Bellum Catilinae

Background

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

Catiline finally resorts to rebellion, during which he attempts to recruit a number of bankrupt nobles and politically dissatisfied plebeians. The Senate 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. Sallust uses the figure of Catiline as a symbol of the corrupt Roman nobility, though he also presents a wider picture of the Roman political scene beyond Catiline himself.

Did You Know?

• The narrative was seized upon as illustrating the moral and social decadence of the ruling Roman classes, particularly the Roman Senate.
• Catiline is portrayed as at once heroic and immoral in Sallust's character description.
• G. W. S. Barrow has shown that one passage in the Declaration of Arbroath was carefully written using different parts of Bellum Catilinae as the direct source.