The Roman Republic Ancient Rome Mr. Blais

Leadership Around 500 B.C.E. the Romans got rid of their kings. They replaced them with two consuls who were elected annually Consuls had supreme power and each commanded an army. In dire emergencies a dictator could be appointed. This dictator only had authority outside the city and only served for six months

Expansion of Rights Due to extended military service, over taxation, and economic decline the plebeians situation in Rome was dire In 494 B.C.E. after a hard fought military victory the plebeians deserted the army, occupied a hill, and demanded rights in the city. (First Secession of the Plebs) The Patricians realized that the city would not survive without them and conceded to their demands

Expansion of Rights (cont.) The Plebeians were given the right to elect two tribunes annually through the Assembly of Centuries They had the power to veto any actions taken by other political entities in the city. There power was limited to inside the city walls though. Later on their number would grow to 10!

Battle for More Rights As time went on Patricians and Plebeians politically (sometimes physically) battled for rights within the city of Rome. By 471 the Plebeians were able to get the tribunes elected by the Assembly of Tribes – This was an assembly of ALL plebeians, divided into tribes which were based on where you lived in the city

Written Law Code Finally after years of political turmoil and two years of legal research in Athens a basic law code was written for Rome. This law code was called The Twelve Tables! The laws generally: – Eased burdens on debtors – Abolished a fathers absolute control – Made clients less dependent on Patricians – Allowed Plebeian families to be recognized as citizens

Equal Citizens Over the next two hundred years Plebeians continued to fight for their rights. Over time more and more political offices were opened to them including Consul and Dictator They even gained the right to intermarry with Patricians. Rights of Citizens included: – Right to trade and own property – Right to vote – Right to intermarry – Right to hold political office