What Is The Divide Between The Patricians And The Plebeians In Ancient Rome?

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In Ancient Rome, the population consisted of two social orders: the patricians and the plebeians. Patricians were the nobles of Rome. They were wealthy as well as powerful families that held a large influence in Roman society and government. Their privilege granted them high positions of leadership in their communities. The rest of the population were the plebeians. They were considered non-nobles and commoners. Despite the fact that the plebeians outnumbered the patricians, plebs didn’t hold any influence like the patricians did. The inequality and divide between the patricians and the plebeians led to a longstanding conflict, which interfered with Roman affairs, both internally and externally. The Patricians had a clear advantage in many …show more content…
The plebeians used this to their advantage when they sought reforms. According to A Brief History of the Romans, “…the plebeians’ mean weapon was the ‘succession,’ a kind of strike in time of war, and that their major successes derived from this.” (Boatwright, 29) The large numbers of plebeians made them a very crucial part of the success of Rome. The romans frequently fought with their neighbors and the plebeians were needed in the military to fight these battles. To protest their unfair treatment, the plebeians would march up onto Aventine Hill, which was outside of Rome, and camped out there. Patricians were forced to negotiate with them in order to get the plebeians to agree to return to Rome and fight. The laws were written into Twelve Tables, carved in stone and placed in the city’s public square. Afterwards, there were the consuls and military tribunes, who served as leader for the populus Romanus, or the whole population of Rome, as well as a similar system within the plebeians. In the 490s, plebeians could elected their own leaders called the tribunes of the people, or the tribuni plebis. The tribunes prevent patricians or any elected official from abusing their power. They would step in between the Consul and any plebeians to protect them and prevent any unfair treatment. The tribune was sacrosanct, meaning that tribunes were under explicit protection of the Gods and could not be harmed. Plebeians swore an

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