Cicero: The GREATEST Statesman of Ancient Rome? #sponsored

**Sanitized Transcript:**

This video is brought to you by Squarespace, the all-in-one website platform. More about them later in the video.

Welcome back to Biographics! I’m your host, Eric Malachite, and today’s script was penned by Ru Alexander, so be sure to show him some love in the comments. Tell us whether you think the title for this video is accurate: Was Cicero the greatest statesman of ancient Rome? Let’s find out.

Cicero was described as the most eloquent of all the sons of Romulus, and Quintilian wrote that Cicero was regarded not just as the name of a man but as the name of eloquence itself. Famed for his oratorical skills without rival in the Roman world, Cicero is remembered today for his speeches on law, politics, and philosophy. But he was far more than a gifted writer and public speaker; Cicero was a key figure in the last decades of the Roman Republic. The three greatest attempts to overthrow the Republic all happened within his lifetime. He managed to escape the first one by Sulla unscathed, was instrumental in stopping the second one by Catiline, and despite his best efforts, failed to prevent the third by Caesar, which saw Cicero’s beloved Republic crumble to dust.

Marcus Tullius Cicero was born on January 3rd, 106 BC, in the Italian town of Arpinum, about 60 miles southeast of Rome. According to Plutarch, the main ancient source we have on the life of Cicero, the future statesman was descended from the Volsci, an Italic tribe that used to be a thorn in Rome’s side during the early years of the Republic. After fighting for centuries, the Volsci were defeated, and their territory was assimilated into the ever-growing Roman Republic around 300 BC. Fortunately for Cicero, the Volsci received full Roman citizenship in 188 BC, so by the time he came on the scene, he had the same rights as a regular Roman. That being said, some of his political opponents still tried to use the fact that Cicero was not a native Roman against him, with one of them deeming Cicero a naturalized immigrant.

Cicero was born into a wealthy and privileged family, with his father part of the equestrian order. Not much is known about his mother except that her name was Elia, and according to Plutarch, she was well-born and lived an honorable life. His father supposedly traced his ancestry to Tullus Atta, a king of the Volsci tribe who once waged war against the Romans. The name Cicero comes from “cicer,” Latin for chickpea, and this ancestor gained the moniker because he had a growth on the tip of his nose that resembled a chickpea. Cicero was advised to change his name early in his career to something less legume-based, but he refused, stating instead that he would strive to make the name Cicero more illustrious than other names.

Cicero was a gifted student, described as fond of learning and wisdom, capable of welcoming all knowledge. From a young age, he showed remarkable aptitude for poetry and oratory and began studying Roman law with the help of a prominent statesman named Mucius Scaevola. However, a full Roman education could not be completed without military service. Therefore, in 90 BC, the 17-year-old Cicero went to fight in the Social War, first under Pompey the Great’s father and then under Sulla. The Social War occurred between the Roman Republic and some of its Italian allies who wanted to receive Roman citizenship. The Romans won, and although we don’t know of any particulars of the war involving Cicero, it doesn’t seem like he spent much time in the army.

In 81 BC, the 25-year-old Cicero began his career as a lawyer, with his first appearance in court being the defense of a man named Publius Quinctius. However, it was a different case one year later that earned him acclaim and some powerful enemies. At the time, Sulla had seized power in Rome following a civil war. Sulla allowed his friends and supporters to enrich themselves through various dealings, such as acquiring property on the cheap from people who had been exiled or executed. This was the plan for a man named Chrysogonus, who bought at auction the house of a deceased man named Sextus Roscius for a low sum. However, the man’s son, also named Sextus Roscius, publicly decried the auction as a sham, as the property was worth much more than what Chrysogonus paid for it.

Angered that their actions would be called into question, Chrysogonus accused Roscius of killing his father, and Sulla indicted him on trumped-up evidence. Most lawyers wanted nothing to do with the trial out of fear of what Sulla might do to them, but Cicero stepped in. Despite his lack of experience, Cicero delivered an impassioned speech where he accused Chrysogonus of being the mastermind behind the murder of Sextus Roscius the Elder and the framing of his son to get his hands on the deceased man’s fortune. Cicero urged the jury not to fall for Chrysogonus’s scheme and acquit Sextus Roscius. The defendant walked off a free man, and Cicero became a prominent figure in the Roman world.

After this victory, Cicero decided to take an extended leave from the bar and travel to Greece and Asia Minor. He spent two years away from Rome. Once he returned in 77 BC, Sulla was dead, and the Republic had mostly been restored to its old ways. Cicero was again ready to resume his promising career. It didn’t take long for Cicero to become a rising star again. He was appointed quaestor in 76 BC, assigned to Sicily, where his main duty was to ensure that grain kept flowing to Rome. He kept practicing law while in Sicily, and his most high-profile case involved the successful prosecution of the ex-governor of Sicily, Gaius Verres, who stood accused of extortion.

Once back in Rome, Cicero was promoted to more important political and administrative positions. He was already a member of the Senate thanks to his status as quaestor, and in 69 BC, he was elected as aedile and then in 66 BC as praetor. Only one position remained: that of consul. During the Roman Republic, the consulship was the highest elected office in the land. The consul served for a term of one year, and they were always elected two at a time to prevent any single man from holding all the power. Cicero served only one term in 63 BC alongside a politician named Gaius Antonius Hybrida. Although the two consuls were technically equal, Cicero was definitely the one in charge.

Cicero had to navigate the tricky world of politics at a time when there were some important players on the rise in Rome, mainly Julius Caesar and Pompey. One of Cicero’s first acts as consul was to oppose a bill put forward by an obscure tribune named Rullus, which was really authored by Caesar. It was a plan to redistribute land among the poorer Romans. Cicero objected to the fact that ten men would have complete control over the confiscation, resettlement, and redistribution of the lands, thus giving them unchecked power.

During his consulship, Cicero faced a significant threat from one of his allies named Lucius Sergius Catilina, or Catiline. Catiline had previously stood for consulship two times unsuccessfully and began plotting a coup against the Republic. Cicero found out about his plan and called a meeting of the Senate, warning them that a rebellion was imminent. The Senate took the threat seriously and passed a decree that gave Cicero the power to do whatever he deemed necessary to save the Republic.

Cicero’s actions during this time would eventually lead to him being hailed as a hero for saving the Republic. However, once the serious crisis had been averted, political shenanigans returned. In 60 BC, Cicero did himself no favors when he refused to join Caesar, Pompey, and Crassus in the First Triumvirate. This left Cicero vulnerable to attacks from his political enemies.

One of them, Publius Clodius Pulcher, passed a law that outlawed anyone who had put to death Roman citizens without a trial, clearly aimed at Cicero for his execution of the Catiline conspirators. Cicero found himself without many allies and left Rome in exile. He stayed in exile for about a year and a half, a dark time for him where he even contemplated suicide. Eventually, he was recalled to Rome with the support of Pompey and Caesar.

Cicero mostly stayed out of politics for the rest of the decade, dedicating his time to writing. In 51 BC, he was rewarded with a governorship in Cilicia. However, this could have been the start of his political comeback, but Caesar declared war on the Republic. In 49 BC, Julius Caesar marched on Rome, and Cicero followed Pompey. After Pompey was defeated, Cicero surrendered. Caesar pardoned Cicero, hoping to turn him into a reluctant ally.

After Caesar’s assassination in 44 BC, Cicero became one of the leaders of the Republican faction. However, Mark Antony, who was consul at the time, had no intention of letting bygones be bygones. Cicero declared Antony an enemy of the state, which ultimately led to his downfall. Antony formed an alliance with Octavian and Marcus Lepidus, creating the Second Triumvirate. Cicero was at the top of their list for execution.

Cicero attempted to flee Italy but was ultimately captured and executed on December 7th, 43 BC. His head and hands were displayed in Rome as a warning to others. Despite his tragic end, Cicero’s legacy lived on, and he was remembered as a learned man and a lover of his country.

I hope you learned something today! If you liked what you saw, be sure to like, subscribe to the channel, and comment your favorite thing about Cicero. I’m Eric Malachite, and I’ll see you next time!