The tribunes of the plebs were among the most powerful officials in the Roman Republic. Created in 494 BCE during the first plebeian secession, these magistrates served as protectors of the common people against the aristocratic patrician class. Let's explore their extraordinary powers that shaped Roman politics for centuries.
The tribune's most powerful weapon was the right of intercession, known as ius intercessionis. With a single word - 'veto' meaning 'I forbid' - a tribune could stop any magistrate's action, block Senate decrees, or prevent the passage of laws. This power was absolute and could only be overridden by another tribune's intercession.
Perhaps even more remarkable was the tribune's sacrosanctitas - sacred inviolability. The tribune's person was considered sacred by religious law. Anyone who physically harmed, threatened, or obstructed a tribune was declared sacer - cursed and subject to death without trial. This divine protection made tribunes virtually untouchable.
The ius auxilii gave tribunes the right to provide aid and protection to individual plebeians. When a citizen faced arbitrary punishment, imprisonment, or abuse by a magistrate, they could appeal directly to a tribune. The tribune could then intervene, offering protection and demanding fair treatment under the law.
Finally, tribunes possessed ius agendi cum plebe - the right to convene the plebeian assembly and propose plebiscites that became binding law. Combined with their powers of veto, sacrosanctity, and aid, these four extraordinary authorities made the tribunes of the plebs among the most powerful and feared officials in Rome, serving as the ultimate guardians of plebeian interests against aristocratic oppression.