''Bellum Catilinae'' (''War of Catiline''), also called (''Conspiracy of Catiline''), is the first history published by the Roman historian

Sallust Gaius Sallustius Crispus, usually anglicised as Sallust (; 86 – ), was a Roman historian and politician from an Italian plebeian family. Probably born at Amiternum in the country of the Sabines, Sallust became during the 50s BC a partisan o ...

. The second historical monograph in

Latin literature Latin literature includes the essays, histories, poems, plays, and other writings written in the Latin language. The beginning of formal Latin literature dates to 240 BC, when the first stage play in Latin was performed in Rome. Latin literature ...

, it chronicles the attempted overthrow of the government by the

aristocrat The aristocracy is historically associated with "hereditary" or "ruling" social class. In many states, the aristocracy included the upper class of people (aristocrats) with hereditary rank and titles. In some, such as ancient Greece, ancient Ro ...

Catiline in 63 BC in what has been usually called the Catilinarian conspiracy. The narrative of the monograph was seized upon as illustrating the moral and social decadence of the ruling Roman classes, particularly the

Roman Senate The Roman Senate ( la, Senātus Rōmānus) was a governing and advisory assembly in ancient Rome. It was one of the most enduring institutions in Roman history, being established in the first days of the city of Rome (traditionally founded in ...

. Sallust continually critiques Roman corruption throughout his narration.

Summary

The history begins with a brief preface on the nature of man, history, and a brief autobiography of Sallust himself. Afterwards, Sallust launches into a character description of Catiline, who is portrayed as at once heroic and immoral, and then a description of Catiline's intention to gain kingship at any cost. However, Sallust tells his readership that Catiline's political ambitions were thwarted several times in his youth, and perhaps alludes to the

First Catilinarian conspiracy The so-called first Catilinarian conspiracy was an almost certainly fictitious conspiracy which – according to various ancient tellings – involved Publius Autronius Paetus, Publius Cornelius Sulla, Lucius Sergius Catalina, and others. Anc ...

, and he finally resorts to rebellion, during which attempts to recruit a number of bankrupt

nobles Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The characteristi ...

and politically dissatisfied

plebeians In ancient Rome, the plebeians (also called plebs) were the general body of free Roman citizens who were not patricians, as determined by the census, or in other words " commoners". Both classes were hereditary. Etymology The precise origins of ...

. The

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

eventually discovers the conspiracy, and attempts to put it down militarily. In the one and only battle of the rebellion, Catiline is killed by the Roman army, bringing the rebellion to an end.

Publication

''Bellum Catilinae'' was probably written during the last half of the 1st century BC. Mellor, R. (1999) ''The Roman historians''. Routledge. P. 32 After writing it, Sallust went on to author , a historical account of the Jugurthine War.

Legacy

G. W. S. Barrow Geoffrey Wallis Steuart Barrow (28 November 1924 – 14 December 2013) was a Scottish historian and academic. The son of Charles Embleton Barrow and Marjorie née Stuart, Geoffrey Barrow was born on 28 November 1924, at Headingley near Leeds. ...

has shown that one passage in the Declaration of Arbroath was carefully written using different parts of ''Bellum Catilinae'' as the direct source: (Reprinted in G. W. S. Barrow, Scotland and its Neighbours in the Middle Ages (London, Hambledon, 1992), chapter 1

Translations

The following are some translations of ''Bellum Catilinae'', sorted reverse chronologically. * Update to Rolfe's earlier Loeb; major changes made to Latin text and translations. * * * *

References

; Citations ; Sources * ** ** * * *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Conspiracy of Catiline 1st-century BC history books 1st-century BC Latin books Catiline Monographs Roman historiography