Battle of Philippi

Previous	Assassination of Julius Caesar
Previous	Assassination of Julius Caesar
Next	Last war of the Roman Republic
Next	Last war of the Roman Republic
Concurrent	Liberators' civil war
Concurrent	Liberators' civil war
Battle of Philippi
Date	October 42 BCE
Place	Philippi, Roman Macedonia
Outcome	Second Triumvirate victory End of the Liberators' civil war
Combatants
Second Triumvirate
Roman Hidden Ones
Commanders
Marcus Antonius Octavian
Marcus Antonius Octavian
Marcus Junius Brutus Gaius Cassius Longinus †
Marcus Junius Brutus Gaius Cassius Longinus †
Strength
53,000–108,000 40,000–95,000 infantry in 19 legions 13,000 cavalry
53,000–108,000 40,000–95,000 infantry in 19 legions 13,000 cavalry
60,000–105,000 40,000–85,000 infantry in 17 legions 20,000 cavalry
60,000–105,000 40,000–85,000 infantry in 17 legions 20,000 cavalry
Casualties
16,000 killed (3 October)
16,000 killed (3 October)
8,000 killed (3 October) Surrender of entire army (23 October)
8,000 killed (3 October) Surrender of entire army (23 October)

The Battle of Philippi (3 – 23 October 42 BC) was the final battle in the Liberators' civil war following the assassination of Julius Caesar. It was fought between the alliance of Mark Antony and Octavian, and the instigators of Caesar's murder, Marcus Junius Brutus and Gaius Cassius Longinus, who were members of the Roman Hidden Ones.

Background

On 14 March, the Hidden Ones Aya, Brutus, and Cassius arrived at the Theatre of Pompey to eliminate Julius Caesar, whose rise to power as dictator perpetuo was aided by the Order of the Ancients. While Aya fought and eliminated Caesar's right hand man Lucius Septimius, Brutus and Cassius distracted Caesar in the curia filled with forty of their allies from the Roman Senate. Following Caesar's murder, his friend Mark Antony rallied Caesar's supporters and called for the elimination of the assassins.

The Hidden Ones were later forced out of the city, with Brutus going to Krete on Aya's advice. However, they were not able to flee far, as a civil war arose between the assassins and the newly formed alliance of Mark Antony and Caesar's adopted son, Octavian. Neither of the assassins returned to Rome, with both Cassius and Brutus opting to commit suicide rather than be captured after being tracked down in Macedonia following the Battle of Philippi, though it did not stop Mark Antony or his allies from spreading the rumor that his forces had killed them.

Aftermath

Following Brutus' death, his fellow Hidden Ones gathered in Philippi and attempted to resurrect him with the Shroud of Eden, to no avail. Brutus only opened his eyes and moved without breathing, subsequently falling still in a seeming second death.

However, there were also rumors that Brutus had faked his death during the battle. This rumor reached his friend Aya, who was now better known as Amunet.

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy (first appearance)
• Assassin's Creed: Syndicate (mentioned in Database entry only)
• Assassin's Creed: Origins comic (mentioned only)
• Echoes of History (indirect mention only)