Relationship between Emperors and the Senate.

The relatioship of the emperors with the senate was dependent on two main areas:

• Respect for their privileges and power

Suetonius 35 - Augustus greeted each senator by name, and he wanted them to debate

(IMAGE VERSUS REALITY)

• Using the senate as a court for the trials of senators (maiestas trials)

Different emperors approached the senate in different ways. 

Be aware that many of the literary sources that we get our information from are SENATORS - writing with a motive. 

Certain actions or behaviour by emperors made them unpopular with the senate. 

• Encouraging informants and treason (maiestas) trials, and showing disdain for the senate.

Suetonius: Tiberius 61 - treason trials; Caligula 22 behaving like a God (reminiscent of eastern style kings)

• Extravagent spending - especially on the emperors personal interests - not state matters

Suetonius Nero 31 - criticising Nero's 'Golden House' and other excessiveness.

• Appearing uninterested in or incapable of leading successful military campaigns. 

Suetonius Caligula 36 gave up conquest of Britain. 

• Allowing the mistreatment of provincials

Rebellions of Boudicca in Britain (AD60) and the Jews in Judaea (AD66) both contributed to the downfall of Nero. 

Three factors that affected how Augustus treated the senate are:

• JULIUS CAESAR

Augustus did not want the same fate as his adoptive father - being stabbed by senators. This was caused by his lack of respect for the senate an the 'Perpetual Dicatorship'.

• AUGUSTUS' CONSERVATISM

Augustus wanted to restore dignity to the senate and follow the model of the republic. 

• NEEDED TO SHARE THE WORKLOAD

Realistically, he could not run the entire empire on his own

Augustus' actions

• Reduction of the senate: the number of people in the senate was reduced from 1000 to 800 (in 29BC) then to 600 (18BC).
  
• Monetary qualification: 1 million sesterces (sometimes Augutsus helped men without this qualification to be members of the senate - Equites)
• Restored dignity: senators offer wine and incense before taking their seats. 
• Treated them with respect: knew the senators by name and did not make them stand up when he entered or left the senate
• Fines: increased fines for non-attendance, and forbade senators from leaving Italy without permission from him.
• Quorum of 400: minimum number of senators needed to pass a law 
• Consilium Principis: set up 19BC - advisory body for Princips. It consisted of the emperor, 15 senators chosen by lot, both consuls, and one of each of the magistrates who prepared business to submit to the senate. 
• Shortened consulship:6 months after 5BC, more chance for families to become noble and made more men to do administrative work (eg proconsul) 
• Censor: revived the position of censor which had fallen out of use. 

The effect of these actions on the power of the senate:

• The senate became a legislative body
• It controlled the peaceful provinces 
• The senate was in charge of a lot of public services - grain supply, roads, aqueducts etc.
• It was in charge of the treasury and could mint bronze and copper coins
• They had no control over foreign affairs - except to meet embassies
• They were in charge of court cases involving senators and prominent people
• The Tribunate lost the power of veto and the ability to pass laws in the popular assembly

The effect of these actions on Augustus' power:

• Augustus could legislate using the Tribunician powers (by appealing directly to the people), but did not usually do this (used Consilium Principis)
• All the provinces with legions were under his control (under the guise of taking the dangerous provinces away from the senate), and he allocated which were Senatorial and Imperial provinces
• The Praetorian Guard was his personal bodyguard
•  Only he could mint gold and silver coins and he controlled the military treasury
• He could decide whether their was war or peace and make alliances
• People could 'appeal to Caesar' for mercy 

'Tiberius seemed to start his reign with good intentions and made an effort to honour the senate - following the example of Augustus by extending their duties, consulting them and showing respect' - RICHARD ALSTON

Maiestas (treason) Trials

There were treason trials from almost the very beginning of Tiberius' reign. 

The senate was a small, tightly-knit group, and it heavily relied on family connectins, political friendships and marriages. As a result, each time a senator was removed it affected lots more senators.

It created paranoia and a tension within the senate as informants were encouraged, which bred fear and hostility. 

The influence of Sejanus

Sejanus definitely had an influence, it is particularly clear in the trials of the friends of Agrippina, which led to delatores* being increasingly used. 

*people who recieved rewards for providing informatin that led to a prosecution. 

Tacitus claims Tiberius was cruel and vindictive, but that he encouraged, even aided, by a pliant senate eager to ruin one of their colleagues. 

Tacitus writes that Tiberius said they were "men fit to be slaves"

In the beginning, it appeared he wanted a positive realtionship with the senate:

• He burned the papers containing information about his family's death
• Temporarily abolished the charge of maiestas
• He did not immediately assume the consulship - he waited 6 months for the current consuls to finish their term, then he assumed the consulship with his uncle Claudius

This did not last. He began overcompensating for his lack of both military and political experience by humilating individual senators and the senatorial body as a whole to try and extend his authority. He elevated his own position to that of a deity while he was still alive, which did not follow traditions and did not agree with political traditions. 

Suetonius, Gaius 30.1 "Let them hate me as long as they fear me" it shows Caligula's cruelty and psycopathic sense of humour. 

Claudius began his reign courteous and respectful towards the senate - he reformed the senatorial roll. 

He extended membership of the senate to include Gauls, which although he did with the senate's approval, did cause some resentment. 

He prosecuted corrupt provincial governors. 

Officially, the senate were still the centre of the administraion of Rome, but Claudius relied on the advice of freedmen and his family, which essentially put the Imperial Family and palace as the centre of administation, which alienated the senate. 

He promised to honour the senate

• "The senate is to preserve its ancient functions" Tacitus Annals 13

He removed Claudius' freedmen from the senate (but he did later use his own freedmen) 

The administrative structure mainly stayed the same - roles filled by freedmen, though they did not have as much of a priminent position as they did during the reign of Claudius 

• The sons of freedmen weren't allowed to be senators, and those already in the senate had their careers blocked by a ban on them holding office. 

Nero curbed the activity of informers. 

It was his behaviour and focus upon culture and theatre that eventually caused a hostile reaction from the senate. 

Richard Alston quote:

• "Nero faced many of the same problems as Gaius and Claudius in coming to the throne with limited experience and, like his two predecessors, his style of government was inventive...         Gaius had turned to a kind of divine despotism by which to control the classes of Rome. Claudius had removed the power from the senate by concentrating authority in his inner circle of close friends and household members. Nero looked to culture."

• Vespasian represented himself as a traditional Italian aristocrat - he gained his power through military force and was an Equestrian but he played the part of a senator snd stripped the imperial position of much of its ostentation.
• He lived in a house in the Gardens of Sallust in the centre of Rome, not in the Imperial Palace. 
• He was a general first and a politican second. 

• Vespasian's regime lacked cultural and political pretension - purposeful, to contrast with Julio-Claudians
• Opposition did exist (especially from a group around Paetus), but some sources suggest that Suetonius (Vespasian 25 and Titus 6) overestimated the severity of this opposition - Dio even suggested he made it up. 
• Vespasian did not kill everybody that opposed him, instead he made an example of them - e.g. Priscus

Overall, the Senate did not like Vespasian's low birth and crude nature, but had to accept Flavian rule and be grateful for Vespasian's easy going nature. 

RICHARD ALSTON QUOTE

"Overall Vespasian and Titus were not dethroned by their opponents, and Vespasian had his wish in that he was succeded (peacefully) by his son"

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Domitian's tyrannical and imperial character and nature was a huge contrast to that of Vespasian, which led to conspiracies very early on in his reign

Alston states that Domitian's elimination of the 'philosophical opposition' within the senate proves his inability to reach a consensus with the senators, and led to paranoia. Domitian even killed members of his family due to his paranoia and fear of assassination.

Treason trials.

Be aware that Domitian's reign is written by his enemies - for them Domitian was a tyrant, but the senate were complicit in his tyranny. 

RICHARD ALSTON QUOTE

"The world is not divided in to good and bad people. Tyrannies, in their absolute nature, force ambivalence. Either you are with the tyrant or against him. If you are against him, you die. In enforcing complicity, everyone is tainted by the killings. Sometimes modern historians complain that Tacitus' views of the Principate were coloured by his experience under Domitian. Yet, what Tacitus and everyone else got under Domitian was a political education in the brutal realities of imperial power."

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2015

'None of the Emperors of this period managed to achieve a good working relatinship with the senate and senators.' How far do you agree with this assessment? 

MAIN BODY

AUGUSTUS - ok but IMAGE VS REALITY

TIBERIUS - BAD

CALIGULA - BAD

CLAUDIUS - better than bother but NOT GREAT

NERO - BAD

VESPASIAN - ok

DOMITIAN - VERY BAD