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In the Roman Republic, the dictator, was an 'extraordinary magistrate' (''magistratus extraordinarius'') with the absolute authority to perform tasks beyond the authority of the ordinary magistrate (''magistratus ordinarius'').〔''Oxford Companion to Classical Civilization'' (1998) Hornblower and Spawforth, eds.:Oxford p.219.〕 The office of ''dictator'' was a legal innovation originally named ''Magister Populi'' (Master of the People), i.e., Master of the Citizen Army.〔Andrew Lintott, ''The Constitution of the Roman Republic'' (Oxford University Press, 1999), p. 110 (online. ) Moreover, the perception that the dictator was a ''praetor maximus'' (supreme praetor) apparently results from confusion about a fragmentary inscription, and a passage in Livy, that imply that, on one occasion, the title-holder acted as ''dictator''; see Lintott, ''Constitution'' p. 104, especially note 47.〕 The term was derived from ''dicto'' to dictate or prescribe.〔(Wiktionary: Dictator )〕 The Roman Senate passed a ''senatus consultum'' authorizing the consuls to nominate a dictator — the sole exception to the Roman legal principles of ''collegiality'' (multiple tenants in the same office) and ''responsibility'' (legal liability for official actions) — only one man was appointed, and, as the highest magistrate, he was not legally liable for official actions; 24 lictors attended him. Only a single dictator was allowed, because of the ''imperium magnum'', the great, extraordinary power with which he could over-rule, or depose from office, or put to death other curule magistrates, who also possessed imperium. There were several forms of dictator, distinguished by their ''causa'', or reason for their creation. The most common form, and the one most associated with the Roman dictator, was ''rei gerundae causa'', "for the matter to be done", which almost always involved leading an army in the field and specified the enemy to be combated. At least one dictator (and possibly more) was designated ''seditionis sedandae et rei gerundae causa'', "for the putting down of rebellion and the matter to be done." Dictators were also appointed to serve administrative or religious functions, such as holding elections (''comitiorum habendorum causa'', the second most common form of dictatorship) or driving a nail into the Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus to end a pestilence (''clavi figendi causa''). Rome ceased to appoint dictators after the time of the Second Punic War. The office was revived during the Roman Civil War by Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix, who was appointed ''dictator legibus faciendis et rei publicae constituendae causa'' (dictator for the making of laws and for the settling of the constitution). Julius Caesar was also named dictator on several occasions. The Roman emperors eschewed use of the title to avoid the opprobrium it attracted as the result of these last two dictators. ==Powers and abilities== As soon as the Dictator was appointed, he became the chief executive and commander-in-chief of the Republic. The regular magistrates – with the exception of the Tribune of the Plebs – became subject to the higher imperium of the Dictator. They continued to discharge the duties of their various offices under the Dictator, but they were no longer independent officers and were obliged to obey his orders in every circumstance. Failure to do so could result in the dictator forcing the magistrate out of office. The superiority of the Dictator's power to that of the consuls consisted chiefly of greater independence from the Senate, more extensive power of punishment without a trial by the people, and complete immunity from being held accountable for his actions. However, what gave the dictator such great control over Rome was his lack of a colleague to counter him. Unlike the Consuls, who were required to cooperate with the Senate, the Dictator could act on his own authority without the Senate, though the Dictator would usually act in unison with the Senate all the same. There was no appeal from the sentence of the Dictator (unless the dictator changed his mind), and accordingly the lictors bore the axes in the fasces before them, even in the city, as a symbol of their absolute power over the lives of the citizens. The Dictator's imperium granted him the powers to rule by decree and to change any Roman law as he saw fit, and these changes lasted as long as the Dictator remained in power. He could introduce new laws into the Roman constitution that did not require ratification by any of the Roman assemblies, but were often put to a vote all the same. An example would be Sulla's introduction of the dreaded proscription. Likewise, a dictator could act as a supreme judge, with no appeal to his decisions. These ''judicial'' powers made the Dictator the supreme authority in both military and civil affairs. The relationship between the Dictator and the Tribunes of the Plebs is not entirely certain. The Tribune was the only magistrate to continue his independence of office during a dictatorship while the other magistrates served the dictator as officers. However, there is no reason to believe that they had any control over a dictator, or could hamper his proceedings by their power to veto, as they could in the case of the Consuls. This is believed to be explained by the fact that the law that created the dictatorship was passed before the institution of the Tribune of the Plebs, and consequently made no mention of it. Any magistrate owning imperium was not accountable for his actions as long as he continued to serve in an office that owned imperium. However, once a magistrate left office, he could face trial for his illegal deeds after the imperium had expired. This was not the case with the Dictator. The Dictator was untouchable during his time in office, but was also not liable to be called to account for any of his official acts, illegal or otherwise, after his abdication of office. The dictator's actions were treated as though they never occurred (at least legally). 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Roman dictator」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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