Reading between the lines — The Catiline Conspiracy

The late Roman republic was characterized by conflict between two opposing political groups — the popularis who favored the masses and the optimates who supported the old senatorial aristocrats. During 63 BC, our main sources — the historian Sallust and the statesman Cicero, authors of the Catilinian conspiracy and the First Oration respectively, tell us that the popularis leader Catiline conspired to overthrow the Roman government and to abolish all debts after he lost the consulship to Cicero. Both authors had clear reasons for depicting the conspiracy (if it was) and Catiline negatively. Sallust’s inability to achieve greatness in the politics directed his ambitions to history where he believed composing a grand story would immortalize his name.<a href="https://medium.com/@seango/reading-between-the-lines-the-catiline-conspiracy-6fcf1a8f03e7#_edn1" rel="noopener ugc nofollow">[i]</a> Cicero — consul that year — wanted to hold on to power and exaggerate his success in thwarting a social revolution he thought was the greatest triumph Rome had ever seen.  <a href="https://medium.com/@seango/reading-between-the-lines-the-catiline-conspiracy-6fcf1a8f03e7">Click Here</a>