Arretium

Demographics

Arretium is somewhat cosmopolitan, however the majority are humans. The overwhelming majority of people here are poor citizens and slaves. The upper echelons tend to live out in the countryside but many have Domus' in the city.

Government

Constitutional System
The constitutional history of the Arretian Republic began with the revolution which overthrew the monarchy in 668 AC. The Constitution of the Arretian Republic is a constantly-evolving, unwritten set of guidelines and principles passed down mainly through precedent, by which the government and its politics operated. Throughout the history of the Republic, changes in the constitution are driven by conflicts of interest between the aristocracy and ordinary citizens.
Senate
The senate's ultimate authority derives from the esteem and prestige of the senators. This esteem and prestige was based on both precedent and custom, as well as the caliber and reputation of the senators. The senate passes decrees, which are called senatus consulta. These are official "advice" from the senate to a magistrate. In practice, however, they are usually followed by the magistrates. The focus of the Arretian senate is usually directed towards foreign policy. Though it technically has no official role in the management of military conflict, the senate ultimately is the force that oversee such affairs. The power of the senate expanded over time as the power of the legislative assemblies declined, and the senate took a greater role in ordinary law-making. Its members are usually appointed by Arretian Censors, who ordinarily select newly elected magistrates for membership in the senate, making the senate a partially elected body. During times of military emergency, such as the Arretian-Insubri war, and the Arretian-Akkadian.
Legislative Assemblies
The legal status of Arretian citizenship is limited and is a vital prerequisite to possessing many important legal rights such as the right to trial and appeal, to marry, to vote, to hold office, to enter binding contracts, and to special tax exemptions. An adult male citizen with the full complement of legal and political rights are called "optimo jure." The optimo jure elect their assemblies, whereupon the assemblies elected magistrates, enacted legislation, preside over trials in capital cases, declared war and peace, and forge or dissolved treaties. There are two types of legislative assemblies. The first is the comitia ("committees"), which are assemblies of all optimo jure. The second is the concilia ("councils"), which are assemblies of specific groups of optimo jure.
Citizens are organized on the basis of centuries and tribes, which each gathering into their own assemblies. The Comitia Centuriata ("Centuriate Assembly") is the assembly of the centuries (i.e., soldiers). The president of the Comitia Centuriata is usually a consul. The centuries will vote, one at a time, until a measure received support from a majority of the centuries. The Comitia Centuriata elect magistrates who has imperium powers (consuls and praetors). It also elected censors. Only the Comitia Centuriata can declare war, and ratify the results of a census. It also serves as the highest court of appeal in certain judicial cases.
The assembly of the tribes (i.e., the citizens of Arretium), the Comitia Tributa, is presided over by a consul, and was composed of 35 tribes. The tribes are not ethnic or kinship groups, but rather geographical subdivisions. The order that the thirty-five tribes vote in is selected randomly by lot. Once a measure receives support from a majority of the tribes, the voting ends. While it does not pass many laws, the Comitia Tributa do elect quaestors, curule aediles, and military tribunes. The Plebeian Council is identical to the assembly of the tribes, but excludes the patricians (the elite who could trace their ancestry to the founding of Arretium). They elect their own officers, plebeian tribunes and plebeian aediles. Usually a plebeian tribune presides over the assembly. This assembly passes most laws, and can also act as a court of appeal.
Executive Magistrates
Each republican magistrate holds certain constitutional powers. In addition, each are assigned a provincia by the Senate. This is the scope of that particular office holder's authority. It can apply to a geographic area or to a particular responsibility or task. The powers of a magistrate comes from the people of Arretium (both plebeians and patricians). The imperium is held by both consuls and praetors. Strictly speaking, it is the authority to command a military force. In reality, however, it carries broad authority in the other public spheres such as diplomacy, and the justice system. In extreme cases, those with the imperium power are able to sentence Arretian Citizens to death. All magistrates have the power of coercitio (coercion). This is used by magistrates to maintain public order by imposing punishment for crimes. Magistrates also have both the power and the duty to look for omens. This power is often used to obstruct political opponents. A check on a magistrate's power is called Collega (collegiality). Each magisterial office is held concurrently by at least two people. Another such check was provocatio. While in Arretium, all citizens are protected from coercion, by provocatio, which is a form of due process. If any magistrate tries to use the powers of the state against a citizen, that citizen can appeal the decision of the magistrate to a tribune. In addition, once a magistrate's one-year term of office expires, he has to wait ten years before serving in that office again. This creates problems for some consuls and praetors, and those magistrates occasionally have their imperium extended. In effect, they retain the powers of the office (as a promagistrate), without officially holding that office.
The consuls of the Arretian Republic are the highest ranking ordinary magistrates. Each serves for one year. They retain several elements of the former kingly regalia, such as the toga praetexta, and the fasces, which represents the power to inflict physical punishment. Consular powers include the kings' former "power to command" (imperium) and appointment of new senators. Consuls have supreme power in both civil and military matters. While in the city of Arretium, the consuls are the head of the Arretian government. They preside over the senate and the assemblies. While abroad, each consul commands an army. His authority abroad is nearly absolute. Praetors administer civil law and command provincial armies. Every five years, two censors are elected for an 18-month term, during which they conduct a census. During the census, they can enroll citizens in the senate, or purge them from the senate. Aediles are officers elected to conduct domestic affairs in Arretium, such as managing public games and shows. The quaestors usually assist the consuls in Arretium, and the governors in the provinces. Their duties are often financial.
Since the tribunes are considered to be the embodiment of the plebeians, they are sacrosanct. Their sacrosanctity is enforced by a pledge, taken by plebeians, to kill any person who harmed or interfered with a tribune during his term of office. It is a capital offense to harm a tribune, to disregard his veto, or to otherwise interfere with him. In times of military emergency, a dictator is appointed for a term of six months. Constitutional government is dissolved, and the dictator becomes the absolute master of the state. When the dictator's term ends, constitutional government is restored.

Alternative Name(s)

The Eternal City

Type

Capital

Population

2 Million

Inhabitant Demonym

Arretian, Arretii

Owning Organization

Arretian Republic