Plebeians

Plebeians in Ancient Rome were free inhabitants who did not belong to patrician families. A plebeian was not a slave: he could be a farmer, craftsman, trader, soldier or wealthy citizen, but in the early Republic plebeians had fewer political and religious rights than patricians.

In brief:

• plebeians were free people, not slaves;
• the main difference from patricians was origin and access to power and religious-political privilege;
• the Conflict of the Orders produced tribunes of the plebs and wider citizen rights;
• wealthy plebeians later joined Rome's new ruling elite.

Quick answer

The key difference from enslaved people was personal freedom and, for many, citizenship. The key difference from patricians was descent and early political privilege.

Common follow-up questions

Was a plebeian an enslaved person? No. A plebeian could be a free citizen; an enslaved person lacked personal freedom.

Were plebeians poor? Not always. Plebeians included poor people, artisans, farmers and wealthy families, but they were not patrician nobles.

Plebeians, patricians and slaves

Subsequently,the new population was no longer included in the tribes,that is,it could not be part of the ancient clans and be considered a "Roman people". They were not allowed to use communal land or take part in religious rites. The landless Plebeians were mainly engaged in handicrafts and small-scale trade. Some of them were very rich people. But both rich and poor Plebeians were equally disenfranchised before the patricians. Therefore,initially having no rights,the Plebeians eventually gained the right to elect so-called Plebeian tribunes,who could veto decisions of patrician magistrates. Initially,their decisions were law only among the Plebeians,but as a result of a long struggle,the rights of patricians and Plebeians were equalized. In the middle of the 5th century BC,under pressure from the Plebeians,laws were drawn up,written on 12 copper tablets and put on display in the central square of Rome. It should be noted that they prescribed a law prohibiting marriages between Plebeians and patricians,but it lasted less than a year,and around 445 BC,thanks to the efforts of the tribune of the people Gaius Canuleius,it was abolished. At the beginning of the 3rd century BC,the Patrician and wealthy Plebeian elite merged into one estate — the nobility,and in 287 BC,a law was passed that the decisions of Plebeian assemblies (plebiscites) are binding on all citizens,regardless of origin. Since that time,the Patricians and Plebeians have ceased to be distinct classes-estates. The well-to-do citizens formed the equestrian class,while all the poor formed the plebs,which included free artisans,peasants,and small merchants.

FAQ

Were plebeians slaves? No. Plebeians were free inhabitants of Rome, although in the early Republic they had fewer rights than patricians.

How did plebeians differ from patricians? Patricians linked status with old families and religious-political privileges, while plebeians gained rights through the Conflict of the Orders.

When did plebeian rights expand? Key stages include tribunes of the plebs, the Twelve Tables, access to magistracies and the Lex Hortensia of 287 BCE.

Related topics

Patricians,Roman Republic,Roman Kingdom