Lex Claudia
Encyclopedia
Lex Claudia was a law established in ancient Rome
in 218 BC
. The law was written by Quintus Claudius, then Tribune of the Plebs, stating that no senator or senator’s son could own a sea-going ship with a capacity of more than 300 amphorae (an amphorae is roughly the equivalent of six gallons, making the total ship capacity equal to about seven tons ) . Though Q. Claudius was the only proponent of the law, the law was pushed through the Senate because of the support of Gaius Flaminius Nepos, consul at the time. The law prevented senatorial families from profiting from overseas trade. In Rome, senators were legally prohibited from participating in trade. Gaining wealth through mercantile activities was considered a lower-class activity and those of higher status based their wealth on landholdings, government positions, and profits from war. Regardless of this, senators had found ways of circumventing these laws. Lex Claudia sought to curtail these mercantile profits by senatorial families. As it was introduced right before the beginning of the second Punic War, it may also have been an attempt by the plebeians and common people of Rome to prevent senators from benefiting financially from overseas wars . The law can be viewed as an attempt to ensure that the senators who made decisions regarding wars did so with the good of the Roman Republic
in mind, not their own personal financial interests. This view allows us to understand why Flaminius
, though all the senators opposed him, pushed the law through the Senate in order to ensure allegiance to the Roman Republic
and strengthen military decision-making . Senators seem to have opposed the law simply because it interfered with their freedom . As a result of the law, senatorial families increased investments in commercial companies and land holding in the Italian peninsula
. The law represents one of the first instances of an attempt to separate the governing class from the commercial class in the Roman Republic
.
The law
forced Roman senators into large-scale farming and pushed the equites into the business of international shipping.
The enormous farms of Roman senators are said to have created conditions leading to the rise of the Gracchi
in 133 BC
, during the late Roman Republic
. This law appears to have become obsolete by the time of Cicero
.
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
in 218 BC
218 BC
Year 218 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Scipio and Longus...
. The law was written by Quintus Claudius, then Tribune of the Plebs, stating that no senator or senator’s son could own a sea-going ship with a capacity of more than 300 amphorae (an amphorae is roughly the equivalent of six gallons, making the total ship capacity equal to about seven tons ) . Though Q. Claudius was the only proponent of the law, the law was pushed through the Senate because of the support of Gaius Flaminius Nepos, consul at the time. The law prevented senatorial families from profiting from overseas trade. In Rome, senators were legally prohibited from participating in trade. Gaining wealth through mercantile activities was considered a lower-class activity and those of higher status based their wealth on landholdings, government positions, and profits from war. Regardless of this, senators had found ways of circumventing these laws. Lex Claudia sought to curtail these mercantile profits by senatorial families. As it was introduced right before the beginning of the second Punic War, it may also have been an attempt by the plebeians and common people of Rome to prevent senators from benefiting financially from overseas wars . The law can be viewed as an attempt to ensure that the senators who made decisions regarding wars did so with the good of the Roman Republic
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...
in mind, not their own personal financial interests. This view allows us to understand why Flaminius
Flaminius
Flaminius may refer to*Gaius Flaminius Nepos, Roman consul, killed during the invasion of Italy by Hannibal*Gaius Flaminius, Roman consul, son of the above...
, though all the senators opposed him, pushed the law through the Senate in order to ensure allegiance to the Roman Republic
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...
and strengthen military decision-making . Senators seem to have opposed the law simply because it interfered with their freedom . As a result of the law, senatorial families increased investments in commercial companies and land holding in the Italian peninsula
Italian Peninsula
The Italian Peninsula or Apennine Peninsula is one of the three large peninsulas of Southern Europe , spanning from the Po Valley in the north to the central Mediterranean Sea in the south. The peninsula's shape gives it the nickname Lo Stivale...
. The law represents one of the first instances of an attempt to separate the governing class from the commercial class in the Roman Republic
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...
.
The law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
forced Roman senators into large-scale farming and pushed the equites into the business of international shipping.
The enormous farms of Roman senators are said to have created conditions leading to the rise of the Gracchi
Gracchi
The Gracchi brothers, Tiberius and Gaius, were Roman Plebian nobiles who both served as tribunes in 2nd century BC. They attempted to pass land reform legislation that would redistribute the major patrician landholdings among the plebeians. For this legislation and their membership in the...
in 133 BC
133 BC
Year 133 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Scaevola and Frugi...
, during the late Roman Republic
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...
. This law appears to have become obsolete by the time of Cicero
Cicero
Marcus Tullius Cicero , was a Roman philosopher, statesman, lawyer, political theorist, and Roman constitutionalist. He came from a wealthy municipal family of the equestrian order, and is widely considered one of Rome's greatest orators and prose stylists.He introduced the Romans to the chief...
.