Ancient Roman Government Notes

The â€Å"common-people† assembly which helped give the citizens more political power Empire- A dominating nation with extensive territories and a powerful ruler Laws of the 12 Tables- Guidelines for citizen’s behavior; a list of Roman customs about property and punishment Mercenary- A soldier who is hired for service in a foreign country Patrician- Member of Rome’s richest and most important families who served on the Senate for life Plebeian- The common person or lower-class citizen Roman Senate- One of the two houses of the early Roman republic Republic- A country run by the elected representatives of its people Tribune- A leader within the Concillum Plebus In 500 B. C the Roman government was forming into a republic; in which the people have the freedom to vote for their leaders. There were two parts, or two houses, to the Roman Republic: the Citizen Assembly and the Senate. The elected officials headed the two councils and they served one-year terms. The republic was established in 509B.C and lasted 500 years. Differences between the Greek and Roman governments: In Greece all men were allowed to vote In Rome only men with money/property could vote The Senate was the most powerful part of the government; all senators were patricians. To obtain political rights, the common people (Plebeians) formed their own assembly, the Concillum Plebus and named their leaders tribunes. Establishing peace and order gave Rome stability: Rome’s first code of law was established in 450B. C. On ten tablets, ten legal experts wrote down a list of Roman customs about property and punishment. However, due to plebeian pressure, two more tablets were added to satisfy them. The final code was called the Laws of the Twelve Tables. By the end of the third century Roman law covered issues dealing with foreigners and eventually covered magisterial law to strengthen and correct existing law. The Roman Empire took its first steps of dominance in 27B. C when the law’s development was taken over by the emperors, who added and revised freely. As the law got more complex, the government had to literally train jurists who could understand and interpret the laws. The stability of the law, the military, and financial standing of Rom kept it powerful. Rome successfully battled the Carthaginians, the Celtics(British), the Etruscans, and the Samnites. The Roman Empire was established around 27B. C. The empire spanned three continents. The empire was divided into states that were ruled by governors who collected taxes and sent money back to Rome.