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Marcus Junius Brutus

2011-09-02T16:47:15Z

84.50.10.103: Corrected a typing error.

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{{WP-REAL|Marcus Junius Brutus the Younger}}
[[File:BrutusBust3.jpg|thumb]]
'''Marcus Junius Brutus''' (early June 85 BC – late October 42 BC), often referred to simply as '''Brutus''', was a politician of the late [[Roman Empire|Roman Republic]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood">''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood]]''</ref> and a member of the [[Assassins|Assassin Order]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy">''[[Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy]]''</ref> He took a leading role in the assassination conspiracy against the dictator [[Gaius Julius Caesar|Julius Caesar]].

==Biography==
===Early life===
Marcus Junius Brutus the Younger was the son of Marcus Junius Brutus the Elder and Servilia Caepionis. His father was killed by Pompey the Great in dubious circumstances after he had taken part in the rebellion of Lepidus; his mother was the half-sister of Cato the Younger, and later became Julius Caesar's mistress. Some sources refer to the possibility of Caesar being his real father. Brutus' uncle, Quintus Servilius Caepio adopted him in about 59 BC, and Brutus was known officially for a time as '''Quintus Servilius Caepio Brutus''' before he reverted to using his birth-name. However, following Caesar's assassination in 44 BC, Brutus revived his adoptive name in order to illustrate his links to another famous tyrannicide, Servilius Ahala, from whom he was descended.<ref name="Wikipedia: Marcus Junius Brutus">[[wikipedia:Marcus Junius Brutus the Younger|''Wikipedia'': Marcus Junius Brutus]]</ref> He was, at some point, inducted into the Assassin Order.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy" />

Brutus held his uncle in high regard and his political career started when he became an assistant to Cato, during his governorship of [[Cyprus]]. During this time, he enriched himself by lending money at high rates of interest. He returned to [[Rome]] a rich man, where he married Claudia Pulchra. From his first appearance in the Senate, Brutus aligned with the Optimates (the conservative faction) against the First Triumvirate of Marcus Licinius Crassus, Pompey Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus and Gaius Julius Caesar. Around 45 BC, many senators began to fear Caesar's growing power following his appointment as dictator for life.<ref name="Wikipedia: Marcus Junius Brutus" /> Additionally, the Assassins discovered that the [[SPQR]] was secretly a [[Templars|Templar]] organization.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II">''[[Assassin's Creed II]]''</ref> Brutus was appointed to devise the conspiracy against Caesar by the other Assassins.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" />

===Assassination of Julius Caesar===
At some point, Brutus discovered and explored the [[Colosseum Vault|vault]] hidden beneath what would eventually become [[Santa Maria Aracoeli]]. He chose the temple concealing the entrance to the vault as a meeting place for the conspirators, and would include a drawing of the chamber itself within his scrolls. Inside the chamber, he was enlightened with visions of what would happen after Caesar's assassination.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" />

[[File:Assassination of Julius Caesar.jpg|thumb|left|The Assassins striking at Caesar.]]
Encouraged by these visions, Brutus devised the plan for the assassination. His wife was the only woman privy to the plot. The conspirators planned to carry out their plot on the Ides of March (March 15) that same year. On that day, Caesar was delayed going to the Senate because his wife, Calpurnia Pisonis, tried to convince him not to go. The Assassins feared the plot had been found out. Brutus persisted, however, waiting for Caesar at the Senate, and allegedly still chose to remain even when a messenger brought him news that would otherwise have caused him to leave. When Caesar finally did come to the Senate, they attacked him. Publius Servilius Casca Longus was allegedly the first to attack Caesar with a blow to the shoulder, which Caesar blocked. However, upon seeing Brutus was with the Assassins, he covered his face with his toga and resigned himself to his fate. The Assassins attacked in such numbers that they even wounded one another. Brutus is said to have been wounded in the hand. Brutus was the last to stab Caesar, in the heart.<ref name="Wikipedia: Marcus Junius Brutus" />

[[File:BrutusArmor.png|thumb|Brutus' armor.]]
Following the assassination, he returned to the temple where the Assassins held their meetings and left his heirloom [[Armor of Brutus|armor]] and [[Dagger of Brutus|dagger]] there, to be found by the next person to stumble across it.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" />

===Death===
After the assassination, the Senate passed an amnesty on the Assassins. This amnesty was proposed by Caesar's friend and co-consul [[wikipedia:Mark Antony|Marcus Antonius]]. Nonetheless, uproar among the population caused Brutus and the other Assassins to leave Rome. Brutus settled in Crete from 44 to 42 BC, but was later defeated in battle and upon fleeing, committed suicide. His last words were ''"By all means must we fly; not with our feet, however, but with our hands."'' Brutus also uttered the well-known verse calling down a curse upon Antonius (Plutarch repeats this from the memoirs of Publius Volumnius): ''"Forget not, Zeus, the author of these crimes."''<ref name="Wikipedia: Marcus Junius Brutus" />

[[File:Philippi, Macedonia.png|thumb|left|The Shroud being used on Brutus' corpse.]]
After Brutus' death, his followers tried to use [[the Shroud]] to bring him back. Brutus returned to life for a very brief moment, before inevitably dying once again. The attempt failed because the Shroud can reanimate a body, but it cannot recreate life.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy" />

Some time prior to 1500 AD, the [[Followers of Romulus]] discovered the temple, and found the armor and dagger within. They took the artifacts, hiding them in a chamber in the tunnels beneath [[Colle Palatino]]. The chamber was to only be opened with six keys, spread across various landmarks throughout Rome, hidden in some of the scrolls that Brutus had written concerning his involvement in the conspiracy to kill Caesar. In 1503, the then-[[Grand Master of the Assassin Order]] [[Ezio Auditore da Firenze|Ezio Auditore]] managed to obtain all six keys and retrieved the armor from its chamber.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" />

==Trivia==
*In 1503, [[Giovanni Borgia]] relived some of Brutus' memories just like with his father [[Perotto Calderon]]'s memories, indicating that Perotto and Giovanni are Brutus' descendants.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy" />
*Oddly enough, [[Dante Alighieri]] wrote in ''Inferno'', the first part of ''The Divine Comedy'', that Brutus, along with [[Gaius Cassius Longinus]], were condemned to the the 9th Circle because of their act against Julius Caesar,<ref name="Wikipedia: Marcus Junius Brutus" /> despite the fact that Dante was also a member of the Assassin Order. This could be due to the fact that Dante had wished to conceal his affiliation with the Order by degrading the names of Brutus and Cassius thereby negating any speculation that he was a member.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

==References==
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Brutus, Marcus Junius}}
[[es:Marco Junio Bruto]]
[[Category:Characters]]
[[Category:Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood Characters]]
[[Category:Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy Characters]]
[[Category:Assassins]]
[[Category:Historical Characters]]

Siege of Viana

2011-07-09T19:49:20Z

84.50.10.103:

{{era|ACB|bbook|Featured}}
{{WP-REAL}}
{{WPtimeline}}
{{Battle
|prev = [[Search for Da Vinci]]
|next = [[Mission to Masyaf]]
|imageBG = Siege of Viana
|image = [[File:Spain Battle.jpg|300px]]
|name = Siege of Viana
|date = March 1507
|result = Assassin Victory:
*Death of [[Cesare Borgia]].
|side1 = Kingdom of Navarre
|side2 = Earldom of Lerin
|side3 = [[Assassins]]
|commanders1 = *[[John III of Navarre]]
*[[Cesare Borgia]]
|commanders2 = *Luis de Beaumont
|commanders3 = *[[Ezio Auditore]]
|forces1 = Unspecified numbers
|forces2 = Unspecified numbers
|forces3 = One Assassin
|casual1 = *[[Cesare Borgia]]
*Unknown number of soldiers
|casual2 = Unknown number of soldiers
|casual3 = None
}}
{{quote|[[Rome|Roma]], [[Italy|Italia]], [[Spain|España]], they will all be mine!|[[Cesare Borgia]]'s claim as he fights [[Ezio Auditore]].|Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood}}
The '''Siege of Viana''' was a military conflict between the Kingdom of Navarre, whose forces were led by King [[John III of Navarre]] and [[Cesare Borgia]] commanding The Navarre Army, and The Earldom of Lerin, under the command of [[wikipedia:Luis de Beaumont|Luis de Beaumont]].

==Inevitable matters==
{{Quote|It was the manner in which he said it. "Chains will not hold me."|Ezio to [[Leonardo da Vinci]] about Cesare's arrest.|Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood}}

In 1503, [[Rodrigo Borgia|Pope Alexander VI]], [[Grand Master of the Templar Order|Grand Master]] of the [[Templars|Templar Order]] died of poison, courtesy of his son Cesare Borgia using a poisoned apple. With his death, [[Rome]] was fully liberated from the [[Borgia]]'s influential control. Subsequently following the murder of his father, Cesare was [[Fall of Cesare Borgia|arrested]] by the newly appointed Pope, [[Julius II]]. In 1504, Cesare was exiled to [[Spain]] and imprisoned at the Castle of La Mota, [[wikipedia:Medina del Campo|Medina del Campo]], for several years.

However, in 1506, Cesare escaped with the help of the Count of the city, who provided him with a rope. He dropped 70 meters to the ground, landing on top of a servant who had accompanied him, breaking his fall. Despite several fractured bones, Cesare was able to escape dressed in merchant clothes, and later joined his brother-in-law, King John III of Navarre, and to his luck, was granted full command of the Navarrese army.

Following Cesare's arrest and exile to Spain, [[Ezio Auditore]] - now [[Grand Master of the Assassin's Order|''Il Mentore'']] of the [[Assassins|Assassin Order]] - was considering the possibility of Cesare's future threat. This he discussed at length with his closest friend, [[Leonardo da Vinci]], at the Assassin stronghold of [[Tiber Island]]. Ezio worried about the manner in which Cesare had claimed that chains would not imprison him for long, as well as his vow not to die by the hands of man. Leonardo then encouraged Ezio to use [[Sixth Apple|the Apple]], in order to see what would eventually become of Cesare.

[[File:Ezioleoapple.jpg|thumb|left|230px|Ezio and Leonardo, discussing whether or not to use the Apple.]]
Ezio proceeded to do so despite his initial protest and, upon gleaning information from the [[Piece of Eden]], immediately left Rome. As Ezio made his decision to leave, Leonardo questioned Ezio about the newly restored Order, to which Ezio replied by saying ''"I built this Brotherhood to last, with or without me."'' As he departed, Ezio encouraged Leonardo to accept his gift of a large amount of money, to supplement the artist's minuscule salary, and guaranteed that the two would see each other again.
{{-}}

==Viana under Siege==
===Reunion===
[[File:Cesarebladeattack.jpg|thumb|250px|Ezio's first assassination attempt on Cesare.]]
{{Quote|Kill him! Kill the Assassin! Tear the ''maldito bastardo'' (damn bastard) to pieces!|Cesare commanding his guards to kill Ezio before fleeing.|Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood}}

By March of 1507, Ezio finally tracked Cesare down to [[Viana]]. However, by the time of his arrival, the siege on the town and [[Viana Castle|castle]] was already well underway. As the Navarre and Viana infantry clashed on the battlefield, and the cannons destroyed the town and surrounding countryside, Ezio wasted no time and immediately charged into the fray.

Soon, he located Cesare alongside his men in the midst of the battle, fighting the Viana infantry. Without hesitation, Ezio lunged towards Cesare with his [[Hidden Blade|blade]] at the ready. However, Cesare was able to hold off the Assassin's attack, demanding to know how Ezio had discovered him. Ezio quickly claimed that the Apple Cesare had stolen from [[Mario Auditore]] had led him there.

Despite Cesare holding off Ezio's killing blow, Ezio eventually gained the upper-hand and overpowered Cesare, striking him across the throat. However, Cesare's [[armor]] protected him, and he managed to push Ezio aside. As he fled, he commanded his soldiers to attack, though Ezio fended them off with little effort. As he attempted to pursue Cesare, however, Ezio was stunned by a wave of cannon balls that impacted the battlefield all around him.

After regaining consciousness amidst several corpses of enemy soldiers, Ezio mounted a nearby [[horse]] and pursued his nemesis.

===Countryside chaos===
[[File:Viana_Castle_2.png|thumb|left|250px|The Navarre continue their assault.]]
{{quote|He once ruled all of Roma. I heard an Assassin killed his supporters. Great rulers rise and fall like leaves in the wind.|A Viana guard talking about Cesare's downfall.|Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood}}

Riding through the Viana warzone on horseback, Ezio charged through the battlefield in an attempt to reach the ruins of what was once an olive field, however, cannon balls eventually killed his horse, forcing him to travel by foot. As Ezio made his way through the outskirts of the city, the chaos only grew worse, with the Navarre siege towers evidently closing in on the town. As Ezio drew closer to the crumbling town, making his way past the bodies of slaughtered soldiers, he eventually arrived at the olive field ruins, where an infantry of Viana soldiers had set up camp.

[[File:Ezioattacksviana.jpg|thumb|250px|Ezio fighting off the Viana infantry.]]
[[Assassination Techniques|Stealthily killing]] any patrolling soldiers and dispatching any who challenged him, Ezio also overheard the soldiers speaking of Cesare's downfall, and the Assassin responsible. Upon reaching the peak of the hill, Ezio caught sight of Cesare, accompanied by several guards, entering the besieged town. As he did so, a woman rushed to Cesare's side, seeking assistance in looking for her injured son, but she was promptly killed and discarded by the Spanish General's men, with Cesare continuing to the city fortress.

{{-}}
===Onward assault===
[[File:Siegetowerleap.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Ezio performing a leap of faith from the burning siege tower.]]
{{dialogue|Ezio|Cesare! The walls surround you. There is nowhere to run.|Cesare|Come then, Ezio!|Ezio and Cesare, before their final battle.|Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood}}

Following some distance behind, Ezio continued onwards to the town, while the Navarre infantry reinforced their assault, attacking the city guards and torturing the civilians. Ezio [[Free Running|made his way up]] a small slope and along the rooftops, avoiding the chaos below and dealing only with those that got in his way. Upon reaching the town square, he intervened in the battle, and fought off both the Navarre and Viana infantry before proceeding to climb a burning siege tower, in hope of proceeding onto the castle battlements.

[[File:Cesarechallange.jpg|thumb|250px|Cesare preparing for his final battle with Ezio.]]
As he climbed the interior of the burning siege machine – which had sustained heavy damage from cannon fire – Ezio was forced to perform a [[Leap of Faith]] off the top once he had reached it, due to the tower crumbling under its own weight. Landing safely, he began to search for an alternative route onto the walls. He arrived at the foot of the castle, and was immediately attacked by several waves of soldiers from both sides of the conflict. Despite being outnumbered, Ezio managed to successfully fend them off, and then discovered another siege tower that had managed to breach the castle walls.

Before proceeding, Ezio noticed Cesare and his men battling across the ramparts, indicating that it would only be a matter of time before the Navarre forces could secure victory, and secure a major hand in Cesare's retaking of Rome. Successfully climbing the tower and defending himself from the attacking soldiers, Ezio ran across the battlements to face Cesare directly.
{{-}}

==Final confrontation==
[[File:Secondattackviana.jpg|thumb|left|252px|Ezio battling Cesare with the hidden blade.]]
{{dialogue|Cesare|You cannot kill me. No man can murder me!|Ezio|Then I leave you in the hands of Fate.|Cesare's final words to Ezio before his death|Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood}}

Ezio finally reached Cesare, calling out for his attention and warning him that there was nowhere to run. After killing his attackers, Cesare immediately challenged the Assassin to a final duel.

As the siege raged all around them, the two men battled face-to-face for the first and last time. Cesare skillfully attacked Ezio with his sword and pistol, dodging his incoming blows and countering his attacks, while also periodically calling in waves of Navarre soldiers to reinforce him. Despite this, Ezio's own speed and skill were enough to defeat the soldiers and overpower Cesare by breaking off the pieces of his armor that protected him from a direct stab from the hidden blade.

[[File:Cesarefaith1.jpg|thumb|254px|Cesare, seconds before being thrown from the Castel walls.]]
After a lengthy battle, Ezio eventually managed to pin Cesare down beneath him with his hidden blade at the Templar's throat. Cesare then claimed that the throne was his right, to which Ezio responded that a leader could not merely take what he wished, and that a true one ''"empowers the people he leads."'' Cesare then declared that he would lead mankind into a [[New World Order|new world]], but Ezio rebuked him, wishing that no one would ever remember the name of Cesare Borgia.

Enraged and knowing his death was inevitable, Cesare repeatedly shouted that no mortal man could kill him, thus Ezio then declared he would leave Cesare in the ''"hands of fate"'' and threw him off the castle wall to his death. Subsequently, the siege concluded, and Cesare's body was buried in a marble tomb beneath the altar of the Church of Santa Maria with the inscription: ''"Here lies in little earth one who was feared by all, who held peace and war in his hand."''

==Aftermath==
{{dialogue|Ezio|Goodbye.|Leonardo|Goodbye.|Ezio and Leonardo, parting ways, 1507.}}

Shortly after the death of Cesare, Ezio returned to Rome and was reunited with the other Assassins. In June of 1507, Ezio, Leonardo and [[Niccolò Machiavelli]] met at the Assassin' headquaters on Tiber Island for Ezio's birthday.

Discussing their future intentions, Leonardo announced that he would soon leave for [[France]], claiming it was a noble country. Niccolò also informed the two that he would return to [[Florence]] and finish his work in literature. Ezio, however, decided to remain in Rome to continue his tenure as the [[Grand Master of the Assassin Order]].

With this, the three men parted ways, knowing their work was finally complete.

==Source==
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood]]''

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