It is impossible to look at the modern world and miss the influence of Roman civilisation on our own. From Law to Agriculture, the influence that the Romans had in human history is unmistakable. Even our idea of road networks can trace its foundation to the Romans.
I have always been quite a big fan of history and I do have to attribute a lot of that to gaming. From games like Age of Empires and the Total War series, I gained a curiosity for history that I still feed constantly. Any questions on history that you may have, I would be more than willing to discuss (or learn about).
The Roman Senate - The major players
Pre-Republican Rome
As a civilisation, Rome existed for about 1500 years and as such, it saw many phases during its long existence. In the earliest days of Rome, Rome was ruled by a king but over time, the King created the first Senate in order to help with the maintenance of Roman territory. Oddly enough, becoming king was not a genetic right as it was in surrounding kingdoms. The position was attained almost democratically.
When the King died, a member of the Senate would be elected to take the office of Interrex. This position could only ever be held for a maximum of five days. The Interrex would be given all the power that the King would usually have including passing new legislation. One of the duties of the Interrex was to nominate a new King that would then be questioned and scrutinised by the Senate. Should the Senate accept the nomination, an election would happen where the Senators would vote. This often led to long periods of time when the Senate could not decide on a new king, hence the 5-day term limit for the Interrex.
Republican Rome
During the time that Rome was a Republic, the power of the Senate grew significantly. All aspects of life and the Faith of Rome would be influenced by the Senate. Becoming a Senator in Rome was a very prestigious title that would help elevate the standing and power of your family for years to come.
Let us talk about the main offices within the Senate or Cursus Honorum
Quaestor - The first step on the ladder of power would always start with the Quaestor. Attaining a seat on the Senate was a position that was held for life so becoming Quaestor was the start of a long political career. Only men over the age of 30 were eligible for a seat in the Senate. As far as power, Quaestors were little more than glorified beaurocrats. They were unable to call for an assembly of the Senate and their power was often limited to voting. Our modern term for this is a "back-bencher" but the Romans called them walkers (voting was done by walking to the party you supported).
Aedile - The Aedile was an interesting position as it was not compulsory to first hold this office before moving up, however, the power of the Aedile cannot be underestimated! Aedile originally means "temple builder" but what the Aediles actually did was to administer and maintain the temples as well as to hold festivals for the gods. These festivals made them very popular amongst the people. Often overlooked, Rome never had government buildings as we know today. Instead, temples were used for official business instead. The Temple of Saturn, for example, was used as a treasury where all the money and laws of the state would be kept.
Praetor - Becoming Praetor was the next goal of all politicians in Rome. With an age restriction of 39, this left some time fo Quaestors to build their influence before becoming eligible for the office of Praetor. This office was the first real position of power as a Praetor was allowed to speak in the Senate as well as call a meeting of the Senate. Praetors also held the power of adjudication. They were judges as well as governors. Holding this position held a lot of influence as it was often compared with the power of the Kings of old. There were only 8 elected Praetors per year and they would be given governership of a province of Rome. This also gave them the right to raise and lead armies.
Consul - Rome would elect 2 Consuls each year and these people were arguably the most powerful men in Rome. They had the power to pass laws, initiate reforms, declare war, exile and pardon citizens and many others. Becoming Consul was equivalent to becoming President, but every Consul would also have a co-consul that would share the power and take turns to make the ultimate decisions. This turn was called 'holding Fascis' which was a bundle of sticks that would be held by the Consul currently making the calls.
This is only the start...
Roman politics were very complicated and this was just a short overview of the offices held in the Cursus Honorum. Many other offices and titles existed outside the senate and even more titles were given over to religion. I would love to talk more about history so tommorrow I will be doing an article following Caeser through the Senate!
