Citizendia

This article is about the social and political class in ancient Rome. For other uses of the term, see patrician (disambiguation).

The term "patrician" originally referred to a group of elite families in ancient Rome, including both their natural and adopted members. Elitism is the belief or attitude that those individuals who are considered members of the Elite &mdash a select group of people with outstanding personal abilities intellect Ancient Rome was a Civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC In the late Roman empire, the class was broadened to include high court officials, and after the fall of the Western Empire became a term for Byzantine Imperial governors in the West. Medieval patrician classes were once again formally defined groups of elite burgher families in many medieval Italian republics, such as Venice and Genoa, and subsequently "patrician" became a vaguer term used for aristocrats and elite bourgeoisie in many countries. Patricianship, the quality of belonging to a patriciate, began in the ancient world where cities such as Ancient Rome had a class of Patrician families The Italian city states were a remarkable political phenomenon of small independent states in the northern Italian peninsula between the tenth and fifteenth centuries The Most Serene Republic of Venice ((Serenìsima Repùblica Vèneta or Repùblica de Venesia Serenissima Repubblica The Most Serene Republic of Genoa (Repubblica di Genova was an independent state in Liguria on the northwestern Italian coast from the 11th century Aristocracy is a form of Government, where rule is established through an internal struggle over who has the most status and influence over society and internal relations

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Etymology

The word "patrician" is derived from the Latin word patricius (plural patricii), which comes from patrēs, the plural of pater ("father"). Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Pater was one of the terms applied to the original members of the Roman Senate. The Roman Senate was a political institution in Ancient Rome. The word comes down in English as "patrician" from the Middle English patricion, from the Old French patrician. Middle English is the name given by Historical linguistics to the diverse forms of the English language spoken between the Norman invasion of Old French was the Romance Dialect continuum spoken in territories which span roughly the northern half of modern France and parts of modern Belgium In modern English, the word patrician is generally used to denote a member of the upper class, often with connotations of inherited wealth, elitism, and a sense of noblesse oblige. Elitism is the belief or attitude that those individuals who are considered members of the Elite &mdash a select group of people with outstanding personal abilities intellect In French, " noblesse oblige " means literally " Nobility obligates"

Status

Patricians were bestowed special status as Roman citizens. They were better represented in the Roman assemblies. The Roman Assemblies were institutions in Ancient Rome. They functioned as the machinery of the Roman legislative branch and thus (theoretically at least passed all legislation The Comitia Centuriata, the main legislative body, was divided into 193 voting centuriae (centuries). The Roman Assemblies were institutions in Ancient Rome. They functioned as the machinery of the Roman legislative branch and thus (theoretically at least passed all legislation Centuria ( Latin plural centuriae) is a Latin substantive from the stem centum (a hundred denoting units consisting of (originally only approximately The first two classes (which consisted largely of patricians) together had 98 centuriae, a number which was enough to obtain a majority, despite the fact that they were fewer in number. That meant that if the patricians acted in concord, they could always determine the result of the voting of the peoples assembly. So, although it was not forbidden for plebeians to hold magistracies, the patricians dominated the political scene for centuries. Plebs were the general body of landowners of Roman Citizens in Ancient Rome. Strangely, the founding father of the Roman Republic, Lucius Junius Brutus (ancestor of Julius Caesar's assassin, Marcus Junius Brutus) was a plebeian, and the four kings who had Roman gentilic names also came from plebeian families: (Numa Pompilius; Tullus Hostilius; Ancus Marcius; and Servius Tullius - i. Lucius Junius Brutus (or Lucius Iunius Brutus) was the founder of the Roman Republic and traditionally one of the first Consuls in 509 BC Marcus Junius Brutus (85&ndash42 BC or Quintus Servilius Caepio Brutus was a Roman senator of the late Roman Republic. Numa Pompilius, according to Legend, was the second King of Rome, succeeding Romulus. Tullus Hostilius (r 673 BC &ndash 641 BC was the third of the legendary Kings of Rome. Ancus Marcius (r 640 BC &ndash 616 BC fourth of the Kings of Rome, and possibly legendary Servius Tullius was the sixth legendary king of Ancient Rome, and the second king of the Etruscan dynasty e. , all the kings except Romulus and the foreign Tarquinius). Romulus (c 771 BC– c 717 BC and Remus (c 771 BC–c 753 BC are the traditional founders of Rome, appearing in Roman mythology

In the beginning of the Republic all priesthoods were closed to non-patricians. The Roman Republic was the phase of the ancient Roman civilization characterized by a Republican form of government a period which began with the overthrow of the There was a belief that patricians communicated better with the Roman gods, so they alone could perform the sacred rites and take the auspices. This view had political consequences, since in the beginning of the year or before a military campaign, Roman magistrates used to consult the gods. Livy reports that the first admission of plebeians into a priestly college happened in 300 B.C. (Liv. Events By place Egypt Pyrrhus, the King of Epirus, is taken as a hostage to Egypt after the Battle of Ipsus X. 7. 9) when the college of Augurs raised their number from four to nine. After that, plebeians were accepted into the other religious colleges, and by the end of the republic, only minor priesthoods with little political importance like the Salii, the Flamens and the Rex Sacrorum were exclusively filled by patricians.

In the list of the names of the Romans who held magistracies (the Fasti), very few plebeian names appear before the 2nd century B. Fasti, a Latin word refers to the Roman calendar and Almanac; and especially to a long possibly unfinished poem on the religious festivals C. The turning point were two laws, the Licinian - Sextian law of 367 B.C. that ascertained the right of plebeians to hold the consulship, and the Genucian law of 342 B.C. that made it compulsory that one at least of the consuls be a plebeian. Lex Licinia Sextia was a Roman law passed in 367 BCE and took effect in 366 BCE Events By place Greece The Theban general Epaminondas, again invades the Peloponnesus, but this time achieves little Leges Genuciae (also Lex Genucia or Lex Genucia de feneratione) were laws proposed in 342 BC by plebeian Consul Lucius Genucius Events By place Macedonia The Greek philosopher Aristotle, is invited by Philip II to his capital at Pella to tutor

The ancient patrician gentes whose members appear in founding legends of Rome disappeared as Rome started becoming an empire and new plebeian families rose to prominence, such as the Decii and the Sempronii. Families such as the Horatii, Lucretii, Verginii and Menenii seem to vanish after the 2nd century B. C. Others, such as the Julii reappear only at the end of the Republic. Julius (fem Julia) is the Nomen of the gens Julia, an important Patrician family of Ancient Rome supposed to have descended from The Roman Republic was the phase of the ancient Roman civilization characterized by a Republican form of government a period which began with the overthrow of the There are some cases where the same gens name was shared by patrician and plebeian clans (for example the Appii Claudii were patricians and the Claudii Marcelli were plebeians).

Patricians vs. Plebeians

The distinction between patricians and plebeians in Ancient Rome was not defined by a simple rule in the ancient historical sources. Plebs were the general body of landowners of Roman Citizens in Ancient Rome. Modern writers often portray patricians as rich and powerful families who managed to secure power over the less-fortunate plebeian families, though most historians argue that this is an over-simplification. As civil rights for plebleians increased during the middle and late Roman Republic, many plebeian families had attained wealth and power while some traditionally patrician families had fallen into poverty and obscurity. The Roman Republic was the phase of the ancient Roman civilization characterized by a Republican form of government a period which began with the overthrow of the

Historian Adrian Richard states that patrician families were initially those who held positions within the priesthoods, and that the ancient Senate, composed of patricians, was a religious advisory body. A flamen was a name given to a Priest assigned to a state-supported god or goddess in Roman religion. The Senate, acting as a council of religious elders, had political power because it was necessary to have their assent on new laws. The priestly class would confirm that the new laws were in keeping with mos maiorum and would give their auctoritas to the measures that could then be enacted. The mos maiorum (lit ways of the ancestors) were the ancestral Traditions an unwritten code of Laws and conduct of the Auctoritas is a Latin word and is the origin of English " Authority "

Patrician position

Patrician status still carried a degree of prestige at the time of the early Roman Empire, and Roman emperors routinely elevated their supporters to the patrician caste en masse. The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial The prestige and meaning of the status gradually degraded, and by the end of the 3rd-century crisis, patrician status, as it had been known in the Republic, ceased to have meaning in everyday life. The 3rd century is the period from 201 to 300 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian / Common Era. The Emperor Constantine reintroduced the term, and Patrician became an honorific title bestowed to those who demonstrated faithful service to the Empire. Flavius Valerius Aurelius Constantinus (27 February ca. 272 &ndash 22 May 337 commonly known as Constantine I, Constantine the Great, or Saint Constantine There were often only a few patricians in the Empire at any given time, and sometimes only one.

By the 5th century, the title generally denoted a man, commonly a general of the Roman army, who held the power behind the imperial throne. The 5th century is the period from 401 to 500 in accordance with the Julian calendar in Anno Domini / Common Era. Patricians of this era included Stilicho, Constantius III, Aëtius, Boniface, and Ricimer; Constantius III would later become co-emperor. Flavius Stilicho (occasionally written as Stilico) (ca 359 &ndash August 22, 408) was a high-ranking general ( Magister militum Flavius Constantius (died 2 September 421) whose name is traditionally Anglicized as Constantius III, was a late Roman general politician Aëtius is also the name of several other persons Flavius Aëtius or simply Aëtius, (c See also Saint Boniface (Bonifacius in Latin Comes Bonifacius (anglicized in Count Boniface) (d Ricimer (c 405 &ndash August 18, 472) (ˈrikimer was a Germanic general who was master of the Western Roman Empire during part of the fifth century The patrician title was occasionally used in Western Europe after the end of the Roman Empire; for instance, Pope Stephen II granted the title "Patrician of the Romans" to the Frankish ruler Pippin III. In sources prior to the 1960s this pope is sometimes called Stephen III and Pope-elect Stephen is sometimes called Stephen II. Pepin or Pippin (714 &ndash 24 September 768) called the Short, and often known as Pepin the Younger or Pepin III, was

In the Eastern Empire, where the emperors maintained their hold on power, the title retained its meaning as an honorific. The term fell out of use as the Greek language replaced Latin as the language of the court. Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly A member of the plebeian class could be elevated by showing great support towards the Senate, by living a life of pure dedication, and having no criminal history with members of the groups. Patricians could be demoted to plebeian status if they failed to fulfill their duties as a husband, or by murdering another member of the patrician society.

The revival of patrician classes in medieval Italian republics, and also north of the Alps, is covered in Patricianship. The Italian city states were a remarkable political phenomenon of small independent states in the northern Italian peninsula between the tenth and fifteenth centuries Patricianship, the quality of belonging to a patriciate, began in the ancient world where cities such as Ancient Rome had a class of Patrician families

Use in fiction

In the satirical fantasy series Discworld by English author Terry Pratchett, the city of Ankh-Morpork is run by a Presidential figure who is akin to the old Roman nobility. Fantasy is a Genre that uses magic and other Supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, and/or setting Discworld is a comedic Fantasy Book series by the British author Terry Pratchett, set on the Discworld, a flat England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Terence David John Pratchett, OBE (born 28 April 1948 is an English fantasy, Science fiction, and children's author. Geography Ankh-Morpork lies on the River Ankh (the most polluted waterway on the Discworld and reputedly solid enough to walk on where the fertile loam of the Sto Plains The ruler takes the title of Patrician, but is in all respects a tyrant. In modern usage a tyrant is a single ruler holding absolute power over a State or within an Organization. In most of the novels, the Patrician in office is named Havelock Vetinari and though he often puts up a democratic facade, he is a de facto dictator, albeit a relatively benign one. Lord Havelock Vetinari is the Patrician of Ankh-Morpork, the head of the fictional City state of Ankh-Morpork in Terry Pratchett 's A dictator is an Authoritarian ruler (eg Absolutist or autocratic) who assumes sole and absolute power without hereditary ascension such as an Absolute

In the science fiction Foundation trilogy by Isaac Asimov, Ducem Barr is referred to as a Patrician of the Empire in the Foundation and Empire volume. Foundation is the first book in Isaac Asimov 's Foundation Trilogy (later expanded into The Foundation Series) Isaac Asimov (c January 2 1920 &ndash April 6 1992 ˈaɪzək ˈæzɪmʌv originally Исаак Озимов but now transcribed into Russian as, was a Russian Bor Alurin Bor Alurin Foundation The sole member of the Second Foundation to be present amongst the initial members of the First Foundation The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial Foundation and Empire is a novel written by Isaac Asimov that was published by Gnome Press in 1952. Within the story, it is an inherited noble title, clearly derived of the Roman Imperial definition, which was used as a model for Asimov's Galactic Empire. The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial In Isaac Asimov 's Robot / Empire / Foundation series of novels the Galactic Empire is an empire consisting of planets settled by humans across the

In Ayn Rand's 1936 novel The Fountainhead, the narrator makes several comparisons between the newspaper tyrant Gail Wynand and a patrician.

List of some patrician families

Definite


List of Patricii

See also

References

Dictionary

patrician

-noun

  1. Originally, a member of any of the families constituting the populus Romanus, or body of Roman citizens, before the development of the plebeian order; later, one who, by right of birth or by special privilege conferred, belonged to the the senior class of Romans, who, with certain property, had by right a seat in the Roman Senate.
  2. A person of high birth; a nobleman.
  3. One familiar with the works of the Christian Fathers; one versed in patristic lore.

-adjective

  1. Of or pertaining to the Roman patres (fathers) or senators, or patricians.
  2. Of, pertaining to, or appropriate to, a person of high birth; noble; not plebeian.
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