emperor. 1. The title of the sovereign ruler of an empire. 2. The chief of a confederation of states of which kings are members. • The rulers of the Roman world adopted the designation emperor after the fall of the republic. The title was later assumed by those — including Napoleon — who claimed to […]
basilica (b[schwa]-sil-i-k[schwa]). [Greek] Hist. 1. (cap.) A 60-book Greek summary of Justinian’s Corpus Juris Civilis, with comments (scholia). • The Basilica (“royal law”) was begun by the Byzantine emperor Basil I, and it served as a major source of the law of the Eastern Empire from the early 10th century until Constantinople’s fall in 1453.
semestria (si-mes-tree-[schwa]), n. [Latin “half-yearly matters”] Roman law. The collected decisions of Roman emperors, issued every six months.
Corpus Juris Civilis (kor-p[schwa]s joor-is s[schwa]-vil-is or s[schwa]-v I-lis). The body of the civil law, compiled and codified under the direction of the Roman emperor Justinian in A.D. 528–556. • The collection includes four works — the Institutes, the Digest (or Pandects), the Code, and the Novels. The title Corpus Juris Civilis was not original,
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patrician (p[schwa]-trish-[schwa]n), n. Roman law. One of a privileged class of Roman citizens, as contrasted with plebeians. • Originally the rank was probably only by birth. They monopolized all the priesthoods and their class was probably defined by religious prerogatives, but membership in the senate was not confined to patricians. They lost their monopolies by
adnotatio (ad-noh-tay-shee-oh), n. [Latin] Roman law. A note written in the margin of a document; esp., the reply of the emperor in his own hand to a petition addressed to him. Pl. adnotationes (ad-noh-tay-shee-oh-neez). See RESCRIPT(3).
decreta (di-kree-t[schwa]), n. [Latin “decisions”] Roman law. Judgments of magistrates; esp., sentences pronounced by the emperor as the supreme judge. See DECRETUM. “Decreta. In Roman law decisions of magistrates given after investigation of a case by cognitio… and in particular, decisions of the emperor as judge of first instance after trial by cognitio, or as
sacrilegium (sak-r[schwa]-lee-jee-[schwa]m), n. [Latin fr. sacer “sacred” + legere “to steal”] Roman law. 1. The theft of a sacred thing. • This was usu. a capital offense. See CAPITALIS. 2. Violation of an imperial law. “In the later Empire the conception of sacrilegium was somewhat distorted and those ‘who through ignorance or negligence confound, violate
preces (pree-seez), n. [Latin “prayers”] Roman law. A petition, esp. one addressed to the emperor by a private person. Cf. RESCRIPT(3).
proconsul (proh-kon-s[schwa]l), n. [Latin] Roman law. 1. An ex-consul whose consular powers were extended by the Senate or emperor after leaving office. 2. The governor of certain senatorial provinces.