23 OCTOBER 42 BC
Julius Caesar's assassins make their last stand
Rival Roman forces clash at Philippi
After two days of fighting near Philippi in what's now north-east Greece, the fate of the so-called Liberators was sealed.
Having absconded to the Roman Republic's eastern provinces following Caesar's murder on the Ides of March (15 March) 44 BC, the leading assassins Gaius Cassius Longinus and Marcus Junius Brutus commanded much of the eastern Mediterranean. Meanwhile, a triumvirate was forged in the west: Caesar's right-hand man, Mark Antony; his named heir and great-nephew, Octavian; and General Marcus Aemilius Lepidus. They secured control of Rome and its western provinces, then – leaving Lepidus in Italy – Antony and Octavian set out to confront their foes.
On 3 October, Octavian's army was forced onto the back foot by Brutus's…
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Bbc History (Digital) - 1 Issue, October 2024