描述
Catiline (c. 108–62 BC) is a Roman senator known for his attempt to overthrow the Roman Republic, particularly the power of the senatorial nobility. Frustrated by personal political failures and convinced that the Senate was corrupt and needed reform, Catiline conspired with a group of disaffected senators and Roman citizens to overthrow the existing order. His plans, however, were revealed to the Senate by letters intercepted and provided by Cicero, the consul at the time. Cicero's subsequent speeches, the "Catilinarian Orations," denounced Catiline and vividly portrayed him as a threat to the Republic. Catiline fled Rome but his co-conspirators were arrested and, controversially, executed without trial on Cicero's orders. Catiline later died leading a rebellious army against Rome in the Battle of Pistoria. The Catilinarian Conspiracy has since become emblematic of the political tensions and violence during the waning years of the Roman Republic.