In a political sense, conspiracy refers to a group of persons united in the goal of usurping or overthrowing an established political power. Typically, the final goal is to gain power through a revolutionary coup d'état or through assassination.
A conspiracy is to be contrasted with a cabal. The two are similar but have quite different connotations; in contrast to a cabal, a conspiracy usually looks to overthrow a fixed power instead of usurping it from within.
Famous political conspiracies
Perhaps the most famous political conspiracy was that of Gaius Trebonius, Decimus Junius Brutus Albinus, Marcus Junius Brutus, and Gaius Cassius Longinus who successfully conspired to assassinate Julius Caesar on the Ides of March, 44 BC.
The Catiline conspiracy, thwarted by Cicero as consul.
Two other famous conspiracies were the murders of David Rizzio and Lord Darnley, (Henry Stuart, 1st Duke of Albany), respectively Mary, Queen of Scots private secretary and her husband.
It is also generally considered that the infamous "gunpowder treason" attempted by Guy Fawkes was a conspiracy, although a thwarted one.
See also
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