Et tu, Brutus...

When betrayal by your most devoted friends ends your life and changes history.

Julius Caesar was tired and collapsed on his bed after opening the windows to create a draft. His keeper, Primus, was concerned, as he had never seen him in such a deplorable state. But as stubborn as he was, Caesar told him to leave. He just wanted to rest. Maximus, the servant, confided in the caretaker, and both concurred that Caesar was too weak and pale. He just returned from a Gaul campaign, which was one of the hardest any emperor had ever undertaken. Caesar did, and he came back to Rome victorious. So, the two servants decided the strain of battle must be to blame and thought the best course of action was to let him rest.

They should have called his physician, for when they returned to his chambers several hours later, Caesar was sweating profusely and throwing up, barely conscious.

The doctor rushed into the room, not knowing what to expect, and less about what to do.

He checked his vitals with primitive instruments, but only enough to realise Caesar was dying. His pulse was extremely weak, and he was as pale as a Roman garment—white.

They all provided as much comfort as they could, and although he might’ve been poisoned, he survived the event, only to be assassinated on the floor of the Senate in 44 BCE.

Marc Antony was declared his successor immediately, but rumours started circulating throughout the city that he had something to do with his sickness. He and Cleopatra.

Everyone knew that after the French campaign, Caesar stopped over in Alexandria, Egypt, to visit the love of his life, Queen Cleopatra, who welcomed him as always with every comfort possible. It was also known that the people of Rome weren’t too happy about this ongoing affair, firstly because she wasn't Roman and secondly because they didn’t trust her.

She had a reputation for seducing men for her objectives, and somehow, she always managed to get her way, like a trickster. One thing that everyone could see was that she commanded fear and respect. After all, she was the queen of Egypt, a Roman ally, and both powers needed each other for mutual security through strength.

But now, a beloved emperor is dead after visiting her a few days earlier. Suspicion was everywhere.

The Roman people required more information before they could make a final determination on whether to support Antony or not. Was he involved in a conspiracy? Did Cleopatra use a time poison that took the strongest effect days after its ingestion? 

All these were fair questions people wanted answers for, and so did Antony, according to what he said publicly.

Undeniably, if Roman suspicions turned out to be true, it would be a certain war. 

The Roman equivalent of today’s PIs started an investigation with all the power of the Roman estate behind them and its resources.

They decided to travel to Egypt to question Cleopatra in the name of the empire. She had no choice but to receive them and grant them a Q&A.

By the time they were done, they found an innumerable number of inconsistencies in her version of events and the dates.

To make matters worse for her, the doctors affirmed that he was actually afflicted by poison. By the time the envoys returned from Egypt, the situation in Rome was chaotic. Everyone was demanding justice. They took to the streets, demanding that Cleopatra be put on trial for the murder of a Roman emperor, and the city as a whole became a powder keg. 

Marc Antony wrote an edict declaring martial law and proposing to the citizens that he go himself to Cairo to find out what really took place.

At this point, no one cared to listen to who they thought could’ve been a co-conspirator. The Romans demanded he relinquish the throne, step down and ask the senate to impose such action. But Antony was falsely accused of killing Caesar. Marcus Julius Brutus and his associates were the real culprits, but no one knew that until much later. 

However, realising he had gotten himself into a royal mess, Antony insisted, pleaded, rallied for calm, and left for Alexandria, promising his subjects he’d come back with Cleopatra’s head on a platter if he found out she was indeed guilty.

Marc Antony and Cleopatra committed suicide in August of 30 BCE after the Roman general Octavian defeated both of their armies in the battle of Actium in 31 BCE.

Julius Caesar was assassinated in March of 44 BCE, a day known as the “Ides of March”.

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