Cicero Flashcards
What official reason is given for Cicero’s exile - by who and how?
- Clodius gave the reason that Cicero killed the Catiline Conspirators without a trial - which was illegal.
- Clodius introduced a bill that banished any magistrate that put a citizen to death without a trial
What was the real reason for Cicero’s exile in 58BCE?
Cicero had refused any offers to join the triumvirate, and he had refused any offer to keep him from speaking out against them.
In order to prevent Cicero from working against them - the triumvirate had to exile him.
In 70BCE how is Collegiality first broken?
Pompey is given a Consulship before he is old enough to have one.
When and by Who are provincial commands refused?
- 69BCE Pompey and Crassus refused because they were not glossy enough
- 62BCE Cicero declines as he does not want to be away from Rome (rejects Macedonia)
- 59BCE Caesar rejects the trees and roads command as he wants a military one
- 66BCE Cicero rejects Pro-Praetorian and 63BCE rejects pro-consular
Who was part of the First Triumvirate and why?
Pompey - Needed the support of optimates to gain land for his veterans, and have his eastern settlements ratified.
Crassus - A tax rebate for equestrian farmer, he was their spokesman and had not predicted the economic disruption to Asia in the Mithridates war
Caesar - To have a consulship for 59BCE and a province in 58BCE for his military ability
What opposition did Caesar face in the first consulship of 59BCE
- The senate was hostile towards him and his colleague (Bibulus) was there to check his actions
- The senate met Pompey land for his veterans with prolonged obstruction
- Caesar presented the land bill to the assembly but Bibulus vetoed it and refused to withdraw the veto
Who were the Candidates for the consulship of 63?
- Cicero
- Catiline
- Hybrida
What was the name of Cicero’s first wife and daughter?
Wife - Terrentia
Daughter - Tulia
What does the term ‘Novus Homo’ mean?
‘New Man’ - The first in his family to serve in the senate
Cicero was a Novus Homo
When did Cicero first leave for Greece and why?
Cicero left/escaped to Greece in 79BCE in order to avoid the wrath of Sulla.
When was the conference of Luca and why was it called?
In 56BCE - The triumvirate met to discuss the future of the alliance and to provide for a public reconciliation between the three
What was the Cursus Honorum?
The public offices that could be held by aspiring politcians/magistrates in Rome, each with different requirements - A ladder of office
- Questors
- Aediles
- Praetor
- Consul
What were Questors and what did they do?
- 1st Step in the Cursus Honorum
- 8 Elected every year & held office for one year
- Financial and administrative officials that maintained public records
- Financial assistant to Governors
- In charge of army pay
- Acted as paymasters when accompanying generals on campaigns
- Had to be 27 years old (minimum)
What were Aediles and what did they do?
- 2nd Step in the Cursus Honorum
- 4 Elected every year & held office for one year
- Arranged public festival and games (had to fund them themselves as well as their campaign)
- In charge of public buildings
- Maintained streets of Rome
- Took care of cities water supply
- Had to be at least 29 years old
What were Praetors and what did they do?
- 3rd Step in the Cursus Honorum
- 6 elected every year & held office for one year
- Held imperium and accompanied by 6 licitors
- Supreme civil judge in Rome & sometimes commanded and Army
- Could introduce legislation
- Had to be 33 years old minimum
- Prorogation: The extension of imperium beyond the end of the year of office
What were Consuls and what did they do?
- Top of Cursus Honorum
- Two elected every year
- Held imperium and could command war and execute law (including death penalty)
- Commanded the army
- Conducted chief elections
- Presided over meeting of the Senate and implemented Senate decisions.
- Had to be 36 years old
What were Tribunes and what did they do?
- 10 Tribunes every year
- Representatives of the Roman People
- Had to be between 27-33 years old
- Had the right to veto other tribunes and magistrates proposals
- While in office they were Sacrosanct
What were Dictators and what did they do?
- One Dictator would be elected for 6 months in a time of crisis
- They held the imperium of two consuls
- Superseded all others in military or domestic emergencies
What is Collegiality?
The sharing of imperium to prevent one man gaining excess power
Who made up the Senate?
- Senators were high status citizens with a certain property qualification, most were ex-magistrates from wealthy families
How big was the Senate?
- Originall 100 Patrician elders
- By Tiberius Gracchus there were 300
- By Sulla there were 600 Senators
- Caesar increased it to 900
- Augustus then reduced it back to 600
What were the functions of the Senate?
- Under republic they were the influential advisory body to senior magistrates
- In charge of Foreign Policy e.g. Reception of Envoys; Ratification of Treaties and Selection of annual provinces
- Discussed and Scrutinised legislation
How did the Cursus Honorum ensure collegiality?
- Necessary two year gap between each office
- No one is in power for very long (max 1 year)
- More than one person hold office (2, 8, 4, 20)
- Go through all offices before reaching ‘top’
- Minimum age for each office
- Had to be elected into each office
- 10 year gap between holding each office
What were the Optimates and Populares?
The Senate became divided after the Gracci & first political murder in 400 years - leading to two groups.
Who were the Optimates?
- A group of people who wanted to maintain the status quo after the Gracchus period
- Mostly senators and nobles
- Opposed changed to wealth, authority and prestige
- Ruthless in protecting their own interests
Who were the Populares?
- Mostly senators
- proposed reform without consulting the senate
- Thought legislation should be proposed without being senate approved first
- Some may have been interested in reform after Gracchan period but most wanted political advancement.
- Many became optimates when it suited their careers.
What Financial and Social difficulties did Cicero face when starting his career?
- Not from Rome and unknown by the people
- He did not have any military experience and held no Pre-Eminence
- He was a Novus Homo
- Didn’t have enough funds for campaigns and lacked property qualifications
- No base in Rome
- No experience in Roman politics and not magisterial ancestors
- Lacked support from Senate & viewed as outsider
What was the Rosicus trial?
- Trial was in 80BCE
- Sextus Roscius (son) was on trial accused of killing Sextus Roscius (father)
- Sextus’ punishment would be to be put into a bag with a snake and monkey and a cockrel and drowned
- The punishment was so extreme as killing your father equates to killing god
What was Ciceros status at the time of the Roscius trial and who was he up against?
- Cicero was an unknown lawyer defending Sextus, up against the pre-eminent layer Erucius
Who was Cicero not meant to mention in the Rosicus trial and why?
- Cicero was told not to refer to Chrysogonus as he was Sullas right hand man
How did Cicero use ‘Qui Bono’ in the Roscius Trial?
- Qui Bono = Who Benefited
- Who profited from the murder, because Sextus did not but his cousins Magnus and Capito did as well as Chrysogonus
What part did the proscription list and the sale of land play in the Rosicus Trial?
- Erucius produced a proscription list showing that Sextus (father) was on it, so could be legally killed but not by his son.
- Cicero says his name was added later as it was signed by Chrysogonus
- Sextus’ land was to be sold at auction for 6 Million Sesertes but the crows was intimidated by a group of men into not biding, the land was sold to Magnus for two thousand Sesertes.
How was Chrysogonus a part of the sale of land in the Rosicus Trial?
- Sulla sent Chrysogonus to answer questions about land
- Chrysogonus promised to return land, he didn’t, he worked with Capito who was given 3 farms
What was the outcome of the Rosicus trial
- Sextus was found not guilty
- Cicero became the pre-eminent lawyer in Rome
How did Cicero use Oratory in the Roscius trial?
- Talks/engages with audience
- Makes sure he blames Chrysogonus not Sulla
- ‘Qui Bono’
- Makes personal insults
- Repeats questions until he gets an answer
- Appeals to the Senate: “Will you murder a man for him?”
- On everyone’s side e.g. Defending people from Chrysogonus and the Senate
- Fear tactics
- Alienates Chrysogonus e.g Greek enemy
What did Cicero do after the Roscius Trial?
- Defended a woman who opposed disenfranchisement of Italy by Sulla, this gained him support
- Married Terrentia
- Left to Greece to evade Sulla
- Met Atticus in Greece
- Learned Rhetoric and philosophy
When and Why did Cicero marry Terrentia?
- Married in 79BCE
- He was 27 she was 17
- Her cousin was a vestal virgin
- She was wealthy
- Has the property requirement
- Has Consuls in her ancestry
- Interested in his Career
How did the Pro-Roscius trial make Cicero ‘Pre-Eminent’?
- He beat Erucius the former ‘Pre-Eminent’ Lawyer which made Cicero the best lawyer
- Led him to marry Terrentia who had the wealth and property required
- Gave Cicero public attention that he would otherwise not have had
- Led him to defend the lower classes and gained their support
What was ‘Concordia Ordinum’?
- ‘Harmony of the Orders’
- All classes working together for the good of Rome
- Developed by Cicero when he saw how well the senatorial and equestrian order worked together, and how productive Rome could be
