Estrella polar UGM-27

The Roman dictator is an extraordinary magistrate in the ancient Roman République, instituted in 501 av. J. - C. the original title was magister populi (“main of the people”).

Nomination and role dictator

The dictator is generally named in the event of strong disorders, by one of the Consul S in exercise, according to a precise rite: the Roman Sénat approves the principle of the dictatorship, and the Consul indicates it during the night which follows the decision of the Sénat. It is selected among old the Consul S, and for one six months maximum duration.

It receives the full powerss ( Imperium ), the others Magistrat S are then suspended, including the Tribuns of the plebs. The 12 Licteur S which escort each Consul are allotted to him, which grants 24 Licteur S. to him Nevertheless, to respect the republican principle of collegial structure of the Magistrat ures, it must obligatorily indicate a Maître cavalry ( magister equitum ) as chief of staff.

Apart from the serious case of conflict, Tite-Live quotes nominations of dictator for other reasons: essential presence of a Magistrate holder of the Imperium for the behavior of the Comices in the absence of the Consul S due to war, or even required ritual, as in 331 av. J. - C.:

as the antiques traditions of annals reported that formerly, at the time of the secessions of the plebs, the dictator had planted a nail, and that this expiatory solemnity had brought back to the reason the spirits of the men alienated by the discord, one hastened to create a dictator to plant the nail. One created Cn. Quinctilius, which named L. main Valerius of the cavalry. The planted nail, they abdicated their functions .

Evolution

In 356 av. J. - C., a Plébéien for the first time is named dictator, with the indignation of the Patricien S, which called into question the election of the Consul Plébéien envisaged by the Lois licinio-sextiennes.

This Magistrat RUE falls in disuse after third century BC, because Rome is from now on safe from any direct threat, and the permanent presence in Rome of the urban praetor allows that a Magistrat equipped with the Imperium ensures the behavior of the Comices. Lastly, the ritual of the nail falls into the lapse of memory.

In 81 av. J. - C., Sylla was made name dictator according to the traditional ritual (it indicated a Maître cavalry which did not have any capacity), but for a completely different role: to undertake an in-depth reform of the Roman institutions: it was dictator legibus scribundis and rei publicae constituendae (dictator charged to write the laws and to organize the State). Its dictatorship is thus very different from the preceding ones, and approaches the legislative power of the Décemvirs of the years 451/449 av. J. - C. In addition, the Consul At was not suspended during this dictatorship.

In 46 av. J. - C., Jules César was made grant a dictatorship for one year, then for ten years, and finally with life. With its death, Marc Antoine promulgated the Lex Antonia abrogeant the dictatorship and eliminating it from the Roman magistratures. Octave was kept to restore it: with the Empire, the dictatorship loses any raison d'être, the emperor accumulating the Imperium Consul surface, the power tribunician, the load of large pontiff and titrates it “prince of the senate”.

Chronological list of the Roman dictators

Sources

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