Secession of the plebs In 494 BC. AD , while the external war was imminent, the Roman city is facing a serious political crisis. It is probably related to an economic crisis, the Roman historian Livy relying on debt bondage in many poor citizens, it can also evoke a political disappointment. Since the establishment of the Republic, the example of Athenian democracy (reform of Cleisthenes ) were known, and had raised hopes dashed by the establishment of the Republic oligarchic. This political crisis leads to a secession of a part of the Roman people, just before his call to arms. It is therefore a strike Populace. The people left the town, and went on to settle the Sacred Hill. He swears the union until death, set up institutions, including the tribunes that protect it, and only returned to Rome after Menenius Agrippa told them the story of members and stomach.
The plebeians (plebs) is not all lower strata of Roman society: some customers remain loyal to their bosses, the patricians join. Plebeians are those who, whatever their class, choose to oppose the constitution oligarchic and patrician of Rome.
The Tribunes of the plebs
The patricians had to recognize the tribunes of the plebs, the number of 2 to 493 , mirroring the two consuls , 4 in 471 BC. BC and 10 in 457 BC. AD They have no traditional powers of magistrates in Rome: they can not take the auspices , they are not the imperium. Their role is to help the common people. Their function is collegial: they each have the same power, and may oppose the action of one of their colleagues, their power vanishes when: the prohibitio.
Their power tribunitian has different aspects. They are untouchable (sacrosanctus), and offer their persons inviolable protection to the omnipotence of the consuls (help function, or auxilium). This power may be exercised by the tribune itself, or threatened by the citizen who called the tribune. This is intercessio : it has the power to paralyze the legal action of a magistrate.
The mission of auxilium also exerted to defend the interests of the populace as a whole: it can use its right of veto (ius intercessionis) against the action of all magistrates, in all their actions: calling a meeting , passing a law, elections, lifting of the legions. It may even prohibit the Senate to express its opinion. Finally, this power eventually exercised even against the dictator. The only limit to this power: it was not exercised when the people were armed, that is to say, when war was declared, but it was often used when war was imminent.
The sacro-sanctity
At its secession on the Sacred Mount, the mob has passed a constitution as a sacred law ( Lex Sacrata ), such as the Law foundation of military discipline among the Italic peoples. This law dedicated to the dead person (citizen, magistrate, plebeian, patrician) does not respect the organization of the plebs, or endangering the person of one of its leaders. The sanctity of the institutions of the mob (but aediles tribunes of the plebs) was recognized by the patricians in 449 BC. BC by the lex Horati and was not abolished as so ephemeral as Sylla.
The culprit of such an act is cursed (crime affects the interests of the mob said perduellio), and any citizen can stop the defilement he represents the Roman city at any time, by putting to death .
The intercessio tool, the mission auxilium
The Tribune is to help the common people is the auxilium. It does this by rescuing a plebeian in particular, subject to legal action against him or against his property by a magistrate with the imperium, the citizen can appeal directly to the protection of the tribune by the expression tribunos Appello (I am appealing to the tribunes). The Tribune physically interposed between the citizen and the magistrate that the threat (legally). The Tribune did play his power intercessio.
The Tribune also assists the populace as a whole, using more broadly the intercessio. When a court action by a judge in office, whatever it is, threatens the interests of the people, he opposed it and hung, preventing him from convening a meeting to conduct an election or the passing of a law, or even to question the Senate. The legislative framework is thus blocked at its source. This power was used heavily in fifth and fourth centuries BC. AD by preventing the consuls to make the lifting of the army.
These powers were confined to city limits and one mile beyond. Within these limits, their powers are constantly: they are not allowed to leave the city, the doors of their homes remain open permanently.
Justice tribunitian
In order to carry out their policy, the tribunes were given the right to proceed with the execution. Having no executioner (the lictors are reserved for constitutional judges), the tribunes of the people dragged themselves condemned they threw the top of the Tarpeian without trial, subject only to the intercessio a Another tribune. The death penalty could be replaced by a fine in the discretion of the Tribune.
This power makes the tribune above the consul in the city limits: while court decisions or coercion of the consul are still under the threat of intercessio a tribune, the tribune him totally beyond a measure of Suppression of the consul.
Evolution of the tribune
Integration in the City
With the recognition of the people, increase the powers of the tribunes:
- they may call the Senate ;
- their power for justice becomes a vengeful public authority, which forbids the city and the crime of crimes perduellio extends to more and more distant from the role of defending: the consuls who were badly divided the booty, or have Legionnaires used for private purposes, or who have waged war illegally, or who have fled the enemy dictators who carried out the exercise with cruelty;
- However, from the fourth century BC. AD , they must use the procedure epileptic :
- Tribune's investigation, declaring the guilt and sentencing to death
- the assemblies, gathered with the help of a consul or a praetor, invalidate or confirm (if different from tribunos Appello or provocatio ad populum).
This procedure is also used for fines. Only the assault on the tribune causes immediate killing and confiscation of property.
The function of tribune of the plebs was integrated into the curriculum honorum by lex Villia Annalis , who settled in 180 BC. AD succession of magistrates and the minimum age to have access to each of them. The tribune is the first of the magistracy, and must be 27 years old to enter.
The crisis of the Republic
With the crisis in the Republic at the end of the second century BC. AD, these powers gave rise to demagogic excesses, after three centuries and a half working perfectly balanced.
The advocacy function of the tribunes of the plebs declines, and are used by the Senate from the second century BC. AD: recruitment is oriented, or a partisan in the college block his opponent's operation intercessio action of his colleagues. In 120 BC. AD , they are full members of the Senate.
But from 150 BC. AD , the tribunes of the people become the fiercest opponents of the Senate during the crisis of the Republic.
A law passed by Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus in 133 BC. BC allows the removal of the tribunes of the plebs.
Reforms of Sulla behead the tribune: intercessio loss of power, they only keep the auxilium against individual citizens. Plebiscites must be approved in advance by the Senate , and finally, the tribunes will no longer have any other judiciary, turning this feature impasse.
This reform was repealed by Pompey and Crassus in 70 BC. AD
Famous Tribunes
Among the famous tribunes are:
The tribunes of the plebs in the Empire
Augustus , though patrician, had himself given the power of the tribunes (tribunicia potestas ) for life, giving him a power of justice within the city, and made him untouchable (sacrosanctus), whose faculty he did not have with the imperium consulate.
The tribune of the plebs remains a bench, now devoid of an active and integrated as optional step in the path of the curriculum honorum. Like other magistrates, the tribunes of the plebs are appointed by the Roman Senate after the nomination of candidates by the emperor.
References
- Definitions lexicographical and etymological from "tribune" of CNRTL.
- The lex Sacrata passed in -449 , provided that whoever wore hand on the person of a tribune of the plebs would head dedicated to Jupiter, while his property confiscated, would be deposited in the temples of the triad plebeian ( gods Ceres , Liber , Libera ) on the Aventine : cf. M. Meslin, Man Roman (1978, repr. 1985), ed. Complex, p. 211.
See also
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