Cursus Honorum

  • The Cursus Honorum was a sequence of Public Offices for Magistrates in the Roman Civil Service. It was only available to career minded men of the Patrician Class.
  • The Equestrian Class had their own Career Path called the Equo Publico.

Description

  • The Pay Grades of the Cursus Honorum
    • The Roman Civil Service was unpaid.
    • Wealth was accumulated by generous gifts from clients in the legal system, taxation in the Provinces and conquest in the Army.
  • Appointment of Roman Magistrates
    • After Military Tribune, the Posts were decided by direct Annual Elections.
  • Power of Veto
    • The decisions each Magistrate made could be vetoed either by his colleagues or by any Magistrate who ranked above him.
  • The Equestrian career path

The Duties of each type of Roman Magistrate

Military Tribune

  • Duties
    • 10 years of Military Duty in the Legion in either:
    • The Cavalry (Equites) or
    • The General’s Staff: Six Tribunes were allocated to the ‘Legatus’, to act as Staff Officers. This was more prestigious.

Quaestor

  • Under the Republic
  • Election
    • The Quaestors were Elected annually by the Comitia Tributa Sulla increased their number to 20.
    • Minimum Age was 30 (28 for the Elite). A Quaestor wore the Togata Praetexta.
  • Duties
    • Three Types of Quaestor.
    • An Official at Rome in the Financial Government.
    • Provincial Governor’s number Two.
    • Paymaster for a Legion (most prestigious).
    • They also Supervised at the Public Games.
  • Right to Veto:
    • Any Decisions made by fellow Questors.
    • Could be overriden by the Aediles, Curule Aediles, Praetors, the Praetor Urbanus, Consuls, Tribune of the Plebs, or the Dictator and Magister Equitum.

Aedile

  • Under the Republic
  • Election
    • The Aediles were Elected Annually by the Concilium Plebis (Plebeian Council or Popular Assembly) and started Office on the Fifth December.
    • Aediles and Curule Aediles. These latter were elected annually by the Comitia Tributa.
  • Duties
    • He was responsible for the daily administration of the Temples.
    • Organising the Public Games Ludi.
    • The maintenance of Rome’s Public Buildings.
    • Supervising Rome’s Water Supply and Grain Supply (the Cereales).
    • Supervising the Public Markets.

Curule Aediles

    • He was accompanied by 2 Lictors
    • Aedes means Temple. Originally, under the Republic, there were 2 Plebian Curules, in 365 BCE they were increased to 4 (2 Curule Aediles), then Julius Caesar increased them to 6 (2 Cereales).
    • The Minimum Age was 36. It was not an essential step in the career path, and could be bypassed. After the second century BC both candidates from both the Plebeian class and the Patrician class were free to run for election as Curule Aediles.

Praetor

  • Under the Republic
  • Election
    • The Praetor was Elected Annually by the Comitia Centuriata
    • The Minimum Age was 39 established by the Lex Villia. He had to have held the position of Quaestor or Aedile. Under the Republic, there were 6-8 Quaestors, the number varied during the Empire.
  • Duties
    • The Praetor held Imperium and had an escort of six Lictors but only 2 in the Pomerium and wore the Toga Praetexta.
    • The Praetor was a Judge or Magistrate, acting as a Judge presiding over Criminal Trials as well as Civil Trials
    • The Praetor acted as Consul, if these were absent.
  • Praetor Peregrinus
    • Chief Judge over Trials of Foreigners.
  • Praetor Urbanus
    • Chief Judge in Rome, he could override any other Court’s Verdict, and act as Judge in criminal prosections of Regional Governors. Forbidden to be absent from Rome for more than 10 days.
    • The Praetor Peregrinus and Praetor Urbanus performed each other’s Duties if one was absent.
  • Propraetor (in place of the Praetor)
    • Governor of a Senatorial Province with no Legions, but had control over a militia. He had to have previously served as a Praetor for one year. He was immune from Prosecution whilst he held Imperium.
    • As Provincial Governor he had unlimited Power and extorted the Taxes. Once he had left Office however, and was no longer protected by Imperium, he was liable to be prosecuted for extortion.
  • ProConsul (in place of the Consul)
    • However, the Governor of an Imperial Province would be a ProConsul, chosen directly by the Emperor, and who had Command of a Frontier Province with one or more Legions.

Consul

  • Under the Republic
  • Election
    • Two Consuls elected annually and served from the first of January until the end of December.
    • Minimum age 42 established by the Lex Villia in 180 BCE (40 for Patricians). The most prestigious Civil Servant.
    • Escorted by 12 Lictors, he held Imperium and wore the Toga Praetexta.
    • The year was named after the two Consuls, ie “in the Consulship of…”
    • They could not stand for a second term of Office as Consul within 10 years.
  • Duties
    • They were Supreme Commanders of the Roman Army and were given two Legions each.
    • They created the Political Agenda for Rome.
    • They were the Highest Legal Authority and could Veto Decisions made by any other Magistrate or by the Praetor Urbanus.
    • They acted as Chairman of the Senate and alternated monthly.
  • Right to Veto
    • The two Consuls could not Rule without each other’s consent.
    • They held the Right to Veto a decision by any Magistrate, the Praetor Urbanus or fellow Consul.
    • Their decisions could only be Vetoed by a fellow Consul, the Tribune of the Plebs, or Laws passed by the Senate or the Concilium Plebis (Plebeian Council or Popular Assembly) or the Dictator and Magister Equitum.
  • Proconsul (in place of the Consul)
    • Once having served as Consul, he could become Governor of a Roman Province.
    • The Governor of an Imperial Province was chosen directly by the Emperor, and had Command of a Frontier Province with one or more Legions.
  • Under the Empire
    • Two Consuls continued to be elected until the end of the western Roman Empire in 476 CE, however, to retain the Power of Imperium over the City of Rome and all the Propraetor and Proconsul Governors of the Provinces:
    • Augustus was awarded Imperium Proconsulare Maius meaning ‘Power over all the Proconsuls’, legally authorising him to override Provincial Governors authority.
    • With his Consular Imperium he was the highest Legal Authority in the State and could veto any decision by the Magistrates, the Praetor Urbanus, the Senate or the Concilium Plebis.
    • He was Supreme Commander of the Roman Army.
    • He set the Political Agenda for Debate in the Roman Senate and chaired the Debate.

Governor: Propraetor or Proconsul

  • Under the Republic
    • This was not part of the Cursus Honorum.
  • Election
    • Praetors and Consuls were required to act as Governor of a province after finishing their Term of Office.
  • Duties
    • They were called either Propraetors or Proconsuls and had almost unlimited power within that Province.
    • They were escorted by 12 Lictors and held Imperium
    • Their Powers were only limited by the Veto of a Consul or Praetor, or an Act passed by the Roman Senate or Concilium Plebis (People’s Assembly). The Tribune of the Plebs could cast a Veto only if the Governor came within 1 mile of the City of Rome, but otherwise had no authority over a Provincial Governor.
  • Under the Empire
    • Augustus was awarded ‘Imperium Proconsulare Maius’ meaning ‘Power over all the Proconsuls’, which legally authorised him to override Provincial Governors Authority.
    • This enabled Augustus to retain the Power of Imperium over all the Propraetor and Proconsul Governors of the Provinces.

Censor

  • Election
    • Next step of the Cursus Honorum after Consul, and considered very prestigious.
    • Two Consuls were elected every 5 years and the Office was held for 18 months. They assumed Office the moment they were elected.
    • They did not hold Imperium, and were not entitled to Lictors, but did wear the Toga Praetexta.
  • Electoral Duties:
    • Responsible for holding a regular Census of the Population and allocating them into voting classes by income and by Tribe.
    • Enrolled new citizens into Tribes and voting classes.
    • Responsible for the Membership List of the Roman Senate, adding new Senators (or removing disgraced ones until Sulla ended this right).
  • Financial Duties:
    • In charge of State Contracts being put out to Tender.
    • In charge of Leasing and auctioning conquered Lands.
    • In charge of the construction of Public Buildings.
  • Under the Empire:
    • Augustus acquired some of the Powers of the Censor.
    • Enabling him to supervise public morals, censor Laws if they were not in the public interest, hold a Census and accept members to the Roman Senate or expel them.

Tribune of the Plebs

  • Election
    • 10 elected annually in the Concilium Plebis, assuming Office on the 10th of December.
  • Duties
    • They held ‘Coercito’, the Power to enforce the Laws of the Concilium Plebis, and were ‘Sacrosanctitas’ (Inviolable), the Right not to be harmed physically.
    • Therefore, they did not need to be accompanied by Lictors, nor did they have Imperium. Neither were they entitled to wear the Toga Praetexta.
    • They held the Right to protect any Plebian from a patrician magistrate.
    • If a Person attempted to prevent them from carrying out their Duties, they could enforce Capital Punishment
      upon that person.
    • The Right to convene Meetings of the Roman Senate and propose Legislation to it.
    • The Right to arrest Magistrates.
    • They had to accept visitors at any time of Day or Night and were forbidden to be further from Rome than one day’s travel.
  • Under the Empire
    • It was legally impossible for a Patrician to hold the Office of Tribune of the Plebs.
    • Therefore, Augustus was awarded the Powers of this Office, Trubunicia Potestas, without actually holding the Office.
    • As a result, the Roman Emperor had ‘Sacrosanctitas’ (was Inviolable), held the right to enforce Capital Punishment, overrule any Decision made by a Magistrate, the right to arrest Magistrates, Convene and and Propose Legislation to the Roman Senate, and protect Plebians from Patrician Magistrates.

Princeps Senatus

  • Under the Republic
    • It was not part of the Cursus Honorum. He was not accompanied by Lictors, he did not have Imperium and could not wear the Toga Praetexta.
  • Election
    • Elected by a pair of Censors every 5 years. He could be reelected by the Censors for another 5 years.
    • He had to have served as Consul and be a patrician Senator.
  • Duties
    • Leader of the Roman Senate.
    • He decided the Agenda of Topics for Debate in the Roman Senate, the location of the Debate, when to open and close the Session, and imposed the Rules of the Session. He also wrote the Letters and Dispatches in the Senate’s Name.
    • He received and conducted business with the Ambassadors of Foreign Nations.
    • He was named first in the Roll of the Senate issued by the Censors.
  • Under the Empire
    • Under Augustus the Roman Emperor became the Princeps Senatus.
    • Therefore, as Leader of the Roman Senate, The Roman Emperor had the right to Convene and Dismiss the Senate, decide the topics on the Agenda for Debate, send Letters and Dispatches in the name of the Senate, meet and conduct Business with the Ambassadors of Foreign Nations and be named first on the Roll of the Senate.

Dictator

  • Under the Republic:
  • Election
    • In an Emergency the Roman Senate would declare that a Dictator should be appointed.
    • The two Consuls would then appoint the Dictator, known as the ‘Master of the People’.
    • The Appointment was for 6 months.
    • This decision could not be overruled by the Tribune of the Plebs
  • Duties
    • The Dictator could not be held legally liable for any action during his Dictatorship
    • He was the Supreme Magistrate and accompanied by 24 Lictors the same number as the former Kings of Rome.
    • All Magistrates were subject to the Dictator except for the Tribune of the Plebs
    • The Dictator had supreme Authority over all Civil and Military affairs.
    • He was not answerable to the Roman Senate which had no executive authority over him.
    • He appointed a second in command called the Magister Equitum
  • Right to Veto:
    • All other Magistrates.

Magister Equitum

‘The Master of the Horse’.

  • Under the Republic:
  • Election
    • Appointed by the Dictator only during his six month period of Office.
  • Duties
    • Number Two to the Dictator, and carried out his instructions for managing the State.
    • He held Praetorian Imperium and was accompanied by six Lictors.
    • He stood in for the Dictator whilst the latter was absent.
    • He could not be challenged in Civil or Military Affairs, except by the Dictator.
  • Right to Veto:
    • All other Magistrates except the Dictator.

 

Posted in .