Decemviri

Under the ancient Rome, the decemviri - sometimes francized in to décemvir - constituted a college of ten ( decem ) men ( viri ).

Traditionally it was about a religious college which assisted the Pontife S at the time of the celebrations of sacrifices.

The decemviri legibus scribendis (generally Decemviri - with a capital letter) indicated the college of 10 old Consul S writers of the Loi of the XII tables between 451 av. J. - C. and 449 av. J. - C., first body of laws written of the ancient Rome.

Political context

The constitution of the college of the decemviri makes following ten years of political agitation which put the existence even of Rome in danger. The powerful orators of the plebs denounced arbitrary decisions of some Consul S which interpreted with their liking the oral law and claimed since 462 av. J. - C. the written setting of the rights of the consuls (project of Lex Terentilia , while the Patricien S unceasingly pushed back the vote of this project. After years of tension and violences, the powerful orators proposed a compromise, with the creation of a Joint Committee charged to write laws common to the Patricien S and the Plébéien S, n the other hand of the abandonment of the project of Lex Terentilia .

The Sénat accepted, and in 453 av. J. - C., a delegation of three senators, Spurius Postumius Albus Regillensis, Aulus Manlius Vulso and Servius Sulpicius Camerinus Cornutus, accepted mission of going to Athens to study the laws of Solon and those of the other Greek cities. With their return in 452 av. J. - C., and after discussion, a special subcommittee was made up for one year, the decemviri legibus scribendis (literally, ten men for the laws to write).

The first college of the decemviri (451 - 450)

The writers all were Patricien S, because the Senators estimated that only the Patricien S could propose laws, even if it were agreed that the people would vote them. Were selected of office the members of the delegation of Athens (Servius Sulpicius Camerinus Cornutus, Aulus Manlius Vulso and Spurius Postumius Albus Regillensis and the consuls appointed for the year, Appius Claudius Crassus Regillensis Sabinus and Titus Genucius Augurinus. Were added to it Publius Sestius Capitolinus Vaticanus, which had proposed with the Sénat the creation of the commission, like Titus Veturius Geminus Cicurinus, Caius Iulius Iullus, Publius Curiatus Fistus Trigeminus, Titus Romilius Rocus Vaticanus, former consuls whose age was to bring weighting useful for the discussions. The direction of the commission was entrusted to Appius Claudius.

One gave them an absolute capacity, suspending that of the Consul S and the Tribuns of the plebs, and also suspending the duty of call ( Intercessio ) against an unjust decision. Apart from their editorial work, the décemvirs controlled and returned justice in turn each day. The capacity of décemvir day was expressed by the twelve Licteur S (porters) which preceded it.

These décemvirs controlled with moderation and impartiality of 451 av. J. - C. with 450 av. J. - C., and had the chance that no enemy of Rome appeared for this period. They wrote their laws under ten titles, and to the popular vote Comices centuriates subjected them. They were engraved on ten tables of Airin, or wood according to other traditions.

The second college (450 - 449)

To supplement these laws, one organized the following year of the new elections to indicate décemvirs . Appius Claudius was represented, contrary to the use not to aspire to a Magistrat RUE two years of continuation, and was made re-elect after an active seduction campaign near the people. Four were also elected other Patricien S: Marcus Cornelius Maluginensis, Lucius Sergius Esquilinus, Lucius Minucius Esquilinus Augurinus, Quintus Fabius Vibulanus and five Plebeian S: Quintus Poetelius Libo Visolus, Titus Antonius Merenda, Kaeso Duillius Longus, Spurius Oppius Cornicen and Manius Rabuleius, this second colleague being thus composed for half of Patrician S and Plébéien S. They took their function at May 15th 450 av. J. - C., creating the surprise by presenting each one preceded by twelve Licteur S, is 120 in all, force of coercion ever seen in Rome.

During this second year, these Magistrat S misused the capacity and controlled with despotism, persecuting the Plèbe and being unaware of the Sénat. Appius Claudius, most powerful of them, attracted itself the hatred of the people. At the end of the year, they added two new tables to the preceding ones, which made call this code Loi of the Twelve Tables.

After May 15th 449 av. J. - C., though their one year mandate was finished and their legislative work was completed, the decemvirs pulled by Appius Claudius kept the capacity of their own authority, were surrounded by a many guard, and choked any protest emanating of the Plèbe.

The war started against Rome by the Sabins and the Èques obliged the décemvirs to join together the Sénat to obtain the lifting of the Roman troops. The décemvirs shared the sectors of operations, Appius Claudius and Spurius Oppius ensuring the defense of Rome.

Two crimes of the décemvirs started the popular revolt:

In the army in country sabin, the murder of the Plebeian opponent Lucius Siccius, camouflaged in loss in an enemy ambush, drew up the soldiers against the décemvirs;
has Rome, Appius Claudius asserted like slave the young person Verginia, girl of the centurion Lucius Verginius, and promised Lucius Icilius, old Tribun of the plebs. His/her father preferred to stab it into full forum to withdraw it from violences Appius Claudius.

While the Plèbe revolted and was withdrawn in mass on the Mont Crowned, the soldiers mutinèrent themselves and returned to camp on the hill vis-a-vis Rome. The décemvirs were constrained to resign, the Sénat restores old the Magistrat ures, Consul At and tribunat. Lucius Icilius and Lucius Verginius was elected Tribuns of the plebs, and made imprison Appius Claudius, which committed suicide before its lawsuit. His/her colleague Spurius Oppius, imprisoned in his turn, also committed suicide. The others décemvirs were exiled, and their goods were confiscated.

From this very serious attack, Rome withdrew the bases of sound right, the Loi of the Twelve Tables, melting the equality of the Patricien S and the Plébéien S in front of a law finally written and visible of all.

Certain modern historians put doubt it the authenticity of the episode of Verginia, of which death to save its virtue déclanche a revolution against a despotic capacity, finding to him a parallel too marked with the inversion of the king Tarquin Superb the following the death of Lucrèce.

List members of the two colleges (451 - 449)

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