The ''Leges Antoniae'' (
Latin for ''
Antonine's laws'') were an ensemble of
Roman laws passed by
Mark Antony in the aftermath of the
assassination of Julius Caesar, on 15 March 44 BC.
History
After the assassination of Julius Caesar, the
consul Mark Antony became the most powerful man in Rome and passed a series of laws to secure his position. The most famous of these laws was the ''lex Antonia de dictatura in perpetuum tollenda'', which abolished the
dictatorship. It was the second law to do so (the first being passed after the
Second Punic War
The Second Punic War (218 to 201 BC) was the second of three wars fought between Carthage and Rome, the two main powers of the western Mediterranean in the 3rd century BC. For 17 years the two states struggled for supremacy, primarily in Ital ...
, replacing the Dictatorship with the
final decree of the Senate); however, the earlier law had essentially been nullified by the subsequent dictatorships of
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 ...
and Caesar. The ''lex Antonia'' was mainly intended to provide Antony, who was beginning his consolidation of power, with some support from the Senatorial class, who had been alienated by the perpetual Dictatorships of Sulla and (especially) Caesar. In the end, this law did not succeed either, for in 22 BC the Senate offered
Caesar 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 Pri ...
the Dictatorship; however, he declined.
Antony also passed the following laws:
* ''lex Antonia de actis Caesaris confirmandis'', confirmed all Caesar's laws and deeds (April 44).
* ''lex antonia de coloniis in agros deducentis'', settled veterans in new colonies (April 44). Antony then went to
Campania in April and May 43 to settle veterans there.
* ''lex Antonia agraria'', gave lands to Antony's supporters (June 44). A committee of seven men chaired by
Lucius Antonius Lucius Antonius is a combination of ''praenomen'' and family name ''( nomen)'' used by ancient Roman men from a plebeian branch of the '' gens Antonia,'' including:
* Lucius Antonius (brother of Mark Antony)
* Lucius Antonius (grandson of Mark Ant ...
supervised the distributions.
* ''lex Antonia de provinciis consularibus'', granted Antony and his colleague
Dolabella a 5 year
proconsulship after their consulship. It was passed in the
comitia tributa after Antony failed to receive an approbation from the senate (probably 2 June 43).
* ''lex Antonia de permutatione provinciarum'', exchanged Antony's province of
Macedonia
Macedonia most commonly refers to:
* North Macedonia, a country in southeastern Europe, known until 2019 as the Republic of Macedonia
* Macedonia (ancient kingdom), a kingdom in Greek antiquity
* Macedonia (Greece), a traditional geographic reg ...
, with those of
Cisalpine and
Transalpine Gaul, excluding
Gallia Narbonensis
Gallia Narbonensis (Latin for "Gaul of Narbonne", from its chief settlement) was a Roman province located in what is now Languedoc and Provence, in Southern France. It was also known as Provincia Nostra ("Our Province"), because it was the ...
(probably June 44).
* ''lex antonia de mense quintili'', which renamed the month of
quintilis to July, in honour of Julius Caesar.
* ''lex Antonia de quinto die ludorum romanorum rotondi'', added a 5th day to the
Ludi Romani.
* ''lex Antonia iudiciaria'', altered the composition of juries, made of senators,
knights
A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...
, and a third group (not properly known). Passed at the end of September or early October 44, the law was rapidly repealed in early 43.
[Manuwald, ''Cicero, Philippics 3–9'', p. 596.]
See also
*
List of Roman laws
This is a partial list of Roman laws. A Roman law (Latin: ''lex'') is usually named for the sponsoring legislator and designated by the adjectival form of his ''gens'' name ('' nomen gentilicum''), in the feminine form because the noun ''lex'' (pl ...
References
Bibliography
*
Gesine Manuwald Gesine Manuwald is currently a Professor of Latin and Head of the Department of Greek and Latin at University College London. She focuses on Roman drama, epic and oratory (particularly Cicero) and the reception of Roman literature, especially Neo-L ...
, ''Cicero, Philippics 3–9, Volume 1: Introduction, Text and Translation, References and Indexes'', Berlin/New York, De Gruyter, 2007.
External links
The Roman Law Library
Roman law
Mark Antony
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