Loyalty & Betrayal

Vincenzo Camuccini, The Death of Caesar 1804-1805.

1,573 words

March 15 is known as the Ides of March, the day when Julius Caesar was betrayed and assassinated by the Roman Senate. March 15 also marks the date for other betrayals, from the murder of Odoacer to the overthrow of Empress Theodora by her son. Although less personal, many of us have ended up in the Dissident Right because we have been betrayed by our societies and the liberal values we were told to believe in. After all these betrayals, I often ask myself where my own loyalties lie. Nevertheless, one holiday on March 15 reminds me that there are still some things worthy of our trust and loyalty.

Before Julius Caesar, March 15 was merely the due date by which the Roman citizens had to pay their debts and taxes. From crossing the Rubicon in 49 BC to proclaiming himself dictator in 44 BC, the Roman senators were more worried about Caesar than paying their debts. After several incidents of Caesar mocking and disrespecting the Roman Senate, Marcus Brutus and Gaius Cassius began discussing ways to assassinate him. It was even predicted by a seer that Caesar would be murdered by the 15 of March.

Despite warnings from his wife, Caesar ignored the prophecy and went to meet the Roman Senate. On his way to the meeting, Caesar passed the seer and noted that the Ides of March had come and that he was still alive. The seer explained that the day had come but was not over yet. When Caesar entered the Senate, he was distracted by Lucius Tillius Cimber and was stabbed by Publius Casca Longus. The rest of the conspirators began stabbing Caesar as he tried to escape. After being stabbed 23 times, Caesar died on the steps of the Theatre of Pompey. The conspirators may have betrayed Caesar on the Ides of March to save the Roman Republic, but their actions eventually led to the Second Triumvirate and Augustus becoming the Roman Emperor.

Over 500 years later, a similar betrayal took place between Odoacer and Theodoric. Odoacer was a Germanic barbarian who rose to power and deposed Romulus Augustus to become the King of Italy. Although Odoacer ruled Italy, he came into constant conflict with Zeno, the Eastern Roman Emperor. After Odoacer invaded Dalmatia and incorporated the area into his domain, Zeno persuaded the Ostrogoth Theodoric the Great to invade Italy. Theodoric invaded Italy in 489 and spent the next three years conquering the area. After several defeats, Odoacer took refuge in Ravenna. Theodoric attempted a siege of the city but was unsuccessful. It was then that Theodoric made an offer that Odoacer should have refused.

After the long and unsuccessful siege, Theodoric agreed to a joint rulership of Italy with Odoacer. Odoacer let Theodoric and his troops into Ravenna on March 5, 493. After several days of negotiations, they decided to hold a banquet to celebrate their joint rule on March 15. Theodoric planned to have his soldiers kill Odoacer at the beginning of the feast, but his soldiers were too scared and nervous to carry out the plans. Due to their inaction, Theodoric drew his sword at the end of the feast and killed Odoacer. After killing Odoacer, Theodoric also killed Odoacer’s family and loyal followers. Thus, another ruler was betrayed and killed on the Ides of March.

Another betrayal took place in the Byzantine court on March 15, 856. Michael III was the youngest child of Emperor Theophilos and his wife Theodora. Theophilos died when Michael was two years old, making Michael the emperor with his mother Theodora acting as his regent. During his youth, Theodora was successful at maintaining religious peace (by allowing the veneration of icons) while deterring the Bulgarians from further invasions. It was during these times, however, that Theodora began to lose her influence and control over Michael.

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As Michael was growing up, many people in the court competed to gain the trust of the future emperor. Theodora’s brother Bardas spent a lot of time with Michael and started to turn Michael against his mother. Bardas eventually accused Theodora of plotting against Michael. After siding with Bardas over his own mother, Michael deposed his mother and became the Byzantine Emperor on March 15, 856. Michael then forced his mother and his sisters to spend the rest of their lives in a monastery. Bardas maintained considerable influence over the young emperor until Michael became friends with a charismatic courtier named Basil. Gaining Michael’s trust, Basil eventually assassinated Bardas and Michael to become emperor. By betraying his mother on the Ides of March, Michael got a bitter taste of his own medicine.

Along with some bitter medicine, my grandmother would also give me some bitter truths about life. She told me that while family, friends, and women can betray you, the only person that will always remain loyal to you is your dog. I know this sounds harsh, but as a white man living in 2021, I have a hard time thinking of things that haven’t betrayed me. The educational system betrayed me, as it spent more time preaching anti-white propaganda than teaching me anything useful for my career. Many of the actors, musicians, and authors I enjoyed as a kid turned against me once I became a Trump supporter. The liberal parties have abandoned white people while the conservative parties have refused to stand up for us. Moreover, the values of liberalism no longer include or apply to white people. As a white man living in the modern age, every day seems to resemble the Ides of March.

But even the cloudy skies of March have some silver linings. On the morning of March 15, 1848, Sándor Petőfi read his poem “Nemzeti Dal” as he marched around Pest with other artists and nationalists. This inspired the events that led to a revolution for Hungarian independence from the Austrian Empire. After 18 months of conflict, the revolution was eventually suppressed. While Petőfi disappeared after a battle, many of his fellow nationalists survived and escaped to other countries where they continued speaking out for Hungarian independence. These heroes are celebrated this time each year, as March 15 is a national holiday in Hungary that commemorates the Hungarian Revolution of 1848. Despite the Ides of March being known as a day of betrayal, it is also a reminder of the loyalty that these men had to the idea of having a homeland of their own.

I have often asked myself where my own loyalties lie and where my own homeland is. I have never felt patriotic or at home in America. I always wanted to leave the US because I hated many of the things that America represented like rap music, sports, forced inclusion, and globalism. I hate how the foreign policy and culture of America impact the entire world. Being a white American today feels like being an Estonian under the Russian Empire, a Greek under the Ottoman Empire, or a Hungarian living under the Austrian Empire. Although the collapse of these empires paved the way for the sovereignty of the Baltic and Balkan nations, I worry that America will never collapse and that whites in America will never get a homogeneous homeland of their own. As with many empires, the American Empire has betrayed the people whose ancestors created it.

This is where my loyalty resides. I care about white people in America and all over the world. I want white people around the world to be proud of their history and their identity. I want our people to have ethnic sovereignty with white solidarity. We know the differences between Hungarians and Austrians, and we want to maintain those differences. But if Austria falls, then it may only be a matter of time before Hungary falls. And many exiled revolutionaries left Hungary in 1849 to seek shelter in the US. Their descendants also deserve a homeland of their own, whether it is the ability to return to Hungary or to form a new land out of the declining American Empire. The average lifespan of empires is 250 years, and America has been around for 245 years. Whatever the seers predict for the future, my loyalty is to help white people in America and around the world stand up for their lands, their rights, and their sovereignty.

The Ides of March has been a day of political murders, family betrayals, and brother wars. But this day has also shown us that a poem and a group of artists can change the course of history. The Dissident Right is also making history by creating great art and content. Since March 15 was originally a deadline to pay debts, be sure to support the content creators, activists, and websites that have entertained and inspired you. History has shown that betrayals usually end up backfiring on people. If this is true, then our enemies have some dark days ahead. In these times of betrayal, your loyalty and support will keep the Ides of March shining bright for our people for many years to come.

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