Background of the late republic Flashcards
What was Rome’s government a mix of
aristocratic
democratc
monarchial
aristocratic
ruled by the people/ officials ( i.e. senate)
democratic
ruled by the public (i.e. people)
monarchial
ruled by a king (i.e. consul)
how many consuls were there?
two
how long did the consuls rule for and why?
a year to stop them from abusing their power and and have one man dominating everything
why did the consuls short reign cause problems?
as it was hard for any changes to be made in a year and consuls often had to do radical things to be remembered by the people.
primary function of a consul
general/ military leader
have complete control over the army
what other jobs do the consuls do?
oversee public affairs
introduce embassies to the senate
summon assemblies and pass laws
what do the consuls body guards do?
carry ‘fasces’ in order to symbolise their power to beat and execute the Roman citizens
what is a Tribunes job?
To protect the rights of the people in case the consuls or others are abusing their power. They are outside of the established ladder/ hierarchy. Possess the power to ‘veto’ anything at any time.
What 3 things do the senate have power over?
- They have financial power
- They have judicial power
- They decide on matters of foreign policy
they also form an advisory body to the consuls
About the senates financial power
- they have control of the treasury
- Quaestors cannot issue any public money without the decree of the senate
How many people make up the sentae?
600
What powers do the people have?
vote on lots of things e.g.:
- only people to decide on matters of life and death
- are the ones who elect the representatives of the senate
- decide if they should go to war or not
- have power over passing or repealing law
what are the names of the two social orders of the people?
the patricians
the plebeians
what are the patricians?
Families whose ancestors could be traced back to the early days of Rome.
What did the patricians do?
They were significant land owners who occupied a central and privileged position in all spheres of public affairs - political, religious, legal and military
what are the plebeians (plebs)?
The rest of the citizen body (aka the people who were not patricians)
What did the plebeians do?
In the early days they were excluded from positions of authority in public affairs and viewed as underclass/ lesser.
What changed for the plebeians?
By the first half of the 4th century BC, the plebeians had successfully gained much political, religious and legal equality, in recognition of their military performance and growing need for more capable administrations of the newly acquired territories.
originally, what could the plebs and patricians not do?
intermarry
what was the Roman social and economic crisis?
when the farmer citizens living in rural areas returned from their lives in the army in 146, they found their farms to be run down and in disarray. In an attempt to feed their families, they sold their farms to rich people in the senate and went to Rome seeking work.
Why did the farmers sell their houses to rich senators?
Senators were not allowed to invest in banking or trading- so they used their money on land.
What happened when all the rural farmers came to Rome?
It became overcrowded.
what were equites?
a rank in the Roman class system which grew in wealth and status through occupations in commerce and finance. They, unlike senators, were allowed to be bankers and traders, and therefore took advantage of the great commercial oppetuntiies now available
Why was the social and economic crisis a problem?
There was a vast difference between the rich and poor, indicating change was needed.
res publica
Latin term for the republican set up which replaced the monarchy
SPQR
the senate and people of Rome
What is the hierarchal ladder of offices known as?
cursus honorum
What is imperium?
the ultimate authority including command in war and the interpretation of law.
only people to get this are consuls and praetors
What were praetors?
- second in command to the consuls
- role given to prove you are capable of being a consul
- mini consulship, given a small army you can fight small scale wars with.
What were the praetors responsible for?
overseeing law courts and matters judicial
What is an Aedile?
an optional magistracy, responsible for the provision of games and public services in Rome- i.e maintenance of public buildings, food and water supplies and public festivals
Why would you want to be an Aedile?
to gain popularity and future votes among the Romans
What is a quaestor?
the first rung n the cursus honorum
looks after the state treasury and financial administrations
(manages finance)
how many tribunes of the plebs were elected each year
10
what people were outside of the established social ladder
the tribunes of the plebs
how often were the tribunes elected and who by
one a year
by the tribal assembly
what was special about the bodies of the tribunes
they were considered ‘sacrosanct’ (against religious law to touch them) so they were safe from personal danger
what was the job of a tribune
to protect the lives and property of the plebians
what power did the tribunes have
could summon and attend meetings of the senate
had the power of ‘veto’
how many praetors were there each year
8
how many Aediles each year
4
how many quaestors are there
20
tribal assembly
the body of Roman citizens organised into the traditional 35 ‘tribes’ of rome
how many censors were there
2
how often would the censors be elected
every five years
they would rule for 18 months
what is the censors job
to conduct census- count the population of rome, categorize class of men, responsible for the good behaviour of citizens and could even expel senators for what they considered immoral behaviour
who elected the censors
the centuriate assembly
what was the centuriate assembly
the body of Roma citizens organised into 193 voting ‘centuries’
dictator
only elected in time of crisis
rule for 6 months
awarded the imperium of both consuls
appointed by the consuls and proposed by the senate
what was put in force to prevent an individual from gaining too much power
- minimum age for certain positions
- enforced time gaps between positions
how many mediterranean provinces did rome have to govern by 79BC
10
governors
a senator selected from those who had previosuly served as praetors of consuls
what were governors reposnible for
the smooth running, safety and taxation of a Roman province
defend the peace in the province both in terms of law and military
nobiles
an elite group of families who could claim a consul in their past family lineage
this effectively meant that military, political, economic, religious and social organisation and governance of the Roman republic was managed by a circle of sometimes fewer than 20 families
who gathered for the annual elections held in the summer
the centuriate
the tribal assemblies
here they elected roles for the cursus honorum
who did the centuriate assembly elect
the most important positions of political power, those that would wield imperium:
- consul
- praetor
- censor
what other job did the centuriate assembly have
decided on matters of peace and war
what was wrong with the centuriate assembly
it was arranged so that the rich would have the most influence and power over the vote
tribal assembly
responsible for electing the lesser senatorial magistrates and voted on proposals of law
also acted as a court of appeal to cases that did not involve capital punishment
what were the two factions emerging within the nobiles
- optimates (or boni)
- populares
optimates
a group of aristocratsc senatorial families whose main concern was to protect the traditional role of the senate and the political and social status quo
popularis
noble senatorial families that aimed to secure power through appealing to the people
patron
a man of significant social standing able to offer resources (financial, legal or simply food) to his clients in return for loyalty/public support.
clients
citizens who were bound to loyalty to a wealthy patron to support him in all his public interest (e.g. in elections) in return for support and resources
novus homo
‘new man’
one who had not only managed to break into the ranks of the senate, but even to become consul, with no history of consulship in his family lineage
amicitia
a system of family alliances established to consolidate and further the success of influential Romans. Offered political, legal or financial support to cement interfamilial ties (i.e. marriage)
inimicitia
an opposite system to amicitia, where individual disagreements could extend into significant hostility between families
example of a novus homo
Gaius Marius
In The land Bill of Tiberius Gracchus what did he propose
the redistribution of public land to benefit those suffering from dispossession of their farms whilst they ha been in the service to the Roman army.
when did this whole Tiberius situ go down
133
wot naughty ting did Tiberius do
Tiberius bypassed the senate and took his proposal directly to the assembly of the people for confirmation. The bill was vetoes by a fellow tribune whom Tiberius promptly suggested be dismissed
what happened after Tiberius did his thang
the proposal was passed, his opposing tribune deposed and the land bill was passed by the people of rome independently of the senate.
What happened to Tiberius after he passed the law
a group of senators (led by the pope) beat Tiberius and 300 of his supporters to death
Why was the tiberius situation so important
he unleashed the power of the Tribunes and starts a new type of government- can pass laws without the senates permission. A turning point in the political stability of the Roman republic.
annual assembly
- happened in summer
- on the field of mars
miliary patronage
107 BC Marius removed the requirement for soldiers to earn enough to pay for their armour and weapons
now soldiers signed up as a career
this gave power to the general who effectively became the patron of the soldiers (his clients)
‘outside of the senate the people of rome were politicaly powerless’
- people had the right to vote
> however rich more influence > only senators could suggest new laws - senate have a lot of power. i.e consuls
>however, equites, rising class - people found power through tribunes. i.e tiberius gracious
Tiberius Gracchus in short
- when the senate disregarded his idea to re-disturitue land for the poor, he used his ‘veto’ and the vote of the people to force through the law and remove magistrate Marcus Octavius from office
Gaius Gracchus
- followed the route of his brother, used popular demand and the vote of the people to push through laws redistruviuting land, giving soldiers free uniform, lowering the price of grain and giving all italians the vote
