Probably after watching some historical movie or reading a work of fiction, you will have an interesting question: what are "patricians"? Or perhaps your children will ask you such a question. But don't be discouraged if you can't answer right away. After all, it is never too late to learn and learn something new, even with your children. In this article, you will learn what "patricians" are.
Short terminology
The word is of Latin origin: from pater - father. It can be assigned two values:
- A person who belonged to the original Roman families, which in turn constituted the ruling class and held public lands. Applied to citizens who lived in Ancient Rome.
- A person who belonged to we althy burgher families. They also played a dominant role in city self-government. Applied to citizens living in European countries in the Middle Agescities.
Let's consider each of the interpretations separately.
Antique era
There is a problem in the interpretation of the origin of the patricians, which is due to the inconsistency of many sources based on studies conducted at different times. And each historian had his own opinion, depending on which theory he supported. Contemporaries are still inclined to rely on the studies of F. Engels, who assessed the patricians precisely as the most ancient population of Rome, who lived in the conditions of a naturally formed tribal organization. Let's stop there.
What are "patricians"? The definition of this word was briefly described above, and now we will consider its more detailed interpretation. So, the patricians in Ancient Rome were originally called the indigenous population, that is, all people who were considered part of the tribal community. Actually, they made up the Roman people, and they also opposed the plebeians.
Some time later, patriarchal families were separated from the tribal community. After that, only aristocrats, whose ancestors were once among the royal senate, began to be called patricians.
Further, only the ruling class, namely the estate of the Roman Republic, began to be called patricians in Rome. This happened at the end of the VI century BC. As before, they had the exclusive right to use public land.
It is interesting that after the inclusion of the plebeians in the Roman people, when they were rightfully equated with the patricians, the nobility was formed. It happened by mergingthe tops of the plebs and the patriciate, and this event took place at the beginning of the III century BC.
Medieval Europe
What are "patricians" in this case? In the Middle Ages, a tribal estate was formed, which owned the financial, judicial and political-administrative power in the free and imperial cities. It was called a patrician.
All its members, as a rule, had the right to be elected senators, and also headed the most important city institutions and, in fact, constituted the City Council. So, in this case, those who were representatives of the upper strata of the imperial urban burghers, the bureaucracy of magistrates, and the merchant nobility were called patricians. Representatives of other feudal estates, for example, the nobility and chivalry, who accepted the legal status of "burghers" also had the right to be called such.
In medieval Europe, the patricians profited from trading and usury activities.
Conclusion
Now you yourself know and will be able to answer your child's question about what "patricians" are. Although it may be difficult for him to understand. Patricians in Ancient Rome could only become by family affiliation, as, in fact, in medieval Europe. Also, this title could be awarded to someone. And after death, a person lost his title. But there were cases when this title was taken away for some reason.
