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Who led the plot to assassinate Julius Caesar?

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Statue of Julius Caesar in Roman military attire stands in front of a domed building in Rome, Italy, with a clear blue sky in the background. — Julius Caesar Julius Caesar, bronze sculpture in Rome.

The assassination of Julius Caesar on March 15, 44 BCE, was led by senators Gaius Cassius Longinus and Marcus Junius Brutus.12

The conspiracy involved approximately 60 men who sought to preserve the Roman Republic and halt Caesar’s increasingly monarchical rule, particularly after he declared himself perpetual dictator. While Cassius is often cited as the prime mover behind the plot, Brutus joined the conspiracy due to his concerns over Caesar's accumulation of power and his own ancestral legacy of opposing tyranny. The assassination, which took place in the Roman Senate House, remains a defining moment in history that contributed to the end of the republic and the eventual rise of the Roman Empire.12345