Patricians were originally the elite caste in ancient Rome. In the time of the late Roman Empire, the term patrician was a specific title given to a high court official. Elitism is a belief or attitude that an elite — a selected group of persons whose personal abilities, specialized training or other attributes place them at the top of any field (see below) — are the people whose views on a matter are to be taken most seriously, or who are alone... Jump to: navigation, search A caste system is a rigid system of social stratification, which divides members of a society into different castes and sub-castes or Varnas and jatis. ... Jump to: navigation, search Ancient Rome was a civilization that existed in Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East between 753 BC and its downfall in AD 476. ... Jump to: navigation, search The Roman Empire is the term conventionally used to describe the Ancient Roman polity in the centuries following its reorganization under the leadership of Octavian (better known as Caesar Augustus). ...

The Latin word for "patrician" is patricius (plural patricii). This comes from patrēs (cōnscrīptī), the plural of pater ("father") and the added sense of "enrolled fathers" (members of the Roman Senate). The word comes down in English as "patrician" from the Middle English patricion, from the Old French patricien. Latin was the language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ... The Roman Senate (Latin, Senatus) was a deliberative body which was important in the government of both the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. ... Middle English is the name given by historical linguistics to the diverse forms of the English language spoken between the Norman invasion in 1066 and the mid-to-late 15th century, when the Chancery Standard, a form of London-based English, began to become widespread, a process aided by the... Old French is a term sometimes used to refer to the langue doïl, the continuum of varieties of Romance language spoken in territories corresponding roughly to the northern half of modern France and parts of Belgium and Switzerland during the period roughly from 1000 to 1300 A.D...

Patrician caste

In the early days of the Roman Republic, patricians formed a hereditary ruling group within the state. The patricians claimed to be able to trace their family to the original Roman Senate. All magistracies were off-limits to non-patricians, who were known as plebeians. Patrician status was inherited, and intermarriage between patricians and plebeians was forbidden. Trade between patricians and plebeians was also forbidden. See also Roman Republic (18th century) and Roman Republic (19th century) The Roman Republic (Latin: Res Publica Romanorum) was the republican government of the city of Rome and its territories from 510 BC until the establishment of the Roman Empire, which sometimes placed at 44 BC the year of Caesar... For other uses, see inheritance (disambiguation). ... In Ancient Rome, the plebs was the general body of Roman citizens, distinct from the privileged class of the patricians. ... Jump to: navigation, search Marriage is a legal, social, and religious relationship between individuals which has formed the foundation of the family for most societies. ...

Over time, conflict raged between the two classes, and patricians were slowly forced to relinquish their power. In 494 BC, the office of tribune was created to safeguard the interests of plebeians; no patrician could hold this office. By the 320s BC, all magistracies were open to plebeian candidates, and the importance of the distinction between patricians and plebeians began to fade. In addition, because patrician status was strictly inherited and no new patrician families were created, the number of patrician families decreased. Centuries: 6th century BC - 5th century BC - 4th century BC Decades: 540s BC 530s BC 520s BC 510s BC 500s BC - 490s BC - 480s BC 470s BC 460s BC 450s BC 440s BC Years: 499 BC 498 BC 497 BC 496 BC 495 BC - 494 BC - 493 BC 492 BC... Tribune (from the Latin: tribunus; Greek form tribounos) was a title shared by several elected magistracies and other governmental and/or (para)military offices of the Roman Republic and Empire. ... Centuries: 5th century BC - 4th century BC - 3rd century BC Decades: 370s BC 360s BC 350s BC 340s BC 330s BC - 320s BC - 310s BC 300s BC 290s BC 280s BC 270s BC Years: 329 BC 328 BC 327 BC 326 BC 325 BC 324 BC 323 BC 322 BC...

By the last days of the Roman Republic in the first century BC, wealthy plebeian families had long become an integral part of the Roman elite, and patrician status offered little more than prestige. This reality was made clear in 59 BC, when the patrician Publius Clodius Pulcher arranged to be adopted by a plebeian (who was a year younger than he!) so that he could stand for the office of tribune. One of the few positions that remained reserved to patricians at this time was the office of high priest, or pontifex maximus. Julius Cæsar, one of the most prominent patrician politicians of his day, held this office until his death. (2nd century BC - 1st century BC - 1st century - other centuries) The 1st century BC starts on January 1, 100 BC and ends on December 31, 1 BC. An alternative name for this century is the last century BC. (2nd millennium BC - 1st millennium BC - 1st millennium AD) Events The Roman... Centuries: 2nd century BC - 1st century BC - 1st century Decades: 100s BC 90s BC 80s BC 70s BC 60s BC - 50s BC - 40s BC 30s BC 20s BC 10s BC 0s BC Years: 64 BC 63 BC 62 BC 61 BC 60 BC 59 BC 58 BC 57 BC 56... Publius Clodius Pulcher (born around 92 BC, murdered January 18, 52 BC). ... Jump to: navigation, search Alternate meanings: see Pontifex (disambiguation) In Ancient Rome, the Pontifex Maximus was the high priest of the collegium of the Pontifices, the most august position in Roman religion, open only to a patrician, until 254 BC, when a plebian occupied this post. ... Gaius Julius Caesar (Latin: IMP·C·IVLIVS·CAESAR·DIVVS¹) (b. ...

Patrician position

Under the Roman Empire, patrician status as it had been understood in the Republic ceased to have meaning in everyday life. The emperor Constantine reintroduced the term; Patrician (Patricius) became an honorific title for those who demonstrated faithful service to the Empire. There were generally only a few patricians in the Empire at any given time, and sometimes only one. By the fifth century in the West, the title generally denoted a man who held the power behind the imperial throne, usually a general of the Roman army. Patricians of this era included Stilicho, Constantius III (before he became co-emperor), Aëtius, Boniface, and Ricimer. The term was occasionally used in this sense in Western Europe after the end of the Roman Empire; for instance, Pope Stephen III granted the title "Patrician of the Romans" to the Frankish ruler Pippin III. In the East, where the Emperors maintained their hold on power, the title maintained its meaning as an honorific until Latin titles fell out of use as Greek became the language of the court. Jump to: navigation, search The Roman Empire is the term conventionally used to describe the Ancient Roman polity in the centuries following its reorganization under the leadership of Octavian (better known as Caesar Augustus). ... Constantine. ... // Events Romulus Augustus, Last Western Roman Emperor Rome sacked by Visigoths in 410. ... Flavius Stilicho (c. ... Costantius on a solidus. ... Flavius Aëtius or simply Aëtius, (circa 396–454), was a Roman general of the closing period of the Western Roman Empire. ... Count Boniface (in Latin, Comes Bonifacius) (d. ... Ricimer monogram on the reverse of this coin by Libius Severus. ... Stephen III (d. ... Pepin III (714 - September 24, 768) more often known as Pepin the Short (French, Pépin le Bref; German, Pippin der Kleine), was a King of the Franks (751 - 768). ...

List of Patricii

• Flavius Julius Constantius: 335-337
• Flavius Stilicho: 394-408 (also magister militum)
• Flavius Constantius: 417-421 (later emperor February-September 421)
• Flavius Castinus: 420s
• Bonifacius: 432
• Flavius Aëtius: 433-454 (also magister militum)
• Petronius Maximus: 445-455 (later emperor March-April 455)
• Ricimer: 456-472 (also magister militum)
• Gundobad: 472-473 (also magister militum, and later King of the Burgundians 473-516)
• Odoacer: 476-493 (also King of Italy)
• al-Harith ibn Jabalah: 529-569 (also King of the Ghassanids)

Flavius Julius Constantius (d. ... Events November 7 - Athanasius is banished to Trier, on the charge that he prevented the corn fleet from sailing to Constantinople. ... Events February 6 - Julius is elected pope. ... Flavius Stilicho (c. ... Events September 6 - Battle of Frigidus: The Christian Roman Emperor Theodosius I defeats and kills the pagan usurper Eugenius and his Frankish general Arbogast. ... Events Theodosius II succeeds his father Arcadius as Emperor of the Eastern half of the Roman Empire In the summer of this year, the usurper Constantine III captures Spain, destroying the loyalist forces defending it. ... Magister militum (Master of the Soldiers) was a rank used in the later Roman Empire dating from the reign of Constantine. ... Costantius on a solidus. ... Events January 1 - Constantius III marries Galla Placidia, sister of Honorius. ... Events February 8 - Constantius III becomes Co_Emperor of the Western Roman Empire June 7 - Roman Emperor Theodosius II marries Aelia Eudocia, formerly known as Athenais. ... Roman Emperor is the title historians use to refer to rulers of the Roman Empire, after the epoch conventionally named the Roman Republic. ... Flavius Castinus held the position of patricius in the court of Roman Emperor Flavius Augustus Honorius at the time of his death, and most likely for some time before. ... Centuries: 4th century - 5th century - 6th century Decades: 370s - 380s - 390s - 400s - 410s - 420s - 430s - 440s - 450s - 460s - 470s Years: 420 421 422 423 424 425 426 427 428 429 Events: Saint Augustine of Hippo publishes The City of God Validity limit for the information on Western Roman Empire in... Count Boniface (in Latin, Comes Bonifacius) (d. ... Events July 31 - Sixtus is elected to succeed Celestine as Pope. ... Flavius Aëtius or simply Aëtius, (circa 396–454), was a Roman general of the closing period of the Western Roman Empire. ... Events Petronius Maximus becomes Roman Consul John of Antioch and Cyril of Alexandria sign the Formula of Reunion, thus ending their conflict over the Nestorian controversy and the Council of Ephesus. ... Events September 21 - Roman Emperor Valentinian III assassinates Aetius in his own throne room. ... Petronius Maximus on a coin. ... Events Attila murders his brother and co-king Bleda. ... Events June 2 - Gaiseric leads the Vandals into Rome and plunder the city for two weeks. ... Ricimer monogram on the reverse of this coin by Libius Severus. ... Events Emperor Marcian quells disturbances on the Armenian frontier. ... Events Relations between the Roman Emperor Anthemius and the general Ricimer deteriorate completely. ... Gundobad, Patrician of Rome (472-473) also became King of the Burgundians (473-516), after his father, though he had to fight off three brothers to seize his title. ... Events Relations between the Roman Emperor Anthemius and the general Ricimer deteriorate completely. ... Events Glycerius is named Western Roman Emperor. ... The following is a list of the Kings of Burgundy // Kings of the Burgundians Gebicca (late 4th century–407) Godemar Giselcar Gundicar (413–436) Aetius moves the Burgundians into Sapaudia (Upper Rhone Basin) Gunderic/Gundioc (436–473) opposed by Chilperic I (443–c. ... Events Glycerius is named Western Roman Emperor. ... Events Council of Tarragona Sigismund becomes king of Burgundy. ... Jump to: navigation, search Odoacer solidus struck in name of Zeno. ... Events August - The usurper Basiliscus is deposed and Zeno is restored as Eastern Roman Emperor. ... Events February 25 - Odoacer agrees to a mediated peace with Theodoric the Great, and is later killed by him personally. ... The following is a list of barbarian kings of Italy: Maximinus Thrax (235-238) Odoacer (476-493) Ostrogothic Kings of Italy Theoderic (493-526) Athalaric (526-534) Theodahad (534-536) Witiges (536-540) Heldebadus (540-541) Totila (541-552) Teias (552) Teias was killed by the Byzantine general Narses, and... al-Harith ibn Jabalah was a king of the Ghassanids, an pre-Islamic Arab people who lived on the eastern frontier of the Byzantine Empire. ... For other uses, see number 529. ... Events The Nubian kingdom of Alodia is converted to Christianity, according to John of Ephesus. ... The Ghassanids were Arab Christians that emigrated in A.D. 250 from Yemen to the Hauran, in southern Syria. ...

Modern usage

In modern English, the word patrician is generally used to denote a member of the upper class, often with connotations of inherited wealth, elitism, and a sense of noblesse oblige. This definition derives from the first meaning of the word above. In French, noblesse oblige means, literally, nobility obliges. ...

Use in fiction

In the satirical fantasy series Discworld by British author Terry Pratchett, the city of Ankh-Morpork is run by a Presidential like figure akin to the old roman nobility. The ruler rules under the title of Patrician but is in all respects simply a tyrant. In the City Watch (see Guards! Guards!) series of novels the Patrician is named Havelock Vetinari and though he often puts up a democratic facade he is to all intents and purposes a dictator, albeit a (relatively) benign one. Jump to: navigation, search Look up fantasy on Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The Discworld is a series of over 30 novels by Terry Pratchett set on the Discworld. ... Terence David John Pratchett OBE (known to some fans as Pterry, following the convention he used in his book Pyramids where characters were given names such as Ptraci and Pteppic) is an English fantasy author (born April 28, 1948, in Beaconsfield, Bucks), best known for his Discworld series. ... Ankh-Morpork is a fictional city-state which features in Terry Pratchetts Discworld series of fantasy novels. ... A tyrant (from Greek τύραννος týrannos) is a usurper of rightful power, possessing absolute power and ruling by tyranny. ... Guards! Guards! is the 8th Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett, first published in 1989. ... Lord Havelock Vetinari is the Patrician of Ankh-Morpork, the head of the fictional city state of Ankh-Morpork in Terry Pratchetts Discworld series. ... Dictator was the title of a magistrate in ancient Rome appointed by the Senate to rule the state in times of emergency. ...

In the science-fiction 'Foundation' trilogy of Isaac Asimov, in the novel 'Foundation and Empire', Ducem Barr is referred to as a Patrician of the Empire. Within the story it is an inherited noble title, clearly derived of the Roman Imperial meaning, after which Asimov's Galactic Empire was modeled. Additionally, a fan series spin-off to Stargate SG-1, titled 'StarGate: Haven,' has the Patrician Empire as the main enemy. Jump to: navigation, search A collection of well-known science-fiction novels and magazines Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology upon society and persons as individuals. ... Psychohistorian: Hari Seldon Foundation is the first book in Isaac Asimovs Foundation Trilogy (later expanded into The Foundation Series). ... Jump to: navigation, search Dr. Isaac Asimov enthroned with symbols of his lifes work (Rowena Morrill) Dr. Isaac Asimov (c. ... Foundation and Empire Foundation and Empire is a novel written by Isaac Asimov in 1952. ... An empire (also known technically, abstractly or disparagingly as an imperium, and with powers known among Romans as imperium) comprises a set of regions locally ruled by governors, viceroys or client kings in the name of an emperor. ... Imperial is a term that is used to describe something that relates to an Empire, Emperor, or the concept of Imperialism. ... This article is about a celestial body. ... An empire (also known technically, abstractly or disparagingly as an imperium, and with powers known among Romans as imperium) comprises a set of regions locally ruled by governors, viceroys or client kings in the name of an emperor. ... Season 8s opening title Spoiler warning: See Stargate for a general summary of this universe, or List of Stargate SG-1 episodes for a detailed plot analysis. ...

See Also

• Patricanships