Social Status of Roman Senators According to the Theodosian Code: Legislation and Reality

Abstract

In 438, at the initiative of Emperor Theodosius II, one of the most significant legislative collections of the late Roman Empire, the Codex Theodosianus (Eng. Theodosian Code), was published, which is a valuable source on the social history of the Roman state in Late Antiquity. Based on the data of the Codex Theodosianus and Novellae of Emperors, the author of the article reconstructs the most important components of the social status of Roman senators of the fourth century BC. It is revealed that in the view of the emperor and the compilers of the Theodosian Code, the senatorial aristocracy was thought of as the highest class of the Roman Empire. Several factors influenced the status of Roman senators. Following a “suitable” way of life and proper performance of political functions determined the position of the senator in society and formed his reputation not only in the eyes of the emperor, but also in the eyes of his community, as well as other classes. The way a person got into the ranks of the senatorial aristocracy also affected the status. So, it was not so much the origin that was important, but the observance of legality in obtaining titles, and, in the case of decurions, the legitimacy of the transition from one estate to another. Finally, the possession of the patrimony and ensuring its proper functioning guaranteed the full and timely payment of taxes by the senators, and in the eyes of the ruler was important for maintaining the high status of the senatorial aristocracy. Unlike legislation, reality was more complex. Thus, the social status was influenced by a much larger number of components (for example, the acceptance or rejection of a Roman aristocrat by the city plebs), moreover, the proper fulfillment by the senator of all the requirements put forward by the imperial power did not always lead him to success in political activity.