58BC - clodius tribunate & Cicero’s exile

Events of 58 BC

  • Clodius’ tribuneship

  • Cicero’s exile

  • Caesar’s departure for Gaul

  • Cato’s ‘special mission’ to annex Cyprus

Claudius → Clodius

  • Caesar (as pontifex maximus) and Pompey (as augur) enabled Clodius’ adoption into a plebeian family

Claudius → Clodius

  • Clodius Pulcher, a patrician by birth, was adopted into a plebeian family with the help of Caesar (pontifex maximus)

  • This allowed him to stand for the tribunate in 58 BC

  • His adoptive “father” was 20 years old

  • “They unleashed a monster with a vendetta against Cicero” (Kathryn Tempest)

Clodius’ Tribunate (58 BC)

  • For 58 BC the Triumvirate needed tame consuls and tribunes to support them

  • Consuls: Piso and Gabinius – cooperative with the Triumvirs

  • Tribune: Clodius, who would:

    • (i) keep an eye on Pompey for Caesar while he was away in Gaul

    • (ii) act as a check on the optimates in the Senate

Clodius’ Measures as Tribune

  1. Distribution of free corn to citizens

  2. Abolition of the use of omens to stop public business

  3. Legalisation of collegia (associations), leading to gangs terrorising Rome

  4. Removal of the censors’ power to expel senators

  5. A bill banishing any magistrate who had put a citizen to death without trial

  6. Removal of Cato from Rome by arranging a special mission to Cyprus

    • This interfered with Pompey’s eastern settlement

    • Pompey became increasingly suspicious of Clodius

Clodius’ Measures as Tribune – Task

  • What was Clodius trying to achieve with each law?

  • How do they show him to be a popularis politician, and why?

  • Extension: link each measure to recent Roman political events

Clodius’ Power as Tribune

  • Backed by consuls L. Piso and A. Gabinius, supporters of the Triumvirate

  • Conducted a vicious campaign against Pompey, possibly backed by Crassus

  • Used gangs to harass Pompey

  • Pompey responded with a rival gang led by Milo

Source: Cicero on Clodius’ Tribunate and the Collegia

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Significance of Clodius’ Tribunate (58 BC)

  • Corn dole won over the urban masses

  • Reinstatement of collegia allowed formation of gangs

  • Led to years of gang warfare and political violence in Rome

  • Cato was compromised by being forced to accept a special command:

    • Annexation of Cyprus

    • Helped fund Clodius’ corn dole

    • Aligned Cato, champion of the optimates, with Clodius

Turbulent 59 BC – For Cicero

  • Caesar offered Cicero a place on his staff in Gaul to escape Clodius’ violence* (Letter 2)

  • Cicero refused and stayed in Rome

  • Pompey repeatedly promised to protect Cicero

  • Caesar wanted Rome secure before leaving for Gaul in 58 BC

  • A friendly tribune would:

    • Monitor Pompey

    • Remove Cicero and Cato from Rome

Caesar Turns on Cicero

  • Cicero rejected alliance with Caesar

  • Final straw allegedly came when Cicero defended Antonius Hybrida, a notoriously corrupt former colleague

  • Cicero avoided the charges and spoke about current political crises

  • Pompey (augur) and Caesar (pontifex maximus) used their authority to enable Clodius’ transition to plebeian status

Cicero Exiled by Clodius

  • Clodius passed a bill banishing any magistrate who executed a citizen without trial

  • Law aimed directly at Cicero

  • Cicero left Rome

  • Clodius outlawed Cicero:

    • Confiscated property

    • Destroyed his houses

  • Built a Temple of Liberty on the site of Cicero’s home

  • Pompey refused to help Cicero, citing Caesar’s wishes

Clodius’ Temple to Libertas

  • Cicero initially stayed near Rome

  • Clodius passed a second bill naming Cicero explicitly

  • Cicero’s Palatine house was destroyed

  • A temple to Libertas was erected on the site

  • Cicero travelled via Brundisium to Greece

  • Friends sheltered him at great personal risk

Cato Removed to Cyprus

  • Clodius arranged a special mission to remove Cato from Rome

  • Mission interfered with Pompey’s eastern settlement

  • Pompey became suspicious of Clodius

  • Clodius publicly humiliated Pompey using gangs

  • Crassus may have been involved

Clodius’ Power as Tribune (Summary)

  • Backed by consuls Piso and Gabinius

  • Harassed Pompey with gangs

  • Possibly supported by Crassus

  • Pompey responded with Milo’s rival gang

Lesson Take-Away Questions

  • Why did Clodius seek revenge on Cicero?

  • Who helped Clodius change his patrician status?

  • What did this change allow Clodius to become?

  • Name three measures passed by Clodius in 58 BC

  • What bill did Clodius pass against Cicero?

  • How did Clodius remove Cato from Rome, and whom did this please?

  • Why did Clodius build a Temple of Liberty on Cicero’s house?

IDEA 10-MARKER

Idea sentence:
The tribunate carried very real power. Actions of tribunes had a great effect on lives and events.

Task:
Write one 10-mark PEA paragraph (3 sentences).

Exam-Style Question: Tribunes

Question:
How important were tribunes in Roman politics during the period of Cicero’s career? Give reasons for your views and refer to specific examples. [10]

Refer to:
Manilius, Gabinius, Cato, Vatinius, Rullus, Clodius (and others)