Defensor Civitatis

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A defensor civitatis (also defensor plebis ) was a civil servant in the late ancient Roman Empire who was supposed to protect the population from unfair and excessive taxation.

This was of particular importance outside the city of Rome in the municipalities of the empire, where the collection of taxes was the task of the decurions , i.e. the local upper class. It was liable with its personal fortune for raising the required funds and therefore tried at all costs to collect enough money from ordinary citizens or even to enrich itself personally. So at the beginning of the 4th century the office of defensor civitatis was created to oversee tax collection. In addition, he received various administrative and judicial functions over time. He was active in the appointment of guardians , certified legal transactions and judged on petty offenses .

First, the defensor civitatis was appointed for life by the Praetorian prefect . Later, the upper classes (including the clergy ) were elected and his term of office was limited to a certain number of years. He should be innocent and have already held a high office, but not be a decurion himself.

Ultimately, however, it became clear that the officials either could not carry out their task or did not want to do so at all, because they wanted to enrich themselves - for example through corruption. Finally, the defensor civitatis - also under pressure from the decurions - was integrated into the general administration of the Reich and thus part of the very apparatus from which it was originally intended to protect the citizens. In addition, he now took over the collection of taxes himself, at least from the lower classes. The protective function for the people was in fact transferred to the Christian bishops .

literature