Senate | Definition, History, & Facts

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They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor text-decoration-underline"> The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</span></div> <div class="last-updated font-12 font-serif"> <span class="text-gray-700"> Last Updated: <time datetime="2024-10-15T00:00:00CDT" >Oct 15, 2024</time> •</span> <a class="byline-edit-history" href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Senate-Roman-history/additional-info#history" rel="nofollow">Article History</a> </div></div> </div> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button d-none d-sm-block js-sections-inline-button module-spacing btn d-lg-none"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <div class="d-flex d-sm-none flex-row"> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button js-sections-inline-button module-spacing"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <button class="ai-ask-button btn border-2 ai-ask-button btn border-2 module-spacing btn-sm js-inline-ai-ask-button btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 p-10 ml-5"> Ask the Chatbot a Question </button> </div> <div class="js-qf-module qf-module px-40 px-sm-20 py-15 mx-auto module-spacing font-14 bg-gray-50 rounded"> <div class="qf-title font-weight-bold font-14 mb-10 text-center"> Quick Facts</div> <div class="facts-list mt-10"> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Date: </dt> <dd>753 BCE - <i>c. </i> 580</dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Related People: </dt> <dd><a href="/biography/Domitian">Domitian</a></dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> <div class="text-center"> <a class="btn btn-sm btn-link p-0" href="/facts/Senate-Roman-history"> See all related content </a> </div> </div> </div> </div><span class="marker before-article"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref1"><span class="marker PREMOD1 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph"><strong><span id="ref285371"></span>Senate</strong>, in <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/ancient-Rome" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">ancient Rome</a>, the governing and advisory council that proved to be the most permanent element in the Roman <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/constitution-politics-and-law" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">constitution</a>.</p><span class="marker MOD1 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD2 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Under the early monarchy the Senate developed as an advisory council; in 509 <span class="text-smallcaps">bc</span> it contained 300 members, and a distinction existed within it between the heads of the greater and of the lesser families. Throughout the monarchical period the Senate consisted entirely of patricians, and its powers at this time were indefinite.</p><span class="marker MOD2 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD3 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">With the abolition of the monarchy in Rome in 509 <span class="text-smallcaps">bc</span>, the Senate became the advisory council of the <span id="ref285372"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/consul-ancient-Roman-official" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">consuls</a> (the two highest magistrates), meeting only at their pleasure and owing its appointment to them; it thus remained a power secondary to the magistrates. However, the consuls held office only for one year, whereas the Senate was a permanent body; in experience and <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="prestige" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prestige" data-type="MW">prestige</a>, its individual members were often superior to the consuls of the year. A consul would seldom venture to disregard the advice of the Senate, especially because he himself, in accordance with steadily growing custom, would become a senator at the end of his year of office. (It was probably in their capacity of former magistrates that plebeians first entered the Senate.) But in the early Republic the Senate remained an advising body and assumed no definite executive powers.</p><a class="link-module shadow-sm d-block qa-read-more-module" href="/place/ancient-Rome/The-Senate#ref212986" data-link-module-iframe-link=""> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/45/196945-050-CCF8BD72/Temple-of-Saturn-Arch-Septimius-Severus-Forum.jpg" alt="Roman Forum" class="rounded-sm mr-15" width="70" /> <div class="line-clamp clamp-5"> <div class="module-title bg-navy-dark">More From Britannica</div> <div class="font-weight-semi-bold mt-5">ancient Rome: The Senate of ancient Rome</div> </div> </a><span class="marker MOD3 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD4 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">In the last two centuries of the Roman Republic, a great change took place. The Senate became a self-perpetuating, automatically <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="constituted" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/constituted" data-type="MW">constituted</a> body, independent of the annual magistrates, and a recognized factor in the Roman constitution, with extensive powers. About 312 <span class="text-smallcaps">bc</span> the selection of senators was transferred from the consuls to the censors, who normally chose former magistrates. In 81 <span class="text-smallcaps">bc</span> <span id="ref285373"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Sulla" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Sulla</a> secured an automatic <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="composition" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/composition" data-type="MW">composition</a> for the Senate by increasing the number of quaestors to 20 and enacting that all former quaestors should pass at once into the Senate.</p><span class="marker MOD4 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD5 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">The Senate’s powers had by this time extended far beyond its ancient <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="prerogatives" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prerogatives" data-type="MW">prerogatives</a>. The Senate had acquired more effective control through the observance of certain unwritten rules regulating the relation between Senate and magistrates, to whom it formally gave advice. It became the chief governing body in Rome and tendered advice on home and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/foreign-policy" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">foreign policy</a>, on legislation, and on financial and religious questions. It acquired the right to assign duties to the magistrates, to determine the two provinces to be entrusted to the consuls, to prolong a magistrate’s period of office, and to appoint senatorial commissions to help magistrates to organize conquered territory. Its earlier influence upon foreign policy developed into a definite claim to conduct all negotiations with a foreign power, although the formal declaration of war and ratification of treaties were referred to the people. It often acted as arbitrator in disputes among Italian <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="communities" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/communities" data-type="MW">communities</a>, provincials, or client-states.</p><span class="marker MOD5 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD6 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Although individual senators after 218 <span class="text-smallcaps">bc</span> were debarred from trading, the control of finance was in the Senate’s hands. Three circumstances had combined to bring this about. The <span id="ref285374"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/censor-ancient-Roman-official" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">censors</a>, who were only occasional officials, were entrusted with the leasing of the public revenues; the Senate could order them to redraft contracts. Second, the details of public expenditure were entrusted to the <span id="ref285375"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/quaestor-ancient-Roman-official" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">quaestors</a>, young and inexperienced magistrates whom the Senate could guide. Third, the general control exercised by the Senate over <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="provincial" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/provincial" data-type="EB">provincial</a> affairs implied its direction of the income derived from the provinces. It also claimed the right of granting occupation and decreeing alienation of public lands. Every branch of state finance was therefore in its hands; it controlled revenue and expenditure and supervised the treasury.</p><span class="marker MOD6 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD7 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">This ever-widening influence and power of the Senate was challenged by tribunes from the time of Tiberius Gracchus onward (133 <span class="text-smallcaps">bc</span>) and, more particularly, by the military leaders, from Marius onward, who pitted their administrative power against the authority of the Senate. Despite the short-lived attempt of Sulla to reinstate the Senate’s ascendancy, the Republic collapsed under these repeated blows against the authority of the Senate. As a result of the civil war of 49–45 <span class="text-smallcaps">bc</span>, the number of senators (which Sulla had earlier raised to 500 or 600) was seriously <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="depleted" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/depleted" data-type="EB">depleted</a>. Julius Caesar revised the list and increased the Senate to 900, naturally filling it with his own supporters. The composition of the Senate thus underwent a considerable change: few of the senators who had opposed Caesar survived; the new senators included many knights and municipal Italians and even a few provincials from Gaul.</p><div class="module-spacing"> <DIV class="marketing-INLINE_SUBSCRIPTION marketing-content" data-marketing-id="INLINE_SUBSCRIPTION"><style> .student-promo-banner-wrapper { container-type: inline-size; margin-bottom: 15px; } @container (min-width: 475px) { .student-promo-banner { flex-direction: row; } .student-promo-banner-img-wrapper { margin-bottom: 0; margin-right: 10px; justify-content: flex-start; } .student-promo-banner-text-wrapper { text-align: left; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; } .student-promo-banner-button-wrapper { margin-right: 0; } }</style> <div class="student-promo-banner-wrapper"> <div class="student-promo-banner d-flex flex-column align-items-center bg-blue rounded p-20"> <div class="student-promo-banner-img-wrapper mb-20 mr-0 d-flex justify-content-center"> <img class="rounded" style="max-width: 100px; min-width: 80px" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/marketing/BlueThistle.webp" /> </div> <div class="student-promo-banner-text-wrapper ml-0 mb-10 text-center text-white"> <div class="h2 mb-10">Get Unlimited Access</div> <div class="h4 font-weight-semi-bold">Try Britannica Premium for free and discover more.</div> </div> <div class="student-promo-banner-button-wrapper d-flex justify-content-center align-items-center ml-auto mr-auto"> <a class="btn btn-m btn-orange" href="https://premium.britannica.com/premium-membership/?utm_source=premium&utm_medium=inline-cta&utm_campaign=black-friday-2024">Subscribe</a> </div> </div> </div> </DIV></div><span class="marker MOD7 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD8 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Because <span id="ref285376"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Augustus-Roman-emperor" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Augustus</a> officially “restored the Republic” (27 <span class="text-smallcaps">bc</span>), it was essential to preserve—at least outwardly—the prestige of the Senate. Although the emperor did not share his basic power with the Senate, he did allow it to cooperate with him in most of the spheres of government. It was left at the head of the ordinary administration of Rome and Italy, together with those provinces that did not require any military force or present special administrative difficulties. It continued to administer the treasury but was soon overshadowed by the emperor, who allowed it to supervise the copper coinage alone. The Senate received judicial functions and for the first time became a <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/court-law" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">court of law</a>, competent to try cases of extortion in the senatorial provinces. The legislative powers of the popular elective assemblies became very gradually extinct, and decrees of the Senate came to take the place of legislative bills adopted by the assemblies in ordinary matters although they did not at first acquire full recognition as laws. On the other hand, the Senate lost all its control of foreign policy; and, though it was occasionally consulted by the emperor, it was entirely subordinate to him in this department. The emperor could <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="convene" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/convene" data-type="MW">convene</a> and preside over the Senate, his report and other communications taking precedence; his name also headed the list of senators. He could also select new senators virtually at will. They numbered ordinarily 300.</p><span class="marker MOD8 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD9 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">The number of Italian and provincial senators increased (especially under Vespasian), but the Italians were not outnumbered by the provincials until after the reign of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Septimius-Severus" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Septimius Severus</a> (<span class="text-smallcaps">ad</span> 193–211). At first the provincials came predominantly from Spain and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Narbonensis" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Narbonese Gaul</a>, but later there were more Asians and Africans. Under Gallienus, senators lost the right to command <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="legions" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/legions" data-type="EB">legions</a> and much of their part in provincial administration. Under Constantine they were virtually amalgamated with the knights, who had benefited from these changes. The number of the new senators rose in the 4th century to about 2,000. That the Senate was still regarded as a representative and necessary part of the constitution is shown by Constantine’s creation of a duplicate Senate in Constantinople.</p><div class="one-good-fact-module"> </div><span class="marker MOD9 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD10 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">The most important senators were the great landowners throughout the empire, whose position became almost feudal. A great number of them failed to leave their estates to attend meetings, and the Senate often acted—as it had in the early days of the Republic—merely as a town council for Rome, under the chairmanship of the prefect of the city. Many of the great senatorial landowners were men of <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="culture" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/culture" data-type="MW">culture</a> who represented Roman civilization amid increasing <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="barbarism" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/barbarism" data-type="MW">barbarism</a> and tried to uphold paganism in Italy. In the 5th century, however, some of them helped the barbarian leaders against the imperial authority. In the 6th century the Roman Senate disappears from the historical record; it is last mentioned in <span class="text-smallcaps">ad</span> 580.</p><span class="marker MOD10 mod-inline"></span></section> <span class="md-signature"><a href="/editor/The-Editors-of-Encyclopaedia-Britannica/4419">The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</a></span> <span class="md-signature">This article was most recently revised and updated by <a href="/editor/Adam-Augustyn/6394">Adam Augustyn</a>.</span><span class="marker end-of-content"></span><span class="marker after-article"></span></div> <div id="chatbot-root"></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ai-dialog-placeholder"></div> </div> </div> <aside class="col-md-da-320"></aside> </div> </div> </div> </div> </article></div> </div></div> </div> </main> <div id="md-footer"></div> <noscript><iframe src="//www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-5W6NC8" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript> <script type="text/javascript" id="_informizely_script_tag"> var IzWidget = IzWidget || {}; (function (d) { var scriptElement = d.createElement('script'); scriptElement.type = 'text/javascript'; scriptElement.async = true; scriptElement.src = "https://insitez.blob.core.windows.net/site/f780f33e-a610-4ac2-af81-3eb184037547.js"; var node = d.getElementById('_informizely_script_tag'); node.parentNode.insertBefore(scriptElement, node); } )(document); </script>  <script> window.ap3c = window.ap3c || {}; var ap3c = window.ap3c; ap3c.cmd = ap3c.cmd || []; ap3c.cmd.push(function() { ap3c.init('ZO4siT4cLwnykPnzZWJtd3Byb2Q', 'https://engage.email.britannica.com/'); ap3c.track({v: 0}); }); ap3c.activity = function(act) { ap3c.act = (ap3c.act || []); ap3c.act.push(act); }; var s, t; s = document.createElement('script'); s.type = 'text/javascript'; s.src = "https://engage.email.britannica.com/app.js"; t = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; t.parentNode.insertBefore(s, t); </script> <script class="marketing-page-info" type="application/json"> {"pageType":"Topic","templateName":"DESKTOP","pageNumber":1,"pagesTotal":1,"pageId":534333,"pageLength":1198,"initialLoad":true,"lastPageOfScroll":false} </script> <script class="marketing-content-info" type="application/json"> [] </script> <script src="https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/js/libs/jquery-3.5.0.min.js?v=3.130.14"></script> <script type="text/javascript" data-type="Init Mendel Code Splitting"> (function() { $.ajax({ dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: 'https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/dist/topic-page.js?v=3.130.14' }); })(); </script> <script class="analytics-metadata" type="application/json"> {"leg":"A","adLeg":"A","userType":"ANONYMOUS","pageType":"Topic","pageSubtype":null,"articleTemplateType":"LARGE","gisted":false,"pageNumber":1,"hasSummarizeButton":false,"hasAskButton":false} </script> <script type="text/javascript"> EBStat={accountId:-1,hostnameOverride:'webstats.eb.com',domain:'www.britannica.com', json:''}; </script> <script type="text/javascript"> ( function() { $.ajax( { dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: '//www.britannica.com/webstats/mendelstats.js?v=1' } ) .done( function() { try {writeStat(null,EBStat);} catch(err){} } ); })(); </script> <div id="bc-fixed-dialogue"></div> </body> </html>

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Senate | Definition, History, & Facts | Britannica