tribun

Tribun (Latin tribunus) is a title used in ancient Rome for certain public officials. The most prominent were the tribunes of the plebs (tribuni plebis), elected representatives of the plebeians in the Roman Republic. The office was created during the early Republic as a check on patrician power after the plebeian secessions around 494–493 BCE. Tribunes were elected annually by the plebeian assembly and enjoyed sacrosanctity, meaning their persons were inviolable. They possessed the power to veto actions by magistrates, decrees of the Senate, and measures of other assemblies, and they could propose legislation. Typically, ten plebeian tribunes served at a time, though the exact number and powers varied over time. The tribunes protected plebeian rights, including preventing the execution of citizens without trial and safeguarding the assemblies’ decisions.

The title was also used for military officers known as tribuni militum. In the middle Republic, a legion was commanded by several tribunes, usually six, who acted as senior staff officers under the consuls or higher-ranking magistrates. Their responsibilities included administration, staff duties, and acting as commanders in specific contexts or during the absence of senior leaders. Over time, especially in the late Republic and the early Empire, the role of military tribune evolved or diminished in importance as other ranks and offices took precedence.

Etymologically, tribunus derives from Latin roots associated with the people or assembly that granted authority. The term survives in modern languages in the form of tribune, used in various institutional contexts, including legal, political, and media names, though these usages differ from the ancient offices in scope and function.