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roman government/history
the roman political system
the roman political system
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Introduction
The Republic began in 508 BC and lasted for 483 years. The office of the Praetor came about in 367 BC. The functions of the praetor were to aid the civil law, done through the grant of rights of actions for the enforcement of civil claims and to help the consuls in the day-to-day administration of justice. In 242 BC, thirty years later, another praetor was added, thus there were two praetors. The praetor urbanus had jurisdiction to decide cases and administer justice among Roman citizens whilst the praetor peregrinus had to take care of cases between citizens and foreigners, and foreigners amongst themselves. Nonetheless the main cases were those between peregrines. Also in the lex Papiria de sacramentis we find “qui inter cives ius dicet”.The Praetor can be considered to be an official who had a lot of influence on laws, but it is impossible to mention all of these influences.
Imperium
Imperium is defined as the supreme executive power in the Roman State, and it involved both military and judicial authority. This imperium was exercised in the first instance by the Kings of Rome but then under the Republic the chief magistrates, including the praetor, were also entrusted with this command .
The imperium of the consuls was considered to be maius and thus greater than that of the praetor. This meant that the consul could intervene against the praetor but the praetor could not do the same. This also enabled the praetor to see the things which were not regulated by the ius civile, but where needed in a society and in the economic life of Rome. The Praetor could also delegate this imperium to other persons who were non-magistrates. Other than imperium the praetor held jurisdiction which showed how he had the unlimited ...
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...(unpublished Ph.D thesis, University of Aberdeen)
Inst. Gai.3. 18.
These could not inherit each other, except the widow in the case of a manus marriage. As defined by Andrew Borkowski and Paul du Plessis in ‘Textbook on Roman Law’, 3rd Edition, Oxford University Press.
Encyclopedic Dictionary of Roman Law, Volume 43, Adolf Berger, The American Philosophical Society, Independence Square, Philadelphia
The method of acquiring ownership and title by usucapio
The Principles of Roman law and their relation to Modern Law, William Livesey Burdich, The Law Exchange Ltd. Clark, New Jersey, 2004
The First Year of Roman Law, Fernand Bernard, Translated by Charles P. Sherman D.C.L, Oxford University Press
As defined by Black’s Law Dictionary
Pomponius, Libro singularii enchiridia (D. 1. 2. 2. pr. -53)
Papinianus, Libro [II] <1> definitionum (D. 1. 1. 7. pr. -1)
Written c. 450, the first written code of Roman law. For Summary, see Prof. Adams' Handout.
The roman republic constitution was a set of guidelines and principles passed down through precedent, the roman republic instead of creating a democracy such as that the Athenians created, a monarchy which was previously being used by previous roman rulers and an aristocracy which Sparta used, the Constitution combined elements of all three of these governments to create a combined government known as “Senatus populusque que romanus” (S.P.Q.R) this meant “the senate and the roman people”. The Roman magistrates were elected officials during the period of the Roman kingdom, the ‘king’ (although the Romans preferred not to be called a king and instead a rex) of Rome was the principal executive magistrate, his power was absolute similar to that of a tsar
From ages past, the actions of conquerors, kings and tyrants had brought the Roman Republic to a stance that opposed any idea of a singular leader, of a single man that held total power over the entirety of the state. Their rejection of the various ruthless Etruscan rulers that had previously dictated them brought the Republic to existence in 509 BC , and as a republic their prominence throughout the provinces of the world exponentially expanded. Throughout these years, the traditions of the Romans changed to varying degrees, most noticeably as a result of the cultural influence that its subject nations had upon the republic, as well as the ever-changing nature of Roman society in relation to then-current events. However, it was not until the rise of Augustus, the first of a long line of succeeding emperors, that many core aspects of the Republic were greatly changed. These were collectively known as the “Augustan Reforms”, and consisted of largely a variety of revisions to the social, religious, political, legal and administrative aspects of the republic’s infrastructure. Through Augustus, who revelled in the old traditional ways of the past, the immoral, unrestraint society that Rome was gradually falling to being was converted to a society where infidelities and corruption was harshly looked upon and judged. The Roman historian Suetonius states, “He corrected many ill practices, which, to the detriment of the public, had either survived the licentious habits of the late civil wars, or else originated in the long peace” . Through Augustus and his reforms, the Republic was transformed into an Empire, and through this transformation, Rome experienced one of its greatest and stabl...
The Imperium Romanum (Roman Empire) was a vast domain containing large territorial holdings in Europe and the Mediterranean. Beyond the empire however consisted of barbarous nations that were a constant threat to the Roman boundaries. For this reason, it was necessary for well-functioning frontier policies to be administrated and sustained to protect the outskirts of the empire from invasion. During the Julio-Claudian dynasty both Tiberius and Claudius established many effective frontier policies during their Principates. In addition to securing the frontiers, both also provided stability in the empire through the maintenance of the Pax Romana (the peace of Rome), which was established during the reign of Augustus.
Livius, Titus. The Early History of Rome. Trans. Aubrey De Sélincourt. London: Penguin Group, 2002. N. pag. Print.
5. Lesley Adkins, Roy A Adkins, Handbook to Life in Ancient Rome, Oxford University Press, 1998. (pg. 304)
Roman society operated under the authority of paterfamilias. Paterfamilias is where the oldest living male of the family was considered to be the father of the household; he had “virtual life and death authority over the entire household” (MPN, 107). He would make the all the decisions in the family, and made the rules and standards, including the moral standards that women were expected to follow. Ideal Roman women were valued for their piety, modesty, performance of womanly duties, and faithfulness to their husbands. In both their stories, Lucretia and Dido do what is necessary to maintain their image of the ideal Roman woman.
The Roman Republic, was a government, governed by an intricate constitution, which was based on the idea of separation of powers. The Roman Republic, began in 509 B.C, after the end of the Roman Monarchy and lasted for over 450 years. The constitution of the Roman Republic was highly influenced by the struggle of power between the rich families, the patricians, and other Romans who were not from famous or rich families, the plebeians. Their government was divided into three main sections, very much like the Legislative Branch, Executive, Branch, and Judicial Branch. Nowadays, the Senate and assembly resemble the Legislative Branch. In the Roman Republic, the Senate was the most powerful group. The Senate passed all laws and collected taxes. The second part of this branch, was the assembly, and the assembly was elected by the Romans from the plebeian class. The assembly elected consuls, tribunes (representatives from the plebeian class), and made laws. All members of the Senate were part of the patrician class and at the head of the Senate were two consuls. The Consuls controlled the Roman army and in order to become a consul, you had to be elected by a majority of all the citizens in Rome. The consuls, are like our president and the Executive Branch. Although the method of separation of powers came from the Roman Republic, that is not all that came from the Roman Republic that became part of the United States...
Philosopher A: In the Republic, the Senate was the primary branch of the Roman government and held the majority of the political power. It controlled funds, administration and foreign policy, and had significant influence of the everyday life of the Roman people. When Augustus came to power, he kept the Senate and they retained their legal position. The Emperor’s rule was legitimized by the senate as he needed the senators experience to serve as administrators, diplomats and generals. Although technically the most authoritative individual in Rome, Augustus strived to embody Republican values. He wanted to relate and connect to all parts of society including Plebeians. Through generosity and less extravagance, Augustus achieved a connection with the common people.
Livy’s The Rise of Rome serves as the ultimate catalogue of Roman history, elaborating on the accomplishments of each king and set of consuls through the ages of its vast empire. In the first five books, Livy lays the groundwork for the history of Rome and sets forth a model for all of Rome to follow. For him, the “special and salutary benefit of the study of history is to behold evidence of every sort of behaviour set forth as on a splendid memorial; from it you may select for yourself and for your country what to emulate, from it what to avoid, whether basely begun or basely concluded.” (Livy 4). Livy, however, denies the general populace the right to make the same sort of conclusions that he made in constructing his histories. His biased representation of Romulus and Tarquin Superbus, two icons of Roman history, give the readers a definite model of what a Roman should be, instead of allowing them to come to their own conclusion.
1. In my nineteenth year, on my own initiative and at my own expense, I raised an army with which I set free the state, which was oppressed by the domination of a faction. For that reason, the senate enrolled me in its order by laudatory resolutions, when Gaius Pansa and Aulus Hirtius were consuls (43 B.C.E.), assigning me the place of a consul in the giving of opinions, and gave me the imperium. With me as propraetor, it ordered me, together with the consuls, to take care lest any detriment befall the state. But the people made me consul in the same year, when the consuls each perished in battle, and they made me a triumvir for the settling of the state.
4)Rosenstein, Nathan Stewart., and Robert Morstein-Marx. A Companion to the Roman Republic. Malden, MA: Blackwell Pub., 2006. Print.
Scarre, Christopher. Chronicle of the Roman Emperors: The Reign-by-reign Record of the Rulers of Imperial Rome. London: Thames and Hudson, 1995. Print.
Dio, Cassius. "Roman History - Book 50." 17 June 2011. University of Chicago. 31 October 2011 .
Walter Allen, Jr. Cicero's House and Libertas .Transactions and Proceedings of the American Philological Association.Vol. 75, (1944), pp. 1-9.Published by: The Johns Hopkins University Press .Article Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/283304.