Principate
The Principate (Latin: principatus, from princeps - the first senator; the senator who opens the meeting) is a term in contemporary historical literature that denotes the form of government that developed in Ancient Rome during the period of the early Empire (27 BC - 284 AD), combining monarchical and republican features. The holders of supreme power were often named with the title of princeps, emphasizing their status not as a monarch-autocrat, but as the "first among equals".
In historiography, the title of "emperor" has been established, although the head of state held primary authority as a popular tribune and princeps.
The system of the Principate began to take shape under Augustus, whose authority was based on the combination of various magistracies. Augustus and his successors, being princeps of the Senate, simultaneously concentrated in their hands the highest civil (lifetime popular tribune) and military power. Formally, the republican structure continued to exist: the Senate, the Comitia, the magistracies. However, all these institutions lost their former political influence, as elections to them and their activities were regulated by the princeps. Real power was concentrated in the hands of the princeps-emperor and those close to him, his personal chancellery, the staff of which was continuously growing, and its sphere of activity was expanding.
The principal system began to be formed when Augustus, whose power was based on the connection of various magistracies. Augustus and his successors, being princeps of the Senate, simultaneously concentrated in their hands the highest civil (lifelong tribune of the people) and military power. Formally, the republican system continued to exist: senate, comitia, magistracies. However, all these institutions lost their former political influence, as their elections and activities were regulated by the princeps. Real power was concentrated in the hands of the Princeps Emperor and those close to him, his personal office, whose staff was constantly growing, and the scope of activity expanded.
The Principate was replaced by the Dominate, in which monarchical features are much more evident, and republican institutions have been largely abolished, some reorganized into monarchical ones.
A copy of the statue of Augustus from Prima Porta. Last quarter of the 1st century BC (20-17 BC).
Main stages of the Principate era:
- Rule of the Julio-Claudian dynasty (27 BC-68 AD)
- Year of the Four Emperors (68-69 AD)
- Imperial policy under the Flavians (69-96 AD)
- Golden Age of the Antonines (96-192 AD): Trajan's Wars, Hadrian, Crisis of the last Antonines
- Year of the Five Emperors (A.D. 193)
- Rule of the Severan dynasty (193-235 AD)
- Crisis of the Third Century (235-284 AD)
The emergence of the Principate was preceded, as emphasized by Prof. A.B. Egorov of St. Petersburg State University, by one of the great systemic crises in ancient Roman history — the era of civil wars from 133 to 31 BC. Professor V.S. Sergeev of Moscow State University noted that the first decades of the Principate were characterized by a revival in all areas of economic and cultural life for the entire Roman world. As E.D. Frolov notes, the creators of the Principate sought to restore the significance of traditional pagan Roman cults, whose authority was severely shaken in the 2nd-1st centuries BC. The term "Principate" in historical literature corresponds to the term "early empire", which is considered more accurate.
