Roman Constitution Flashcards
(16 cards)
Comitia Curiata
Voting unit: the curia
Number of units: 30
The most ancient of assemblies. Originated under the Kings, but lost its political significance in the early Republic. By the later Republic, many citizens did not know which Curia they belong to. The people never met in this comitia because of this, so they were formally represented by 30 lictors.
Ratified wills, adoptions, the transference of a person from a patrician to a plebian family, and to pass a formal vote confirming grants of imperium on magistrates.
Comitia Centuriata
Voting Units: 193 centuriae (centuries), organized by wealth and age
Origin: Established by Servius Tullius to reflect the Roman army’s structure
Reorganized: In 241 BCE, centuries were distributed as:
18 Equites
70 First Class (35 iuniores, 35 seniores)
100 from Classes 2–5
5 unarmed (artisans, hornblowers, servants, proletarii)
Voting Order:
Wealthiest centuries voted first; could decide outcomes before poorer classes voted
Centuria praerogativa: a First Class century chosen by lot to vote first publicly
Functions:
Elected consuls, praetors, censors
Passed laws (leges)
Declared war and peace
Tried capital cases
Comitia Tributa
Voting unit: the tribus (tribe)
Number of units: 35 (4 urban, 31 rural)
A meeting of all the people in their tribes, whether patrician or plebeian, normally called by a consul or praetor. Measures passed by this comitia were called leges.
The order in which the tribes announced their votes was determined by lot.
The work of the tribal assemblies:
The tributa elected military tribunes, quaestors, and curule aediles.
The Concilium plebis elected the tribunes of the plebs and the aediles of the plebs.
Both assemblies made laws. After 287 BCE, a plebiscite had the same force and validity as leges.
The assemblies tried non-capital cases and punished with fines.
Concilium plebis
A meeting of the plebs. A tribal assembly called by an official of the plebs (usually a tribune) from which patricians are excluded. Measures passed by this assembly are called plebiscita (Decisions of the Plebs)
The Concilium plebis elected the tribunes of the plebs and the aediles of the plebs.
lex Hortensia (287).
The Cursus Honorum
At the age of 17, a young man became liable to military service and 10 years of service was required before one could stand for a magistracy. In the late Republic, it was easy to avoid most or even all such service.
If a man wanted to gain experience and a reputation in military matters, he would seek to become
One of the 24 tribuni militares (military tribunes). Elected every year by the comitia tributa. This post was frequently held soon before standing for the quaestorship. It was a way for relatively unknown men to demonstrate that he is capable of winning an election and could bring him support for higher offices later in his career.
If a man wanted to stay in Rome and build a reputation in public life, he could serve as one of a number of minor officials:
Tresviri capitals: 3 men in charge of prisons, executions, and summary punishments.
Tresviri monetales: 3 men in charge of the mint.
Decemviri stlitibus iudicandis: 10 men who helped the praetors in minor legal cases.
Quaestorship
Function: Entry-level magistracy in the cursus honorum, primarily dealing with finance and administration
Number:
8 in the 2nd century BCE
Increased to 20 by Sulla (early 1st century BCE)
Roles:
2 assisted the consuls
2 managed the aerarium (state treasury)
3 oversaw parts of Italy
Others served as provincial assistants to governors
Election:
Chosen annually by the comitia tributa
Eligibility:
Commonly held at 27–30 years old in the 2nd century BCE
Sulla set a legal minimum age of 30 and made it mandatory for advancing to higher office
Significance:
Automatic entry to the Senate (usually enrolled by the censors)
Often followed by optional offices (e.g., tribune of the plebs, aedile) before advancing to praetorship (minimum age 39)
Tribune of the Plebs
Eligibility:
Only plebeians could hold the office
Number:
10 tribunes elected annually
Elected by:
The Concilium Plebis (Plebeian Assembly)
Term Start:
December 10th each year
Powers & Duties:
Veto power (intercessio) over:
Magistrates’ actions
Laws
Elections
Senate decrees
Could propose legislation to the Concilium Plebis
Protected plebeians’ lives, property, and rights from arbitrary power
Significance:
Served as the primary institutional check against patrician authority
Played a major role in popular politics during the Republic
Aedileship
2 plebian aediles: elected annually by the Concilium plebis. 2 curule aediles: elected annually by the comitia tributa.
Minimum age for curule aediles: 36.
Tasked with taking care of the city of Rome. Dealing with matters such as traffic, roads, water supply, organize the markets, supervise weights and measures, maintain the corn supply, organize and hold public festivals (this was usually at the aediles’ own expense; large expenditures could help gain public popularity).
The law enforced a two year gap between the holding of the aedileship and the next compulsory post in a public career.
Praetorship
6 praetors were elected annually by the comitia centuriata.
Minimum age: 39.
Two praetors dealt with the administration of justice at Rome: the praetor urbanus and the praetor peregrinus.
The other four were involved in the government of provinces.
Sulla eventually increased the number to 8. He ordered that they should spend a major part of their year in office focused on the administration of justice in Rome. After this, they may proceed and go out to govern a province as a propraetor.
The law enforced a two year gap between this post and the next.
Consulship
Two consuls were elected annually by the comitia centuriata.
Minimum age: 42.
The consuls had imperium over the rest of the citizens.
After completing essential duties in Rome (such as presiding over the election of successors), he was free to go govern his appointed province. After his year in office, he would continue to govern as proconsul, until his successor arrived.
In the second century, if he was a patrician, he might be appointed by the censors as:
* Princeps senatus: Leader of the Senate, who gave his opinion first in debates. This post lapsed in the first century, as we will see.
An ex-consul could run for a second consulship after the appropriate amount of time (10 years). He could also apply for another post…
Censorship
two censors were elected every five years by the comitia centuriata.
Normally held office for up to 18 months.
Duties:
* Carried out the census
* Revised the list of senator
Interrex
a patrician senator appointed for a period of five days to look after the state in the event of the resignation, death, or non-election of both consuls. His main task for to arrange the election of new consuls.
Dictator
originally a person nominated by a consul on the senate’s proposal for a period of up to six months to deal with some great crisis. No ordinary dictators were appointed after 216 BC. Sulla and Julius Caesar revised the post but in a new form.
The Senate
The Senate was composed of about 300 ex-magistrates (Sulla raised this number to 600).
In the second century, senators were chosen by the censors. Sulla changed this, made admission follow automatically on the election of the quaestorship. The senate could be summoned by a magistrate who wished to consult them on an issue (remember, the senate is an advisory body!). The senators were asked for this opinions, from the most senior to most junior. A vote followed. If a proposal was passed it was recorded as a senatus consultum (SC, for short; a decision of the senate). If vetoed by the tribune, it was still recorded as a senatus auctoritas. The senatus consultum had no legislative force, but in practice it had great influence.
