Lucius Junius Brutus- Roman FigureMortal"Founder of the Roman Republic"
Also known as: Brutus
Titles & Epithets
Description
He played the fool while the tyrant murdered his kin, hiding sharp intelligence behind a dull mask. When Lucretia's blood demanded vengeance, Brutus cast off the disguise, led Rome's revolt against its kings, and became the first consul of a republic built on his sacrifice.
Mythology & Lore
The Fool Who Freed Rome
Lucius Junius Brutus was the son of Marcus Junius and Tarquinia, sister of Tarquinius Superbus, the last king of Rome. When the king murdered Brutus's elder brother and seized his property, the young man adopted a mask of stupidity to avoid attracting the tyrant's suspicion. He allowed himself to be called Brutus, "the dull one," and acted the part of a harmless simpleton at court. When Tarquinius sent his sons to consult the oracle at Delphi, Brutus accompanied them as a jester. The oracle declared that supreme power in Rome would fall to whichever of them first kissed his mother. Brutus pretended to stumble and kissed the earth, mother of all, understanding what the princes had missed.
The crisis came in 509 BCE when Sextus Tarquinius, the king's son, raped the noblewoman Lucretia. She summoned her husband Collatinus and her father, revealed what had happened, demanded vengeance, and killed herself with a dagger. Brutus drew the bloody knife from her body and swore an oath to drive the Tarquins from Rome. He rode to the Forum, delivered a speech recounting the king's crimes, and rallied the people to revolt. The army, then besieging Ardea, declared for Brutus. Tarquinius Superbus found the gates of Rome closed against him and went into exile.
The Consul's Sacrifice
Brutus and Collatinus were elected the first two consuls of the new republic. Almost immediately, a conspiracy emerged among young patricians, including Brutus's own sons Titus and Tiberius, to restore the monarchy. The plot was discovered, and the conspirators were brought before the consuls. Brutus sat in judgment on his sons, watched them flogged, and ordered their execution by beheading. Livy describes the crowd watching Brutus's face during the punishment, searching for any flicker of paternal grief, and finding only the consul's duty performed in silence.
Brutus died shortly afterward in battle against the exiled Tarquins. He and Arruns, son of Tarquinius Superbus, charged each other on horseback and killed each other simultaneously, each spear passing through the other's shield and body. Rome mourned him for a year. The matrons of the city wore black for him as for a father.
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