Uncommon Wrath: How Caesar and Cato’s Deadly Rivalry Destroyed the Roman Republic

by Josiah Osgood

A dual biography of Julius Caesar and Cato the Younger that offers a dire republics collapse when partisanship overrides the common good.

In Uncommon Wrath , historian Josiah Osgood tells the story of how the political rivalry between Julius Caesar and Marcus Cato precipitated the end of the Roman Republic. As the champions of two dominant but distinct visions for Rome, Caesar and Cato each represented qualities that had made the Republic strong, but their ideological differences entrenched into enmity and mutual fear. The intensity of their collective factions became a tribal divide, hampering their ability to make good decisions and undermining democratic government. The men’s toxic polarity meant that despite their shared devotion to the Republic, they pushed it into civil war.

Deeply researched and compellingly told, Uncommon Wrath is a groundbreaking biography of two men whose hatred for each other destroyed the world they loved.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Ancient History, Politics, Biography, Roman History

352 pages, Hardcover

First published November 29, 2022

About the author

Josiah Osgood is Professor of Classics at Georgetown University. His teaching and research cover many areas of Roman history and Latin literature, with a special focus on the fall of the Roman Republic.

Reviews

[Colin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A pretty good book which basically serves as a biography of the rivalry between Caesar and Cato, and makes the point that while most historians, even back to ancient times, focused on Caesar vs. Pompey, Caesar vs. Cato was perhaps moreso the driving rivalry that ended the Roman Republic.

[Literati · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book, and always interesting to have focus points within an overarching history.
Cato's brand of legislative obstructionism and elite conservatism does not age particularly well-renowned for sticking to his virtues, does that really matter if your supposed virtues are unkind?
Perhaps the love of the people is fickle- but Caesar always had it, and Cato was only loved by his fellow patricians...
It does feel difficult to compare the two considering that Caesar was the greatest military mind of his era and Cato had no military accomplishments, there are no filibusters on the battlefield.

[Joe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad account of the rivalry between Caesar and Cato. But, in my opinion, Osgood tries to cover many momentous events of the late Roman Republic in a short narrative that lacks depth and nuance. It treats these world-changing events like reports you might find in a small-town newspaper. In any event, I will not be shelving this book next to the histories of Grant, Goldsworthy and Beard.

[Fernando Jiménez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Con una narración ágil y divulgativa este ensayo plantea una visión heterodoxa de la segunda guerra civil del final de la República romana, en la que César es mostrado de un modo no tan heroico como le suele mostrar la historiografía tradicional. Un libro fundamental para entender este periodo crucial de la historia.

[Joseph Adelizzi, Jr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m glad Josiah Osgood isn’t a GoodReads author. Not that I have anything disdainful to say about his excellent book Uncommon Wrath. No, his book is free of the gravitas which often weighs down the best intentioned books about ancient Rome and its more renowned inhabitants. Consequently, Osgood’s work is readable. However, that is not to say it is frivolously free of significant information and important tidbits. That fact is evinced by my almost immediate reach for and subsequent death grip on my yellow highlighter, which had been steadily drying out as it sat in the penholder cup emblazoned with a definition of “Success” for almost 5 years now. There are so many caveats to buy into in this book that it probably should be required reading for anyone planning to enter a voting booth in the foreseeable future; I’ll lend you my copy so you can just read the highlighted portions as a kind of Cliffs Notes crutch.

So why wouldn’t I want Osgood on GoodReads? Because when he’s not overtly stressing he’s semi-subtly implying that readers should not turn his history of the tensions between Caesar and Cato into a simplified Manichean struggle. He often warns us not to make Cato’s Javert-like adherence to the law the embodiment of good, and Osgood goes out of his way to show the good and bad sides of both men.

Alas, I’m going to ignore Osgood. I want Cato to represent good. I wanted him to defeat Caesar then, I want him to defeat Caesar today, and I want him to bury Caesar tomorrow. I’m afraid for us if a Caesar wins. Sorry Josiah. I heard you, I get it, but I’m ignoring you.

He’ll never read this, right?

[Luke · Rating 5 out of 5]

(2nd Read Review)
“Cato wanted to show that no tyranny, however mild, was acceptable for one who prized freedom the way Cato did, and he did so in the most vivid way imaginable. His suicide was his last, and most supreme, act of obstruction. It weighed on the consciences of survivors such as Cicero. They began to praise Cato in death as they never had in life. It infuriated Caesar, who responded by making decisions that would derail his victory.
“And so maybe Cato was the victor after all.” -p.252
(1st Read Review)
I think the common view of Cato is that his obstinate conservatism could only be defensive in nature, as if he were a piece of republican bedrock that splintered against the rush of a new age, a new Rome ushered by the populares. But Osgood presents Cato as an active agent in the decline and fall of the Late Republic. Fantastic writing and approach.
I also really appreciate the care Osgood takes to explore the effect the dictatorship of Sulla had on both men.
I look forward to future reads from this writer. Well done.

[Simon Pallant · Rating 4 out of 5]

Suggested by a student Josiah Osgoods “Uncommon Wrath” tells the story of the rivalry between Cato and Caesar that , he maintains , was the undoing of the Roman Republic. The prose is interesting and well researched though at times one feels he’s reaching to bring the careers of the two protagonists into direct conflict - and what appears -with the benefit of hindsight - as a fierce rivalry , may not , contemporaneously, have been viewed as such. Certainly Osgood does a good job of covering the Triumvirate and perhaps redresses the over emphasis of the rivalry between Caesar and Pompey , but one can’t help feeling that despite Cato’s miserly stoicism in the senate , he was more of a thinker and a philosophiser , than a “doer” like Caesar or Pompey .. and as such was a commentator - like Cicero- rather than a real political player … and as such was no rival at all …
Nonetheless a good read 4 stars !

[Christan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven’t reviewed a book in a while. I’m going to make an exception here. This is an important and timely history of a very contentious period of history, namely the end of the Roman Republic. Parallels certainly exist between that time and ours - the rise of the cult of personality, commoners versus the establishment, avarice versus morality. Josiah Osgood delivers a near pitch perfect take on the end of an ideal, in this case, the Roman Republic. Read this book. Short and bittersweet. Oh, and a humble opinion to a previous reviewer. In this case, less is more.

[April · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably 3.5 stars but I have never had patience for Cato. I mean it’s true that the Caesars are just generally more interesting to me, but Cato has always struck me as a condescending dick and that is still the case. The Roman dignitas was just as bad in him as it was Caesar, it just looked different

Also there’s not a single correct calendar so when Caesar changed the calendar it wasn’t to the correct one, it was to the current one. (Or almost.) there’s no intrinsic correctness to the solar calendar sorry not sorry

[Liviu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent bok about Cato and Caesar from a "balanced" perspective and examining the Augustan and even Neronian echoes of Cato too. Shortish and with a lot of stuff that makes more sense if you know more about the period (eg Cicero's exile at the hands of Clodius is not even mentioned, though the fact that Pompey brought him back, bound Cicero decisively to Pompey), but very energetic and reading almost like a novel.

Highly recommended

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

The pacing of this book is pretty rapid. I mean that as a compliment tho. It's a good intro to the time period in the vein of Tom Holland's Rubicon, made extra interesting via the juxtaposition of Caesar and Cato. Tbh I kinda skimmed the Caesar parts bc I've read a lot of much longer Caesar biographies lol. I'm really just here for Cato (annoying).

[Mirko Kriskovic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Narrative History at its best!
Having read a few book on the late Roman Republic, this is one of my favourites.
Well written a very entertaining, highly recommended if you have any interest on the subject

[Matthew Manzella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very enjoyable survey of the rivalry between Cato and Ceaser and it clearly articulates and supports it's thesis that this, more than the Pompey v Ceaser revelry is what defined the late republican period. Highly recommended if you're interested in these figures or this period!

[Aneil · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a huge Roman history buff, I was very much looking forward to listening to this, and I was not disappointed. The pacing, rich background on the key figures, and excellent political analysis left me wanting more. (This refers to the Audible version.)

[Felix.fga · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buen libro de divulgación. Proporciona una visión general de la caída de la república romana centrada en estos dos personajes. Sobre esta época recomiendo encarecidamente la saga novelesca de Roma de Collen Mccullough

[Bruin Mccon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating history of Caesar vs Cato. Roman Empire 102.

[Annika Nordquist · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genuinely useful for understanding modern politics.

[Space Orlando · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative.

[Antonietta tesfaye · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent! The author kept it interesting throughout and made you really understand these two men.

[Hugh J McKenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audible

[Almudena Calvo · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5

[Imma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesante libro de historia romana. Muy espeso. La política de la época clásica se parece mucho a la actual: sobornos traiciones, filibusterismos, egos desmedidos...

[Ana Dice · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un repaso interesante sobre la vida de un par de romanos remotísimos... que demuestran que no hemos cambiado mucho.

[Cesar Pardo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una muy buena biografía a dos bandas de un tiempo histórico crucial en Roma y en nuestra historia

[Renard R. Volpe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantástico y sin florituras o añadidos innecesarios. Una doble biografía que va directa al grano. La guerra politico-social de dos personajes igual de hábiles e igual de imbatibles. ¿Quién ganó en esta lucha de titanes? Te recomiendo que lo leas para descubrirlo.

[Dryan1066 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent. Learned a good bit