Search results
People also ask
What was a Roman consul?
What was a co-consul in ancient Rome?
What role did consuls play in ancient Rome?
Why did the Romans limit the term of a consul?
Jun 23, 2014 · A consul, elected through the assembly, had the power of a king, power albeit restricted by his one-year term and the authority of the other consul. Although not a true democracy by the modern definition, the Roman Republic appeared somewhat representative.
- Donald L. Wasson
Dec 19, 2022 · The definition of ''consul'' is the highest executive position in the classical Roman Republic. Before the rise of the imperial regimes of Emperor Octavian and his successors,...
- Yes, consuls were leaders. They were the chief executives of the Roman Republic and led its executive branch. They could also appoint dictators.
- Only adult male Roman citizens could be consuls. At first, only patricians could hold the job, but soon plebeians were allowed to serve as consuls.
- The consuls were the chief executives of Rome. They held civil and military power. There were two Roman consuls, so they balanced each other.
This is a list of consuls known to have held office, from the beginning of the Roman Republic to the latest use of the title in Imperial times, together with those magistrates of the Republic who were appointed in place of consuls, or who superseded consular authority for a limited period.
- From Monarchy to Representation
- The Consuls
- The Senate
- The Assemblies
- The Tribunes & The Rule of Law
- The Magistrates - Praetors, Quaestors & Aediles
- The Censors & Magister Populi
- The Emperors
- Conclusion
The Roman Republic emerged out of what one historian called “the ashes of the monarchy.” Years underneath the unyielding yoke of a king taught the people of Rome that they had to safeguard against the rule, and possible oppression, of one individual. The real authority orimperium of the republic, and later empire, was to be divided among three basi...
Instead of a king, and to guard against despotism, the new government chose consuls, two in number. These individuals were not elected by the populace but appointed by the popular assembly, the Comitia Centuriata. Each consul served a one-year, non-consecutive, term, although he could serve a second or third term later. As both political and milita...
Unlike later parliamentary bodies, the Roman Senate had little if any legislative authority, for that power wrested in the hands of the popular assemblies. Originally open only to the patricians, the Senate had what one might call “indirect” executive power called auctoritas. And, while it had no legal power, it still held significant influence, se...
Instead of authority lying in the Senate, power to pass laws was given to a number of popular assemblies. First, there was the Comitia Curiata, a legislative body dating back to the days of the kings which evolved into the Comitia Centuriata. Next, representing the plebeians there was the Concilium Plebis, and, lastly, also dating back to the time ...
Initially, as one might have gathered, the real authority of the republic lay in the hands of the patricians; however, this power could not and would not remain. The plebians, who comprised the majority of the army and did most of the real work, rebelled, going on strike and demanding an equal voice in the government. Out of this struggle came the ...
In the early years of the Republic the consuls realized that they needed lesser magistrates to oversee various administrative functions - some of these offices had existed under the king. Many individuals would later use these lesser positions as a path to a consulship. This “path” was called the cursus honorum. First among these “lesser” magistrat...
Next, there was the censor - often these officials were former consuls. The position was viewed as the pinnacle of an individual's career. Under the king and later the Republic, this person not only oversaw public morality but took the census, registering both citizens and their property. He was elected every four to five years and held the positio...
As Rome expanded its borders northward into Gaul, further east into Asia, and southward into Africa, the government of the Republic was unable to cope and so entered the first emperor, Augustus, and the birth of an empire. Under the authority of the emperor, the popular assemblies all but disappeared and the Senate became more and more ceremonial. ...
The Roman government of the old Republic had created a unique system of the division of power which was a safeguard against oppression by any single individual. Power, for the most part, lay with a voting public. While not perfect by any definition of the word, it allowed some of the people to have a say in how their government operated. There were...
- Donald L. Wasson
A Roman consul was the highest elected political office of the Roman Republic. Each year, two consuls were elected together, to serve for a one-year term.
Until the 1st century bce, consuls were the chief commanders of the Roman army under the authority of the senate: as such, they were the leading actors in the imperial expansion of Rome. Consuls also carried out important civil functions when they were present in Rome.
A Roman consul was the highest elected political office of the Roman Republic. Each year, two consuls were elected together, to serve for a one-year term. Each consul was given veto power over his colleague and the officials would alternate each month.
