Who was this Cato guy?

Marcus Porcius Cato Uticensis (also known as Cato the Younger), was a Roman senator and politician born in 95 BC, the only son of a well-off family. His great-grandfather was Cato the Elder, also known as Cato the Censor, who was a powerful politician known for his uncompromising conservatism, his powerful writing, and also for super hating the Greeks.

Cato - like his elder namesake - was deeply conservative, and fought for a return to the mos maiorum, or traditional Roman values. He was hailed as one of the great Stoic philosophers, prizing virtue, stringency, and self-control above all else, and criticizing anything that smelled even faintly of indulgence or softness. 

Great at war, bad at parties.

Prevailing political methods of the era involved an open practice of bribery, which Cato despised. He aggressively rooted out and prosecuted corruption. An interesting wrinkle is that the term bribery not only meant the paying off of individual politicians, but also applied to shows of public generosity, which was (unfortunately) one of the times that lower social classes could benefit from politics, since political offices were broadly oligarchical.

Cato, however, was not had no interest in political compromise of any kind. Stoicism values virtue above all else, and Cato's stubborn adherence to Stoic ideals put him at odds with many people. It did, however, earn him a reputation for incorruptible honesty.

Cato was a complicated figure, even in his time. On the one hand, he was rigid, rude, and dismissive. On the other hand, he was straight-forward, trustworthy, and tough.

In keeping with his support for traditional Roman values, Cato made a big show of antiquated dress and behavior, walking long distances barefoot and wearing a toga with no tunic. Some called this out as an ostentatious show of poverty, but it succeeded in elevating Cato's public image to the virtuous Roman ideal.

Cato and Caesar constantly butted heads in the senate, with Cato attempting to obstruct Caesar at every turn. As Caesar's popularity and success grew, Cato grew increasingly worried that he would take unilateral power.

Following his extreme military success in Gaul, Caesar intended to return to Rome and run for consul again. Cato and Pompey, in an attempt to keep Caesar out of political office, tried to recall him and terminate his command, but Caesar instead began marching towards Rome with his army.

Cato and Pompey fled Rome and waged a civil war on Caesar, declaring him a tyrant. However, Caesar successfully scattered and defeated their fractured armies, finally cornering Cato in the African city of Utica (in what is now Tunisia).

Cato, sensing the imminent defeat, arranged for his remaining followers and family to escape the city via ships before Caesar arrived. Then Cato, unwilling to accept clemency with Caesar, fell on his own sword.

Immediately upon his death, Cato was enshrined as a Stoic martyr and elevated into legend. Scrubbed of his (many) irritating qualities by writers like Seneca and Lucan, Cato became a glittering golden icon, a god-like symbol of virtue, patriotism, and self-sacrifice.