Reading through the latest dev diary the number of people (including johan) who equate plebeian with lower class and patrician with upper class is making me tear my hair out and despair the state of education in history that so many people make this mistake. Wikipedia isn’t a good source, specifically on this issue
The divide between Patricians and plebeians in Roman history dominated the Roman kingdom and early republic and did originally involve class issues. Patricians were descendants of the most important (and often mythological) Roman families and held rights to political power that the plebs did not have. However this situation did not in fact last. A series of revolts, strikes, and conflict between the plebs and patricians slowly eroded patrician political dominance. The last major pleb revolt in Roman history occurs roughly twenty years into the game
Throughout the entirety of the game period the political and economic power of patricians and plebs were almost entirely the same. There are a handful of political offices reserved for patricians and a handful reserved for plebs (tribune of the plebs was one of the most powerful Roman offices. More so that patrician reserved ones until sulla neutered it)
The dominant expression of class in Roman history, particularly the period the game covers, are the census Ordos. I am sure most people are aware of the Roman census, but probably not what it meant. The Roman census gathered data (semi accurately) on all Roman citizens and assigned them a class. This class was based, originally, of how said citizen could equip themselves for war, but by the period of the game was based on the estimated value and income of the citizen’s property
There is an exception that in the period of the game both the senatorial and equites classes had the same wealth requirements, with the senatorial class requiring familial connection to a senator (this would be changed in the reign of, IIRC Augustus, where the cost of being in the senatorial class was raised). He senatorial class would consist of romans involved at the highest level of politics, which would also usually mean romans connected to military command as well. The Roman senate was not a directly elected body, nor did it have a large amount of official power in the Roman constitution. However many Roman offices came with a seat on the senate (some of them only granted the seat after the end of the term on office) and senators could hold most (not all) offices. The senate was the collection of Roman power brokers.
The equites would be he wealthiest romans not directly connected to the senate. They would dominate provincial politics though and represent the highest Roman officials outside the immediate environs of Rome. Also they traditionally provided the cavalry for the Roman army
The next five classes were the primary military classes. These people usually worked farms of various sizes, some of them on state owned lands, and the proceeds of these farms (or their craft business for a small population of them working as, say, a smith) would be what detormined their exact ordo. They were also expected to self equip and serve in the Roman military when required. The wealthiest of this group tended to provide cavalry, the poorest provided skirmishers and other lighter infantry since they could not afford the cost of heavier equipment
The last class was made up of romans who had no property and were too poor for military service. This was the proletariat, and it actually made up the bulk of the population of Rome itself. It is thus ironic that this class would, after the Marian reforms, suddenly provide the bulk of Roman manpower after Roman aristocrats were allowed to pay for equipping them.
The divide between Patricians and plebeians in Roman history dominated the Roman kingdom and early republic and did originally involve class issues. Patricians were descendants of the most important (and often mythological) Roman families and held rights to political power that the plebs did not have. However this situation did not in fact last. A series of revolts, strikes, and conflict between the plebs and patricians slowly eroded patrician political dominance. The last major pleb revolt in Roman history occurs roughly twenty years into the game
Throughout the entirety of the game period the political and economic power of patricians and plebs were almost entirely the same. There are a handful of political offices reserved for patricians and a handful reserved for plebs (tribune of the plebs was one of the most powerful Roman offices. More so that patrician reserved ones until sulla neutered it)
The dominant expression of class in Roman history, particularly the period the game covers, are the census Ordos. I am sure most people are aware of the Roman census, but probably not what it meant. The Roman census gathered data (semi accurately) on all Roman citizens and assigned them a class. This class was based, originally, of how said citizen could equip themselves for war, but by the period of the game was based on the estimated value and income of the citizen’s property
There is an exception that in the period of the game both the senatorial and equites classes had the same wealth requirements, with the senatorial class requiring familial connection to a senator (this would be changed in the reign of, IIRC Augustus, where the cost of being in the senatorial class was raised). He senatorial class would consist of romans involved at the highest level of politics, which would also usually mean romans connected to military command as well. The Roman senate was not a directly elected body, nor did it have a large amount of official power in the Roman constitution. However many Roman offices came with a seat on the senate (some of them only granted the seat after the end of the term on office) and senators could hold most (not all) offices. The senate was the collection of Roman power brokers.
The equites would be he wealthiest romans not directly connected to the senate. They would dominate provincial politics though and represent the highest Roman officials outside the immediate environs of Rome. Also they traditionally provided the cavalry for the Roman army
The next five classes were the primary military classes. These people usually worked farms of various sizes, some of them on state owned lands, and the proceeds of these farms (or their craft business for a small population of them working as, say, a smith) would be what detormined their exact ordo. They were also expected to self equip and serve in the Roman military when required. The wealthiest of this group tended to provide cavalry, the poorest provided skirmishers and other lighter infantry since they could not afford the cost of heavier equipment
The last class was made up of romans who had no property and were too poor for military service. This was the proletariat, and it actually made up the bulk of the population of Rome itself. It is thus ironic that this class would, after the Marian reforms, suddenly provide the bulk of Roman manpower after Roman aristocrats were allowed to pay for equipping them.
