Imperium

The term empire ( imperare from the Latin, " prevail ", " command ", " halt " ) was one of the Roman Empire to the concept of legal enforcement powers. A man who held a imperium, had almost absolute power within the purview of his office, but could be overruled by a majority vote or veto by the holder or holders of a higher or equivalent empire. Unsharp was the distinction between imperium ( authority, power range) and potestas (Official violence). Most likely you can probably say that a imperium was always a potestas, not vice versa. Originally, each carrier of an empire was called Imperator; later, since Scipio Africanus, this word got a more specific meaning - first " military commander ", then " victorious general " - and called last only the Roman emperors.

As a rule, one was elected to the offices to which was connected an empire by the Comitia Centuriata, ie by those People's Assembly, which represented the Roman people in arms. An official with imperium (Municipal or promagistrate ) was accompanied by lictors, the fasces carried ( in Rome, the traditional symbol of empire and authority ); outside the pomerium ( the sacred city legal limit) the fasces, axes were added to show the power of imperial officials, outside Rome to impose the death penalty on Roman citizens who served under him. The number of lictors who accompanied the officers, was a clear sign of the rank of each empire:

• Dictator - originally 12 lictors, after the dictatorship of Sulla there were 24 Since the dictator could impose the death penalty even within Rome, wore only his lictors the axes on the fasces also within the pomerium

• There is a historical dispute whether the empire of a praetor to the Empire of a magister equitum was a priority.

• Since a aedilis plebis held no imperium, he was not accompanied by lictors

Formally, the magistrates obtained the empire after their election by the Comitia Centuriata when taking office by a lex de imperio curiata, awarded by the otherwise hardly usual and ancient form of popular assembly, the Comitia curiata. Within Rome, it was subjected to as imperium domi certain limits prescribed by law; outside the pomerium it included the full punishment and authority ( imperium militiae ).

The imperium domi expired with the end of the year in office, however, the empire consisted militiae principle continues to be carriers received a successor. Since the late 4th century BC, it was extended by the Senate formally ( " prorogued " ) are. His owner was then promagistrate ( proconsul or propraetor ) and had the Empire held in the same manner as during the original duties; he was therefore accompanied by the same number of lictors. The imperium militiae extinguished automatically if the carrier exceeded the pomerium and entered Rome; only victors lost their empire after the triumph. They entered, however, before the triumph of the city - about to compete for an office - so they lost their empire and its claim to the triumph, if they had not previously obtained a special permit.

Some unusual orders, such as the famous command of Pompey against the pirates were equipped with an imperium majus, which meant that all holders of other Imperia towered within the contract area ( in Pompey's case, the consuls ).

The similarly designed imperium proconsulare [? Maius ] (" [ enlarged ] instead of just variable official authority ") was an important part of the authority of the Roman emperors since the awards to Augustus 23 BC; it gave them the opportunity to take in all the provinces of the supreme command of the army, which were subordinate to the emperor formally. These provinces were the troops strong borders of the empire ( including the rich Egypt) and are referred to as " imperial provinces ", in contrast to the " senatorial provinces " so-called. In the imperial provinces the Emperors were represented by legates of Augustus; since these do not formally acted under its own auspices and without their own empire, they could not be proclaimed emperor, and therefore also celebrate no triumph; both was therefore in effect only to the Emperor. Prove inscriptions from North Africa ( Cyrene ), making it the imperium also proconsulare already allowed Augustus to intervene directly in the Senate Provinces, though it they were not formally placed under

Imperium Towards the end of the Republic has also played similar provincia, increasingly, a " spatial " meaning and therefore designated a specific territorial jurisdiction or sphere of influence. The first unofficial terms Imperium populi Romani ( " sphere of influence of the Roman people " ) and since Cicero Roman Empire ( " Roman Empire " ) were names for the Roman dominion whole, ie the Roman Empire.