History glossary
tribune
a Roman office created to protect plebeian interests, with powers including vetoing harmful actions.
- Category
- Political office
- Region
- Rome
- Date range
- Roman Republic
What it means
Tribunes of the plebs were Roman officials created during the Conflict of the Orders to protect plebeian interests. They could intervene against magistrates, veto actions seen as harmful, and propose measures to the people, making the office a powerful tool in republican politics.
Stories using this term
The Roman Republic
From the expulsion of Rome’s kings to the rise of Augustus, the Roman Republic built a powerful mixed constitution, expanded across the Mediterranean, and ultimately collapsed into civil war and one-man rule.
The Punic Wars
From rivalry over Sicily to Hannibal's invasion, Zama, and the destruction of Carthage, the Punic Wars made Rome the dominant power of the Mediterranean and changed the Republic forever.
