History Creator / Cicero

Marcus Tullius Cicero (sometimes called "Tully" in later references), 106-43 BC, was a prominent statesman and the preeminent orator of late [[UsefulNotes/TheRomanRepublic Roman Republic]], credited by some for being single-handedly responsible for the persistence of the ancient Greek intellectual tradition in Western culture. This is as much for the quality and content of his writings (which is quite good and interesting) as it is for its sheer volume. While by no means complete, a vast quantity of Cicero's writings and especially his letters have survived into the present day. The First Century BCE has always known to be an unusually rich era (before and afterwards) in terms of availability of information, but even in that light, Cicero stands out.

Cicero's writings in prose on a variety of subjects, provided a model for later prose writers in Latin, and thanks to being described by the Church Fathers as "a righteous pagan", his writings were preserved and served as a model for prose writers in TheMiddleAges to UsefulNotes/TheRenaissance, during which time, Cicero's reputation as a prose stylist faded in light of Montaigne (who was not a fan of him) and Francis Bacon. Cicero's works provide a nearly day-to-day glimpse of the last days of the Roman Republic and the first days of the Empire, and several of his works serve as a model for political oratory well into the 21st Century.

During the wars following the death of [[UsefulNotes/JuliusCaesar Caesar]] he returned to Rome to lead the Senate in opposition to Mark Antony. In doing so, he attempted to play [[UsefulNotes/{{Augustus}} Octavian]] and UsefulNotes/MarkAntony against each other, which succeeded for a while but backfired when the ensuing Battle of Mutina, despite ending in Antony's defeat, led to the death of both sitting consuls. In this political vacuum, unseen since the darkest days of the Second Punic War, the leaderless senatorial army defected ''en masse'' to Octavian, who struck a bargain with Antony and marched on Rome. The emergent Second Triumvirate launched [[ThePurge a fresh round of proscriptions]] which decimated the last vestiges of the senatorial faction. Cicero, who had led the Senate in opposing Mark Antony at every turn and was the mastermind behind his defeat at Mutina, had earned the triumvir's personal enmity. His addition to the proscription list was demanded as a condition for the foundation of the Triumvirate. After evading his killers for some time with help from his many sympathizers, he was eventually betrayed. He was killed, according to legend, with some amount of dignity: unable to escape or fight, he acted as a true philosopher and calmly offered his neck to the centurion's sword. He was brutally executed and dismembered, with his head and hands put on display in the Roman Forum, and left to rot for days. However, his memory and his works were preserved and published by Emperor Augustus, who probably did regret condoning his death.

-->More is lost by indecision than wrong decision.

* TheDitherer: Cicero was well known for being remarkably inconsistent in his political opinions, especially in times of strife. However, when he finally did take a stand -- against Marc Antony -- it got him killed. One of his most famous quotes reflect about this

* TheDitherer: Cicero was well known for being remarkably inconsistent in his political opinions, especially in times of strife. However, when he finally did take a stand -- against Marc Antony -- it got him killed.

* CategoryTraitor: Most critical views of Cicero in history take this approach, charging that despite his humble origins, he was strongly opposed to land and class reforms in favor of plebeians. He also tended to be something of a slumlord, being anal about tenants paying their (often inflated) rents while doing little to maintain his properties. Cicero had contempt for people who worked for a living, he was a slaveowner and considering that he complained about some runaway slaves, he probably must have been quite insufferable or cruel to be around, at least for some of them. [[MistreatmentInducedBetrayal He was finally betrayed by one of them during the proscriptions that resulted in his death]].