Principate

E70669

The Principate was the early phase of the Roman Empire characterized by emperors who maintained the facade of republican institutions while holding ultimate authority.


Statements (49)
Predicate Object
instanceOf historical period
phase of the Roman Empire
appliesToJurisdiction Roman Empire
describedBySource Cassius Dio
Suetonius
Tacitus
endTime AD 284
followedBy Dominate
follows Roman Republic
hasCharacteristic Praetorian Guard as imperial bodyguard
centralized administration
coexistence of local traditions with Roman institutions
concentration of power in the emperor
cultural Romanization of provinces
development of Roman law and jurisprudence
economic integration of Mediterranean world
emperor as first citizen (princeps civitatis)
emperor as princeps senatus
emperor held proconsular imperium
emperor held tribunician power
emperor held ultimate military command
emperor’s authority often based on multiple powers rather than a single office
expansion of imperial bureaucracy
gradual erosion of republican forms leading toward Dominate
gradual extension of Roman citizenship
growth of imperial bureaucracy staffed by freedmen and equestrians
ideology of restoring the Republic
imperial cult
increasing autocracy over time
increasing role of the army in imperial succession
legal authority concentrated in emperor’s rescripts and edicts
monarchical rule with republican facade
preservation of traditional republican offices in form
professional standing army
provincial administration under imperial and senatorial provinces
relative internal peace (Pax Romana in early Principate)
senate retained formal authority but reduced power
senatorial and equestrian orders as elite classes
succession often hereditary but not legally codified
urbanization and monumental architecture
hasPart Crisis of the Third Century
Flavian dynasty
Julio-Claudian dynasty
Nerva–Antonine dynasty
Severan dynasty
Year of the Four Emperors
namedAfter title princeps
partOf Roman Empire
startTime 27 BC

Referenced by (12)
Subject (surface form when different) Predicate
Julio-Claudian dynasty ("Principate of Augustus")
Julio-Claudian dynasty ("Principate of Tiberius")
Julio-Claudian dynasty ("Principate of Claudius")
Julio-Claudian dynasty ("Principate of Nero")
hasPart
Temple of Peace ("Pax Romana")
celebrates
Trajan
era
Late Roman Republic ("Principate of Augustus")
followedBy
Flavian dynasty ("Roman Principate")
governmentForm
Praetorian Guard
historicalPeriod
Nerva–Antonine dynasty ("Pax Romana")
knownFor
Regio VIII Forum Romanum ("Imperial Rome")
locatedInTimePeriod
Julio-Claudian dynasty ("Pax Romana")
notableEvent

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