The Catilinarian Conspiracy

The world of Roman politics had never been short of intrigue, plots and shadowy business. Throughout its history, the Roman Republic would see dodgy dealings and behind the scene plotting as part and parcel of politics within the city. However, in 63 BC a plot was hatched by a group of conspirators that aimed at an act so heinous that it shock Rome to its foundations. Driven by ambition, greed and bitterness, a group of nobles sought to forcibly overthrow the state and undertake a coup against the Senate.

Led by Lucius Sergius Catilina, the conspirators rejected Roman democracy and instead looked to utilise open violence and seize control of the Senate. The affair would become notorious not just for the level of violence and destruction that almost engulfed Rome, but also for the reputation that was made by the hero of the hour – none other than Marcus Tullius Cicero.

Bad Reputation

For Catiline, this would not be his first brush with controversy. Under the dictatorship of Sulla, he was an active participant in the proscriptions that occurred during his reign – in which political rivals found themselves murdered and their estates confiscated.  Catiline’s lust for wealth and power would not stop after the death of Sulla. He was later accused of extortion whilst on official duty in Africa, with these charges leaving a black mark on his reputation.

However, Catiline’s notoriety would come back to haunt him in the consular elections of 65 BC. Hoping to reach the pinnacle of the Roman political system, this election would prove to be particularly brutal – with Cicero serving as his main opponent. As the results were tallied, it became clear that Catiline had fallen short of the mark, and had lost the election to the new golden boy of Rome. Catiline’s love of wealth and fondness for corruption may have served him well up until this point, but he now found himself essentially blacklisted from the Consulship as a result of his chequered past.

When faced with electoral defeat, many Roman politicians would brush themselves off, congratulate the victors, and plan ahead for next year’s election. But for a man of Catiline’s temperament, this was not an option. Humiliated, embittered and enraged, Catiline instead would turn to violence as a means to achieve his objective.

Rumours quickly started swirling around Rome of a plot, led by Catiline, to overthrow the Senate and seize control of the state through the force of arms. Catiline would ally his cause with the downtrodden castaways of society – the urban poor, indebted farmers and restless youths within the city. To attract their support, he proposed a truly radical program which involved cancelling all debts and the redistribution of wealth within society. To the Roman aristocracy, it seemed as if their worst nightmare had come true.

Cicero Steps Up

As one of the two Consuls for the year, Cicero was understandably alarmed by the situation, but he lacked hard evidence of the plot to make any further moves. The conspirators acted in the shadows, evading detection and leaving few traces of their sinister plans. However, Cicero would finally get a lucky break in October 63 BC when three senior Senators – Marcus Licinius Crassus, Marcus Marcellus and Metellus Scipio – arrived at his home in the middle of the night. An anonymous letter, given to Crassus, warned of a violent plot to murder the Senate and listed Catiline and his conspirators by name. This was the breakthrough Cicero needed.

Cicero at once denounced Catiline openly in the Senate, publicly shamed him for his role in the affair. Whilst Catiline publicly maintained his innocence, he privately plunged to even greater depths to get his own way. Catiline sent two of his fellow conspirators, Cethegus and Marcius, to arrange a face to face meeting with Cicero – and when his back was turned, to have him murdered. However, Cicero kept his ear to the ground and was able to intercept the plot, saving his own life by refusing to grant the two assassins entry to his home. 

The final nail in the coffin came when a delegation from the Allobroges tribe, who had travelled from Gaul to seek tax relief for their people, were offered a chance to join the conspiracy in return for their freedom from Roman control. Unfortunately for Catiline, the delegation would promptly report this offer to Cicero – leaving no doubt that Catiline was a guilty man. Seeing that his time was up, he would flee the city and join his supporters across Italy, leaving his allies in Rome to be arrested and imprisoned.

The Plan Unravels

Whilst Catiline was being hunted down, the fate of his fellow conspirators back in Rome had become a source of great debate. The Forum was filled with angry cries and impassioned speeches as Senators argued either for or against executing the failed plotters. It was Julius Caesar who led the pro-life side of the debate, arguing that the conspirators should be imprisoned but have their lives spared.

Just as it looked like the men may escape with their lives, up stepped Marcus Porcius Cato – the leader of the conservative faction in the Senate – who gave a rousing speech in favour of execution. The force held by his words made the decision inevitable, and the men were condemned to death without a trail. The prisoners were led to a well house in the Forum complex and strangled. With their supporters gathered outside, Cicero taunted the defeated plotters, shouting “they have lived their lives” to the crowd – a sure sign that the prisoners were now dead.

As for Catiline, his predicament looked equally as grim. Having initially had as many as 20,000 men gathered with him in Etruria, his support base had dwindled as time went on – leaving him with only a few thousand followers. In 62 BC he was tracked down by an army, despatched at the Senate’s request, and killed in battle. Finally, the Catilinarian uprising was over.

Catiline’s Legacy

The name Catiline would go down in Roman history as being synonymous with plotting, intrigue and violence. To the Roman aristocracy, the ideas proposed by Catiline must have sent a shiver down their spine – with both their lives and wealth at risk from his schemes. However, it must also be questioned the extent to which the conspiracy truly posed a threat to the Roman state.

Whilst supported by a whole manner of unruly miscreants, the conspirators were limited in their numbers – with the very fact that they had to work in the shadows suggesting that in truth they lacked the numbers required to actually seize control of Rome. Ultimately, the conservative nature of the Roman people meant that such a radical approach was perhaps always doomed to failure.

For Cicero, the whole affair proved to be the great crowning glory of his career. He was able to position himself as the saviour of Rome and the protector of his country, allowing him to steal the limelight and cement his Consulship in the annals of history. The Catilinarian Conspiracy failed it its mission to overthrow the Roman state, but it certainly proved to be Cicero’s greatest triumph.