Romanlaw

CHRONOLOGY

753 B.C.- Founding of Rome by Romulus.

752- 509 B.C. вЂ" The Roman Monarchy which existed under the seven kings.

509 B.C. вЂ" The seven kings were expelled and a Republic was born.

494 B.C. Plebeians suffrage for basic rights begins.

450 B.C.- The first account of code written in Roman world and named the Twelve Tables.

287 B.C. вЂ" The struggle against the patricians ends for plebeians.

280 B.C. вЂ" Roman city- states being using coins as currency.

149- 146 B.C. вЂ" Third Punic War- Roman Empire gains control of Carthage and Africa goes under Roman rule.

60 B.C. The First Triumvirate- Pompey, Crassus and Caesar form a unofficial loyal alliance and lead Rome.

44 B.C. - Assassination of Julius Caesar

27 B.C. - 476 A.D.- The Roman Empire emerges

212 A.D. - Roman citizenship extended to all but slaves.

260 A.D. вЂ" Christianity legally tolerated in Roman World

476 A.D. вЂ" Entire Western Empire lost.

2

Roman government, dating back to 753 B.C. served as a model for future countries and empires. Its intricate structure and representational characteristics, lead to a successful and long lived empire. Although in the earliest days the Roman rule was controlled by a king, a republic soon emerged. After the elimination of the seven kings, Rome was on its way to a less dictated government. No longer was the word of one man law, rather through the development of dispersed branches of government, the power was less controlled.

The Roman government flourished and through this transition more land was acquired and kept. The immense size of the eventual empire was controlled mainly by the local representatives of each area. This micro implementation of rules and regulations made it easier for the central government to keep different areas of the land in check.

Three main entities of the Roman government delegated and fulfilled duties. The executive branch, the senate and legislative branch all played critical roles in the flourishing of the Roman rule.

3

The Roman Empire bears a great name as one of the most prominent empires in history. This is due to its longevity and cultural impact, which can be chronologically linked to the previous Roman Republic and its forerunner, the Roman Monarchy. The city of Rome, named after Romulus, is located in and is the capital of present day Italy. Rome was the center of the immense empire’s political and legal management. The ability to rule such a vast empire which included diverse cultures from approximately 44 B.C. to about 476 A.D. is considered commendable. A monarchy, ruling with no basis of law and flourishing into a structure which implements strict written codes and laws by the empire, demonstrates the incline of power as time elapsed. Roman law became a template for empires to follow, as well as a relatively modern Europe to copy.

Preceding the Roman Republic was the Roman Monarchy. The Monarchy was run and established by seven kings from 753 B.C. until 509 B.C. The seven kings began with its founder Romulus and ended with Lucious Junius Brutus. Among these seven kings, successful men as well as incompetent ones had their share of power. Of these kings, Numa Pompillus used his political power to enforce changes. This was done through building of temples as well as the development of the Roman lunar calendar. (“Government: The Monarchy”, 1999). The religious undertone was vividly seen in the rules and regulations of that time period. Ushered by the ideologies and wishes of the individual kings themselves, the justice system of Rome before written law was shaky and inconsistent from one ruler to the next (Gibbon, 1954).

4

With the expulsion of the kings, the transition was made from a monarchy to a republic oligarchy in 509 B.C. and would last until about the first century B.C. During the early years of the republic, basic laws were set forth in the Twelve Tables which concentrated mostly on private law and civil procedure. These laws were created during a continuing, yet eventually successful, time of plebeian suffrage. In 450 B.C. they were officially published under plebian rule and marked the first written series of laws in the Roman world (“Roman Republican,” n.d.). A group of ten men labeled the Decemviri legitibus scribundis, were appointed by C. Terentilius Arsa, to record the Twelve Tables. The laws ranged in nature from property dealing to the rights of criminals and capital punishment (Heaton, 2007).

As in any oligarchy, the power is held in the hands of a handful of elite, wealthy patricians. These dominating positions were given to patricians from the aristocratic class and were changed annually through elections. (Ancient Roman Law, n.d.). That is, until the end of the plebeian struggle for rights, marked by passing of the Lex Hortensia, named after Quintus Hortensius, granted plebeians a place in the justice system in 287 B.C. Plebeian involvement in laws and other concerns of the republic lead to steady improvements within the Roman world. A crucial improvement came just a few years later in 280 B.C. During this year, a coinage system was developed allowing for economic progression.

The Republic’s oligarchic government structure was somewhat analogous to that of our current American government. Although the system of checks and balances seen in our government is not exactly implemented, the power is still distributed among

5

different branches. The Roman government was assembled with an executive and legislative branch, and a Senate (“The Roman Republican ” n.d.).

The Executive branch consisted of many levels of elected magistrates which held office from six months to one year. The main title was of the dictator, who could only serve for six months, overlooked the