ROMAN REPUBLICAN LAW & LEGISLATION

SPQR  Senatus Populusque Romanus  Senate and the People of Rome

TWO DIVISIONS OF THE RR Patricians Wealthy land owners Nobles of the ruling class Could vote Paid taxes Served in the army Could serve in government Couldn’t marry a Plebeian Plebeians Majority of population Artisans, shopkeepers, small farm owners Could vote Paid taxes Served in the army Couldn’t serve in government Couldn’t marry a Patrician Produced Food & Supplied Labour and Military

HIERARCHY OF THE RR Consuls (2 Patricians) Comitia Centuriata (soldiers) Comitia Tributa (Patricians) Concilium Plebis (Plebeians) Senate (300 Patricians)

CONSULS  2 men elected by Senate to run government and command the army  Short-term to avoid abuse of power  Had the right to veto decisions (“I forbid” in Latin)  “Chief Magistrates of the State”

SENATE  ~300 wealthy Patricians  Elected for life (social prestige)  Advise consuls  Deal with other countries  Propose laws  Controlled budget  Approved public works

ASSEMBLY  Rest of the population  Citizen soldiers – acted as the voting assembly First step towards a democracy  Approved/rejected laws  Decided on war  Could NOT suggest laws

COMITIA CENTURIATA  One branch of the Assembly  Made up of soldiers  Segregated into electoral classes based on wealth Blocs were called “centuries” 1 vote per century  Annually elected Senior Magistrates  Passed laws

COMITIA TRIBUTA  One branch of the Assembly  All the people in the city with the right to vote who belonged to tribes 1 vote per tribe  Wealthy Patricians  Could pass laws on behalf of all people, including the aristocrats

CONCILIUM PLEBIS  Plebeian Council – only Plebeians  Tribune – official of this assembly Power of veto – can veto anything from Comitia Centuriata, Comitia Tributa, Concilium Plebis, or the Senate Exercise veto in the case that the rights of the Plebeians are threatened Negotiate with consuls & senate  Veto power of Tribunes helped to abolish: Ban on marriages between Patricians and Plebeians Enslavement of citizens for debt

PLEBEIAN’S STRUGGLE  Plebeian Struggle for Equal Rights – Twelve Tables Laws were in favour of Patrician interests Plebeians wanted it written down Compromise: basic legal procedures and punishments  367 BCE – one consulship reserved for Plebeians  287 BCE – Plebeians recognized as a constitutional body

OTHER POSITIONS  Praetor – in charge of law courts (below the Consuls)  Quaestor – treasurer  Censor – supervisor of public morals & state contracts Elected by Comitia Centuriata to revise lists of citizens (census)  Dictator – appointed by consuls for specified period in times of crisis/war (above the Consuls)

SCENARIO  As members of the Roman Republic, your job is to ensure that the rich are kept happy while still saving Rome from self-destruction. With each new conquest the Roman Empire attains, they acquire slaves. These slaves are assigned jobs in the factories and on the farms working for significantly less compensation than any free Roman can. These conquered slaves are increasing in number while putting free citizens (labourers and small farmers) out of work. The poor Romans are starving to death and cannot afford to even join the military, for the cost of armour is too much. What decision are you going to make to address this problem?