Cicero

Marcus Tullius Cicero was a famous orator, philosopher, priest, poet, and politician who lived in the last century BCE and saw Rome transition from a Republic to a city under autocratic rule. Cicero came from a wealthy, landed background but was the first person in his family to become prominent in the Roman political scene. He was known for being an advocate in the Roman courts, which granted him status and prominent supporters that meant he was easily elected to several government positions, including the consulship. Despite these successes, Cicero also had to deal with the challenges that came from the fact that he was not from a long-standing political family.

Cicero is well-known for his prosecution of Catiline in 63 BCE. Though he was ultimately successful, the retribution he enacted against Catiline's supporters was deemed to be too extreme and Cicero had to spend a period of...