The Roman magistracy (magistratus) constituted one of the most distinctive and influential institutions of the Republic. Frequently referenced in ancient sources yet often misunderstood in modern summaries, magistrates occupied the core of Roman political, military, and religious life. Their origins can be traced to the early monarchy, while their republican development reflects the gradual transition from royal authority to a complex system of elected offices governed by principles of collegiality, annual tenure, and accountability. This article seeks to provide a concise overview of the magistracy from its origins in the regal period to its institutional consolidation in the middle Republic, focusing on powers, limitations, symbols of office, and the cursus honorum.

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Fonts: 

• Cicero, De legibus; De re publica.

• Livy, Ab urbe condita.

• Polybius, Histories (Book VI).

• Lintott, A., The Constitution of the Roman Republic. Oxford, 1999.

• Flower, H.I., Roman Republics. Princeton, 2010.

• Linderski, J., The Augural Law. 1986.

• Mouritsen, H., Politics in the Roman Republic. Cambridge, 2017.Burdese, Diritto Privato Romano, Utet 2006

• William L. Burdick, The Principles of Roman Law and Their Relation to Modern Law (The Lawbook Exchange, Ltd 2004)

• The Main Institutions of the Roman Private Law, WW Buckland, Cambridge 2023

• Burdese A. Diritto Pubblico Romano, Utet 2016

  
  

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