Brutus (tragedy)

The first part of the work was written in English at Wandsworth while Voltaire was in England, and it was completed on his return to France.

Voltaire's lover Adrienne Lecouvreur was meant to play the role of Tullie, but she fell ill and died during rehearsals and had to be replaced by Mlle Dangeville.

[2] Voltaire drew his material from the legendary story of the first Roman Consul Lucius Junius Brutus (509 BC).

The play enjoyed a revival during the French Revolution, and the National Convention ordered a performance of Brutus on 2 August 1793 with free admission.

[6] The first edition was printed in 1731 with Jean-François Josse in Paris, together with a Discours sur la Tragédie by Voltaire, dedicated to Lord Bolingbroke.