The ''Leges Antoniae'' (

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...

for '' Antonine's laws'') were an ensemble 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 ...

passed by

Mark Antony Marcus Antonius (14 January 1 August 30 BC), commonly known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman politician and general who played a critical role in the transformation of the Roman Republic from a constitutional republic into the au ...

in the aftermath of the

assassination of Julius Caesar Julius Caesar, the Roman dictator, was assassinated by a group of senators on the Ides of March (15 March) of 44 BC during a meeting of the Senate at the Curia of Pompey of the Theatre of Pompey in Rome where the senators stabbed Caesar 23 t ...

, on 15 March 44 BC.

History

After the assassination of Julius Caesar, the

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 ...

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 A dictatorship is a form of government which is characterized by a leader, or a group of leaders, which holds governmental powers with few to no limitations on them. The leader of a dictatorship is called a dictator. Politics in a dictatorship a ...

. 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 t ...

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 Pr ...

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 (man), it, Campana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demog ...

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 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 The Tribal Assembly (''comitia populi tributa'') was an assembly consisting of all Roman citizens convened by tribes (''tribus''). In the Roman Republic, citizens did not elect legislative representatives. Instead, they voted themselves on legisl ...

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, with those of Cisalpine and

Transalpine Gaul 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 ...

, 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 th ...

(probably June 44). * ''lex antonia de mense quintili'', which renamed the month of

quintilis In the ancient Roman calendar, Quintilis or Quinctilis was the month following Junius (June) and preceding Sextilis (August). ''Quintilis'' is Latin for "fifth": it was the fifth month (''quintilis mensis'') in the earliest calendar attributed to ...

to July, in honour of Julius Caesar. * ''lex Antonia de quinto die ludorum romanorum rotondi'', added a 5th day to the

Ludi Romani The ''Ludi Romani'' ("Roman Games"; see '' ludi'') was a religious festival in ancient Rome. Usually including multiple ceremonies called '' ludi''. They were held annually starting in 366 BC from September 12 to September 14, later extended to ...

. * ''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 church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the ...

, 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.

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- ...

, ''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 {{AncientRome-law-stub

History

See also

References

Bibliography

External links