The Principate is the name historians give to the first period of the Roman Empire, from Augustus in 27 BC to about AD 284. Emperors ruled as princeps, or first citizen, and kept up the look of a republic while holding the real power.
Key takeaways
- The Principate is conventionally dated from 27 BC to AD 284, though the end date is a convention and not a single event.
- Augustus ruled as princeps, meaning first citizen, and the Senate kept control of some provinces to maintain a republican look.
- Our map follows the Principate from AD 14 to AD 211, with the outline reaching 4.88 million km² in AD 117.
- The term was introduced by the 19th-century historian Theodor Mommsen, not by the Romans.
How the Principate works
The Principate is the early stage of Roman imperial rule, from the reign of Augustus to the late third century. Its dates are conventionally given as 27 BC to AD 284 [1]. The word comes from princeps, "first citizen", the title Augustus used in place of "king" [1].
Augustus arranged things carefully. In 27 BC he handed power back to the Senate, and was then given command of several unsettled provinces, which gave him most of Rome's legions. He took the name Augustus, meaning "venerated" [1][3]. In 23 BC he gave up the consulship but received tribunician power for life and an authority over other governors that applied throughout the empire [1]. The Senate kept control of some provinces, which helped maintain what the article calls a republican facade for what was in fact autocratic rule [1].
So the Principate worked by pretence. Consuls were still chosen, the Senate still met, and the emperor presented himself as the first among equals. Behind this stood the army and his control of the key provinces. Later emperors, whether they were good or bad, kept the system. It lasted until the troubles of the third century broke it up.
The word itself is modern. The 19th-century German historian Theodor Mommsen introduced "Principate" and "Dominate" as a way to divide imperial history in two [1]. Many scholars now treat that split as a handy label and not as an exact picture [2].
An example from our data
The Principate fills most of the first half of the slider. At AD 14, when Augustus died, our outline covers about 3.67 million km² and holds 36 provinces. At AD 117 it reaches 4.88 million km², the largest outline on the map, with 41 provinces. By AD 211 it is about 4.81 million km². The method for the last two is the Ancient World Mapping Center outline, so they are the most detailed. The province outlines are drawn as they stood around AD 200, within the Principate's last century, so the provinces page is a good snapshot of how it was divided. For why the borders are approximate, see the note on borders.
The thing people get wrong
Many people think Augustus declared himself emperor and the Republic was over. He did not. He avoided the word rex (king) and kept the old offices, and ordinary Romans of his day would not have said that the Republic had ended. The Principate was a quiet takeover that looked like a restoration.
Principate vs Dominate
| Principate | Dominate | |
|---|---|---|
| Conventional dates | 27 BC to AD 284 | From about AD 284 |
| Image of the ruler | First citizen among citizens | Lord and master |
| Who named it | Modern historians, from Mommsen | The same |
| Today's view | A useful label | Rarely used as an analytical model [2] |
Frequently asked questions
What does princeps mean?
It means leading citizen or first citizen. It had been used for respected nobles in the Republic, and Augustus adapted it as the title of the sole ruler.
When did the Principate end?
Conventionally around AD 284, with the rise of Diocletian. Historians agree this is a convenient marker and not a clean break.
Did Romans call it the Principate?
Not as a name for a period. Modern historians, notably Mommsen, use it to divide imperial history into stages.
Sources
- Principate, Wikipedia.
- Dominate, Wikipedia.
- Roman Empire, Wikipedia.
- Every figure from our own map is worked out from the datasets on the data sources page (checked against Ancient World Mapping Center outlines and Pleiades).