The Republic was established in 509 B.C. when Tarquinius Superbus was forced out of Rome (ie. the Roman Revolution).

1. Citizens

2. Structure:

3. Populus (the people) - Three Assemblies.

4. In Political Theory the Assemblies were the source of all authority in the Republic.

1. It was presided over by the Pontifex Maximus, and it was the only assembly under the kings.

2. It had jurisdiction over clan affairs, and conferred general military, civil, and judicial imperium.

* It met in the Comitium (lit. the meeting place).

3. By Cicero's time, it had lost almost all political significance.

1. Originally it met on the Campus Martius, outside of the promerium.

2. Ca. 241 B.C. it was reorganized on a tribal basis consisting of 373 Centuries.

3. It elected the consuls, praetors, and censors who held imperium.

4. It could not meet on holidays (dies nefasti) or days set aside for meetings of the courts (dies fasti).

5. Voting was done by centuries, and by the middle of the 2nd Century B.C. their ballots were secret.

6. It had the right to declare an offensive war (* plenary power of the censor).

1. Its origins are obscure. Some writers believe it might have originally been plebeian.

2. The Assembly of the People: voting was done by tribes.

3. It met in the Forum and elected quaestors, curule aediles, and all lower magistrates.

4. It could legislate on all matters.

1. Organized on the basis of tribes, and only plebeians could vote.

2. It was presided over by a tribune or plebeian aedile.

3. Voting was done by tribes, and it elected tribunes and plebeian aediles.

4. It could legislate on any matter except the declaration of an offensive war.

1. Major

2. Minor

3. Curule Magistrates

* Above the rank of quaestors (except plebeian) who could use the ivory decorated curule chair, the sella curulis.

4. Ordinary Magistrates were elected for a fixed period of time.

Extraordinary Magistrates were elected for an exceptional purpose.

5. With Imperium: consuls, praetors, dictator, and magister equitum (master of the horse).

Without Imperium: Aediles, quaestors, and officials elected by the Concilium Plebis.

6. Lictors would accompany Higher Magistrates carrying the:

Lictors: functioned as secretaries, messengers, heralds, and personal attendants.

1. Elected annually in the Comitia Centuriata functioning as the Chiefs (Head) of State sharing power with one another.

* Each consul had the power to veto any act of his colleague.

2. During war each would take the field. However, Sulla rarely left the city.

3. The Consuls held full imperium.

4. Functioned as the chairman of the Senate and Assemblies of the whole people.

5. The Senatus Consultum Ultimum passed by the Senate gave the consul dictatorial powers during emergencies.

The Formula used in enacting it: "Ne quid res publica detrementi capiat."

6. A consul would be assigned to the governorship of a province, a Pro-Consul, after his term of office.

* There were no checks on a Governor's Power in Office.

1. The number of praetors who administered the Courts of Justice was increased from six to eight by Sulla.

2. The Praetor Urbanus

3. The Praetor Peregrinus: he heard cases in which one or both parties were foreigners, peregrini.

4. The remaining praetors presided over permanent courts, quaesitiones perpetuae ---- they had jurisdiction over important criminal cases.

5. Praetorial assignments were made by lot after election.

6. Each published edicts setting forth the forms of procedure to be used in the coming year.

7. Praetors could be assigned to a Province at the end of their term of office.

ie. a Pro-Praetroial Province instead of a Pro-Consular Province.

1. Usually ex-consuls elected every five years in the Centuriata holding office for only eighteen months.

2. They would assess the wealth of citizens and assign them to tribes, classes, and centuries for the purpose of taxation and military service.

3. They also supervised public morals and the management of public finances.

4. Sulla: selected members of the Senate to perform these functions.

5. By Cicero's time, the office had lost much of its importance besides prestige.

1. There were tow Plebeian and two Curule Aediles.

2. Aediles supervised public places (maintenance and construction): streets, baths, market places and temples.

They were also in charge of the grain supply and public games.

3. Public Games:

1. Elected by the Concilium Plebis for the protection of Plebeian political rights against the arbitrary power of the magistrates.

2. Powers:

3. A tribune could bring the operation of government to a stand-still.

4. Presided over the Concilium Plebis, and could attend meetings of the Senate.

1. Financial officials of the state functioning as receiving agents, pay masters, and record keepers.

2. Quaestores Urbani: Two, remained in the city and were in charge of the state treasury, aerarium, in the temple of Saturn.

3. The remaining eighteen were in charge of the financial administration of Italy and the Provinces.

1. Appointed by the Consuls in periods of extreme crisis: both foreign and domestic.

2. Appeal to the tribunes did not limit the authority of the Dictator.

3. He was appointed for the duration of the emergency (maximum of six months).

4. He would appoint his own lieutenant, the master of the horse, magister equitum.

1. The interrex was a provisional chief magistrate appointed by the senate to hold consular elections if a vacancy occurred during the year or if civil unrest prevented a regular election.

2. He served for five days. If there was still no duly elected head of state, the interrex would appoint his successor and the process would continue until an election had occurred.

1. Six colleges of minor officials were included in the college of twenty-six.

2. Jurisdiction:

1. In theory it was an Advisory Council of State to advice and counsel to elected magistrates.

2. Composition:

3. Powers: