Marcus Tullius Cicero (January 3, 106 BC – December 7, 43 BC) was a famous Roman politician, philosopher, speaker, and jurist. Born into a knightly family in Arpinum, ancient Rome, he became a prominent figure on the Roman political stage due to his eloquence. I have worked as a defense lawyer before entering politics. At the beginning, it tended towards the populist faction and later became the aristocratic faction. Elected as consul in 63 BC, he was killed in Formia by Marcus Antonius (82-30 BC), one of the political enemies of the Later Triumvirate, after the establishment of the Alliance. Representative work "On the Law".

Marcus Thulius Cicero was a philosopher, politician, lawyer, writer, and orator in the late Roman Republic. He was born into a wealthy family of knights, and as a young man, he devoted himself to law and politics. He later served as the consul of the Roman Republic; Meanwhile, due to his speeches and literary works, he is widely regarded as one of the best orators and prose writers in ancient Rome. In the political crisis of the late Roman Republic, he was a loyal defender of liberalism represented by the Republic and a political enemy of Antony.
Cicero made significant contributions to the development of Latin due to his literary achievements in his works. He was a prominent literary figure in Rome at that time, with a grand speech style, witty essays, and fluent prose, setting the literary style of classical Latin. Cicero was also a researcher of ancient Greek philosophy. He introduced many works of Greek philosophy to the Romans through translation, enabling the study of Greek philosophy to continue after the conquest of Greece by Rome.
Cicero's influence during the ancient Roman era gradually declined in the Middle Ages, but was revived during the Renaissance. Petrarch rediscovered Cicero's letters in the 14th century, thus beginning Renaissance scholars to re study Cicero. Therefore, some scholars believe that the Renaissance was essentially a revival of Cicero. Cicero's influence reached its peak during the Enlightenment period, influenced by his political philosophy by philosophers such as Locke, Hume, and Montesquieu. American founding fathers such as Adams and Hamilton often cite Cicero's works in their works.
Cicero had a profound influence on European philosophy and political theory, and remains a subject of study in Roman history to this day.
Since ancient times, political paths have been perilous and difficult. Perhaps Cicero was unaware or passionate about this, but after five years in office, he exposed the abuse of power, corruption, and poor management of the Governor of Sicily in his speeches, which made him famous in politics. In terms of stance, he initially had connections and cooperation with the former three alliances of Pompey, Caesar, and Crassus while maintaining a certain distance, sometimes standing on Pompey's side, and later joining Caesar to occasionally express his political views, so he was not well received. In April 60 BC, he was exiled and was forced to move 500 miles away from Italian land through the "Order on the Exile of Cicero". In 44 BC, Caesar was assassinated by Brutus and Cassius, and Cicero formed a united front with them. He made several statements in the Senate criticizing Antony. Unexpectedly, Antony, Octavian (the successor of Caesar), and Leipida jointly launched a civil war and won, forming the rear three headed alliance. Cicero rose up against the coup, but his speech appeared pale and powerless, and he no longer held a position in politics. Anthony was very angry at Cicero's fickleness and eventually sent someone to kill him.

Early years
Cicero was born in 106 BC in Alpino, Italy, in a small town about 100 kilometers south of Rome. His father was a relatively wealthy member of the ordo equester class, roughly equivalent to the upper class of society at that time. The surname "Cicero", according to Plutarch, means chickpea; Therefore, Cicero's name is often used as a joke by others. When Cicero first entered politics, his friends advised him to give up or change his name, but Cicero firmly refused and retorted that he would strive to make the surname Cicero more honorable than the aristocratic families of Scarus and Caturus at the time.
According to Plutarch's records, when Cicero was born, his mother dreamt of a prophecy that Cicero would bring great welfare to Rome. After his birth, Little Cicero was proven to be an excellent student, and his extraordinary intelligence and talent quickly became the best student in the school, to the extent that his classmates' parents went to the school to visit this talented young man. After completing his school studies, he went to Rome to attend lectures by the Greek philosopher Philon, and then studied law under the guidance of the Roman politician and Crassus' father-in-law, Qunitus Mucius Scaevola. At first, Cicero hoped to seek employment in the government and briefly served in the military for a period of time. However, feeling that the republic was in a political crisis and becoming increasingly authoritarian, he retired from the military and resumed his life as a scholar. Cicero was very interested in speeches and poetry in his early years, and was not only famous for his talent in speeches, but his poetry was also widely praised. But although his speeches were indeed excellent, his poetic works were gradually overshadowed by later more talented poets.

Although Cicero's family was relatively wealthy and had a good background, the political positions in Rome were always monopolized by several major political families, making it very difficult for Cicero to pursue a career in politics. But Cicero still has great enthusiasm for politics. It is said that he regards Achilles' famous quote as his motto: pursue the best and surpass others. But due to the lack of family relationships, Cicero can only enter politics through two channels: joining the military or going to France. After an unsuccessful military experience, Cicero chose to become a lawyer as his career starting point. Soon, Cicero showed his talent for public speaking in the legal world and began to earn himself a reputation. He defended a person named Roscius in the first case. This person, in order to protect his family property, violated the trust of dictator Sura, Chrysogonus, and was therefore charged with murder. At that time, all the lawyers were afraid to take on the case for fear of angering Sula himself, but Cicero did not fear the plaintiff's background. He took on the defense and won the case, thus earning him a great reputation. But it is said that due to fear of Sula's persecution, but more likely due to personal health reasons, Cicero later left Rome and went to Greece. There, he was greatly influenced by the academic skepticism held by the scholarly philosophers Philo and Cleitomachus, to the point where he began to consider settling down in Athens to live a peaceful life and study philosophy if he could not return to Rome.
But soon after, news of Sura's death came, and Cicero was determined to return to public life in Rome. But before returning to Rome to continue his career, he first went to Rhodes Island in Asia Minor to study public speaking and prepare for his political career. It is said that Apollonius, the teacher who taught Cicero public speaking, did not know Latin, so he asked Cicero to speak in Greek. Although Greek was not his native language, Cicero agreed and delivered his speech in Greek. During the speech, the audience began to whisper, revealing approval and surprise, but Apollonius remained silent; After Cicero finished his speech, he fell into a long silence. It wasn't until Cicero began to feel uneasy that he spoke up: "You, Cicero, I sincerely appreciate and admire you;"; But for the unfortunate fate of Greece, I feel regretful because I have witnessed the only glory we have left behind, our culture and our eloquence, and because of you, will be owned by the Romans. “

A career in governance
In 63 BC, Cicero became the first "newcomer", the first person in the Tulius family to hold the position of consul, and the first person to hold this position through elections in over thirty years. During this period, his only outstanding achievement was in suppressing the Cartilin conspiracy. Lucius Serkis Catilin attempted to overthrow the Roman Republic due to dissatisfaction with current politics. Cicero drafted martial law, also known as the "Senate Resolution," and delivered four vehement speeches accusing Catherine and her followers of living a decadent and decadent life, as well as their extravagance. He decided to expel Catherine from Rome.
The Senate carefully considered the punishment measures for these rebels. As the Senate itself is a legislative body rather than a judicial body, it cannot fully act freely in punishing rebels. Anyway, martial law had not yet been lifted at that time. The arrest or exile in the Senate - the standard procedure at that time - could not eliminate the threat to the country. At first, most members of the Senate advocated for "capital punishment," but many were later moved by Gaius Julius Caesar's speech, condemning the establishment of such a precedent and limiting the debate on punishment to exile. Kato then stood up to defend the death penalty, and ultimately all members of the Senate agreed to adopt this approach. Cicero escorted these rebels to the infamous Momotan prison, where they were hanged. Cicero accompanied the former consul, who was also one of the allies, to Momotan. After the execution, Cicero officially announced, "They have lived before." This way, it can avoid the bad luck of directly announcing their deaths. Cicero was honored as the "Father of the Motherland" for crushing this conspiracy. But since then, he has been constantly worried, afraid of being tried or exiled, after all, he did not pass the trial and sentenced Roman citizens to death. He also received the honor of civic gratitude for this, which had always been a pure military honor before.

During Cicero's reign, his speeches can be seen as an early example of clear anti Semitism. In this speech, Cicero utilized several typical examples that have been heard for over two thousand years, which led to the events of the Roman nobleman Lucius Varna Sforrex, the most notable of which was his illegal embezzlement of Jewish funds, which were originally established to maintain the temple in Jerusalem. In order to protect Flax, Cicero argued, "These public places were originally reserved for the establishment of open-air courts: now let's think about the Jewish obsession with money. You choose this always bustling area, (Chief Prosecutor) Laurius. Consider this special accusation, and we all know it well. These large Jewish communities and their tendency to form alliances and engage in private activities are the rare support for holding public meetings."
Exile return
In 58 BC, the Civic Party legislated to exile those who executed Roman citizens without legal trial, although Cicero still enjoyed the immunity granted to him by the final decision of the Senate in 63 BC. However, he still hopes to find support among the people. Although at this point, Cicero could no longer attend the public gathering alone. He made up his mind to dedicate himself to the statue of Minerva standing on the Roman square and exiled himself from Italy for a year, and included his plan in his speech. In his letter to his friend Atticus, Cicero mentioned that the Senate did not lend a helping hand to his exile due to fear of his achievements. After a year of exile, Cicero returned to Rome and received a warm welcome.
In 50 BC, as the conflict between Pompeii and Caesar escalated, Cicero tended to support Pompeii but tried to avoid becoming enemies with Caesar. In 49 BC, Caesar invaded Italy and Cicero fled to Rome. Caesar advised him to come back, but was unsuccessful. In June of that year, Cicero fled Italy and went to Greece. In 48 BC, Cicero accompanied Pompeii to the Thessaly camp, where they had a heated argument with a large group of republicans, including Pompeii's son. The republicans had a radical attitude and took turns arguing with Cicero. After Caesar's glorious victory in Greece, Cicero and his team had no choice but to return to Rome.

Death
When the news of Caesar being assassinated by the "Liberator" on March 15, 44 BC reached Cicero's ears, he was greatly surprised. In a letter to Tribras, who was involved in this conspiracy, Cicero expressed his desire to be invited to the banquet. During this turbulent period, Cicero became a popular leader and aroused the disgust of Mark Antony, the former Knight Commander. Mark Antony hoped to avenge Caesar, with the first step being to obtain legal support while promising not to exile the tyrant. In exchange, the Senate will cancel the amnesty granted to those assassinated.
Cicero and Antony were both subordinates of Caesar and became leaders of Rome at that time. Cicero became the spokesperson for the Senate, and as Caesar had hoped, Antony became the consul and administrator. But these two people have never been harmonious. When Cicero accused Antony of arbitrarily distorting Caesar's political views and wishes, disregarding his true wishes. Their relationship further deteriorated. In April, Caesar's successor Octavian arrived in Rome, and Cicero devised a plan for Octavian to balance Antony. In September, Octavian criticized Anthony through a series of speeches. Cicero elevated Octavian to the heavens and hailed him as the "son of heaven". His only wish was to receive glory and honor, so he would not repeat the mistakes of his uncle. At the same time, he attacked Anthony, mocking him as a "sheep", and Cicero rallied against Anthony in the Senate. During this time, Cicero became a renowned leader of the people, and according to historian Abian, he stood at the pinnacle of his reputation. As a popular leader, Cicero's words and actions shattered a group of Antony's supporters. But this angered Antony and his disciples, who planned to advance towards Rome and arrest Cicero. The escape of Cicero put an end to this plan. Afterwards, Mark Antony and Octavian conspired secretly to defeat the army of Brutus, who had assassinated Caesar and fled in Greece.
How to deal with Cicero next? The new three giants (the rear three headed alliance) really thought about it for a while, after all, this is not an easy person to deal with. Finally, it was decided to follow the approach of the previous dictator Sula.

Sura openly implemented brutal military dictatorship between 82 and 79 BC, and retaliated harshly against those who opposed him. The method is to draft three lists of prisoners without any legal procedures, declare those on the list as public enemies, and publish them in the squares of Rome. Anyone can kill those on the list without trial. Therefore, around 2600 knights, 90 senators sympathetic to the so-called enemy, and 2000 opposition party members died in various places.
Considering that Sura's method was too barbaric and cruel, Caesar consistently refused to adopt it during his reign. These three people have compiled a list of those declared not to be legally protected. Octavian had planned to pardon Cicero, but Anthony strongly opposed it.
When the three leaders were discussing this matter, Cicero and his brother Quintus were out of town. After learning of the list of those not protected by law, they prepared to take a boat to Macedonia. However, due to the younger brother's delayed departure, he was quickly betrayed and killed by his servant. Cicero arrived at the villa by the seaside in a state of restlessness. On December 7, 43 BC, his loyal servant was carrying him in a sedan chair towards the sea, attempting to make his master escape. But a young slave who gained his freedom from his younger brother Quintus betrayed him, and the captain of the chasing hundred men caught up with a sedan chair in the forest. Cicero once defended this captain in court on charges of killing elders. The captain cut off Cicero's head and hands according to Anthony's order, and these spoils of war were nailed to the podium in the city square of Rome, following a custom established during the most brutal period of the Civil War at the turn of the century.
Antony announced that upon Cicero's death, the decree declaring himself not protected by law could be abolished. Because he believed that this former consul, with his vast and profound eloquence, could build many insurmountable obstacles in front of him, and it was this move that the God of Liberty relied on.
"Nothing can elevate us more than realizing that we are born for justice, and that the law is not enforced by our will, but by its nature." Cicero's famous quote has always been thought-provoking.

His representative works in political and legal thought are "On the Republic" and "On the Law.". Believing that the state is the affairs of the people, it is a collective formed by people under the principles of justice and cooperation for common welfare; The monarchy, aristocracy, and democracy are all single forms of government, and the ideal form of government should be a "mixed form of government", namely the slave owner aristocratic republic led by the Roman Senate at that time.
In terms of philosophy, he has created works such as "On the Extremity of Good and Evil" and "On the Nature of the Gods". He advocates the integration of various schools of thought, and is therefore considered the most typical representative of ancient eclecticism. He was the first person to translate ancient Greek philosophical terms into Latin, and had a great influence on the development of philosophy and philosophical terminology.
In the field of education, he has created works such as "On the Speaker". He believes that the ultimate goal of education is to cultivate eloquent speakers with cultural cultivation, and the training method is practical practice.
Even before the rise of legal scholars in the early Roman Empire, he systematically argued for the relationship between natural law and positive law, believing that natural law represented reason, justice, and the will of God, and was universally applicable and eternal. It had already existed before the emergence of the state; Positive law must comply with natural law, otherwise it is not worthy of being called law.
Cicero was the most outstanding orator and educator in Rome, the most outstanding representative of classical republican thought, and a genius writer in the golden age of Roman literature. His elegant Latin style promoted the development of Latin literature, thereby influencing education in Rome and later Europe.
"On the Speaker" is Cicero's main work on education, published in 55 BC. In this book, he discusses the necessary knowledge and qualities that a speaker should possess.

Cicero's speech organizes materials according to rhetorical procedures, with rich vocabulary and meticulous syntax. It emphasizes the proper arrangement of subordinate clauses in a sentence, and requires symmetry between parts to accumulate persuasive power. At the end of the sentence, special attention is paid to the intonation and cadence, which is called "Cicero style syntax". He also makes good use of rhetorical devices such as questioning, directly addressing the other person, metaphors, and satire. He believes that speeches are mainly aimed at touching the emotions of listeners, rather than resorting to rational judgment, so he is willing to use methods of slander or distortion of facts. His style of speech has been set as an example by some future writers and speakers.