The system of suffragium in the Roman Empire of the IV - first half of the VI centuries

Abstract

The article is devoted to the phenomenon of suffragium in the Roman Empire of the IV – first half of the VI centuries. This was the name of the recommendations given by the highest officials of the emperor’s state for the appointment of lower-level officials. Among the tasks of the article are the following: to study the peculiarities of the functioning of the suffragium system, to explore the attitude of state authorities to these recommendations, to determine the impact of suffragium on the development of the Roman Empire. This system is actively represented both in the legislative collections of this time (Codes of Theodosius and Justinian, Novels of Justinian) and in the narrative tradition (the works of Ammianus Marcellinus, Libanius and other authors).

The most popular position received through the recommendations was the position of governor of the province, but it could be other officials, both civilian and military. Instead of becoming an effective way to select the most deserving, suffragium have created nepotism and corruption in appointments. Having paid a lot of money as a bribe for the position, the governors multiplied them several times with their abuses.

Empire during the IV century tried to limit the corruption component of the recommendations, prohibited their issuance to officials of certain categories. The most critical for suffragium was Emperor Julian. But at the end of the century, the empire capitulated to the corruption component of the recommendations, legally obliging candidates to pay the promised jewels if they got the employment they wanted. In V – early VI centuries suffragium actually existed as a system of buying state posts. Only Emperor Justinian I in the VI century led an active fight against abuses in the system of appointment of officials, imposing severe penalties on them.