How did Cicero prosecute the governor Gaius Verres?

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Marble bust of Marcus Tullius Cicero, shown with short hair and draped clothing, displayed against a black background. — Cicero Marcus Tullius Cicero, detail of a marble bust; in the Capitoline Museums, Rome.

In 70 BCE, at the request of the Sicilians, Cicero prosecuted the former governor Gaius Verres for his extensive corruption, extortion, and looting during his time in Sicily.

Cicero’s strategy was highly effective. Verres’ defense attorney, Quintus Hortensius Hortalus, attempted to delay the trial until he assumed the consulship the following year. However, Cicero delivered such a powerful opening speech and presented such compelling witness testimony that Hortensius was unable to respond. Faced with this overwhelming evidence, Verres chose to flee into exile in Massilia rather than face a verdict.

Following the trial, Cicero published the remaining portions of his Verrine Orations. While he only delivered the first part in court, the full collection served as a devastating indictment of senatorial corruption and remains a vital historical record of Roman provincial administration.1