Gaius Epidius Marullus ( fl. 44 BCE) was a Roman tribune most famous for the

diadem A diadem is a type of crown, specifically an ornamental headband worn by monarchs and others as a badge of royalty. Overview The word derives from the Greek διάδημα ''diádēma'', "band" or "fillet", from διαδέω ''diadéō'', " ...

incident. The fear of Caesar becoming an autocrat, thus ending the

Roman Republic The Roman Republic ( la, Res publica Romana ) was a form of government of Rome and the era of the classical Roman civilization when it was run through public representation of the Roman people. Beginning with the overthrow of the Roman Ki ...

, grew stronger when someone placed a

on the statue of Caesar on the

Rostra The rostra ( it, Rostri, links=no) was a large platform built in the city of Rome that stood during the republican and imperial periods. Speakers would stand on the rostra and face the north side of the comitium towards the senate house and de ...

. The

tribune Tribune () was the title of various elected officials in ancient Rome. The two most important were the tribunes of the plebs and the military tribunes. For most of Roman history, a college of ten tribunes of the plebs acted as a check on th ...

s, Gaius Epidius Marullus and

Lucius Caesetius Flavus Lucius Caesetius Flavus (fl. 1st century BC) was a Roman politician and tribune of the people (''tribunus plebis''). He is best known for his involvement in the diadem incident just before the assassination of Julius Caesar. As Caesar's power gre ...

, removed the diadem. Not long after the incident with the diadem, the same two tribunes had citizens arrested after they called out the title '' Rex'' to Caesar as he passed by on the streets of Rome. Now seeing his supporters threatened, Caesar acted harshly. He ordered those arrested to be released, and instead took the tribunes before the Senate and had them stripped of their positions. Caesar had originally used the sanctity of the tribunes as one reason for the start of the

civil war A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

between him and

Pompey Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (; 29 September 106 BC – 28 September 48 BC), known in English as Pompey or Pompey the Great, was a leading Roman general and statesman. He played a significant role in the transformation of ...

, but now revoked their power for his own gain.

See also