THE ROMAN TWELVE TABLES OF LAWĬonsuls were the chief civil and military magistrates, elected through the assemblies by popular vote. Inscribed on large bronze tablets and prominently displayed in the Forum, the Law of the Twelve Tables comprised 12 tables which stated the rights and duties of a Roman citizen, now for the first time in written format that anybody could view.īy producing a written set of laws that could be applied uniformly to all (at least in theory), the Twelve Tables calmed tensions and formed the basis for Roman Law for much of the next 1,000 years.Ĭovering issues such as trials, rights and possessions, the Twelve Tables - at least in their concept of having written laws that could be applied uniformly – provided much basis for modern laws that we still live by today. In the early days of the Roman Republic, the law was unwritten and tended to be implemented arbitrarily interpreted up to that point by the higher status priests and magistrates, who would in most cases already have a biased opinion against the lower classes.īy around 450 BC, tensions between wealthy patricians and poorer plebeians, who often felt aggrieved at the perceived unfairness of the legal system, were running high, and led to the creation of the Twelve Tables. Many features of Roman law provided the basis for areas of modern laws, which is why Latin terms continue to be used in legal documents even today. However, the emperor certainly didn't have the time to judge every case in the empire, which meant that a comprehensive judicial system was required. FIND OUT MORE ABOUT ROMAN EMPERORSĮarly Roman law was drawn from custom and statutes, but later - during the Imperial Period - the emperors asserted their authority as the ultimate source of law. They still played a significant part in the actual administration and functioning of the Roman empire it was just that the emperor always had the final say. Whilst political offices and bodies such as the Senate still continued, they become much more advisory in the role, at least for major decisions that is. The decline and end of the Republican period ushered in the beginning of the Imperial period, in which the Roman empire was ruled by just one man – the emperor. These assemblies acted on the recommendations of the Senate's deliberations, and also elected the magistrates. Of course, this is true of the Imperial Period, during which time the Emperor reigned supreme, but was actually rather surprisingly the case during the period of the Republic.Īlthough members of the Senate deliberated and voted on topics, actual legislation was secured in the various assemblies. The reality is that the Senate was primarily an advisory body which, despite the wealth and prestige of those who sat in its hallowed chamber, actually had surprisingly little power. The Roman Senate is often viewed as the seat of Roman power, where all the major decisions affecting the governing of the empire were made. The Tarquins and the monarchy were cast out of Rome in 510 BC in a revolt led by Lucius Junius Brutus and Lucius Tarquinius Collatinus, who would become the first two consuls of a new form of government – the Roman republic. His tyrannical rule was despised by the Romans and the final straw was the rape of Lucretia, a patrician Roman, at the hands of Tarquinius' son Sextius. He repealed several earlier constitutional reforms and used violence and murder to hold on to power. The end of the road came with Rome's seventh king, Tarquinius Superbus (Tarquin the Proud) who ruled from 534-510 BC. A challenge to the king's authority would almost certainly lead to severe punishment, typically death.Īs kings and rulers of other countries and civilizations throughout history have found (often paying the price with their life), such totalitarian rule can only last so long. Similar in many ways to the emperors that came later, these individual men had complete authority over all aspects of the lives of their subjects. In the early days of the fledgling settlement, Rome was governed by kings. This article on the governance of the Roman Kingdom, Republic and Imperial periods covers the following topics: 1) Monarchy: Kings of Rome Since the ancient Romans did not want one man to make all of the laws, they decided to balance the power of the government between three branches: first the executive branch, then the legislative branch, and finally the judicial branch. Senatus Populusque Romanus - the Senate and people acting together. The Roman government, in its entire history from founding to fall, was a strange mix of democracy and dictatorship, quite often with the two overlapping at the same time.Īt the very outset of the Roman Republic, supreme power probably resided with a popular assembly, but early on the Senate became very influential, and the traditional formula, which survived for centuries, was S.P.Q.R.
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