Constitution of the Roman Republic

The constitution of the Roman Republic was a set of guidelines and principles by which the Roman Republic was governed. The constitution evolved over time and was largely unwritten and uncodified, being passed down mainly through precedent. Nevertheless, the constitution was also shaped by the body of written Roman law.

Rather than creating a government that was primarily a democracy (as in ancient Athens), an (as in ancient Sparta), or a monarchy (as in the Roman state before and, in many respects, after the Republic), the Roman Republic had a mixed constitution, with three separate branches of government:

The ultimate source of sovereignty in this ancient republic, as in modern republics, was the people of Rome (Latin: populus Romanus). The Roman people gathered into legislative assemblies to pass laws and to elect executive magistrates, such as consuls. The Senate managed the day-to-day affairs in Rome, while magistrates presided over the courts. Executive magistrates enforced the law and presided over the Senate and the legislative assemblies.

A complex set of checks and balances developed between these three branches, so as to minimize the risk of tyranny and corruption, and to maximize the likelihood of good government. However, the separation of powers between these three branches of government was not absolute; and moreover, a magistrate's term of office was often extended beyond one year, although this conflicted with the constitution. A constitutional crisis began in 133 BC as a result of the Conflict of the Orders, a prolonged struggle between the aristocracy and the common people. Many years later this led to the collapse of the Roman Republic and its subversion into a much more form of government, the Roman Empire.

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