rogatio

Rogatio is a Latin term used in classical studies to denote the act by which a Roman magistrate proposed a law or decree to the people for approval by the assemblies known as the comitia. Derived from the verb rogo, to ask, rogatio was the procedural form through which legislative measures could be initiated by magistrates such as consuls, praetors, or tribunes, and presented to the populus for a vote.

In practice, a rogatio involved the magistrate presenting the text of the proposal to the assembly, explaining its purposes and terms. The assembly would then vote, and if the measure received approval, it would become law in the form of a lex, plebiscitum, or other legal instrument, depending on the jurisdiction and status of the proposal. The exact procedures and requirements varied over time and between different assemblies, and the rogatio often interacted with the Senate and other political actors.

Historically, rogationes were a common mechanism in the early and middle Republic for initiating legislation. Over the course of Roman constitutional development, other forms of proposing law and different procedural arrangements emerged, but the rogatio remained a recognized category for describing proposals put to the people for votive approval. In scholarly usage, rogatio serves to distinguish the act of requesting the people’s consent from later stages of lawmaking or from decrees issued solely by the Senate or magistrates.

Etymology and usage: rogatio derives from Latin rogo, meaning to ask or inquire. The term appears in discussions of Roman constitutional practice and ancient legal texts to designate this specific procedure of legislative initiation.