Military tribunes were officers of the Roman Legions. In the Republican period, there were six appointed to each legion. Authority was given to two at a time, and command rotated between the six. Tribunes were men of Senatorial status appointed by the Senate. To attain the position of tribune, one only needed to be a member of the ruling class--ability was not taken into account. Legion can refer to: A Roman legion A Polish Legion A Foreign Legion Legion, a X-Men character. ... A senate is a deliberative body, often the upper house or chamber of a legislature. ...

After the Marian Reforms created a professional system, legions were commanded by a legionary legate. Six tribunes were still posted to a legion, but their duties and responsibilities had changed. The second in command to the legate was the tribunus laticlavius, a young man of Senatorial rank. He was given this position to learn and watch the actions of the legate. The other five tribunes were slightly lower in rank, and were called the tribuni augusticlavii. These were men of equestrian rank who had seen some prior military action. The word legate comes from the Latin legare, to send. ...

Tribunes in the professional army had no definite duties. They were appointed tasks by the legate whenever the need arose. It has been suggested that the rank was equivalent to a colonel in the armies of today's world.

Traditionally, a young man of senatorial rank would take a post as a military tribune at the age of twenty. After completing this post, he would begin his journey through the cursus honorum, or the ladder of senatorial offices in the Roman government. The cursus honorum was the sequential order of public offices held by aspiring politicians in both the Roman Republic and the early Empire. ...