Latin Rights

• Latin Rights were conferred by the Romans on Cities or Peoples they favoured and was halfway to giving Roman Citizenship without actually conferring it.
• Latin Rights was a Gift bestowed upon an Individual, City or Nation by the Roman Emperor, designed to draw the population of a Roman Province into Romanisation through their existing Leaders.

Latin Rights included

1. Connubium: The right to marry a Roman Citizen from any Latin City.
2. Commercium: The Right to own land in any Latin City and the Right to enter into legal contracts with a Roman Citizen.
3. Ius Migrationis: The Right to acquire Citizenship of a another Latin State, by the becoming a Permanent Resident of that State.

Latin Rights did not include

1. Roman Citizenship was not included in Latin Rights.
2. Unable to Vote.
3. Unable to join the Roman Legion.
4. Unable to be elected for Public Service in Rome.

History of the expansion of Latin Rights

• The Second Latin War (340-338 BCE) was a War between the Roman Republic and the Latin League of 30 Tribes and villages of Latium, after which they were absorbed into the Roman Republic.
• Third Century BCE: Latin Rights extended to various other Latin Cities as Rome expanded in Italy.
• 280-275 BCE Pyrrhic War: the Italian cities of Magna Graecia are absorbed into the Republic.
• 171 BCE Latin Rights were given to the first colony outside of Italy, Carteia in Spain.
• 91-88 BCE Social War: the Samnites and the Marsi demand Latin Rights.
• 90 BCE Lex Julia: Latin Rights conferred on the whole of Italy.
• 74 CE Vespasian: conferred Latin Rights on all of Spain.
• 123 CE ‘Latium Maius’: Hadrian conferred Roman Citizenship on all the Councillors in Provincial Councils.
• 212 CE ‘Consitutio Antoniniana’: All Free Men in the Roman Empire were granted Roman Citizenship, and all Free women granted the same Rights as Roman Women.