Simone Lawson
The evolution of the diplomatic corps can be traced back to ancient Rome, where envoys played a key role in maintaining relationships with other civilizations. Roman diplomacy was primarily aimed at the benefit and good of the state, with a distinctive procedure embodying principles like respect for treaties, good faith, equivalence, personal contact, formal meetings and protocol. Roman diplomacy developed gradually, with roots in the period of the family (clan) system. During the empire, Roman diplomacy was in the hands of the emperor and his chancellery, with internal reforms under Emperor Claudius transferring foreign affairs to the ruler's personal office. Rome's international partnerships consisted of numerous informal friendships and fewer formal treaties of alliance, with Roman diplomacy often taking an offensive stance, leveraging the threat of their powerful army.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| History | As long as the state itself |
| Development | Gradual |
| Diplomatic matters | Delegated to a separate college of priests at the temple of Jupiter |
| Number of priests | 20 |
| Powers of priests | Declaring wars and making peace |
| Roman diplomacy | Establishing treaties of peace, alliance, and generals' agreements in the field |
| Roman diplomacy | Sending and receiving embassies |
| Roman diplomacy | Offering and accepting interstate mediations of disputes and wars |
| Roman diplomacy | Respect for treaties, good faith, equivalence, personal contact, formal meetings and protocol |
| Roman diplomacy | Offensive diplomacy |
| Roman diplomacy | Internal and external |
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What You'll Learn
- Roman diplomacy was primarily aimed at benefiting the state
- Rome's international partnerships consisted of informal friendships and formal treaties
- Envoys played a key role in maintaining relationships with other civilisations
- Roman diplomacy was made sacred by priests called fetiales
- Roman diplomatic vocabulary grew out of primitive practices overseen by priests
Roman diplomacy was primarily aimed at benefiting the state
Roman diplomacy (509 BCE–14 CE) involved establishing treaties of peace, alliance, and agreements in the field during wars; sending and receiving embassies to air complaints and congratulations, establish alliances, declare war, investigate matters affecting Roman security interests, settle disputes, and demand satisfaction for injuries; and offering and accepting interstate mediations of disputes and wars.
During the empire, Roman diplomacy was controlled by the emperor and his chancellery, with foreign affairs transferred to the ruler's personal office. Rome had two types of diplomacy: external with countries beyond its rule, and internal with countries within Roman territory.
Roman diplomacy was also sacred, with priests called "fetiales" acting as intermediaries between the gods and the ruler. They declared war and made peace according to the will of Jupiter, associated with special magical formulas. The practice of "deditio", or the demand for absolute surrender by another state to Rome's discretion, likely originated in ancient Italian practice.
Roman envoys played a crucial role in maintaining relationships with other civilizations, and the foundations of modern diplomacy can be traced back to ancient Rome.
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Rome's international partnerships consisted of informal friendships and formal treaties
Rome's international partnerships consisted of numerous informal friendships known as "amicitiae" and comparatively fewer formal treaties of alliance. Rome was often a willing broker of interstate mediations but was less willing to participate.
Roman diplomacy (509 BCE–14 CE) consisted of establishing treaties of peace, marking the end of wars, and alliances in peacetime or during wars. Generals' agreements in the field were also made during wars. The Romans also sent and received embassies, delegations of high-ranking citizens, to air complaints and congratulations, establish alliances, declare war, investigate matters affecting Roman security interests, settle disputes, and demand satisfaction for perceived injuries.
Roman diplomacy was primarily aimed at benefiting the state. As Titus Livius emphasised in his work Ab urbem condita libri, the message should proceed "with dignity and for the benefit of the Roman people." Roman diplomacy developed gradually, with a history as long as the state itself, and some of its elements can be found in the earlier family (clan) system. In the time of royal Rome, all diplomatic matters were delegated to a separate college of priests at the temple of the supreme god, Jupiter. Thus, diplomacy was made sacred. Priests were called "fetiales" and they acted according to a special law (ius fetiale). They officially expressed the will of Jupiter and, in fact, the orders of the ruler. There were 20 of them, and they wore special woollen robes and headbands. Their powers included declaring wars and making peace, which was associated with special magical formulas.
During the empire, Roman diplomacy and all its spheres were in the hands of the emperor and his chancellery. The deputies were imperial nominations, becoming officials. Rome had two separate diplomacies: external with countries that were still beyond its immediate rule and internal to countries that were already in Roman territory.
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Envoys played a key role in maintaining relationships with other civilisations
The Romans developed a distinctive diplomatic procedure, which embodied principles such as respect for treaties, good faith, equivalence, personal contact, formal meetings, and protocol. Roman diplomacy was primarily aimed at benefiting the state, with a focus on maintaining peace and managing conflicts. This included settling territorial and economic disputes, as well as declaring wars and making peace.
Envoys, also known as legates (legati) or "the chosen ones," played a crucial role in maintaining relationships with other civilizations. They were often skilled orators, as they needed to argue well and neatly during diplomatic missions. These diplomatic missions usually consisted of a few to ten members, accompanied by special officials, translators, and servants. The head of the mission was the princeps legationis, or main legate.
The role of envoy was highly prestigious, and members wore special golden rings as a symbol of their mission. They were equipped with the necessary clothing and money for their journey and received a substantial diet (viaticum). Envoys were considered sacred, and harming an envoy of a hostile country was treated as a violation of the law of nations.
The Romans received envoys from other civilizations, such as the Seres (possibly the Chinese), who visited the court of the first Roman Emperor Augustus. These foreign envoys were welcomed with dignity and invited to religious and state ceremonies. They often exchanged gifts, and their offers were reported to the Senate, depending on the importance of the country they represented.
The evolution of the diplomatic corps can be traced back to ancient Rome, where these envoys played a pivotal role in fostering relationships with other civilizations. As the Roman Empire transitioned to Constantinople, diplomatic missions became more formalized and structured, laying the foundations of modern diplomacy and shaping interactions between nations for centuries.
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Roman diplomacy was made sacred by priests called fetiales
In ancient Rome, diplomacy was primarily aimed at benefiting and doing good for the state. During the empire, Roman diplomacy was in the hands of the emperor and his chancellery. However, in the time of royal Rome, all diplomatic matters were delegated to a separate college of priests at the temple of the supreme god Jupiter, thus making diplomacy a sacred affair. These priests were called "fetiales" and they acted according to a special law called "ius fetiale". There were 20 of them, and they wore special woollen robes and headbands.
The fetiales were originally selected from the most noble families and they served for life. They were responsible for various aspects of international relations, such as treaties and declarations of war. When Rome sought reparations for an offence or damage, the fetiales were sent as ambassadors to the foreign country concerned. One member, the "verbenarius", carried herbs gathered from the Arx on Capitoline Hill. Another member, the "pater patratus", served as the group's representative. Upon reaching the border of the offending state, the pater patratus first announced his mission and addressed a prayer to Jupiter, affirming the justness of his errand.
If the demands made by the pater patratus were not met, he would return to Rome and invoke Jupiter, Juno (or Janus), and Quirinus, along with the heavenly gods, the terrestrial gods, and the gods of the netherworld as witnesses of the violation of the ius. After declaring war within 30 or 33 days, the pater patratus would return to the enemy frontier carrying a javelin with a steel or fire-hardened tip and dipped in blood. He would then declare war on the enemy and throw the javelin into their territory. This ritual was supposed to keep Rome from waging an unjust or aggressive war.
The ceremonies held by the fetiales conferred religious value to political decisions, aiming to place the gods on the side of Rome and entrust the fate of Rome to them. The rituals and formulae were associated with declaring war, requesting reparations, and concluding treaties. The fetiales were a common institution among the Latins and other Italic peoples.
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Roman diplomatic vocabulary grew out of primitive practices overseen by priests
Roman diplomacy developed gradually and has a long history, with some of its elements dating back to the period of the family or clan system. During the time of royal Rome, all diplomatic matters were delegated to a separate college of priests at the temple of the supreme god Jupiter, thus sacralising diplomacy. These priests, called "fetiales", acted according to a special law, the "ius fetiale", and their duties included declaring wars and making peace, which was associated with special magical formulas. They expressed the will of Jupiter and, in effect, the orders of the ruler.
Roman diplomatic vocabulary, then, likely grew out of these primitive practices overseen by the fetiales, who oversaw foreign relations between Rome and other Italian states. The practice of "deditio", for example, which involved the demand for absolute surrender by another state to Rome's complete discretion, probably has its roots in ancient Italian practice.
Roman diplomacy (509 BCE–14 CE) consisted of establishing treaties of peace (marking the end of wars), of alliance (in peacetime or during wars), and generals' agreements in the field (during wars); sending and receiving embassies (delegations of high-ranking citizens) to air complaints and congratulations, establish alliances, declare war, investigate matters affecting Roman security interests, settle disputes, and demand satisfaction for (perceived) injuries; and offering and accepting interstate mediations of disputes and wars.
Roman diplomacy was primarily aimed at the benefit and good of the state. As Titus Livius emphasised in his work Ab urbem condita libri, the message should proceed “with dignity and for the benefit of the Roman people.”. Roman diplomacy was also a tool of foreign policy, and the Romans developed a distinctive diplomatic procedure, embodying principles such as respect for treaties, good faith, equivalence, personal contact, formal meetings, and protocol. However, the Romans often used offensive diplomacy, leveraging the threat of their powerful army to get what they wanted without fighting.
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Frequently asked questions
The main goals of Roman diplomacy were to establish treaties of peace, form alliances, and settle disputes.
Roman diplomatic missions usually consisted of a few to ten Members, accompanied by special officials, translators, and servants. The mission was headed by the princeps legationis, or main legate.
In the time of royal Rome, all diplomatic matters were delegated to a separate college of priests at the temple of the supreme god Jupiter. Priests, called fetiales, wore special woollen robes and headbands and were responsible for declaring wars and making peace.
Roman diplomacy developed gradually and has a long history, with some elements originating in the period of the family (clan) system. During the empire, Roman diplomacy was controlled by the emperor and his chancellery. As the Roman Empire transitioned to Constantinople, diplomatic missions became more formalized and structured, laying the foundations for modern diplomacy.
Roman diplomacy was known for its respect for treaties, good faith, equivalence, personal contact, formal meetings, and protocol. However, the Romans also used offensive diplomacy, leveraging the strength of their army to get what they wanted without fighting.
