Constitution (Roman law)
Generic name for a legislative enactment by a Roman emperor
In Roman law, a constitutio ("constitution") is any legislative enactment by a Roman emperor. It includes edicts, decrees (judicial decisions), and rescripta (written answers to officials or petitioners). Mandata (instructions) given by the Emperor to officials were not constitutions but created legal rules that could be relied upon by individuals.
One of the most important constitutions issued by a Roman emperor was Caracalla's Constitutio Antoniniana of 212, also called the Edict of Caracalla or the Antonine Constitution, which declared that all free men of the Roman Empire were to be given Roman citizenship and all free women the same rights as Roman women.
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This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Constitution (Roman law)”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- Gießen, MS Papyrus Gissensis 40 uncropped Constitutio Antoniniana with three other edicts.jpg by Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain
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