In the Roman Republic, one officeholder was considered sacrosanct, his body legally inviolable: the Tribune of the Plebs. Created during the early struggles between the plebeians and patricians, the Tribune's primary power was the veto, the ability to block any act of a magistrate or the Senate. To ensure he could perform this duty without fear, the plebeians took a sacred oath to kill any person who harmed a Tribune.
This episode examines the unique legal and religious status of the Tribunes. Their power of sacrosanctitas meant that anyone who laid hands on them was declared an outlaw, who could be killed without trial. This power made the Tribunes the ultimate protectors of the common people, but it also made their office a volatile flashpoint in Roman politics. We explore how ambitious Tribunes like the Gracchi brothers used their authority to challenge the senatorial elite, with tragic and bloody consequences.
The principle of sacrosanctity was a cornerstone of the Roman constitution, a legal fiction that held the state together. However, when political violence eventually breached this sacred protection, it signaled the beginning of the end for the Republic. The story of the Tribune is the story of the struggle for power between the people and the aristocracy.
