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Why was Julius Caesar murdered?
Roman leader Julius Caesar (100–44 B.C.) was murdered because he was viewed as a tyrant (a person who rules in a harsh and cruel manner) and a threat to the future of the Roman Republic. He was stabbed on March 15, 44 B.C., by a group of men in the senate house in Rome. After Caesar's death, Rome was ruled by a triumvirate (group of three) of leaders: Lepidus (?–c. 77 B.C.), Octavian (64 B.C.–A.D. 14; who would become Augustus, the first ruler of the Roman Empire), and Marc Antony (c. 83–30 B.C.).

Historians disagree about Julius Caesar. While some view him as a schemer who forced his way into power, others consider him a defender of the rights of the common man in a state controlled by the elite. He made positive contributions to Rome, particularly through military victories that added the provinces of Italy to the Roman Republic. He pardoned his enemies, improved housing...