Lex_De_Imperio_Vespasiani_-_Palazzo_Nuovo_-_Musei_Capitolini_-_Rome_2016

The ''Lex de imperio Vespasiani'' is an

ancient Roman law Roman law is the legal system of ancient Rome, including the legal developments spanning over a thousand years of jurisprudence, from the Twelve Tables (), to the (AD 529) ordered by Eastern Roman emperor Justinian I. Roman law also denoted ...

partially preserved on a bronze tablet. The law was written across two tablets, but only the second survives. The title and preamble of the law are lost. The name by which it is now known is a reconstruction.Kaius Tuori
"Lex de imperio Vespasiani"
''The Oxford Classical Dictionary'', Online ed. (Oxford University Press, 2019). Consulted online on 9 July 2023. The law was decreed by 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 ...

as a in December 69 following the death of the Emperor

Vitellius Aulus Vitellius ( ; ; 24 September 1520 December 69) was Roman emperor for eight months, from 19 April to 20 December AD 69. Vitellius became emperor following the quick succession of the previous emperors Galba and Otho, in a year of civil wa ...

. It was approved by the ''

Comitia The Roman assemblies were meetings of the Roman people duly convened by a magistrate. There were two general kinds of assemblies: a '' contio'' where a crowd was convened to hear speeches or statements from speakers without any further arrangem ...

'' in January 70, becoming a ''lex''. It represents what

Tacitus Publius Cornelius Tacitus, known simply as Tacitus ( , ; – ), was a Roman historian and politician. Tacitus is widely regarded as one of the greatest Roman historians by modern scholars. Tacitus’ two major historical works, ''Annals'' ( ...

in his ''

Histories Histories or, in Latin, Historiae may refer to: * the plural of history * ''Histories'' (Herodotus), by Herodotus * ''The Histories'', by Timaeus * ''The Histories'' (Polybius), by Polybius * ''Histories'' by Gaius Sallustius Crispus (Sallust) ...

'' described as the Senate giving

Vespasian Vespasian (; ; 17 November AD 9 – 23 June 79) was Roman emperor from 69 to 79. The last emperor to reign in the Year of the Four Emperors, he founded the Flavian dynasty, which ruled the Empire for 27 years. His fiscal reforms and consolida ...

"all that is usual for emperors" (''cuncta principibus solita'').
"Lex de imperio Vespasiani"
''Brill's New Pauly'' (Brill Online, 2006). Consulted online on 9 July 2023. It contains eight clauses laying out what Vespasian was empowered to do and the precedents for this. Each clause begins with the word '' utique''. The final section is a '' sanctio'' (sanction). Vespasian is permitted to (1) make treaties, (2–3) convoke the Senate and propose motions, (4) endorse candidates for office and (5) expand the ''

pomerium The ''pomerium'' or ''pomoerium'' was a religious boundary around the city of Rome and cities controlled by Rome. In legal terms, Rome existed only within its ''pomerium''; everything beyond it was simply territory ('' ager'') belonging to Rome ...

'' of the city. He is also given (6) wide discretionary power to do anything "he believes, in the interests of the State ... that he should do" so long as it has precedent, (7) all powers exercised by any prior emperor while himself not being subject to the law and (8) retroactive authorization for any acts of his prior to the enactment of the ''Lex de imperio''. The only earlier emperors cited for precedent are

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 ...

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

Claudius Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; ; 1 August 10 BC – 13 October AD 54), or Claudius, was a Roman emperor, ruling from AD 41 to 54. A member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, Claudius was born to Nero Claudius Drusus, Drusus and Ant ...

. It is possible that a similar package of powers was given to

Caligula Gaius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (31 August 12 – 24 January 41), also called Gaius and Caligula (), was Roman emperor from AD 37 until his assassination in 41. He was the son of the Roman general Germanicus and Augustus' granddaughter Ag ...

but does not survive. The bronze tablet was discovered by

Cola di Rienzo Nicola di Lorenzo Gabrini (1313 8 October 1354), commonly known as Cola di Rienzo () or Rienzi, was an Italian politician and leader, who styled himself as the "tribune of the Roman people". During his lifetime, he advocated for the unificatio ...

, possibly in the Lateran Basilica, before 1347. It is kept today in the

Musei Capitolini The Capitoline Museums () are a group of art and archaeology, archaeological museums in Piazza del Campidoglio, on top of the Capitoline Hill in Rome, Italy. The historic seats of the museums are Palazzo dei Conservatori and Palazzo Nuovo, facing ...

. Cola knew a fuller text than the one that survives, but it is not certain if he saw the first tablet. There have been attempts to restore some of the lost text on the basis of the '. Cola used the ''Lex'' to formulate a conception of Roman sovereignty. He had it erected in the Lateran in a public ceremony.Amanda Collins, "Cola di Rienzo, the Lateran Basilica, and the ''Lex de imperio of Vespasian''", ''Mediaeval Studies'' 60 (1998): 159–183.Ronald G. Musto, ''Apocalypse in Rome: Cola Di Rienzo and the Politics of the New Age'' (University of California Press, 2003), pp. 113–115. In Cola's interpretation, it demonstrated the former power of the Roman people: In modern scholarship, the ''Lex'' has been the subject of many debates, such as whether it placed the emperor above the law or gave Vespasian new powers.

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