cicero Flashcards
Who was Cicero?
Early in his career he was a moderate popularis, after the Catiline Revolt he became an optimate.
A novus homo (new man) from an equestrian family
An orator, politician, lawyer and governor
His career contains a range of achievements and
failures. E.g. defeating Catiline in 63 & his exile in 58.
What was Cicero’s cursus honorum?
Proconsul in 51-50 BC, governing province of Cilicia, Aedile in 69 BC, Praetor in 66 BC, Consul in 63 BC, Quaestor in 75 BC
What are the key dates of Cicero’s political timeline from 75-58 BC?
75 Cicero quaestor in Sicily
66 Cicero’s praetorship speaks on behalf of the Lex Manilia
63 Cicero’s consulship and Catiline Conspiracy
60 Formation of First Triumvirate
69 Cicero’s aedileship
57 Cicero’s return from exile
58 Clodius’ tribunate and Cicero’s exile
What are the key dates of Cicero’s political timeline from 57-43 BC?
57 Cicero’s return from exile
52 Clodius’ death and Cicero’s defends Milo
51-50 Cicero governs Cilicia
49-45 Civil War
44-43 Cicero’s Philippics and Formation of 2nd Triumvirate
44 Caesar’s assassination.
47 Cicero pardoned by Caesar
43 Proscriptions & Cicero’s death
Who were Cicero’s allies.
Cato the Younger, Pompey, Quintus Cicero, Atticus, and Octavian.
Who were Cicero’s opponents.
Catiline, Clodius, Antony, Caesar, and Verres.
Besides his offices, what were Cicero’s other achievements?
Successful prosecution of Verres, defeat of Catiline, voted corona civica, hailed imperator in Cilicia, and Princeps Senatus in late 43 BC.
What were the problems of late Republican Rome? (different classes, needs, concerns, and functions of the res publica)
financial debt, landless plebs, excessive political competition, provincial corruption, electoral corruption, an increasingly
professional army, legions more loyal to their general than the res publica, an increasing urban population that needs feeding, a divided Senate, lack of reform legislation, and pirates.
What were Cicero’s political ideals?
‘Concordia Ordinum’ = ‘harmony of the orders’, where the senatorial class and the equestrian class work together to govern the res publica.
‘Cum dignitate otium’ = ‘Peace with dignity’ is the goal of the boni and optimates when captaining the ship of state and so maintain the religious, legal and political status quo of the res publica.
What influenced Cicero’s political ideals?
Hellenization (e.g. Plato), stoic philosophy, optimate (belief in the auctoritas of the Senate), mos maiorum, originally Cicero was an
equestrian, patron-client, prosecution of Verres, h) Catiline Conspiracy, when Cicero was supported by various classes, & mob violence on streets of Rome
What are the weaknesses of Cicero’s Concordia Ordinum and Cum Dignitate Otium?
no solutions for socio-economic problems, no solutions for dealing with the expansion of the Empire, no solutions for the increasingly professional army, no solutions fordealng with excessive aristocratic competition.
What are the strengths of Cicero’s Concordia Ordinum and Cum Dignitate Otium?
some recognition that late Republic has serious problems, he identified specific problems in Rome , a vision of how the two top classes might work together.
What was the Lex Manilia in 66 BC?
A tribune Manilius proposed the Lex Manilia :this would give Pompey the provinces of Cilicia, Bithynia and Pontus and the war on Mithridates.
Why did Cicero is deliver his speech supporting the Lex Manilia?
amicitia (with Pompey), auctoritas with the equestrians, name recognition in the heart of the res publica, part of his efforts for the consular elections of 64 BC.
Who was Catiline?
A patrician and popularis with some distinguished ancestors.
After governing Africa as a propraetor in 67 he was prosecuted in 66 for extortion, but acquitted. The trial stopped him standing for the consulship in 66.
Catiline stood in consular elections in 64, but failed to win due to Cicero’s strong campaign. Cicero and Antonius Hybrida were elected consuls for 63.s.
Why might Catiline resent Cicero’s success?
Cicero is a plebeian and novus homo, whilst Catiline was a patrician with famous ancestors, Catiline was in debt after his electoral defeat,
Catiline won’t receive a proconsular province to govern & exploit to repay debts.
What were Catiline’s plans for the conspiracy?
to assassinate Cicero and to burn key urban buildings. Then seize control of Rome and other parts of Italy through armed farmers, gladiators, slaves, and veterans.
How did Cicero uncover Cataline’s plans?
Catiline kept his plans to revolt secret during most of 63, but Cicero had spies inside & outside Rome. Fulvia, a respectable matron, informed on Curius, a key conspirator. Envoys, from the Allobroges tribe in Cisalpine Gaul, also gave Cicero evidence.
Why did Cicero wear armour during the elections in 63BC during Cataline’s conspiracy?
real fear of assassination, no police on streets of Rome, it makes orator look conspicuous, it gives the orator a militaristic character, it signals there is an emergency in res publica & to attract supporters.
What are the events of the executing the Arrested Conspirators in the Cataline’s conspiracy?
On November 7th Cicero informed the Senate of the conspirators efforts to assassinate him.
He openly accused Catiline in the Senate. Catiline fled North and now led the rebel army, with 10,000 men in Etruria.
In December Cicero arrested five key conspirators in Rome
On December 5th Senate debated their fate: most senators argued for execution, especially Cato, whilst Caesar argued against. The five conspirators were led out by Cicero and strangled by his order.
What were the strengths of the Senatus Consultum Ultimum?
public statement by key advisory body of SPQR, specific alarm bell, direct & specific support to consuls, unity as consuls supported by collective auctoritas of Senators.
What were the weaknesses of the Senatus Consultum Ultimum?
only an opinion (not a law), fig-leaf for consuls (Senate had no official
power imperium), Senate not a court of law, technically only moral support for consuls.
What is the senatus consultum ultimum?
the senatus consultum ultimum, or “final decree of the Senate,” was a declaration of emergency that authorized magistrates, to take extraordinary measures,to protect the state from imminent danger.
How was the execution a justified consequence for Cataline’s conspirators?
conspirators had plotted treason, Cicero had specific evidence of treason, Cicero following mos maiorum, open debate and vote in Senate over their execution, Cicero wielded imperium
How was the execution a not justified consequence for Cataline’s conspirators?
Senate not court of law, they had committed no practical treason yet,
Conspirators were Roman citizens, Caesar provides option of arrest over execution.
What actions did Cicero do in order to deal with the Catiline Conspiracy?
collects evidence and witnesses, calls meetings of the Senate and
people, arrests five key conspirators, and oversees execution of five conspirators.
What did Cicero say in order to deal with the Catiline Conspiracy?
delivers speeches to the Senate, delivers speeches to the people, raises alarm bell about conspiracy e.g. wearing armour in the
Forum, criticises Catiline and calls him out in Senate, and calls for execution of Conspirators.
Why was Cicero exiled from rome?
In 58 BC Clodius passed various tribunician bills: one sending Cato to Cyprus as governor.
He passed two bills exiling Cicero. Lacking political support Cicero was forced to leave Italy in March 58 BC for Macedonia.
Pompey, who was worried after an assassination plot and about the current unpopularity of Cicero, did not block the orator’s exile.
Cicero’s house on the Palatine was destroyed and a shrine to Libertas was built on its site.
Why did Clodius destroyed Cicero’s house in Rome?
inimictia: shame Cicero and hurt his auctoritas, financial damage a public and symbolic statement against tyranny (Clodius built a
shrine to libertas on the site), and to weaken or undermine Cicero’s chances of returning to Rome.
Why was exile so damaging to Cicero?
Rome was the key location where Cicero increased his
auctoritas, as a lawyer in the Forum, as a politician (speaking in the Senate and from the rostra), Cicero was away from his friends ,Cicero can’t protect his family and property, and severe loss of auctoritas.
Why was there was so much political violence in the 50s BC?
numerous inimicitiae, politicians recruiting veterans and gladiators for their entourages, no permanent police force on the streets of Rome, intense competition between optimates & populares, increasing population of Rome, Rome’s socio-economic and political problems not being dealt with.
How did Clodius die?
Waves of street violence, Pompey appointed sole consul in 52, with help of optimates like Cato, to deal with the crisis.
In January 52 a brawl occurred between Clodius and Milo people outside Rome, resulting in Clodius’ death.
Milo was prosecuted in April 52. Cicero defended Milo during the trial, but his delivery was poor and Milo was exiled.
