How did the tribunes play a role in the roman society?
The role of tribune was created early in the Roman Republic and came out of the class struggle between patricians and plebians. Tribunes were the first plebian officers of state and were the watchdogs of plebian rights. The first two are recorded in 494 BC and by 449 BC, there were 10. Their role originally was to protect plebians from arrest and punishment by patrician magistrates (ius auxillii ferendi). They also had the right to gather assemblies of the plebs (consilium plebis) where decisions and resolutions were made. Although in legal terms, these assemblies of the plebs were weak, politically, it was always a mistake for the Senate or patricians to ignore them completely as they were a good indicator of public opinion. Tribunes also had the right of “intercessio”, the power of veto over any act of a magistrate. This made them extremely powerful. This power of veto was often employed as a political weapon and was able to bring any state business, except that of a dictator (which
