Lex Canuleia
Encyclopedia
The Lex Canuleia is a law of the Roman Republic
passed in the year 445 BC
. Named after the tribune
Gaius Canuleius
, who proposed it, it abolished a corresponding prohibition in the Twelve Tables
and allowed marriage between patricians and plebeian
s, with children inheriting the father's social status. It is also referred to in Latin
as the Lex de conubio patrum et plebis.
Canuleius also carried through a law that permitted plebeians to hold the office of consul
, the highest of the Roman magistracies, which the patricians had retained as their prerogative.
Roman Republic
The Roman Republic was the period of the ancient Roman civilization where the government operated as a republic. It began with the overthrow of the Roman monarchy, traditionally dated around 508 BC, and its replacement by a government headed by two consuls, elected annually by the citizens and...
passed in the year 445 BC
445 BC
Year 445 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Augurinus and Philo...
. Named after the tribune
Tribune
Tribune was a title shared by elected officials in the Roman Republic. Tribunes had the power to convene the Plebeian Council and to act as its president, which also gave them the right to propose legislation before it. They were sacrosanct, in the sense that any assault on their person was...
Gaius Canuleius
Gaius Canuleius
Gaius Canuleius, according to Livy book 4, was a tribune of the plebs in 445 BC. He introduced a bill proposing that intermarriage between patricians and plebians be allowed...
, who proposed it, it abolished a corresponding prohibition in the Twelve Tables
Twelve Tables
The Law of the Twelve Tables was the ancient legislation that stood at the foundation of Roman law. The Law of the Twelve Tables formed the centrepiece of the constitution of the Roman Republic and the core of the mos maiorum...
and allowed marriage between patricians and plebeian
Plebs
The plebs was the general body of free land-owning Roman citizens in Ancient Rome. They were distinct from the higher order of the patricians. A member of the plebs was known as a plebeian...
s, with children inheriting the father's social status. It is also referred to in Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
as the Lex de conubio patrum et plebis.
Canuleius also carried through a law that permitted plebeians to hold the office of consul
Roman consul
A consul served in the highest elected political office of the Roman Republic.Each year, two consuls were elected together, to serve for a one-year term. Each consul was given veto power over his colleague and the officials would alternate each month...
, the highest of the Roman magistracies, which the patricians had retained as their prerogative.
See also
- Gaius CanuleiusGaius CanuleiusGaius Canuleius, according to Livy book 4, was a tribune of the plebs in 445 BC. He introduced a bill proposing that intermarriage between patricians and plebians be allowed...
- Ius connubii
- Morganatic marriageMorganatic marriageIn the context of European royalty, a morganatic marriage is a marriage between people of unequal social rank, which prevents the passage of the husband's titles and privileges to the wife and any children born of the marriage...
- Roman LawRoman lawRoman law is the legal system of ancient Rome, and the legal developments which occurred before the 7th century AD — when the Roman–Byzantine state adopted Greek as the language of government. The development of Roman law comprises more than a thousand years of jurisprudence — from the Twelve...
- List of Roman laws
- List of legal Latin terms