In 42 BC, nearly all of Rome's state-sponsored military legions, which were under the command of triumvirs Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus, Marcus Aemilius Lepidus, and Marcus Antonius, were at war with the assassins of Julius Caesar (Decimus Junius Brutus Albinus, Marcus Junius Brutus and Gaius Cassius Longinus). To fund the ongoing war, the triumvirs had resorted to selling the property of wealthy citizens killed by proscription; however, this source of revenue did not prove to be lucrative enough, and the three men voted to place a tax on Rome's 1,400 most wealthy women. The women, outraged at having been taxed for a war they had no control over, chose Hortensia to articulate their concerns to the triumvirs. (In wartime women were allowed to break tradition and engage in public speaking). Along with a large group of interested citizens, the women marched to the Roman Forum, where Hortensia delivered her famous speech. The second-century Greek historian Appian documented Hortensia's speech. Though the words are not exactly hers, Appian's translation carries the themes of Hortensia: