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Amilitary tribune (from Latin tribunus militum 'tribune of the soldiers') was an officer of theRoman army who ranked below thelegate and above thepraefectus castrorum (acenturion). Young men of Equestrian rank often served as military tribunes as a stepping stone to the Senate.[1] Thetribunus militum should not be confused with the elected political office oftribune of the people (tribunusplebis) nor with that oftribunus militum consulari potestate.
The wordtribunus derives fromtribus, "tribe".[2] In Rome's earliest history, each of the three tribes (Ramnes, Luceres, and Tities) sent one commander when an army was mustered,[3] since there was no standing army. Thetribunes were commanders of the originallegion of 3,000. By the time of theGreek historianPolybius (d. 118 BC), the tribunes numbered six, and they were appointed by theconsuls.[4] However, the process by which tribunes were chosen and assigned is complex and varies at different times.
In theRepublican period, there were six appointed to each legion. Authority was given to two at a time, and command rotated among the six. Tribunes were men of senatorial status appointed by theRoman Senate. To attain the position of tribune, one only needed to be a member of the ruling class. By 311 BC theplebeians acquired the right to elect sixteen tribunes of the soldiers, that is, four out of the six tribunes assigned to each of the four legions that formed theRoman army. Previously these places had been for the most part in the gift ofconsuls ordictators.[5]
Additionally, in the early Republic, another type of military tribune was sometimes chosen in place of the annually elected consuls to be the heads of the Roman State. These are known in Latin astribuni militum consulari potestate ("military tribunes with consular authority"). At the time only patricians could be chosen as consuls, but both patricians and plebeians could be elected as tribunes with consular authority. Instead of the usual two consuls, between four and six military tribunes were elected for the year. The reasons for this choice are obscure, though Livy often cast the decision according to the class struggles he saw as endemic during this period, with patricians generally favoring consuls and plebs the military tribunes. The office of "consular tribune" eventually fell out of use after 366 BC.
After changes to Roman army driven by theSocial War (91–87 BC) and subsequentcivil wars (further formalised by the emperorClaudius) created a professionalized military system, legions were commanded by a legionary legate (legatus). Six tribunes were still posted to a legion, but their duties and responsibilities had changed, becoming more a political position than a military rank. The second-in-command to the legate was thetribunus laticlavius or 'broad-stripe' tribune (named after the width of the stripe used to demarcate him on his tunic and toga),[6] usually a young man of senatorial rank. He was given this position to learn and watch the actions of the legate. They often found themselves leading their unit in the absence of a legate, and some legions were permanently commanded by a broad-stripe tribune, such as those stationed in Egypt, as anAugustan law required that no member of the Senatorial Order ever enter Egypt.[7]
In contrast to the broad-stripe tribune, the other five 'thin stripe' tribunes were lower in rank, and were called thetribuni angusticlavii. These 'officer cadets'[6] were men ofequestrian rank who had military experience, and yet had no authority: they were allowed to sit on a court martial but they held no power in battle. Most thin-stripe tribunes served the legionary legate, yet a lucky few (such asAgricola) were selected to serve on the staff of the provincial governor.[8] According toTacitus, they did not always take their appointment as seriously as they might, contrasting Agricola's tribuneship to his peers by saying "[Agricola did not], like many young men who convert military service into wanton pastime, avail himself licentiously or slothfully of his tribunitial title, or use his inexperience to spend his time in pleasures and absences from duty".[8]
UnderAugustus, the five equestrian tribunes were sometimes promoted from the rank ofcenturion, and might advance to a command in theauxiliary cavalry orPraetorian Guard.
