The Roman Senate Under The Principate (From 30B. C. To A. D. 96)

This article clarifies the Roman Senate's changes from 30B. C. to A. D. 96 under the Principate in the light of the relations between the Senate and the princeps. The Principate experienced establishment, consolidation and the heyday. The author expounds the Senate's role in the time of Augustus of the Principate's consolidation of the civil war to the Flavians respectively, and evaluates the Senate's part on the whole.In the Augustus' time, the princeps' position was founded, instead of the important organ which had a wide impact on Rome's administration, military, diplomacy, religion, the Senate was transformed into a service organization for the Principate. At the same time, the princeps stipulated the Senate's function on legislation and vote, judiciary, administration and so on, in order to make it serve for the Empire. And the princeps deprived the Senate of the military and diplomacy. The basic cause was that the military power belonged to the princeps.In the time of the Principate's consolidation, all the princeps' power and the status followed old conventions. When the princeps' power was strengthened, the Senate usually accepted what the princeps had done. It had forgotten the initiative. For example, the Senate always accepted new princeps' succession and gave him all kinds of honor and power in form. And the princeps' personalities effected the relations between the princeps and the Senate directly.From the civil war to the Flavians, the army played a very important role in the Roman politics, the princeps who were supported by the army were accepted by the Senate, which had proved that the Senate's power was unreal. In the Flavians, the Senate's power diminished further.About the first century, the princeps' power developed and expanded. The author thinks that on this precondition, it was natural that the Senate's position declined. But in the whole Principate the Senate was an important factor, whether its function was strong or not, it was the important symbol of the development or declination of the Principate. Once the Principate changed into the autocracy, the Senate entirely became an institution left over from history.