Interrex
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The interrex (plural interreges) was an extraordinary magistrate during the Roman Kingdom and
Republic. Initially, the interrex was appointed after the death of the king of Rome until the election of his
successor, hence its name—a ruler "between kings" (Latin inter reges). The position was retained during
the Republic when both consuls were unable to assume their duties, especially holding elections.
Interreges ruled for only five days, which often led several of them to be appointed in succession, the
record being 15 interreges in 326 BC. They were exclusively chosen from among patrician senators, and
during the Conflict of the Orders, their appointment was sometimes designed to hinder plebeians from
reaching power or passing laws.
As with the dictatorship, interreges are mostly found until the time of the Second Punic War. The position
was only resurrected by Sulla in 82 BC so he could become dictator, and between 55 and 52 BC, when
Pompey disturbed the constitution for his own benefit.
History
The office of interrex was supposedly created following the death of Rome's first king Romulus, and thus
its origin is obscured by legend. The Senate of the Roman Kingdom was at first unable to choose a new
king. For the purpose of continuing the government of the city, the Senate, which then consisted of one
hundred members, was divided into ten decuriae (groups of ten); and from each of these decuriae one
senator was nominated as decurio. Each of the ten decuriones in succession held the regal power and its
badges for five days as interrex; and if no king had been appointed at the expiration of fifty days, the
rotation began anew. The period during which they exercised their power was called an interregnum, and
on that occasion lasted for one year. Thereafter Numa Pompilius was elected as the new king.[1]
After the death of each subsequent king, an interrex was appointed by the Senate. His function was to call
a meeting of the Comitia Curiata, which would elect a new king.[2]
Under the Republic, interreges were appointed to hold the comitia for the election of the consuls when
the consuls, through civil commotion or other cause such as death, had been unable to do so during their
year of office. Each interrex held the office for only five days, as under the kings. During the brief
interregnum, they cumulated most of the original power of the king, or the power of the two consuls in
the first years of the Republic.[3] The comitia were, as a general rule, not held by the first interrex, who
was originally the curio maximus, but more usually by the second or third; in one instance we read of an
eleventh, and in another of a fourteenth interrex. The comitia to elect the first consuls were held by
Spurius Lucretius Tricipitinus either as interrex or as praefectus urbi.[4]The interreges under the
Republic, at least from 482 BC, were elected from ex-consuls by the Senate, and were not confined to the
decem primi or ten chief senators as under the kings. Plebeians, however, were not admissible to this
office; and consequently when the Senate included plebeians, the patrician senators met together without
the plebeian members to elect an interrex. For this reason, as well as on account of the influence which
the interrex exerted in the election of the magistrates, we find that the tribunes of the plebs were strongly
opposed to the appointment of an interrex. The interrex had jurisdictio. It is possible that interreges were
the only magistrates exempted from the veto power of a tribune[5] - which would be exceptional, since
even dictators were usually subject to the veto.[6]
Interreges continued to be appointed occasionally until the time of the Second Punic War. After that no
interrex was appointed until the Senate, by command of Sulla, named L. Valerius Flaccus to hold the
comitia for his election as Dictator in 82 BC. In 55 BC, another interrex was appointed to hold the
comitia in which Pompey and Crassus were elected consuls. There were multiple interreges in 53 and 52
BC, the last known being Marcus Aemilius Lepidus (triumvir);[7][8] in 52 an interrex held the comitia in
which Pompey was appointed sole consul. The number of interreges during these two years was so high
that Cicero ironised about it in a letter.[9]
List of Roman interreges (509 - 52 BC)
Unless otherwise indicated, the names and dates of the interreges are taken from Thomas Broughton's
The Magistrates of the Roman Republic.[10]
Year Interrex note
509 Sp. Lucretius Tricipitinus
A. Sempronius Atratinus, 1st
482 Sp. Lartius Flavus, 2nd
462 P. Valerius Poplicola
444 T. Quinctius Capitolinus Barbatus
420 L. Papirius Mugillanus
413 Q. Fabius Vibulanus
L. Valerius Potitus
Q. Servilius Fidenas
396
M. Furius Camillus
M. Furius Camillus II
P. Cornelius Scipio
391
L. Valerius Potitus II
P. Cornelius Scipio II
389 M. Furius Camillus III
M. Manlius Capitolinus
Ser. Sulpicius Camerinus
387
L. Valerius Potitus III
Q. Servilius Ahala I & II
M. Fabius Ambustus I & II
Cn. Manlius Capitolinus Imperiosus
355 C. Fabius Ambustus Servilius & M. Fabius appointed twice
C. Sulpicius Peticus
L. Aemilius Mamercinus
11 unknown interreges
352 L. Cornelius Scipio Cornelius as the twelfth of a series of interreges
C. Sulpicius Peticus II
351 M. Fabius Ambustus III
M. Valerius Corvus
M. Fabius Ambustus IV?
340
or M. Fabius Dursuo
4 unknown interreges
332 M. Valerius Corvus II Valerius as the fifth and last of a series of interreges
13 unknown interreges
326 L. Aemilius Mamercinus Privernas Aemilius as the fourteenth of a series of interreges
Q. Fabius Maximus Rullianus
320 M. Valerius Corvus III
Ap. Claudius Caecus
298 P. Sulpicius Saverrius
291 L. Postumius Megellus
Fabius was twice Interrex, both at unknown dates.
222 Q. Fabius Maximus Verrucosus?
This is one possible date as suggested by
Broughton.
C. Claudius Centho
216 P. Cornelius Scipio Asina Scipio held the comitia that elected the consul Varro
Mommsen and Broughton suggests this as a possible
date for Fabius as interrex. Livy instead
208? Q. Fabius Maximus Verrucosus II? attributes the
elections to the Dictator, T. Manlius Torquatus
82 L. Valerius Flaccus
55 Marcus Valerius Messalla Niger
numerous unknown interreges
Marcus Valerius Messalla Niger
53
Quintus Caecilius Metellus Pius
Scipio
Marcus Valerius Messalla Niger
52 Marcus Aemilius Lepidus (triumvir)
References
1. Livy, Ab urbe condita, 1:17
2. see e.g. Livy, Ab urbe condita, 1:32
3. Cambridge, The Five Days Interregnum in the Roman Republic,
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/classical-quarterly/article/abs/fiveday-interregnum-
in-the-roman-republic/0EBEC44DCC8C90C719A8FBE08E7F4189
4. Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Roman Antiquities 4.76.1; 4.84.5. Livy, Ab Urbe Condita 1.59.2;
1.60.4.
5. Acta Triumphalia (CIL I.p.45), Livy (4–41.10; 8.23.12), and Suetonius (Jul. 51.4)
6. Sherwin-White, AN; Lintott, Andrew (2012). "dictator" (https://oxfordre.com/classics/view/10.
1093/acrefore/9780199381135.001.0001/acrefore-9780199381135-e-2151). In Hornblower,
Simon; Spawforth, Antony; Eidinow, Esther (eds.). The Oxford classical dictionary (4th ed.).
Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 448. doi:10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.013.2151 (htt
ps://doi.org/10.1093%2Facrefore%2F9780199381135.013.2151). ISBN 978-0-19-954556-8.
OCLC 959667246 (https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/959667246).
7. Koptev, Aleksandr (2016). "The Five-Day Interregnum in the Roman Republic" (https://www.
cambridge.org/core/journals/classical-quarterly/article/abs/fiveday-interregnum-in-the-roman
-republic/0EBEC44DCC8C90C719A8FBE08E7F4189). The Classical Quarterly. 66.
Cambridge University: 205–221. doi:10.1017/S000983881600032X (https://doi.org/10.101
7%2FS000983881600032X).
8. Bauman, Richard A. (1985). Lawyers in Roman Transitional Politics: A Study of the Roman
Jurists in Their Political Setting in the Late Republic and Triumvirate (https://books.google.co
m/books?id=15MDF-5_qaoC&dq=lepidus+interrex&pg=PA28). Beck, C.H.
ISBN 9783406304859.
9. Koptev, Aleksandr (2016). "The Five-Day Interregnum in the Roman Republic" (https://www.
cambridge.org/core/journals/classical-quarterly/article/abs/fiveday-interregnum-in-the-roman
-republic/0EBEC44DCC8C90C719A8FBE08E7F4189). The Classical Quarterly. 66.
Cambridge University: 205–221. doi:10.1017/S000983881600032X (https://doi.org/10.101
7%2FS000983881600032X).
10. Broughton, T. Robert S. (1952). The magistrates of the Roman Republic (http://worldcat.org/
oclc/1120836609). American Philological Association. OCLC 1120836609 (https://search.wo
rldcat.org/oclc/1120836609).
Sources
Drummond, Andrew (2015). "Interrex" (https://oxfordre.com/classics/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780199381
135.001.0001/acrefore-9780199381135-e-3305). Oxford Classical Dictionary. Oxford Research
Encyclopedias. doi:10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.013.3305 (https://doi.org/10.1093%2Facrefore%2F
9780199381135.013.3305). ISBN 9780199381135. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
