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 natio ...

created by the first Roman Emperor,

Augustus Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian (), was the founder of the Roman Empire, who reigned as the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death in A ...

, 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 ...

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 el ...

. The ''princeps'' (from

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

, 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 Diocletian ( ; ; ; 242/245 – 311/312), nicknamed Jovius, was Roman emperor from 284 until his abdication in 305. He was born Diocles to a family of low status in the Roman province of Dalmatia (Roman province), Dalmatia. As with other Illyri ...

(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 ( ) was the era of Ancient Rome, classical Roman civilisation beginning with Overthrow of the Roman monarchy, the overthrow of the Roman Kingdom (traditionally dated to 509 BC) and ending in 27 BC with the establis ...

, 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 is a Latin word that is the origin of the English word "authority". While historically its use in English was restricted to discussions of the political history of Rome, the beginning of Phenomenology (philosophy), phenomenological philosophy ...

'' 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 Lucius Cassius Dio (), also known as Dio Cassius ( ), was a Roman historian and senator of maternal Greek origin. He published 80 volumes of the history of ancient Rome, beginning with the arrival of Aeneas in Italy. The volumes documented the ...

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 Roman emperor from AD 14 until 37. He succeeded his stepfather Augustus, the first Roman emperor. Tiberius was born in Rome in 42 BC to Roman politician Tiberius Cl ...

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 ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Romans conquered most of this during the Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of effective sole rule in 27 BC ...

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

{{Authority control Government of the Roman Empire Councils