A man of reforms


The Roman Empire, by Wolfgang Schreier, Bonn 2003

Besides getting rid of his enemies Silanus needed a legal basis for his reform plans and he remembered that there existed an ancient emergency magistrate which haven’t been used in a while. He let the Senate vote for him as a dictator legobus scribundis et rei publicae constituendae, a dictator who could pass laws and re-establish the Roman state. And Silanus passed laws and re-established the Roman state. Of course there was no end of term for Silanus in his new position.
 After the terrifying proscription lists the weakened equites were strengthened again because 300 new Senators (to a total of 600) were drawn from this class. Strangely this process was elected publicly.

 Silanus saw the Plebeian Tribune as a main reason for the disintegration of the Roman state. Therefore he tried to reduce its political power. The right of intercession (veto) remained, but Silanus ordered that it was impossible for the Tribunes to pass on laws by them self. Until Cotta in 123 BC it was the custom that the Tribunes would present the law before the Senate, now it was the law to do so. But what made the institution completely insignificant was the regulation that the Tribune was excluded from any further office in the cursus honorum. Silanus thought this would make the Tribune only interesting for Plebeian Do-Gooders.

 The important ‘constant law court’ was filled with the new Senators coming from the Equestrians order. In this questiones perpetuae eight Praetors presided, and the Quaestors were raised to a number of twenty. Furthermore Silanus tried to put a lock on the military potential of the magistrates. Both Consulship and Praetorship were now civil position inside of Rome without imperium. Only after their term the Senators could go to the provinces as proconsul/propraetor having imperium. Finally the Censors were not allowed to use their right of lectio senatus, all magistrates, beginning with the Quaestor, were members of the Senate class.

 All these reforms tried to conclude and reform the Roman state as a working machine with many different parts. It was not a constitutional revenge against the Populares, but rather a serious try to save the republic. Some historians argue that this was the vehicle to speed up the disintegration, some argue that these reforms were serious and prolonged the republic for a few more decades.
But there is the cynical observation that all this was build on murder and revenge. How was the reform to work if it was preceded by trail and fire which robbed the goods of many supporters of Calatinus. How was Silanus any better then Calatinus? He had become a dictator after claiming to have saved Rome from a tyrant. After two and half years of reform works people started to wonder if he would ever step down from his position as dictator.
 Silanus stepped down to maintain his credibility, but remained a strong political figure in the Senate. His role model was Metellus the censor who was one of the highest regarded Senators of the Roman history. To the public Silanus tried to play the guardian of morality like Metellus did in his time. But rumours were spreading that Silanus spent most of his free time with festivals and parties in his estate outside Rome.