 The result unforeseen by the assassins was that Caesar's death precipitated the end of the Roman Republic.The Roman middle and lower classes, with whom Caesar was immensely popular and had been since before Gaul, became enraged that a small group of aristocrats had killed their champion.Antony, who had been drifting apart from Caesar, capitalised on the grief of the Roman mob and threatened to unleash them on the "Optimates", perhaps with the intent of taking control of Rome himself.