The uncle of the famous Mark Antony, he served as consul with Marcus Tullius Cicero in 63 BCE during
the Catilinarian Conspriacy.
Before this, however, he began as a legate for
Sulla during the Mithridatic Wars. It was because of his atrocities during this war that he earned his nickname Hybrida or "half-beast." In 76 BCE, he was tried by
Julius Caesar and prosecuted for his crimes. He escaped punishment; however, in 70 BCE, he was removed from the Senate and lost his senatorial rank because of these atrocities.
Despite this, in 71 BCE, he was elected tribune and praetor in 66 BCE. In 63 BCE, he was elected consul alongside
Cicero. While he originally supported
Catiline, Cicero won him over by promising him the province of Macedonia. When Catiline and his conspirator Manlius were declared enemies of the state, the Senate entrusted an army to Antonius to lead against Catiline. Cicero, meanwhile, was left to protect the city of Rome. At the final battle near Pistoria, command was given to his lieutenant, Marcus Peterius because Antonius claimed that he was pedibus aeger, "sick on his feet."
In 61 BCE, as governor of Macedonia, he fought unsuccessfully against the Dardani and the Thracians. Overall, he proved unpopular due to his oppressive rule. After his return to Rome, Marcus Caelius Rufus convicted him of extortion and of taking part in the Catilinarian Conspiracy. He was then exiled to the Greek island of Kelafonia. Fifteen years later, in 44 BCE, Caesar recalled him from exile. He was later named censor in 42 BCE.
→ Attalus Entry: C. Antonius Hybrida10
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