the Roman Republic. Until 49BC, Cicero continued to decline Caesar’s offers and instead began to support Pompey the Great, who too began to distance himself from Caesar though he was, at first, a staunch supporter of the would-be dictator of the Roman Empire.
After Caesar invaded Italy in 49BC, Cicero fled Rome only to return a year later, and was pardoned by Caesar for siding with the opposition. Cicero was upset at the overthrow of the Republic, but hoped that Caesar would revive several institutions, which had been active before the transition into the Roman Empire. However, he was taken aback by the assassination of Caesar on the Ides of March, and his case in pleading his innocence to the actions taken on that day were undermined, as his name was called out by one of the assassins.
Camuccini’s ‘Death of Julius Caesar’, 1798, captures the dramatic moment that shook Cicero’s world in 44BC.
In the aftermath of Caesar’s death, Cicero became a popular leader and gained a dislike for Mark Antony, whom he thought had been solely interested in avenging Caesar’s death.
Both men soon began to clash after Cicero denounced Antony in a series of speeches now known as the “Phillipics”. Soon after, however, Mark Antony and Octavian, Caesar’s heir, formed the Second Triumvirate, and began to make a list of individuals whom they considered to be hindering the actions of the state. Cicero was one of the most fiercely sought after people on the list, but as he shared the sympathy of many Romans, he was usually not reported by them to the authorities. However, he was caught on December 7th, 43BC and executed shortly thereafter. His last words, in the typical fashion, which made him so beloved by his supporters, were directed at the centurion, Herennius, in charge of the execution. Bowing his head out of the litter in which he was supposed to have been carried to the seashore, he said- Following the execution, Cicero’s name was associated with treachery until his son, Marus Tullius Cicero Minor, partly avenged his death by playing a part in the naval defeat of Mark Antony at Actium in 31BC. Since then, Cicero has been lauded for his orations and his impact on the Latin language as a whole, having been a major contributor in translating and adapting Greek philosophy to Roman ideology. He also made great impacts on the great body of Latin prose, and has subsequently been revered throughout the centuries until the 19 th century, as most writers that had followed in his footsteps adapted his work to their own. Despite his accolades in this respect, Cicero has been regarded as one of the initiators of the 14 th Century Renaissance, after the rediscovery of his letters, as well as his influence on the great philosophers of the 17-18 th centuries, namely John Locke and David Hume. Thus, his substantial works have not only caused an eruption of intellectual thought, without which our society would be bereft, but also provided us with an opportunity to examine the day-to-day aspects of Roman life, and most importantly, the transition from Republic to Empire, and its effect on all the peoples and citizens of lands concerned therein. Nik Nicheperovich "There is nothing proper about what you are doing, soldier, but do try to kill me properly."
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