Quintus Ligarius (died ) was one of the assassins of

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (12 or 13 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in Caesar's civil wa ...

. He had been accused of

treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state (polity), state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to Coup d'état, overthrow its government, spy ...

for having opposed Caesar in the

civil war A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

, but was defended so eloquently by

Cicero Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, orator, writer and Academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises tha ...

that he was pardoned and allowed to return to

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

. He later conspired with

Marcus Junius Brutus Marcus Junius Brutus (; ; 85 BC – 23 October 42 BC) was a Roman politician, orator, and the most famous of the assassins of Julius Caesar. After being adopted by a relative, he used the name Quintus Servilius Caepio Brutus, which was reta ...

, with whom he assassinated Julius Caesar on 15 March 44 BC.

Civil war

Quintus Ligarius was a member of an equestrian Sabine family. He had gone to Africa as legate to the provincial governor Gaius Considius Longus, who when returning to

left him in command.John Hazel, ''Who's Who in the Roman World'', Routledge, London, 2001, p. 168. After

Pompey Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (; 29 September 106 BC – 28 September 48 BC), known in English as Pompey ( ) or Pompey the Great, was a Roman general and statesman who was prominent in the last decades of the Roman Republic. ...

was defeated by Caesar at the Battle of Pharsalus, Pompey's ally Publius Attius Varus went to Africa and there continued the war. Ligarius became one of his assistants. He was present at the

Battle of Thapsus The Battle of Thapsus was a military engagement that took place on April 6, 46 BC near Thapsus (in modern Tunisia). The forces of the Optimates, led by Quintus Caecilius Metellus Scipio, were defeated by the forces of Julius Caesar. It was fo ...

. After the defeat, he was captured at

Hadrumetum Hadrumetum, also known by #Names, many variant spellings and names, was a Phoenician Phoenician colonies, colony that pre-dated Carthage. It subsequently became one of the most important cities in Roman Africa before Vandal Kingdom, Vandal and Uma ...

. He was spared by Caesar, but he was not allowed back into Italy.Harold C. Gotoff, ''Cicero's Caesarian Speeches: A Stylistic Commentary'', University of North Carolina Press, 1993, p. xxxiii.

Trial

Ligarius' brothers asked

to intercede on behalf of their exiled relative. Cicero secured a meeting with Caesar, who seemed receptive, but then an order was made to arrest Ligarius on charges that are no longer clear, but appear to have involved the claim that he conspired with King

Juba I Juba I of Numidia (, ; –46BC) was a king of Numidia (present-day Algeria) who reigned from 60 to 46 BC. He was the son and successor to Hiempsal II. Biography In 81 BC, Hiempsal had been driven from his throne; soon afterwards, Pompey wa ...

. The prosecution seems to have emerged from a grudge held by Quintus Aelius Tubero over an incident when Ligarius denied Tubero's family help when he was in charge of Africa. At the trial, Cicero gave an impassioned speech in Ligarius' defence, known as the ''Pro Ligario''. He ignored the actual charges, but instead made an emotional appeal for reconciliation and clemency, warning of the dangers of vendettas. According to

Plutarch Plutarch (; , ''Ploútarchos'', ; – 120s) was a Greek Middle Platonist philosopher, historian, biographer, essayist, and priest at the Temple of Apollo (Delphi), Temple of Apollo in Delphi. He is known primarily for his ''Parallel Lives'', ...

, "Caesar was emotionally overcome, his body shook, and some documents fell from his hand. And so under compulsion he acquitted Ligarius".

Conspirator

The acquittal allowed Ligarius to return to Rome. Plutarch writes that he did not forgive Caesar for pardoning him. This hatred, and his friendship with other Liberators, caused him to join the assassination plot. According to Plutarch, Ligarius was ill in bed when he was visited by Marcus Brutus. He told Brutus that he would be made well again by helping him with his plot. Plutarch refers to him as "Caius Ligarius" in the passage, but the context strongly implies that he is referring to the same person who was tried and acquitted. Although no author specifically identifies Ligarius as a victim of the

proscription Proscription () is, in current usage, a 'decree of condemnation to death or banishment' (''Oxford English Dictionary'') and can be used in a political context to refer to state-approved murder or banishment. The term originated in Ancient Rome ...

s of the

Second Triumvirate The Second Triumvirate was an extraordinary commission and magistracy created at the end of the Roman republic for Mark Antony, Lepidus, and Octavian to give them practically absolute power. It was formally constituted by law on 27 November ...

in 43 BC, there is little doubt he was one of the victims, as Cicero mentions that there were three brothers, and Appian mentions three brothers with this name who perished in the proscriptions.

In Shakespeare

Ligarius is a character in

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's tragedy ''

''. He is called "Caius Ligarius", which is the name used by Plutarch when describing the episode of his sickness. He is depicted, following Plutarch, as a sickly man, though strong in mind, with a grudge against Caesar for reprimanding him for admiring

. His absolute trust in Brutus sets up the role of Brutus as a moral model whose leadership is necessary to bring others on board. Though part of the conspiracy, he does not participate in the assassination itself.F. E. Halliday, ''A Shakespeare Companion, 1550-1950'', Funk & Wagnalls, 1952, p. 361.

References

External links

''Pro Ligario'', English translation
at ''Attalus.org'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Ligarius, Quintus 1st-century BC Romans Ancient Roman generals Assassins of Julius Caesar 1st-century BC births 40s BC deaths