Who were the magistrates in ancient Rome?
The executive magistrates of the Roman Republic were officials of the ancient Roman Republic, elected by the People of Rome. Ordinary magistrates were divided into several ranks according to their role and the power they wielded: censors, consuls, praetors, curule aediles, and finally quaestor.
What are the 4 main positions of the Cursus Honorum?
The senatorial magistracies of the Roman republic and empire can be divided into four main groups: Ordinary senatorial magistracies (quaestor, aedile, praetor, consul) Extraordinary senatorial magistracies (dictator, censor, pontifex maximus) Promagistracies (proconsul, propraetor)
What was a Roman magistrate called?
magistratus
The magistrates (magistratus) were elected by the People of Rome, which consisted of plebeians (commoners) and patricians (aristocrats). Each magistrate was vested with a degree of power, called “major powers” or maior potestas.
Who were the two most powerful magistrates in Rome?
The two most powerful magistrates in Rome were called consuls (KAHN-suhlz). The consuls were elected each year to run the city and lead the army. There were two consuls so that no one per- son would be too powerful. Below the consuls were other magis- trates.
What did magistrates do?
The most significant constitutional power a magistrate could hold was that of imperium or command, which was held only by consuls and praetors. This gave the magistrate in question the constitutional authority to issue commands, military or otherwise.
Who could become a Roman magistrate?
Roman citizens
Magistrates were elected by Roman citizens and they were representing directly the citizens[11]. However, tribunus plebis and aediles plebis were not accepted as magistrate in this sense as they were elected by plebs. On the other hand dictators were directly assigned by consul as magistrate and he had extreme powers.
How old do you have to be to be a Aedile?
Before the passage of the Lex Villia Annalis, individuals could run for the aedileship by the time they turned twenty-seven. After the passage of this law in 180 BC, a higher age was set, probably thirty-five. By the 1st century BC, aediles were elected in July, and took office on the first day in January.
Is censor higher than consul?
The censors were also unique with respect to rank and dignity. They had no imperium, and accordingly no lictors. Their rank was granted to them by the Centuriate Assembly, and not by the curiae, and in that respect they were inferior in power to the consuls and praetors.
What is a curule magistrate?
The curule magistracies (magistratus curules) were those whose holders were entitled by virtue of their office to sit on the curule chair (Latin sella curulis), to wear the toga praetexta and being proceeded by lictores and whose descendants were regarded as nobiles. They were the: Dictatura. Interregnum.
What rank is praetor?
Praetor (/ˈpriːtər/ PREE-tər, Classical Latin: [ˈprae̯tɔr]), also pretor, was the title granted by the government of Ancient Rome to a man acting in one of two official capacities: (i) the commander of an army, and (ii) as an elected magistratus (magistrate), assigned to discharge various duties.
Who Cannot be a magistrate?
There are only a few exceptions: Police officers, traffic wardens and members of the armed forces cannot become magistrates. This is to make sure that magistrates are impartial. Some criminal offences can prevent a person from becoming a magistrate.
What magistrate means?
Definition of magistrate : an official entrusted with administration of the laws: such as. a : a principal official exercising governmental powers over a major political unit (such as a nation) b : a local official exercising administrative and often judicial functions.
How were Roman magistrates chosen?
When the Roman Republic was founded in 509 BC, the powers that had been held by the king were transferred to the Roman consuls, of which two were to be elected each year. Magistrates of the republic were elected by the people of Rome, and were each vested with a degree of power called “major powers” (maior potestas).
What did a aedile do?
The functions of the aediles were threefold: first, the care of the city (repair of temples, public buildings, streets, sewers, and aqueducts; supervision of traffic; supervision of public decency; and precaution against fires); second, the charge of the provision markets and of weights and measures and the …
What is a Roman Lictor?
lictor, plural lictors or lictores, member of an ancient Roman class of magisterial attendants, probably Etruscan in origin and dating in Rome from the regal period.
Who were the executive magistrates of the Roman Kingdom?
The executive magistrates of the Roman Kingdom were elected officials of the ancient Roman Kingdom. During the period of the Roman Kingdom, the Roman King was the principal executive magistrate. He was the chief executive, chief priest, chief lawgiver, chief judge, and the sole commander-in-chief of the army.
What is a magistrate?
Magistrates are the daily administrators of the Roman Republic. They ensure all functions of our community run smoothly. They are elected by one of three possible assemblies consisting of all citizens members, the Centuriate Assembly, Tribal Assembly and the Plebeian Assembly.
What were magistrates held accountable for while in office?
Most of the magistrates were held accountable for any misdeeds while in office when their terms came to an end. Many of the magistrates became members of the Roman Senate by virtue of having held office.
What were the magistracies in ancient Rome?
The traditional magistracies were only available to citizens of the senatorial class. The magistracies that survived the fall of the republic were (by their order of rank per the cursus honorum) the consulship, praetorship, plebeian tribunate, aedileship, quaestorship, and military tribunate.