princeps (1 Viewer)

[teneale99]

Hey

could anyone explain to me what the princeps was....i seem to have lost it in my very messy notes! i have a fair idea but yer just want 2 make sure

thankyou

 

[grk_styl]

Princeps was the original official title of a Roman Emperor, derived from his position as Princeps Senatus (leader of the Senate). It was first given to the Emperor Augustus in 23 BC, who wisely saw that use of the titles rex (meaning king) or dictator would create resentment amongst senators and other influential men, who had earlier demonstrated their disapproval by supporting the assassination of Julius Caesar. Also, while Augustus had political and military supremacy, he needed the assistance of his fellow Romans to manage the Empire.

Other official Roman titles used for the office of emperor included imperator, Augustus, Caesar, dominus, and basileus. The word Emperor itself is derived from the Roman title Imperator, which was a military title, until Julius Caesar began to use it as his praenomen during his dictatorship.

The Emperor Diocletian was the first to stop referring to himself as "Princeps" altogether, calling himself "Dominus" (lord), thus dropping even the pretense that the Emperor was not truly a royal office. The period when the Emperors that called themselves Princeps ruled, from Augustus to Diocletian, is called "the Principate", but Diocletian began "the Dominate" period.

"Princeps" is the root of the modern word Prince.

I hope this helped!
I love google

 

[teneale99]

all i can say is you have saved me!!!! thanku soooo mcuh!!!!

yer i will memba google next time

 

[Arvin Sloane]

Who doesn't like google?

 

[Plebeian]

If I remember correctly, Pompey and Cicero had the title Princeps too - important for ensuring it didn't have imperialistic overtones. The Romans were also sticklers for tradition and precedent, so using that instead of a new title was a smart move by Augustus.

EDIT:

Magister has kindly supplied the following clarification:

Literally, it "First Man", deriving from the title of Princeps Senatus, who was the most senior (i.e. longest serving) man in the Senate. It was a title of great respect. The Principes, Caesar and Pompey gave a somewhat different connotation to the word and it came to impy superior military and political power. You will find a very useful treatment of this in Ronald Syme's "The Roman Revolution" as well as Erich Gruen's "The Last Generation of the Roman Republic" (Gruen is an excellent source on this period; it is a must-read text for Roman history). We derive the expression "First among equals" from Princeps, as this is what it literally implied.