Secessio plebis

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Secessio plebis (withdrawal of the commoners, or Secession of the Plebs) was an informal exercise of power by Rome's plebian citizens, similar to a strike. During a secessio plebis the citizens would simply abandon the city en masse and leave the patrician order to themselves. This was an effective strategy due to their strength in numbers; plebian citizens made up the majority of Rome's populace and produced most of its food and resources, while the patrician citizen was a member of the minority upper class. The word has survived to the modern day in the term secession, meaning to withdraw from an organisation, union, or political entity.

Secessions in Roman history

In 494 BCE, in response to the harsh rule of Appius Claudius Sabinus Inregillensis, the plebs seceded and fled to a "holy hill". In response, the patricians freed some of the plebs from their debts and conceded some of their power by creating the office of the tribune of the people. This tribune was the first government position held by the plebs. The tribune was given the power of veto with which he could forbid any decision made by the consul or senate that he deemed harmful to the plebs.

In 449 BCE, the plebs seceded again to force the patricians to adopt the Twelve Tables, which had recently been drawn up. These Tables presented a basic set of laws and rights to the Roman public, as opposed to secret laws. The patricians vehemently opposed it but were nevertheless forced to found a commission headed by a decemviri who in turn announced the Twelve Tables in the Roman Forum. With the announcement of the new laws, the plebs were to a degree freed from injustice and subjectivity during trials. However, they were still obligated to pay slavery debt.

In 287 BCE, the plebs seceded a final time to force the patricians to adopt the Lex Hortensia, which gave the plebs the final say in all legislative matters. The plebs were granted the right to be elected to any position in the state, the Lex Ogulnia, which granted them right to be priests, and the marriage between a pleb and a patrician was deemed legal. Debt slavery was also terminated. However, the laws approved by the popular assemblies were always written and approved by the patricians. The Gracchi, in the second century BCE, were the first and only politicians who gave a bill directly to the assembly without approving it with the patricians beforehand.

Still, the ones that got most from these secessions were the wealthier of the plebs. With time, they made connexions with the patricians and mixed with them, before finally becoming a new layer of aristocracy called nobiles or optimates. For the less wealthy, participating in the government still wasn't an option, because the service was pro bono and a matter of honour.

Secessio plebis

Secessions in Roman history

See also