Catiline Orations

The Catiline Orations, or Catilinarian Orations, were speeches given in 63 BC by Marcus Tullius Cicero, the consul of Rome to expose to the Roman Senate the plot to overthrow the Roman government, purportedly led by Lucius Sergius Catilina (Catiline) and his allies. There is scholarly debate about the trustworthiness of Cicero's speeches, including questions as to how factually true they are, with some ancient historians such as Sallust hinting that Catiline is a more complex and sympathetic character than Cicero's writings suggest. These accounts took place almost a hundred years or more after the orations, but portray Catiline in a more sympathetic light, even going so far as to excuse him of any involvement at all, leading to questions of whether the Catilinarians were political propaganda designed to solidify Cicero's position in the political sphere rather than a factual account of the events of 63. However, most accounts of the events come from Cicero's pen himself. This is one of, if not the most, well documented events taking place in the ancient world, and has set the stage for classic political struggles pitting homeland security against civil liberties.

Running for the consulship for a second time after having lost the first time, Catiline was an advocate for the poor, calling for the cancellation of debts and land redistribution. However, there was substantial evidence Catiline had bribed numerous senators to vote for him and engaged in other unethical conduct related to the election. Cicero, in indignation, issued a law prohibiting such machinations. It seemed obvious to all that the law was directed specifically at Catiline. Catiline, in turn, conspired to murder Cicero and the key men of the Senate on the day of the election in what became known as the Second Catilinarian conspiracy. Cicero discovered the plan and postponed the election to give the Senate time to discuss the attempted coup d'état.

The day after the election was supposed to be held, Cicero addressed the Senate on the matter, and Catiline's reaction was immediate and violent. In response to Catiline's behavior, the Senate issued a senatus consultum ultimum, a kind of declaration of martial law invoked whenever the Senate and the Roman Republic were considered to be in imminent danger from treason or sedition. Ordinary law was suspended, and Cicero, as consul, was invested with absolute power.

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