Sula Reform Analysis

Submitted By Navlin-Prasad
Words: 480
Pages: 2

Account for Sulla’s reform program
Sulla made many significant constitutional reforms in order to strengthen the Roman aristocracy. Sulla, coming from a patrician family, despised the Tribune, or any institutions that gave voice to the plebians. Sulla's primary concern was the Tribune. First, he prohibited the tribune from legislating laws and prohibited ex-Tribunes from changing to different government positions. Then, Sulla took away the Tribune's power to veto the Senate's laws, thus thoroughly crippling the tribune’s influence. By enacting laws like Leges Corneliae, "intended to strengthen the senate and eliminate demagoguery legislation," he made sure the Senate was strengthened and the Tribune weakened after restricting the Tribune's power, Sulla sought to weaken all magistrate offices by electing more people as magistrates. He arranged that quaestors, upon election, would automatically join the Senate, doubling its size from 300. This act enlarged the Senate's sphere of influence on common people's lives. Furthermore, it destroyed the need for Censorship, one of the highest magistrate offices, because there were always more than enough eligible people to fill the Senate if needed. This ultimately reduced the importance of the magistracy.
Rather ironically, Sulla then focused on reducing the threat of one governor holding enough power to march into Rome and take over the Republic, as he had done. He stressed the law that anyone elected to office must wait ten years before being eligible to be re-elected. He also appointed many Praetors who were either commanders of an army or civil officials. Praetor literally means someone who "goes before others”. These Praetors were appointed to Roman provinces in order to minimize the risk of one governor gaining too much power. These praetors were either commanders of the army or magistrates. Finally, he passed a new treason law called the Lex Cornelia Majestatis, which in theory would stop any