In 82 B.C., I was ordered to divorce my wife by Lucius Cornelius Sulla, an enemy of the radicals. I refused and prudently left Rome for military service in Asia and Cilicia. I returned in 78 B.C. when Sulla died and began my political career as a prosecuting advocate. I then traveled to Rhodes to study rhetoric and did not return to Rome until 73 B.C. During my journey to Rhodes, I was captured by pirates. While in captivity, I convinced my captors to raise my ransom, which increased my prestige. I then raised a naval force, overcame my captors, and had them crucified.
I was made governor of Farther Spain in 61 B.C. When I returned to Rome the next year, I joined forces with Crassus and Pompey and formed the first triumvirate. The alliance between Pompey and Ceasar was solidified further when Pompey married Julia, my only child.