Title Of Consul After Augustus.

[Neos Dionysos]

I am highly curious to something, we all know what being Consul in the republic meant, but after Augustus established the Principate, what was it's fuction? Many times I come across people being awarded and given the title of 'Consul' in the Late Empire and they hold it for one to several years, and it can be either for pure administrative reasons or as an honory title for someone who is the ruler of a Roman Province. Can anyone please point me to any sources or give me a listing of the duties of 'Consul' after the Principate was established? Thanks.

[suzhannah]

hi

well the title would be for one of the two elected magistrates in Rome, but in Augustus case it was more like president for life (as idi amin of uganda said).

 

this was a cool dude, the more he offered to give up his titles and remain a simple pleb, the more the Romans begged him to stay.

 

Changing from the republic, no one wanted a dictator but Augustus was simply that, but had the best spin doctors to hide the fact.

 

All of his iconography suggests a presidential type guy and his 'res gestie' was a master piece of properganda.

 

hope it helps.

[Emperor Goblinus]

I think as time went on, it became more and more honorary, rather than having an actual purpose. With some emperors holding consulship after consulship after consulship, it became more of something that looked nice on the resume, rather than an actual officw with specific powers.

[phil25]

As far as I am aware, the consulship continued to enoble a family for perpetuity.

 

It remained the supreme point in the cursus honorum - the career path that led through military and civil appointments, magistracies, governorships etc.

 

The numbers of suffect consuls (those who did not give their name to the year increased in part of provide the manpower needed.

 

While the empire was certainly directed by the Emperor/princeps and his freedmen bureaucrats, there must have been many administrative tasks in Rome and elsewhere that required a consul to carry them out - trials, officiating at Senate meetings, etc.

 

After Augustus the consul of the month (other than and unless the princeps himself) may not have been the ruler of Rome and its empire, but he still weilded, IMHO, a good deal of power and authority within his sphere of action.

 

Phil