Plebeian

• Early Roman Society was divided into the Patrician Class and the Plebeians.
• The History of Rome is the story of the struggle between these two classes and the emergence of a third class, the Equestrian Class of Knights.

Description

• Plebeians referred to everyone who was not in the Patrician class.
• The Plebeians were elected to the Popular Assemblies.
• Under the Roman Republic (509-29 BCE) all citizens were represented by two comittees in the Assembly.
  1. Comitia Tributa
     • This was the Assembly of the 35 Tribes of Rome, each Tribe had a single vote.
  2. Comitia Centuriata
     • This represented 193 Centuries of ordinary Roman Citizens.
• Tribune of the Plebs
  • This Office was a powerful position that arose in the fifth century BCE to protect the Plebeians from the Patricians.

The Comitia Centuriata

• The Servian Organisation (509-107 BCE):
  • There were 193 Centuries, originally designed for the Assembly to reflect the organisation of the Roman Army.
  • The Centuries were ranked by the value of the Property they owned, measured by the Roman Census, which then defined their different duties of military service.

The 193 Centuries were divided into 3 Groups:

1. The Equites:
   • The Officer Class: 18 Centuries, 6 of which were Patricians only.
2. The Pedites:
   • The Infantry Class: 170 Centuries.
   • These were divided into 5 classes based on Property:
     1. First Class; 80 Centuries (of soldiers with heavy armour)
     2. Second Class: 20 Centuries (of soldiers with less heavy armour)
     3. Third Class: 20 Centuries (of soldiers with light armour)
     4. Fourth Class: 20 Centuries (of soldiers with even lighter armour)
     5. Fifth Class: 30 Centuries (of slingers – soldiers with no Armour)
        • Each class was then divided into two groups based on age:
        • 85 Centuries of Junior Soldiers 17-46 yrs old
        • 85 Centuries of Senior Soldiers 46-60 yrs old.
3. The Unarmed Soldiers:
   • • 5 Centuries: 4 Centuries of Craftsmen and Musicians. 1 Century of Proletarii.

Reforms (241-27 BCE):

• Expansion (241 BCE)
  • The Assembly was expanded to 373 Centuries.
  • This was to prevent the Patricians dominating the Assembly, because a majority of votes could not now be achieved until all the classes had voted. Each Century continued to have one vote. The Equites still retained 18 Centuries and the unarmed soldiers still retained 5 centuries.
• End of the Comitia Centuriata’s authority (27 BCE)
  • In 27 BCE all the Powers of the Comitia Centuriata were transferred to the Roman Senate by Augustus, effectively ending the Roman Republic.