The ''consilium principis'' (advisers to the ''princeps'') was a

council A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or nati ...

created by the first Roman Emperor,

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 ...

, in the latter years of his reign to control

legislation Legislation is the process or result of enrolling, enacting, or promulgating laws by a legislature, parliament, or analogous governing body. Before an item of legislation becomes law it may be known as a bill, and may be broadly referred to ...

in the deliberative institution of the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the e ...

. The ''princeps'' (from

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the 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 the power ...

, meaning "first man") was another title for the emperor.

Overview

The ''consilium principis'' had a foundation in imperial Roman government until the time of Emperor Diocletian (284–305 AD). Augustus throughout his reign took the legislative control from the Senate and placed it under his auspices. However it was the creation of this new body that stood to make the Senate a second tier legislative body, as fundamentally the ''consilium principis'' controlled the bills put forward to the Senate. Therefore, the Senate, the most important administration 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 Kingd ...

, remained in name only. Scullard states, "But though in practice the senate increasingly developed into an active legislative assembly, the initiative and advice behind its activity may often have come from the emperor." Whilst the Senate grew in prestige with 3 censuses to reduce its membership in 28BC, 18BC and 11BC and similarly with the imposition of its membership with the requirement that senators be worth 1 million sesterces, Augustus increasingly had the foremost role in the Roman state. The ''consilium principis'' comprised Augustus, the consuls and 15 senators with lower ranking members rotating out of the body every six months, however, owing to Augustus' ''

auctoritas ''Auctoritas'' is a Latin word which is the origin of English " authority". While historically its use in English was restricted to discussions of the political history of Rome, the beginning of phenomenological philosophy in the 20th century ...

'' and him being ''princeps'' the body fell under his auspices. Scullard reinforces this notion saying "In one important way he made the Senate more efficient and at the same time, more amenable to his own wishes: he established a senatorial standing committee." It was in Augustus' 76th year (AD 13) that he became unable to, through his old age, properly manage the Senate and as a result required counselors, consisting of supporters and family members, to partake in controlling the legislation of the Senate. The passage in Dio Cassius illuminates the councils position in the government of Rome: Dio 56.28.2 (AD 13) 'He also asked for twenty counselors on account of his age, which did not permit him to go to the senate-house any longer except on rare occasions; previously it seems he had associated himself with fifteen advisors for six months at a time. It was also voted that any measure should be valid, as being satisfactory to the whole senate, which should be resolved upon by him in deliberation with

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 ...

and with these counsellors, as well as the consuls of the year and the consuls designate, together with his grandchildren (the adopted ones, I mean) and such others as might at any time call on for advice.' The ''Consilium Principis'' grew in power over the course of

imperial Rome The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post-Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Mediterr ...

and, by the third century AD, became the foremost element of imperial administration. The body, by the reign of Constantine the Great, became the '' sacrum consistorium'' and was recognized as an independent department of the imperial government.

References

{{Reflist Government of the Roman Empire Councils