Divorce laws and the opinions around them have changed dramatically throughout modern history. Today in 2018 America, divorce is common, legal, and generally accepted. However, back in the Roman Empire, things were quite different. Augustus Caesar was a Pagan emperor who brought back strict legislation to limit divorce. Constantine was the first Christian Caesar in the history of the Roman Empire. Yet, he still passed laws that restricted divorce across the Roman Empire. Both emperors passed incredibly similar legislation despite the obvious difference in religion. Especially once you consider that Christian ideals influenced Constantine’s legislation. In other words, even though Augustus and Constantine passed similar laws concerning marriage
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For example, one of the parts of the leges Iuliae was the legem Iuliam de adulteriis. This law criminalized adultery for the first time in Roman history. Previous to the enactment of this law, adultery was common across the Empire and had no social or legal consequence. The legem Iuliam de adulteriis was revolutionary because the law introduced several severe punishments. Many wives wouldn’t risk exile or loss of property to cheat on their husbands. Subsequently, adultery rates, especially among the upper class, started to decline. Constantine later amended the legem Iuliam de adulteriis to make the punishments for adultery even more severe. This change only further decreased adultery rates across the Empire. Here, both Constantine and Augustus accomplished their respective goals. Constantine appeased the Christians in Rome by using their opinions on adultery to guide his legislation. Meanwhile, Augustus did not please his Pagan gods, but instead managed to lower adultery rates in the upper classes of the Empire. Another one of Augustus’s laws, gave husbands of an adulteress sixty days to file for a divorce. After sixty days, this law allowed citizens to accuse the husband of being a prostitute manager. This was a punishable offense under the reign of Augustus, that compared to adultery itself. Similarly, Constantine passed legislation that made adultery one of the few legal reasons to divorce a wife. Once again, Constantine was simply pleasing the Christians in Rome while Augustus was not influenced by his religion whatsoever. Throughout their reigns, Augustus and Constantine both introduced laws to punish adulterers, forcing them into divorce and
For example, one of the parts of the leges Iuliae was the legem Iuliam de adulteriis. This law criminalized adultery for the first time in Roman history. Previous to the enactment of this law, adultery was common across the Empire and had no social or legal consequence. The legem Iuliam de adulteriis was revolutionary because the law introduced several severe punishments. Many wives wouldn’t risk exile or loss of property to cheat on their husbands. Subsequently, adultery rates, especially among the upper class, started to decline. Constantine later amended the legem Iuliam de adulteriis to make the punishments for adultery even more severe. This change only further decreased adultery rates across the Empire. Here, both Constantine and Augustus accomplished their respective goals. Constantine appeased the Christians in Rome by using their opinions on adultery to guide his legislation. Meanwhile, Augustus did not please his Pagan gods, but instead managed to lower adultery rates in the upper classes of the Empire. Another one of Augustus’s laws, gave husbands of an adulteress sixty days to file for a divorce. After sixty days, this law allowed citizens to accuse the husband of being a prostitute manager. This was a punishable offense under the reign of Augustus, that compared to adultery itself. Similarly, Constantine passed legislation that made adultery one of the few legal reasons to divorce a wife. Once again, Constantine was simply pleasing the Christians in Rome while Augustus was not influenced by his religion whatsoever. Throughout their reigns, Augustus and Constantine both introduced laws to punish adulterers, forcing them into divorce and