Knowra Constitutio Antoniniana Constitutio Antoniniana The edict issued by Emperor Caracalla in 212 CE that granted Roman citizenship to nearly all free inhabitants of the Roman Empire, with some exceptions.
Roman citizenship : A legal status that granted rights and duties within the Roman state. The edict transformed citizenship from a restricted status into one held by nearly all free imperial inhabitants.
Caracalla : Roman emperor from 198 to 217 CE, remembered for military campaigns and the citizenship edict of 212. He issued the Constitutio Antoniniana during his reign.
Peregrinus (Roman law) : A free person in the Roman world who lacked Roman citizenship and was governed by rules for noncitizens. The grant largely ended this status for free inhabitants within its reach.
Caracalla’s tax reforms : Fiscal measures associated with Caracalla’s reign, including increases in certain Roman taxes. They inform the hypothesis that new citizens were meant to enlarge tax receipts.
Roman law : The legal system governing Rome and its territories, developed through statutes, juristic interpretation, and custom. The grant extended citizens’ legal status across the empire, while local laws and practices persisted.
Severan dynasty : A Roman imperial dynasty that ruled from 193 to 235 CE, founded by Septimius Severus. Caracalla’s edict belongs to the political and fiscal history of this dynasty.
Dediticii : People surrendered to Roman authority without treaty protections, a status associated with exclusion from the grant. The edict’s surviving text appears to preserve an exception for this group, though its scope is debated.
Vicesima hereditatium : A Roman five-percent tax on inheritances and certain legacies, originally associated with Augustus. Cassius Dio connects Caracalla’s grant to revenue from this tax.
Roman taxation : The taxes, duties, and levies imposed by Roman authorities on people, property, and commerce. Caracalla’s grant is often linked to expanding the population liable for the inheritance and manumission taxes.
Roman Egypt : The Roman province formed from the Ptolemaic kingdom after its annexation in 30 BCE. A papyrus found in Egypt preserves the principal surviving text of the grant.
Show all 22