Social classes in the Roman Empire: Patricios, Noble Commoners and Gentlemen Commoners

The Roman Empire has been one of the most powerful, extensive and important in the history of Humanity.Many peoples fell under the yoke of Rome, and today you can still admire the architectural remains of a civilization that reached a splendor almost absolute.However, in the Roman Empire there were great differences between the different strata that made up the society.Although from the oldest civilizations there were already different orders or "classes", today we focus on the different social classes in the Roman Empire: Patricios, Noble Commoners and Gentlemen Plebeians .

Social classes in the Roman Empire

The Roman civilization is one of the most complex societies of universal history.Given its long duration (since 8th century BC until the 5th century AD ) historians have divided the History of Rome into different historical periods: Monarchy, Republic of Empire .Today I propose you to enter the most splendid years of the Roman Empire ( sI and II BC .), But moving away from the great characters, to have a more global idea of ​​how this society was composed.

Painting of a woman of Patrician origin practicing music

Roman society was divided into different classes , with different civil and political rights and also economic differences .Let's see, then, what are the main social groups and some of its most relevant characteristics:

Social classes in the Roman Empire: Patricians, Noble Commoners and Gentlemen Plebeians

The Patricios

It was called Patricios to the oldest families in Rome , who formed an aristocracy of landowners.They had all the privileges both fiscal, judicial, political and cultural.They were full citizens.The name of Patricios was given because it came from "father", in reference to the fact that they were children of the founding fathers of Rome.

At first the patricians were those who made up the Roman Senate , however, a cluster of scandals during the time of the Republic caused only a few patricians appointed by the emperor himself, will be part of the Senate and his own council personal.

It is possible to say that over time the patriciate was giving importance in favor of a certain sector of the commoners , who were acquiring important wealth and rights.of commoners ended up being greater than that of the patricians, and they even began to occupy important ranks in the army, something that had been destined exclusively for patricians.

Among the rights of patricians was to occupy the magistracies and important positions in the council of the emperor and in the Senate, to be heads of the Roman legions, they were authorized to take possession of the conquered lands, they could enter schools and circles of Priests, as well as to exercise the cult of the city.In addition, they had the right to have 3 names.

The Plebeians

That is how all those who were outside the Patrician group were called in primitive Rome.Originally lacked rights, but through centuries of lu chas social rights were recognized similar to those of the Patricios, among them being Roman citizens , electing representatives and having their own political institutions .

Among the commoners there were great economic differences, so that within the so-called commoners, the following groups can be distinguished: noblemen, gentlemen and clients .

Nobles : They were the richest commoners , who matched the patricians for his fortune and for occupying the most important political positions.

Knights : They were commoners with an intermediate fortune , who obtained for their work as merchants, farmers or professionals, came to occupy political positions of medium importance.

Clients : They were commoners who did not have their own resources and put themselves at the service of a patrician (to go to war, vote it in the elections).In return their employer gave them food and/or money.Over time, customers became increasingly impoverished, until they became in a mass of unemployed people easily manipulated for political purposes.

These three social groups formed the most favored sector pol It is economically and economically in the Roman society .On the other hand, other social groups are in lower economic conditions, being the lower strata of the Roman society. In the Roman Empire, members of other social classes could also be distinguished, although most, except slaves, were generally part of commoners.Let's see that other social groups existed during the empire apart from monarchs and emperors, patricians, knights and commoners.

Slaves

They had no rights of any kind.Normally they were prisoners of war.The number of slaves in Rome became enormous with the expansion of the Empire.They were forced to do the toughest jobs and ruin for life.You can say that your destiny depended on the be nevolence or cruelty of his master.Many of these slaves were used to satisfy the desire for fun of the Emperor and the people.

Slaves were the main actors of the "functions" that were performed in the Colosseum and Roman amphitheaters, where they often had to fight to the death between them, face warriors with armor and great swords, fight against wild animals or resist in the chariot races, among other niceties.It should be noted that during the time of the Empire the number of slaves and cruelty to them reached its maximum limits, reaching the point that some leaders decided to legislate against mistreatment of slaves.It is believed that at that time there were only almost 300,000 slaves in Rome, and that some of the richest families they could have 1,000.

More social classes in the Roman Empire

Honorary citizens : They were citizens who renounced their former nationality and were welcomed by the Empire in exchange for obtaining Roman nationality.

Members of the army : The members of the army had to undergo brutal training for 4 months to enter the body.Those who could not stand it were rejected.The tests consisted of traveling 30 kilometers in less of 5 hours.Then, they should do the same but provided with the regulatory armor s instruments of all kinds necessary to raise after each training day a camp that includes defensive barriers.In the beginning most of the army was formed by patricians or professional soldiers, but as the empire grew and problems too, it became necessary to get more and more effective, so plebeians began to be accepted, with what which the army underwent a certain devaluation.Even the commoners, in the period of decline of the patricians, became the most present social class in the Roman army.

Settlers : They could be considered as the intermediate step between slavery that kingdom during the Roman Empire and Feudalism that would happen to to dominate the Middle Ages.In the latter phases of the Empire, with the improved production systems and infrastructure, it became clear that Rome did not need so many slaves.This was how the liberation of many of them, which became free colonists , although generally very poor.Ultimately, these colonists began to live in freedom, but they had to continue working the land of the rich landowners to survive.In addition, in order to cultivate the land, they had to pay a fee or tax landowner.

On the other hand, the settlers had no right to hold any public office , and in the event that the owner sold their land to another landowner, the settler would also form part of the agreement, that is, would pass to another landowner.

Conclusions on social classes in the Roman Empire

It should be noted to end that the Roman Empire was marked by inequality between classes social, the luxury of some and the slavery of others, and also in the continuous tensions and struggles for power and rights between different classes, such as patricians and commoners.

The Roman Empire lasted more than one millennium, which also suffered numerous evolutions , both politically, economically or territorially, but also in relation to social classes.For example, some slaves could cease to be, or some commoners could become very important personalities, even close to the Emperor.

Women in the Roman Empire

We can consider that the women in the Roman Empire had a condition social in itself, regardless of whether the different circumstances of their birth could give them a greater decision power than others.Obviously, the possibilities, both socially and economically, for example, an empress, were not the same as those of a slave but, in any case, women were subject to some social conditions specific to their sex in Ancient Rome.

In Ancient Rome, women born in freedom were considered Roman citizens , but could not practice rights and duties that the same consideration was given to men.For example, they could not vote or hold any public office , except in the religious sphere and only in very specific positions, as is the case with the vestals.Likewise, women were subordinate to the legal authority of a pater families or guardian.

Although practically all family members were subordinate to the authority of the aforementioned pater families in major or minor, it is true that , except for very c cases On the other hand, women never achieved total independence, something that men could aspire to.In any case, it should be borne in mind that the Roman family was conceived as a collective and not as an individuality, so aspects such as marriages were always linked to the pater families and the family unit as a whole.In fact, Roman women always belonged to their family of origin , even after their marriage and moving to their household husband, divorce being possible.In any case, it was considered that women should always be under the legal protection of a man, who could be more or less strict, although they had freedom of action.

In addition, it is also true that Roman laws protected the interests of the citizens, because could have p Properties, go to trials or even emancipate yourself if a very strict legal procedure was followed, something very different from what happened to women from other ancient cultures, such as the Greek or Mesopotamian.In any case, at different times in the long history of Rome, some norms related to women were varying, giving them greater or lesser freedom, for example, during the time of the first emperor, Augustus , during the latter century before our era, the conservative vision that he wanted to impose made him enact laws such as the one that forbade adult women to remarry or that penalized them by losing an important part of their property.we must take into account the period in which we move, although women were always in a plane of inequality with men, officially separated from all public performances and, with exceptions, linked to a greater or lesser extent to male authority.

In the case of the libertas , they had the same conditions as men in this same social situation, having more or less the same rights as women who were born free.Since the most common thing was that they did not have parents or that they were also slaves and, therefore, did not have citizen rights, the previous owner or employer could act as pater families in those legal matters that required their bond ulacion a uno.In the case of slaves, their case is practically equal to that of men, since neither of them had rights and were considered as mere material goods.

On the other hand, women could perform jobs and it was very common to see them do it from a certain social consideration because, although it is true that women linked to rich families did not usually perform work tasks, the rest did.The work they could do was very varied and it is known that there were Roman women who had trades traditionally linked to women's fields (such as maids, hairdressers, midwives, etc.), but also they could have a property business and There is news of women who became doctors or secretaries, to name a few examples.In the case of slaves, especially if they had acquired this condition after their birth, the work they used to perform depended on certain ta measure of their education and skills.

Slaves without education or training, as in the case of men, used to engage in manual tasks or, also, could be forced to prostitute themselves, but if they had a different formation, they could be teachers or, as has been shown recently, even gladiators.

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Bibliography:

• CASIO DION, LUCIO.Roman History.Full work of Lucio Casio Dion
• The Roman Empire of Pierre Grimal ISBN: 9788498929652