Author: * Silvia Caesar -
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Date: May 11, 2007 - 08:39
Concerning Julia's death and Caesar's love for his daughter : Tacitus, Annals
III,6 : Tears and the solace found in mourning were
suitable enough for the first burst of grief; but now they must brace their
hearts to endurance, as in former days the Divine Julius after the loss of his
only daughter, and the Divine Augustus when he was bereft of his grandchildren,
had thrust away their sorrow.
Cicero, On the Consular Provinces, 35 : if he
were anxious himself to return to his country, to his household gods, to that
dignity which he sees in store for him in this city, to his most charming
children...
Plutarch, Caesar XXIII,5-6 : In Gaul he found
letters which were about to be sent across to him. They were from his friends in
Rome, and advised him of his daughter's death; she died in child-birth at
Pompey's house. Great was the grief of Pompey, and great the grief of Caesar,
and their friends were greatly troubled too;
Other references (unfortunately, for these, I've no english translation) :
Seneca, Ad marciam de consolatione XIV,3
Cicero, Ad Quint. Frat. III 8.3;1.17;1.7.25
Cicero, Ad Fam. VII 9.1
Valerius Maximus, On the Memorable Doings and Sayings V 1.10
See also :
Monroe E. Deutsch, Women in Caesar's family, The Classical Journal
Vol. 13 n° 7 (04-1918) pp. 502-514
Franklin H. Potter, Political Alliances by Marriage, The Classical
Journal Vol.29 n° 9 (06-1934) pp.668-674 (this paper contains also an
interesting discussion on the identity of Julia's former fiancé).
In a few words :
Servilia had two brothers, Q. Servilius Caepio the older and Q.
Servilius Caepio the younger ; the latter lived with Servilia in Cato's family ; he was
Cato's beloved half brother and died in 67 BC.
It is likely that Q. Servilius Caepio the older was Pompey's lieutenant when
he fought against the pirates in 67 BC and against Mithridates in 65. He adopted
Marcus Iunius Brutus in 59. Henceforth Brutus' official name was Quintus Caepio
Brutus. The question is wether Julia was bethroted to Brutus or his adoptive
father. Probably to Brutus because his adoptive father was a political nobody.
Plus, an inscription from Delos states that he was already married to
Hortensius' daughter.
The argument against such an identification derives from Suetonius' account
of the rejected suitor's activity against Bibulus in the early part of 59,
Brutus beeing closely acquainted with Bibulus, Ahenobarbus and Cato who were
Caesar's bitterest ennemies (Caesar XXI At
about the same time he took to wife Calpurnia, daughter of Lucius Piso, who was
to succeed him in the consulship, and affianced his own daughter Julia to Gnaeus
Pompeius, breaking a previous engagement with Servilius Caepio, although the
latter had shortly before rendered him conspicuous service in his contest with
Bibulus). On the other hand, Brutus was also Servilia's son and Caesar's
interest was to attach to himself a rising young politician by offering him
Julia's hand. Then later, he found more usefull to give Julia to Pompey.
Caesar's mistreatment of Brutus could be one of his reasons to join the Pompeian
party during the Civil War.
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