Plebeian Secession
Plebeian Secession refers to a pivotal event in early Roman history, specifically the withdrawal of the common people, or plebeians, from the city of Rome to the nearby Alban Mountain. This mass protest arose from widespread dissatisfaction due to debt and continuous warfare, reflecting the struggles between the plebeians and the patricians, the elite ruling class of Rome. The secession resulted in the plebeians electing ten representatives known as tribunes, whose role was to advocate for their interests and rights. This event marked a significant shift in Roman governance, as the authority of the tribunes was eventually acknowledged by the aristocracy, leading to a resumption of cooperation between the two groups. The event is often viewed as part of the larger "struggle of the orders," which sought to balance power within Roman society. While some historians interpret the secession as a resolution of class conflict, others suggest it may represent a broader struggle between military and political leaders in an expanding state. Overall, Plebeian Secession is recognized for its role in shaping the development of Roman political institutions and the evolving relationship between different social classes.
Plebeian Secession
Date: 494 b.c.e.
Locale: Republican Rome
Plebeian Secession
This event is traditionally regarded as a seminal event in the creation of Roman institutions after the expulsion of the last king of Prerepublican Rome. The Roman people, tired by debt and repeated warfare, refused to cooperate with their leaders and withdrew from the city to the nearby Alban Mountain, which has a long but obscure history as a center for regional festivals. The outcome of the mass protest was that the populace elected ten officials called tribunes to represent their interests. After the aristocracy recognized the permanent authority of the tribunes in the new Roman state, the populace returned and resumed cooperation with the aristocracy.
Modern historians have seen this episode as a key moment in a conflict between two social divisions in Roman society: the patricians and the plebeians (plih-BEE-ehns). No one can say exactly what these names mean, but the patricians are generally assumed to be a privileged group of Romans who attempted to monopolize key positions of power and leadership in the Roman state. The plebeians were everyone else. This so-called “struggle of the orders” was theoretically resolved in 287 b.c.e. by the empowerment of the plebeians with full legislative authority. However, this interpretation is by no means universally accepted. Some scholars believe that this particular conflict is better explained as a conflict between soldiers and leaders and that later supposed concessions by the ruling aristocracy to the people were merely predictable reforms in an expanding state.
Bibliography
Cornell, T. J. The Beginnings of Rome. London: Routledge, 1995.
Mitchell, R. E. Patricians and Plebeians: The Origins of the Roman State. Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press, 1990