anyone have a strong opinion about the proposal in Munzer (Roman Aristocratic Families and Parties pg 308-11) that the "Servilius Caepio" who was originally betrothed to Caesars daughter (who ended up married to Pompieus) was none other than Brutus?(!) And that he had gone thru some sort of unofficial-fictitious "adoption" so as to become the head of the house of the Servilii Caepiones under the name Q Caepio Brutus ?

[Ingsoc]

Does anyone have a strong opinion about the proposal in Munzer (Roman Aristocratic Families and Parties pg 308-11) that the "Servilius Caepio" who was originally betrothed to Caesars daughter (who ended up married to Pompieus) was none other than Brutus?(!) And that he had gone thru some sort of unofficial-fictitious "adoption" so as to become the head of the house of the Servilii Caepiones under the name Q Caepio Brutus ?

 

Brutus was indeed adopted by one of the Caepio family (probably his uncle) and for a time was called Q. Caepio Brutus, thought Clarke think that the influence of his adoptive father was minor in comparion to that of Cato and Servillia (The Noblest Roman: Marcus Brutus and His Reputation, pp 12). in any case he bore this name for a short time and never was the head of the Servilii Caepiones.

 

It's unlikely that this Caepio was Brutus, first of all Suetonius mention that he render Caesar "conspicuous service in his contest with Bibulus" (Julius Caesar, 21) a thing that Brutus was unlikely to do since Bibulus was the son in law of his beloved uncle Cato, it's also likely that if this Caepio was indeed Brutus Suetonius would use the name which he was best known.

Edited April 27, 2008 by Ingsoc

[M. Porcius Cato]

It's unlikely that this Caepio was Brutus, first of all Suetonius mention that he render Caesar "conspicuous service in his contest with Bibulus" (Julius Caesar, 21) a thing that Brutus was unlikely to do since Bibulus was the father in law of his beloved uncle Cato

 

Bibulus was married to Cato's daughter Porcia. Thus, Cato was Bibulus' father-in-law, not the reverse.

[Ingsoc]

It's unlikely that this Caepio was Brutus, first of all Suetonius mention that he render Caesar "conspicuous service in his contest with Bibulus" (Julius Caesar, 21) a thing that Brutus was unlikely to do since Bibulus was the father in law of his beloved uncle Cato

 

Bibulus was married to Cato's daughter Porcia. Thus, Cato was Bibulus' father-in-law, not the reverse.

 

Arrg... you right ofcourse, it's was a silly mistake on my part.