Centumviri

The centumviral court (centumviri) was the chancery court (court of equity) of ancient Rome. It was a court of justice dealing with private law (what is referred to in common law systems as civil law).

The name centumviri literally means "100 men"; this was the original number of members from which pool the court was selected. The number of men of which the court consisted is not known. In the Republic, the number increased to 105 and later still, during the Empire, to 180.

During the Empire, four courts were usually chosen from the pool, although the entire membership might sit in unusual cases. The Decemviri (ten men) presided over the court from the Augustan period. Membership of this council was considered to be a standard position for those embarking on the cursus honorum.

A number of notable orators appeared in this court, including Cicero, Tacitus and Pliny the Younger.

The jurisdiction of the court is unclear, although cases involving wills and inheritance were certainly part of the court's remit. The querela inofficiosi testamenti ("complaint about an undutiful will") was established by this court. However, it is uncertain whether this court was simply an alternative to the iudex or part of a more complex judicial system. It has been suggested that cases before the centumviral court had a specific minimum value.

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