Cicero’s Marital Strategies: Some Case Studies

Abstract

It has often been suggested that for Roman politicians, marriage was a tool of advancement and a way of forging alliance among the influential and wealthy. This dissertation is intended to enhance our picture of how exactly Roman politicians made use of marital alliance to good advantage. The focus will be on Cicero, because he provided us with a relative abundance of evidence for himself and for the society he was living in. At the same time, studying him can give us a better understanding of how he achieved impressive success, even though his novus background placed at a disadvantage. This project consists of six case studies. Chapters 2-4 examine Tullia’s three marriages. They argue that while Cicero did consider political concerns as vitally important when choosing a son-in-law, he also took other factors into account. Particularly noticeable is the fact that he allowed his wife and daughter to enjoy some say in the decision-making process. Chapter 5-7 examine the trio consisting Cicero, his brother Quintus and his friend Atticus. By proposing a marriage between Quintus and Atticus’ sister Pomponia, he expected to deepen their relationships and to help Quintus advance his career. He made great efforts to ensure that the members in this circle were on friendly terms with each other. After Atticus married Pilia, Cicero also sought to develop an affectionate relationship with her. These chapters argue that Cicero thought emotional rewards of marriages to be important, too.