Marcus Tullius Cicero and Gaius Antonius Hybrida begin their term as consuls for 63 BCE, placing Cicero at the center of the Republic’s response to growing political violence and debt-driven unrest.
Cicero denounces Lucius Sergius Catilina (Catiline) and secures the senatus consultum ultimum (“final decree”), authorizing extraordinary measures to defend the state against an alleged coup attempt.
Gaius Manlius, associated with Catiline’s movement, musters armed supporters at Faesulae in Etruria, giving the crisis a military dimension and intensifying Rome’s fear of coordinated uprising.
On the night of 6–7 November, would-be assassins sent against Cicero are denied entry after he is forewarned—an incident that helps prompt his decisive public denunciation of Catiline.
Cicero delivers the First Catilinarian in the Temple of Jupiter Stator, openly accusing Catiline of plotting against the Republic and demanding action from the Senate.
After Cicero’s denunciation, Catiline departs Rome and moves to Etruria, where he joins the armed force at Faesulae—shifting the confrontation from political struggle to open rebellion.
With Catiline gone, Cicero addresses a public assembly in the Forum, arguing that Catiline’s departure confirms his guilt and urging vigilance against remaining conspirators in the city.
Envoys of the Gallic Allobroges—approached by conspirators seeking outside support—turn over signed documents to Cicero, providing clear evidence that senior figures in Rome are coordinating with Catiline’s cause.
Cicero delivers the Third Catilinarian to the People, reporting how the plot was uncovered and presenting the arrests and evidence as proof that the city has been saved from imminent violence.
In a Senate meeting, leading figures argue over punishment—balancing emergency security claims against norms of due process—before the body reaches a decision in the crisis atmosphere.
Following the Senate’s decision, key conspirators in Rome—including Publius Cornelius Lentulus Sura—are executed without trial, a step that neutralizes the internal network but fuels later constitutional controversy over Cicero’s actions.
In 62 BCE, Cicero delivers Pro Sulla, defending Publius Cornelius Sulla against charges connected to the earlier unrest—illustrating how the conspiracy’s political and legal aftershocks continued into the next year.
Government forces defeat Catiline near Pistoria in early January 62 BCE; Catiline is killed in the fighting, effectively ending the armed phase of the conspiracy.
Catiline Conspiracy and Cicero's Consulship (63–62 BCE)
