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Roman Republic
509 BC to 27 BC
BACKGROUND
Founding of Rome
• The tale of Aeneas
(The Aeneid by Vergil)
– Fleeing burning Troy with his father Anchises and son Iulus
– Dido at Carthage and other travels (like The Odyssey)
• Historical evidence
– Settlements from 11th Century BC
Kingdom of Rome (753-509BC)
• Romulus and Remus
– Latin princess was Vestal virgin
– Raped by Mars, bore twin boys
– Ordered killed by non-Latin king
– Suckled by a she wolf
– Grew and founded a city (753BC)
– Romulus killed Remus for power.
• Historic Evidence
– The Etruscans conquered the Romans
(non-Latin king)
– Romans eventually overthrew Etruscans
– Ruins of home of king (Romulus?) date
from 8th Century BC
• Regal period
– Ruled by 7 kings beginning with Romulus
– Mostly a bad time of oppression by
tyrants
– Revolted in 510, and threw out the last
king (Tarquin), and Etruscan influence
Republican Period (509-27BC)
• Republican rule replaced the monarchy, the Romans
determined never again to tolerate a king’s rule
– Replaced with a “res publica” = rule of the people
– This combined balanced elements of
• PEOPLE: Democracy - citizens rule (plebians)
– Assembly of the plebs
• SENATE: Aristocracy – nobles rule (patricians)
– the senate (elders)
• MAGISTRATES: Monarchy – rule of one
– imperium legal authority (under certain conditions) to impose the
law was held by several magistrates – especially the consuls
– Veto power to prevent any laws being passed either consul or
tribunes of the plebs
– but each balanced the power of the other.
– Magistrates such as consuls, praetors, tribunes of the plebs,
censors etc
• All this was held together by mainly unwritten codes of precedent or
constitution called “the way of the elders” - mos maioram.
Republican Government
avoided the greatest fear of the Romans – rule by a king
• Rome overthrew its last king (Tarquinius Superbus) in
509BC
• Developed a mostly unwritten constitution called the mos
maiorum “the customs of the elders” to regulate rule by a
senate (aristocrats) and the people
– SPQR= ‘Senatus Populus que Romanus’ = The Senate and the People of Rome
Republican Government
• Senate (originally Patricians – later also wealthy Plebians)
elected 2 consuls (1 year)
– Finance, Foreign affairs and the military
– Direct access by the people to the consul
• People (plebs) organized by 35 tribes and they elected 10
tribunes
– Governed local affairs
– Had veto power (individually) over even the senate & consuls
• The Mos Maiorum ensured balance of political power.
– Veto (I forbid) of the Tribune of the Plebs protected commoners against the
senate’s (aristocrats) laws
– Veto of one consul against his co-consul ensured no ONE could act alone.
– fixed, limited term offices ensured power was spread around.
– sacrosanct tribunes, both their person, and their veto meant aristocrats
couldn’t bully or persecute him to support them.
– Imperium (right to raise war, and capital punishment) limited to 3 offices
– No army to be brought into the city walls (pomerium) meant individuals
couldn’t use military might against the people and senate
– Also involved customs of right regulation of civic and family life
Constitution
(the elites)
• Senate (aristocrats)
– Originally 300 later 600 members of elite families.
– Dominated by small group patrician (consular) families.
– Never made laws but recommended them to the assembly
of the plebs (Concilium Plebis)
– Had power to appoint a person to solve a specific problem
(He was a "speaker" or "dictator” – a 6 months
imperium)
– Appointed censors (vetted senatorial candidates, moral
guardian/rank judge)
– Appointed governors to Rome’s Provinces (pro-consuls)
– Concerned with finance (so could block laws) & foreign
affairs.
– Thus they came to dominate the whole government by
their wealth and influence – an imbalance that caused the
republic’s destruction.
Constitution (the Commons)
PLEBIANS
Several assemblies of Plebs existed, but with very limited power dominated by
wealthy magistrates, without secret ballot, “gate-kept” by the senate consultum.
• Concilium plebis(Assembly of the plebs)
– Made all the laws (called plebiscita)
– Lead by 10 Tribunes of the plebs
• Comitia Tributa
– Elected magistrates (administrators) and judges
• Comitia Curiata
– Confirmed emporium (military power) holders.
• Comitia Centuriata – Wealthy elites
– elected consuls and praetors (imperium offices).
STATE RELIGION
• Several state religious offices had influence for example
• Pontifex Maximus “great bridge builder”
– Chief priest of the city - office now held by..
• Vestal virgins
- sacred female priest who cared for the “household” of Rome, and
other treasures
- had rights independent of the patriarchy (vote, etc)
The CURSUS HONORUM (Latin: "course of honours") was the sequential order of public
offices held by aspiring politicians in both the Roman Republic and the early Empire. It
was designed for men of senatorial rank. The cursus honorum comprised a mixture of
military and political administration posts. Membership of the senate came after serving
as a Quaestor (1st rung on the cursus).
OFFICE
Min age
Number
Patrician, -2
Term
Service
Powers
Equites
(knights)
Later
teens
unlimited
10yrs
Service in the
cavalry/military
An elite class
in society.
Military
Tribune
Quaestor
(1st rung)
25
24
Commander in Legion
30
20
Financial admin in
Rome or deputyGovernor in province.
Organised games.
Aedile (2nd
rung)
36?
2 plebs
2 patricians
1yr
Praetor (3rd
rung)
39
6-8
1 yr
Supervises of temples,
food & water, supervised
markets, games & public
building (edifices)
Judge in Roman courts,
cover for an absent
consul. Followed by
Propraetorship
(provincial governor)
Brought
Senatorial
membership
Imperium
(6 lictors).
Veto in court
cases for the
chief Praetor
OFFICE
Min age
Patrcn, -2
Number Term
Service
Powers
Consul
(top rung)
42
2
1 yr
ten yr gap.
Marius
broke this
rule.
In charge of Political agenda.
Commanders in chief &
chairmen of senate month
about.
Followed by Proconsulship
(gov’nor of important
provinces)
Could Veto
each other.
Imperium
(12 Lictors).
Could veto all
offices except
plebian
tribunes.
Censor
2
18 months
Tribune of
the Plebs
10
1 yr
Dictator
1
6 months
Saw to the numbers in tribes,
and vetted candidates for
senate
Convene Plebs assembly,
propose laws, protect the
interests of plebs. Could
exercise capital puishment, call
senate together, and had to stay
in or near Rome.
Take control in rarest
emergencies appointed by
consuls or senate. Canceled all
other offices except Tribune
Full veto.
Sacrosanct.
Imperium.
(24 Lictors)
Lictors were guards & escorts for magistrates who possessed imperium
(Praetors, Consuls, Dictators). They carried Fasces (rods and axe) as
symbols of the power to beat, and execute that imperium holders
possessed. The modern term Fascist refers to this power.