Download Constitutional Settlements Revision • What constitutional basis did

Constitutional Settlements Revision
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What constitutional basis did Augustus’ powers rest on?
Consulship - 43 BC marched on Rome demanding consulship, the two consuls for that
year had died (conveniently)
Triumvirate begins in Autumn 43 BC - Marcus Lepidus ( ), Marcus Antonius (Caesar's
second in command of army mattters) and Gaius Octavian (Caesar's heir)
35 BC receives sacrosanctity
Triumvirate runs out in either 32 or 31 BC
Consul in 31 BC - extra edge in power over Antonius
Receives consulship every year from 31BC to 23 BC
28 BC - nominated as princeps senatus
27 BC - "restoration of the Republic" renamed Augustus, in charge of imperial provinces
which just so happen to have most of the legions in them
23 BC - resigns consulship and receives tribunician power and imperium maius
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Did Augustus restore the Republic in 27 BC?
YES
Velleius Paterculus - "the ancient traditional form of the Republic was brought back" 89.3
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"force was restored to the laws, authority to the courts, majesty to the
senate; the power of the magistrates was reduced to its former limits" 89.3
Res Gestae - "in my sixth and seventh consulships I transferred the Republic from my power
to the control of the senate and the Roman people" 34.1
Aureus of 28 BC - Augustus has restored to the Roman people their laws and rights;
Augustus wearing laurel wreath, seated in chair wearing toga and holding out a scroll
Horace Odes 4.15 - "he summoned back the ancient ways"
Tacitus Annals - "the magistrates enjoyed their traditional titles" 3.7
NO
Tacitus Annals - "how many remained who had seen the Republic?" 3.7
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"the revolution was complete; nothing remained of the old, sound ways"
4.1
Suetonius Divus Augustus - "twice Augustus seriously though of restoring the Republican
system ... He did not do so" 28
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"the results were almost as good as his intentions" 28
Strabo - "he became supreme ruler for life in war and in peace" 17.3.25
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How did roles change as a response to this?
Provincial administration - fewer provinces for senators to manage and lower members of
society received higher ranking appointments. More members of the equestrian class are
being put in power, so their roles were changing. There wasn't as much freedom in elections
either, as Augustus approved candidates beforehand. Augustus' establishment of set wages
for governors also reduced corruption and changed the role of provincial rulers in that they
no longer needed to fleece the provinces to make money for themselves. This meant that
not as many people stood for the higher elections, as they couldn’t necessarily get the
money back later from their province.
Senate - senate has always been an advisory body, but now people looking for resolutions
in foreign policy tended to go to Augustus. They had less honour. Augustus, having gained
imperium maius in 23 BC, was able to interfere on any level.
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How did events in 23 BC shape the new changes?
Marcus Primus' trial (governor of Macedonia) - he invaded Illyria without permission from the
senate. His lawyer, Varro Murenas, then claimed that Augustus told him to do so and
Augustus came unprompted to the trial to defend himself. He had no right to interfere with
the senatorial provinces, so if Primus' claims were true, there were major political
implications. Augustus obviously realised this, hence his attendance to the trial. As a result
of this, Augustus gained imperium maius so that he would be able to interfere on any level.
Augustus' major illness - he gives away his signet ring to Agrippa, and gave the other consul
a list of the empire's resources. The constitutional settlements made in the same year were
probably made following this illness.
Plague and grain shortage
Death of Marcellus. This means that Augustus has to find another heir.
Conspiracy of Caepio and Murena. Little is known about the details of the conspiracy, but we
could gauge that it was reasonably serious (as we have few sources on them). It's likely that
it occurred before the constitutional settlement, as within the settlement he gave up having
them consulship every year and simply accepted tribunician power (he had detected some
resentment amongst senatorial classes, and so was keen to appease them before they
became a greater threat to his power).
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Why did Augustus choose these new roles in 23 BC?
He wanted to be seen as a representative of the people, and could impose his veto when
necessary and take laws straight to the assembly without first going to the senate.
He wanted to avoid senatorial resentment, and also to gain even higher status and
recognition.
Furthermore, having said that he was going to restore the republic, he felt compelled to step
down from the consulship. It had also been an unwelcomed undercutting of the cursus
honorum.
He chose to gain imperium maius so as to fill in gaps in his power - he was then able to
interfere whenever and wherever he chose.