How did the tribunes play a role in the roman society?
The role of tribune was created early in the Roman Republic and came out of the class struggle between patricians and plebians. Tribunes were the first plebian officers of state and were the watchdogs of plebian rights. The first two are recorded in 494 BC and by 449 BC, there were 10. Their role originally was to protect plebians from arrest and punishment by patrician magistrates (ius auxillii ferendi). They also had the right to gather assemblies of the plebs (consilium plebis) where decisions and resolutions were made. Although in legal terms, these assemblies of the plebs were weak, politically, it was always a mistake for the Senate or patricians to ignore them completely as they were a good indicator of public opinion. Tribunes also had the right of "intercessio", the power of veto over any act of a magistrate. This made them extremely powerful. This power of veto was often employed as a political weapon and was able to bring any state business, except that of a dictator (which was a rare position in the Roman Republic) to a halt. In the later Republic, tribunes played a role in the administration of criminal justice. As the Roman Republic evolved into the empire, the role of tribune remained but became more a part of the state. The first emperor of Rome, Augustus, although a patrician and therefore someone who could not serve as a tribune, took on tribunican power (tribunicia potestas) and between 36 and 23 BC, this was the foundation of his position. This was part of Augustus' creation of an empire and powerbase by stealth - he used old republican offices to mask the enormous power he was building.
What limits were there on the power of the Roman consuls?
The term of office was only a yearThere was another consul with equal power who could reverse decrees and who shared military command in times of war.The Senate actually made the laws and could remove a consulThe Tribunes of the Plebs could veto any actions by the consulThe Romans were pretty allergic to having too much power in the hands of one man.
What was the purpose of tribunes in Rome?
The Tribunate was created as a direct result of agitation by the Plebeians for better representation in the Roman government. From the earliest time of the Republic, the Plebs were represented in the assemblies but had no magistrate. In 494 BC a secession (strike) by the Plebs forced the Senate to create the office of Tribune.The tribunes had two major roles: preside over the Concilium Plebis (Plebeian assembly) and act on behalf of Plebs against threats to their person. During his term of office, tribunes could not leave Rome because they had to be available 24 hours a day to advocate for their constituents. They were designated inviolate and could not be harmed by anyone for any reason. An example of the application of this is a tribune coming upon a situation where a pleb is being beaten by two men. The tribune could step in between the attackers and the victim and stop the attack. This is called Intersessio. The tribunes could also block the act of another magistrate against a pleb, by requesting to review the act for legitimacy.The original law provided for 2 tribunes but by 470 BC there were 10, elected for one year terms. A tribune had to be a pleb himself and could not be patrician.In the latter part of the time of the Republic the tribunes came under the influence of the Senate and no longer represented the plebs objectively. After the fall of the Republic the office continued in name only because its function changed completely.
What is veto power?
Veto is latin for *I forbid*. Main essence of Veto is that it provides a medium for its holder to protect the status of quo.History : The concept of a veto body originated with the Roman consuls and tribunes. Roman consuls was the highest elected political office of Roman Republic & Tribunus was the title of various elected officials in Ancient Rome. Two most important were the tribunes of plebs and military tribunes. For most of Roman history, a college of ten tribunes of the plebs acted as a check on the authority of the senate and the annual magistrate , to intervene on behalf of the plebians, and veto unfavourable legislation.Current Usage :Veto has its mostly heard in the context of UNSC (United Nations Security Council). Here veto is used in its absolute form, where any of the permanent countries can block any of the decision taken by the rest. There are many systems in veto like the roman , westminsters & US got it’s own line-items of veto, liberum veto, the european public system . The Indian President too has 3 types of veto power : absolute, suspension & pocket.For more details : Veto
How did Roman institutions' functions like the tribune, the consul and the senate change in the Byzantine period? And how long did they survive?
Long before the capital of the Empire was moved east to Byzantium (which was renamed Constantinople), the outer forms of the Republic had become purely symbolic. After the Caesars managed to consolidate their power, especially beginning with Augustus, there were still tribunes, consuls, and senators… but none of them came into office or stayed in office without the Emperor’s approval. Essentially, the Republican forms were kept, but the Emperor was the man behind the scenes who pulled all the strings.In the case of the office of consul, Emperors frequently conferred this high office upon themselves, or put into place a man who was totally loyal to the Emperor and followed the Emperor’s orders.How was this system even possible, given the “constitutional” powers of these other officers (tributes, senators, consuls)? It is well to remember that the Emperor above all had command of the legions for life—it’s what the term “Emperor” (imperator) actually means—and therefore, if there were any real challenge to the Emperor’s power, martial law could be imposed. That threat kept everyone in line. And after a while, everyone got used to the idea that for all practical purposes, the Emperor was effectively a de facto, uncrowned king.In any case, any sense that the Republic was a real thing, and not just symbolic, was dead well before the capital was moved to Byzantium by Constantine.
How much power did a dictator have compared to the consuls in Ancient Rome?
Just the same that consul gave him.The dictatorship was used only in extraordinary cases (such as particular dangers from external enemies, revolts, a serious impediment to the work of the consul who appointed him), and the dictator lasted in office until he had performed the tasks for which he had been appointed, and in any case not more than six months.In no case the dictator could overpower the consul(s) powers. The dictator wasn't a tyrant, just a sort of “Special Commissioner”.Romans knew that revert to dictators was a risky business so heavily limited its powers by law.It worked well 64 times.The 65th dictator pit in charge was a certain Gaius Julius Caesar.Was the last one in Rome history…
How did Augustus change Roman government, and how did these changes affect Rome?
After Augustus warred down the assassins of his uncle/father and defeated Antony and Cleopatra, he gave it out that he was retiring from public life. The Senate voted him titles such as Princeps (first citizen) and Augustus (great one). Two other interesting offices the Senate voted to him was Tribune for life and the Maius Imperium (the great power) for life. Tribune was an office originally created in the struggles between the Plebeians and the Patricians. A Tribune had a seat in the senate. Other Senators were limited to introduce one bill per day, but the Tribune could introduce as many as he wanted. If a bill was moving forward that was against the Plebeians, the Tribune could say, "Veto!" And it was dead. The person of a Tribune was inviolable. To shove a Tribune in anger was punishable with death. The Maius Imperium was the power to punish Roman citizens with death or flogging without a trial. This power was routinely voted by the Senate to Roman generals who were leading armies into foreign parts. But it expired when they returned. Augustus had a long life. Once every 10 years, he stood for election as Consul. That was the term limit. It was an honor to be asked to be his running mate as the second Consul for the year. The government went on as before. The Senate continued to meet. Consuls and other magistrates were elected yearly. Certain important provinces were allotted to Augustus to choose their governors. Other provinces got governors chosen by the Senate from among ex-Consuls. "Friends of the Prince" met at Augustus' house every morning. They conferred about what should be done, and the friends went forth to let people know. The important thing is that these changes happened so slowly that no one noticed. In AD 212, two hundred years later, the Emperor of the day got the nickname "Caracalla," because in bad weather, he would throw on a soldier's marching cloak to go from one part of the city to another. Until that time, no one was allowed to wear military uniform in Rome unless a general setting out on campaign.
What was the Roman Republics government like?
It is pretty complicated, see link for details. There was no written constitution. The Roman Senate had an age and income requirement and was not elective, and Senators served for life. They were sup[posed to be advisers and didn't pass laws. Two Consuls were elected as heads of state and only served a one year term. 10 Tribunes of the Plebeians were also elected and had veto power, There were two Assembly's the People's Assembly and the Centuriate Assemble. These were the only bodies that could pass laws. The people voted in "tribes" that meant that each tribe had one vote based on voting within the "tribes". In effect the republic was ruled by a wealthy aristocracy. During the last 60 years or so of the Republic the system was falling apart and it was one bloody civil war after another. The Dictatorship was revived under Sulla and then Caesar.