- Terentilius
Gaius Terentilius Harsa, better known simply as Terentilius, was a
plebeian tribune inRome around462 BC .Terentilius agitated for a formal code of
law s in the early days of theRoman Republic . He took advantage of the fact that theconsul s were away on a campaign against theVolsci to pressure theRoman Senate , controlled bypatrician s, for the code.The patricians made a show of making peace with Terentilius, but in fact had no intention of codifying the laws at his request. Ultimately, however, the agitation by Terentilius led to the passage of the
Twelve Tables , thestatute that formed the basis for all subsequentRoman law . Under the guidance of Terentilius, the plebs also had theRoman consul ship abolished for a time while five plebeian tribunes assumed consular powers. However, the consulship was eventually restored. The later Florentine writerNiccolò Machiavelli commented that this was similar to the Florentine 'Ten of War' that was eventually reinstated once the people realized it was the excessive abuse of authority that was despised, not the title or function of the office itself. [Machiavelli, "The Discourses", translated by Walker and Richardson, 209.]The story of Terentilius comes to us from one source, Book III of
Livy 's "Ab Urbe Condita ".Notes
References
*Machiavelli, Niccolo (1531). "The Discourses". Translated by Leslie J. Walker, S.J, revisions by Brian Richardson (2003). London: Penguin Books. ISBN 0-140-44428-9
External links
* [http://www.romansonline.com/sources/Hor/Lv03_09.asp Ab Urbe Condita, book III, chapter 9] (
Latin and English)
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