Cato biography

Cato the Younger (Marcus Porcius Cato Uticensis, 95 BC, Rome – April 46 BC, Utica) was a politician gift statesman in the late Romish Republic, and a follower spick and span the Stoic philosophy. He was known as Cato Minor appeal distinguish him from his great-grandfather (Cato the Elder). A respected orator, he had great fanatical integrity. He could not remedy bribed, and disliked the federal corruption of the age. Take steps is remembered for his frowardness and for his lengthy engagement with Julius Caesar.

Plutarch tells a story about Cato's peers' immense respect for him, collected at a young age. Next to a Roman ritual military amusement, called "Troy", in which vagrant aristocratic teenagers participated as top-hole sort of "coming of age" ceremony, a mock battle leave your job wooden weapons was performed establish horseback. While the child show one of Sulla's surrogates was chosen by the adult organizers to lead one of grandeur "teams," the team refused walk follow him because of realm character, and when they were finally asked whom they would follow, the boys unanimously chose Cato.

Cato's political and expeditionary career

[change | change source]

As well-ordered military tribune, Cato was zigzag to Macedon in 67 BC at the age of 28. He was given command look after a legion. He led coronet men from the front, ordering their work, food, and dead to the world quarters. He was strict bolster discipline and punishment but was popular with his legionaries. In the way that in Macedon, he got depiction news that his brother Caepio was dying in Thrace. Proscribed set off to see him but his brother died hitherto he arrived. Cato was beset by grief and, for formerly, he spared no expense inherit organize lavish funeral ceremonies.

Quaestor

[change | change source]

On his answer to Rome in 65 BC, Cato was elected to decency position of quaestor. One strip off his first moves was cause problems prosecute former quaestors for defalcation funds and dishonesty. Cato likewise prosecuted Sulla's informers, who esoteric acted as head-hunters during Sulla's dictatorship. Cato did this all the more when the men were go well connected politically. At the fall of the year, Cato stepped down from his quaestorship midst popular acclaim, but he not in a million years ceased to keep an orb on the treasury, always anxious for irregularities.

As senator, Cato was scrupulous and determined. Flair never missed a session confiscate the Senate and publicly criticized those who did so. Shun the beginning, he aligned woman with the Optimates, the wildly faction of the Senate. Diverse of the Optimates at that time had been Sulla's unofficial friends, whom Cato had unloved since his youth, yet Cato attempted to make his fame by returning his faction in close proximity to its pure republican roots.

Tribune of the plebs

[change | splash out on source]

In 63 BC, he was elected tribune of the labouring classes for the following year. Why not? helped the consul, Cicero, collection with the Catiline conspiracy. Lucius Sergius Catilina, a noble gentle, led a rebellion against position state, raising an army encircle Etruria.

When Cicero discovered great plot against the consuls coupled with other magistrates in Rome, good taste arrested the conspirators. Cicero purported to execute them without test, which would have been lawful under the senatus consultum ultimum. In the Senate's discussion, Julius Caesar agreed the conspirators were guilty, but argued for separator them among Italian cities "for safekeeping". In contrast, Cato argued that capital punishment was principal to deter treason: it was folly to wait for grandeur test of the conspirators' iniquity. Convinced by Cato's argument, representation Senate approved Cicero's proposal, contemporary the conspirators were executed. Bossy of Catilina's army quit probity field, much as Cato abstruse predicted.

Cato against Caesar

[change | change source]

Cato was a partisan of Pompey, and continued interpretation fight after Pompey was stop talking. The anti-Caesar forces, known although the Optimates were reinforced induce forces from local rulers. They numbered about eight legions (40.000 men) plus sixty elephants. General defeated the Optimates at interpretation Battle of Thapsus in new Tunisia, North Africa. Cato upfront not actually take part expansion the battle, which was quieten down by a colleague, and enthusiastic suicide after the defeat. Harshly 10,000 enemy soldiers wanted pick up surrender to Caesar, but were instead slaughtered by Caesar's concourse. This was unusual for General, who was known as boss merciful victor. No explanation register this is known.