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Praetor ( , ), also pretor, was the
title A title is one or more words used before or after a person's name, in certain contexts. It may signify either generation, an official position, or a professional or academic qualification. In some languages, titles may be inserted between the f ...
granted by the government of
Ancient Rome In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman people, Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom ...
to a man acting in one of two official capacities: (i) the commander of an
army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...
, and (ii) as an elected ''
magistratus The Roman magistrates were elected officials in Ancient Rome. During the period of the Roman Kingdom, the King of Rome was the principal executive magistrate.Abbott, 8 His power, in practice, was absolute. He was the chief priest, lawgiver, jud ...
'' (magistrate), assigned to discharge various duties. The functions of the magistracy, the ''praetura'' (praetorship), are described by the adjective: the ''praetoria potestas'' (praetorian power), the ''praetorium imperium'' (praetorian authority), and the ''praetorium ius'' (praetorian law), the legal precedents established by the ''praetores'' (praetors). ''Praetorium'', as a substantive, denoted the location from which the praetor exercised his authority, either the headquarters of his ''
castra In the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire, the Latin word ''castrum'', plural ''castra'', was a military-related term. In Latin usage, the singular form ''castrum'' meant 'fort', while the plural form ''castra'' meant 'camp'. The singular a ...
'', the courthouse (tribunal) of his judiciary, or the city hall of his provincial governorship.


History of the title

The status of the ''praetor'' in the early republic is unclear. The traditional account from Livy claims that the praetorship was created by the Sextian-Licinian Rogations in 367 BC, but it was well known both to Livy and other Romans in the late republic that the chief magistrates were first called ''praetor''. For example, Festus "refers to 'the praetors, who are now consuls'". The form of the republic changed substantially over its history and the accounts of the republic's development in the early imperial period are marred with anachronisms projecting then-current practices into the past. In the earliest periods of the republic, ''praetor'' "may not have meant anything more than leader in the most basic sense", deriving from ''praeire'' (to proceed) or ''praeesse'' (to be preeminent). These early praetors may have simply been clan leaders leading "military forces privately and free from state control" with a multitude of private leaders leading private armies. These early military leaders were eventually institutionalised into fixed magistrate bodies elected by the people with clear state control over military activities. This was also probably assisted by "the use of ''recuperatores'' to mediate disputes and fetial priests to control the declaration of war". The effect to make it more difficult for private individuals to start wars against Rome's neighbours. Reforms in 449 BC also may have required "for the first time that all military commanders be confirmed by a popular assembly epresentingthe Roman people". The emergence of the classical praetorship was a long process in which definitely started by 367 BC, when the Sextian-Licinian Rogations were passed, giving the Roman people substantially more power over the selection of their military commanders. While Livy claims that the rogations created the praetorship in 367 BC to relieve the consuls of their judicial responsibilities, "few modern historians would accept hisaccount as written". Beyond the ancient knowledge that a title of praetor dated to the beginning of the republic, what became the classical praetorship was initially a military office with
imperium In ancient Rome, ''imperium'' was a form of authority held by a citizen to control a military or governmental entity. It is distinct from '' auctoritas'' and '' potestas'', different and generally inferior types of power in the Roman Republic a ...
and "virtually identical in authority and capacity to the consulship". Furthermore, a fully-formed praetorship without colleague, as Livy's account implies, would be a "tremendous violation of Roman practice in which all regular magistracies were created in colleges consisting of at least two". "Scholars increasingly view the ogationsas establishing a college of three (and only three) praetors, two of whom eventually developed into the historical consuls". What became the classical praetorship in its early years also was not viewed as being less than the consuls, as "it was common practice for men to hold the praetorship after a consulship... since oing sowas simply a method of holding ''imperium'' for a second year". Livy reports that until 337 BC the praetor was chosen only from among the patricians. In that year, eligibility for the ''praetura'' was opened to the plebeians, and one of them, Quintus Publilius Philo, won the office. Only in the 125 years after the election of three military leaders did a clear distinction emerge between what became the consuls and what became the praetors due to the "normal Roman practice to reserve one commander in or near the city for purposes of defence and (eventually) for civilian administration". The glory and prestige won by the praetors fighting foreign wars, then still in Italy, is what led to the higher prestige of the consulship. Only in 180 BC with the passage of the ''lex Villia annalis'' was holding the praetorship after the consulship prohibited. Even after the consulship emerged from the praetorship with higher prestige and desirability, praetorian ''imperium'' was still not legally distinct (or inferior to consular ''imperium'') until the very end of the republic. Starting in 241 BC, praetors started to be prorogued, allowing former praetors to act in the place of a praetor (ie '' pro praetore'') with power only "to conduct war in his assigned ''provincia'' ithno other concerns or duties". Prorogation, in effect, granted private individuals a legally fictitious power to act in the place of the normal magistrates, allowing them to continue to act within their assigned task (''provincia''). Prorogation allowed a magistrate, whose ''imperium'' did not expire with his term until crossing the pomerium or being stripped by the people, to continue in his assigned task or ''provincia''.


Praetura

The elected praetor was a '' magistratus curulis'', exercised ''
imperium In ancient Rome, ''imperium'' was a form of authority held by a citizen to control a military or governmental entity. It is distinct from '' auctoritas'' and '' potestas'', different and generally inferior types of power in the Roman Republic a ...
'', and consequently was one of the '' magistratus majores''. He had the right to sit in the '' sella curulis'' and wear the '' toga praetexta''.Livy, 7.1 He was attended by six
lictor A lictor (possibly from la, ligare, "to bind") was a Roman civil servant who was an attendant and bodyguard to a magistrate who held ''imperium''. Lictors are documented since the Roman Kingdom, and may have originated with the Etruscans. Origi ...
s. A praetor was a
magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judic ...
with ''
imperium In ancient Rome, ''imperium'' was a form of authority held by a citizen to control a military or governmental entity. It is distinct from '' auctoritas'' and '' potestas'', different and generally inferior types of power in the Roman Republic a ...
'' within his own sphere, subject only to the veto of the consuls (who outranked him). The ''potestas'' and ''imperium'' (power and authority) of the consuls and the praetors under the
Republic A republic () is a " state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th ...
should not be exaggerated. They did not use independent judgment in resolving matters of state. Unlike today's executive branches, they were assigned high-level tasks directly by senatorial decree under the authority of the SPQR. Livy describes the assignments given to either consuls or praetors in some detail. As magistrates, they had standing duties to perform, especially of a religious nature. However, a consul or praetor could be taken away from his current duties at any time to head a task force, and there were many, especially military. Livy mentions that, among other tasks, these executive officers were told to lead troops against perceived threats (domestic or foreign), investigate possible subversion, raise troops, conduct special sacrifices, distribute windfall money, appoint commissioners and even exterminate locusts. Praetors could delegate at will. The one principle that limited what could be assigned to them was that their duties must not concern them with ''minima'', "little things". They were by definition doers of ''maxima''. This principle of Roman law became a principle of later European law: '' Non curat minima praetor'', that is, the details do not need to be legislated, they can be left up to the courts.


Praetors and their duties


Republican

A second praetorship was created around 241 BC, more clearly separating this office from that of the consulship. There were two reasons for this: to relieve the weight of judicial business and to give the Republic a
magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judic ...
with ''
imperium In ancient Rome, ''imperium'' was a form of authority held by a citizen to control a military or governmental entity. It is distinct from '' auctoritas'' and '' potestas'', different and generally inferior types of power in the Roman Republic a ...
'' who could field an army in an emergency when both
consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states throu ...
s were fighting a far-off war.


''Praetor peregrinus''

By the end of the
First Punic War The First Punic War (264–241 BC) was the first of Punic Wars, three wars fought between Roman Republic, Rome and Ancient Carthage, Carthage, the two main powers of the western Mediterranean in the early 3rd century BC. For 23 years ...
, a fourth magistrate entitled to hold ''
imperium In ancient Rome, ''imperium'' was a form of authority held by a citizen to control a military or governmental entity. It is distinct from '' auctoritas'' and '' potestas'', different and generally inferior types of power in the Roman Republic a ...
'' appears, the ''praetor qui inter peregrinos ius dicit'' ("the praetor who administers justice among foreigners"). Although in the later Empire the office was titled ''praetor inter cives et peregrinos'' ("among citizens and foreigners", that is, having jurisdiction in disputes between citizens and noncitizens), by the time of the 3rd century BC, Rome's territorial annexations and foreign populations were unlikely to require a new office dedicated solely to this task. T. Corey Brennan, in his two-volume study of the praetorship, argues that during the military crisis of the 240s the second praetorship was created to make another holder of ''imperium'' available for command and provincial administration ''inter peregrinos''. During the Hannibalic War, the ''praetor peregrinus'' was frequently absent from Rome on special missions. The urban praetor more often remained in the city to administer the judicial system.


''Praetor urbanus''

The ''praetor urbanus'' presided in civil cases between citizens. The Senate required that some senior officer remain in Rome at all times. This duty now fell to the ''praetor urbanus''. In the absence of the consuls, he was the senior magistrate of the city, with the power to summon the Senate and to organize the defense of the city in the event of an attack. He was not allowed to leave the city for more than ten days at a time. He was therefore given appropriate duties in Rome. He superintended the Ludi Apollinares and was also the chief magistrate for the administration of justice and promulgated the
Praetor's Edict The Praetor's Edict ''(Edictum praetoris)'' in ancient Roman law was an annual declaration of principles made by the new ''praetor urbanus'' – the elected magistrate charged with administering justice within the city of Rome.Such Edicts were also ...
. These Edicts were statements of praetor's policy as to judicial decisions to be made during his term of office. The praetor had substantial discretion regarding his Edict, but could not legislate. In a sense the continuing Edicts came to form a corpus of precedents. The development and improvement of
Roman Law Roman law is the legal system of ancient Rome, including the legal developments spanning over a thousand years of jurisprudence, from the Twelve Tables (c. 449 BC), to the '' Corpus Juris Civilis'' (AD 529) ordered by Eastern Roman emperor J ...
owes much to the wise use of this praetorial discretion.


Additional praetors

The expansion of Roman authority over other lands required the addition of praetors. Two were created in 227 BC, for the administration of
Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...
and
Sardinia Sardinia ( ; it, Sardegna, label=Italian, Corsican and Tabarchino ; sc, Sardigna , sdc, Sardhigna; french: Sardaigne; sdn, Saldigna; ca, Sardenya, label= Algherese and Catalan) is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, aft ...
, and two more when the two
Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...
provinces were formed in 197 BC. The dictator
Lucius Cornelius Sulla Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix (; 138–78 BC), commonly known as Sulla, was a Roman general and statesman. He won the first large-scale civil war in Roman history and became the first man of the Republic to seize power through force. Sulla had ...
transferred administration of the provinces to former consuls and praetors, simultaneously increasing the number of praetors elected each year to eight, as part of his constitutional reforms.
Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, an ...
raised the number to ten, then fourteen, and finally to sixteen.


Imperial

Augustus Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pr ...
made changes that were designed to reduce the Praetor to being an imperial administrator rather than a magistrate. The electoral body was changed to the Senate, which was now an instrument of imperial ratification. To take a very simplistic view, the establishment of the principate can be seen as the restoration of monarchy under another name. The Emperor therefore assumed the powers once held by the kings, but he used the apparatus of the republic to exercise them. For example, the emperor presided over the highest courts of appeal. The need for administrators remained just as acute. After several changes, Augustus fixed the number at twelve. Under
Tiberius Tiberius Julius Caesar Augustus (; 16 November 42 BC – 16 March AD 37) was the second Roman emperor. He reigned from AD 14 until 37, succeeding his stepfather, the first Roman emperor Augustus. Tiberius was born in Rome in 42 BC. His father ...
, there were sixteen. As imperial administrators, their duties extended to matters that the republic would have considered ''minima''. Two praetors were appointed by
Claudius Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (; 1 August 10 BC – 13 October AD 54) was the fourth Roman emperor, ruling from AD 41 to 54. A member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, Claudius was born to Drusus and Antonia Minor ...
for matters relating to Fideicommissa (
trusts A trust is a legal relationship in which the holder of a right gives it to another person or entity who must keep and use it solely for another's benefit. In the Anglo-American common law, the party who entrusts the right is known as the "sett ...
), when the business in that department of the law had become considerable, but
Titus Titus Caesar Vespasianus ( ; 30 December 39 – 13 September 81 AD) was Roman emperor from 79 to 81. A member of the Flavian dynasty, Titus succeeded his father Vespasian upon his death. Before becoming emperor, Titus gained renown as a mili ...
reduced the number to one; and
Nerva Nerva (; originally Marcus Cocceius Nerva; 8 November 30 – 27 January 98) was Roman emperor from 96 to 98. Nerva became emperor when aged almost 66, after a lifetime of imperial service under Nero and the succeeding rulers of the Flavian dy ...
added a Praetor for the decision of matters between the
Fiscus ''Fiscus'', from which comes the English term "fiscal", was the name of the personal chest of the emperors of Rome. The word is literally translated as "basket" or "purse" and was used to describe those forms of revenue collected from the provinc ...
(
treasury A treasury is either *A government department related to finance and taxation, a finance ministry. *A place or location where treasure, such as currency or precious items are kept. These can be state or royal property, church treasure or i ...
) and individuals.
Marcus Aurelius Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (Latin: áːɾkus̠ auɾέːli.us̠ antɔ́ːni.us̠ English: ; 26 April 121 – 17 March 180) was Roman emperor from 161 to 180 AD and a Stoic philosopher. He was the last of the rulers known as the Five Good E ...
appointed a Praetor for matters relating to ''tutela'' ( guardianship).


Praetors as judges

Roman court cases fell into the two broad categories of civil or criminal trials. The involvement of a Praetor in either was as follows.


Actions

In an ''actio'', which was civil, the Praetor could either issue an ''interdictum'' (interdict) forbidding some circumstance or appoint a ''iudex'' (
judge A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...
). Proceedings before the praetor were technically said to be ''in iure''. At this stage, the Praetor would establish a ''formula'' directing the ''iudex'' as to the remedy to be given if he found that certain circumstances were satisfied; for instance, "Let X be ''iudex''. If it appears that the defendant ought to pay 10,000 sesterces to the plaintiff, let the ''iudex'' condemn the defendant to pay 10,000 sesterces to the plaintiff. If it does not so appear, let the plaintiff absolve him." After they were handed over to the ''iudex'', they were no longer ''in iure'' before the Praetor, but ''apud iudicem''. The ''iudicium'' of the ''iudex'' was binding. By the time of
Diocletian Diocletian (; la, Gaius Aurelius Valerius Diocletianus, grc, Διοκλητιανός, Diokletianós; c. 242/245 – 311/312), nicknamed ''Iovius'', was Roman emperor from 284 until his abdication in 305. He was born Gaius Valerius Diocles ...
, however, this two-stage process had largely disappeared, and the Praetor would either hear the whole case in person or appoint a delegate (a ''iudex pedaneus''), taking steps for the enforcement of the decision; the ''formula'' was replaced by an informal system of pleadings. During the time of the
Roman Republic The Roman Republic ( la, Res publica Romana ) was a form of government of Rome and the era of the classical Roman civilization when it was run through public representation of the Roman people. Beginning with the overthrow of the Roman Ki ...
, the Urban Praetor allegedly issued an annual
edict An edict is a decree or announcement of a law, often associated with monarchism, but it can be under any official authority. Synonyms include "dictum" and "pronouncement". ''Edict'' derives from the Latin edictum. Notable edicts * Telepinu Proc ...
, usually on the advice of
jurist A jurist is a person with expert knowledge of law; someone who analyses and comments on law. This person is usually a specialist legal scholar, mostly (but not always) with a formal qualification in law and often a legal practitioner. In the U ...
s (since the Praetor himself was not necessarily educated in the law), setting out the circumstances under which he would grant remedies. The legal provisions arising from the Praetor's Edict were known as ''ius honorarium''; in theory the Praetor did not have power to alter the law, but in practice the Edict altered the rights and duties of individuals and was effectively a legislative document. In the reign of
Hadrian Hadrian (; la, Caesar Trâiānus Hadriānus ; 24 January 76 – 10 July 138) was Roman emperor from 117 to 138. He was born in Italica (close to modern Santiponce in Spain), a Roman ''municipium'' founded by Italic settlers in Hispania ...
, however, the terms of the Edict were made permanent and the Praetor's ''de facto'' legislative role was abolished.


Quaestiones perpetuae

The Praetors also presided at the ''quaestiones perpetuae'' (which were criminal proceedings), so-called because they were of certain types, with a Praetor being assigned to one type on a permanent basis. The Praetors appointed judges who acted as jurors in voting for guilt or innocence. The verdict was either acquittal or condemnation. These quaestiones looked into ''crimina publica'', "crimes against the public", such as were worthy of the attention of a Praetor. The penalty on conviction was usually death, but sometimes other severe penalties were used. In the late Republic, the public crimes were: * Repetundae * Ambitus * Majestas * Peculatus *Falsum * De Sicariis et Veneficis * De Patricidis The last three were added by the Dictator
Sulla Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix (; 138–78 BC), commonly known as Sulla, was a Roman general and statesman. He won the first large-scale civil war in Roman history and became the first man of the Republic to seize power through force. Sulla had t ...
in the early 1st century BC.


Outdoor actions

When the Praetor administered justice in a tribunal, he sat on a ''sella curulis'', which was that part of the court reserved for the Praetor and his assessors and friends, as opposed to the ''subsellia'', the part occupied by the ''iudices'' (judges) and others who were present. In court, the Praetor was referred to as acting ''e tribunali'' or ''ex superiore loco'' (lit. from a raised platform or from a higher place) but he could also perform ministerial acts out of court, in which case he was said to be acting ''e plano'' or ''ex aequo loco'' (lit. from the flat ground or from an equal or level place). For instance, he could in certain cases give validity to the act of manumission when he was out-of-doors, such as on his way to the bath or to the theatre.


Later Roman era

By 395 AD, the praetors' responsibilities had been reduced to a purely municipal role. Their sole duty was to manage the spending of money on the exhibition of games or on public works. However, with the decline of the other traditional Roman offices such as that of
tribune Tribune () was the title of various elected officials in ancient Rome. The two most important were the tribunes of the plebs and the military tribunes. For most of Roman history, a college of ten tribunes of the plebs acted as a check on th ...
the praetorship remained an important portal through which aristocrats could gain access to either the Western or Eastern Senates. The Praetorship was a costly position to hold as praetors were expected to possess a treasury from which they could draw funds for their municipal duties.


Byzantine Empire

Like many other Roman institutions, the praetor ( el, πραίτωρ, ''praitōr'') survived in the
Eastern Roman Empire The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantino ...
. Emperor
Justinian I Justinian I (; la, Iustinianus, ; grc-gre, Ἰουστινιανός ; 48214 November 565), also known as Justinian the Great, was the Byzantine emperor from 527 to 565. His reign is marked by the ambitious but only partly realized '' renov ...
(r. 527–565) undertook a major administrative reform beginning in 535, which involved the reunification of civil and military authority in the hands of the governor in certain provinces, and the abolition of the dioceses. The
Diocese of Thrace The Diocese of Thrace ( la, Dioecesis Thraciae, el, Διοίκησις Θρᾴκης) was a diocese of the later Roman Empire, incorporating the provinces of the eastern Balkan Peninsula (comprising territories in modern south-eastern Romania, c ...
had already been abolished by the end of the 5th century by Anastasius, and its '' vicarius'' became the new ''praetor Justinianus'' of Thrace, with authority over all the former Thracian provinces except for Lower Moesia and Scythia Minor, which became part of the '' quaestura exercitus''. Similarly, the governors of Pisidia and
Lycaonia Lycaonia (; el, Λυκαονία, ''Lykaonia''; tr, Likaonya) was a large region in the interior of Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey), north of the Taurus Mountains. It was bounded on the east by Cappadocia, on the north by Galatia, on the west b ...
, as well as Paphlagonia (enlarged by merging it with Honorias) were upgraded to ''praetores Justiniani'', and received the rank of '' vir spectabilis''. In addition, in
Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...
he replaced the '' praefectus vigilum'', who was hitherto responsible for security, by a ''praetor populi'' (in Greek πραίτωρ �ῶνδήμων, ''praitōr ōndēmōn''), with wide-ranging police powers. In the early 9th century, the ''praitōr'' was a junior administrative official in the ''
themata The themes or ( el, θέματα, , singular: , ) were the main military/administrative divisions of the middle Byzantine Empire. They were established in the mid-7th century in the aftermath of the Slavic invasion of the Balkans and Muslim co ...
'', subordinate to the governing '' stratēgos''. Gradually however, the civil functionaries assumed greater power, and by the late 10th century, the ''praitores'' (or ''kritai'', "judges") were placed at the head of the civil administration of a ''thema''. This division of civil and military duties was often abandoned in the 12th century, when the posts of civil ''praitōr'' and military '' doux'' were frequently held in tandem. The provincial post fell out of use after the collapse of the Empire in 1204. According to Helene Ahrweiler, Emperor Nikephoros II (r. 963–969) reinstituted a praetor in Constantinople, as a high-ranking judge. He is possibly identical to the Palaiologan-era post of the ''praitōr tou demōu'', whose holders are attested until 1355. According to the ''Book of Offices'' of pseudo-Kodinos, compiled around the same time, the ''praitōr tou demōu'' occupied the 38th place in the imperial hierarchy, between the '' megas tzaousios'' and the '' logothetēs tōn oikeiakōn'', but held no official function. His court uniform consisted of a gold-brocaded hat (''skiadion''), a plain silk '' kabbadion'' tunic, and a plain, smooth wooden staff (''dikanikion'').


Modern era

Classical Latin Praetor became medieval Latin Pretor; Praetura, Pretura, etc. During the
interwar period In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days), the end of the First World War to the beginning of the Second World War. The interwar period was relative ...
the 71 counties of
Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
were divided into a various numbers of '' plăși'' (singular: ''plasă''), headed by a ''Pretor'', appointed by the
Prefect Prefect (from the Latin ''praefectus'', substantive adjectival form of ''praeficere'': "put in front", meaning in charge) is a magisterial title of varying definition, but essentially refers to the leader of an administrative area. A prefect's ...
. The institution headed by the Pretor was called ''Pretură''. Currently, this office has survived only in the
Republic of Moldova A republic () is a " state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th ...
, where praetors are the heads of Chişinău's five sectors. In Italy, until 1998, Praetor was a magistrate with particular duty (especially in civil branch). The Italian-speaking Swiss
canton of Ticino Ticino (), sometimes Tessin (), officially the Republic and Canton of Ticino or less formally the Canton of Ticino,, informally ''Canton Ticino'' ; lmo, Canton Tesin ; german: Kanton Tessin ; french: Canton du Tessin ; rm, Chantun dal Tessin . ...
has ''preturi'' (singular: ''preture'') which is the chief magistrate (civil branch) of a district, heading a ''pretura'' (a court). The ''preturi'' are appointed by the canton's parliament.Constitution of Ticino
Article 36 (in Italian)


In popular culture

In the ''
Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vari ...
'' franchise, Praetor is the usual title of the leader of the Romulan Empire. In the '' New Phyrexia'' expansion of the '' Magic: The Gathering''
collectible card game A collectible card game (CCG), also called a trading card game (TCG) among other names, is a type of card game that mixes strategy game, strategic deck building elements with features of trading cards, introduced with ''Magic: The Gathering'' in ...
, the five Phyrexian rulers were labeled a
praetors
In the 2016 game ''
Doom Doom is another name for damnation. Doom may also refer to: People * Doom (professional wrestling), the tag team of Ron Simmons and Butch Reed * Daniel Doom (born 1934), Belgian cyclist * Debbie Doom (born 1963), American softball pitcher * ...
'', the armor worn by the protagonist is called the Praetor suit. In the 2017 game '' Xenoblade Chronicles 2'', one of the central antagonists Amalthus holds the title of Praetor in the Praetorium of Indol. In the popular book series by Rick Riordan, '' The Heroes of Olympus'', there is a Senate with two Praetors, one male and one female. In the critically acclaimed
MMORPG A massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) is a video game that combines aspects of a role-playing video game and a massively multiplayer online game. As in role-playing games (RPGs), the player assumes the role of a Player charac ...
Final Fantasy XIV, "The Praetorium" is a level 50 dungeon. In the 2022 game '' Elden Ring'', one of the antagonists Rykard holds the title of Praetor among his fellow demi-gods in the Lands Between.


See also

*
Praetor's Edict The Praetor's Edict ''(Edictum praetoris)'' in ancient Roman law was an annual declaration of principles made by the new ''praetor urbanus'' – the elected magistrate charged with administering justice within the city of Rome.Such Edicts were also ...
* Constitution of the Roman Republic * List of topics related to ancient Rome * Political institutions of Rome * List of Praetors of the Roman Republic * :Roman praetors


Notes


References


Sources

* * * * * * * * * *


External links


Peck, Harry Thurston, ''Harpers Dictionary of Classical Antiquities (1898), Praetor''


* [https://web.archive.org/web/20021230100155/http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/etcbin/toccer-new2?id=Liv1His.sgm&images=images%2Fmodeng&data=%2Ftexts%2Fenglish%2Fmodeng%2Fparsed&tag=public&part=all Livy, Books 1–5], English, University of Virginia searchable etext.
Livy, Books 6–10
English, University of Virginia searchable etext.
Livy, Books 40–45
English, University of Virginia searchable etext.
Cicero, ''de legibus'', Book 3, Latin.
The Latin Library site.
''The Roman Law Library'' by Professor Yves Lassard and Alexandr Koptev
{{Ancient Rome topics Ancient Roman titles Roman law Latin political words and phrases Cursus honorum