Legal Definitions - referendarius

A referendarius was an official in ancient Roman law who served as a crucial intermediary between citizens and the emperor. This officer had two primary responsibilities: first, to receive formal requests, complaints, or appeals (known as petitions) submitted by individuals to the emperor; and second, to convey the emperor's decisions or responses back to those petitioners. Essentially, the referendarius managed the flow of communication between the public and the highest authority, ensuring that requests reached the emperor and that answers were delivered.

Here are some examples illustrating the role of a referendarius:

• Imagine a Roman citizen, Lucius, who believes a local governor has unfairly imposed a new tax on his village. Lucius drafts a formal petition detailing his grievance and seeks the emperor's direct intervention to overturn the tax. He would submit this petition to the referendarius, who would be responsible for reviewing it, presenting it to the emperor, and later, if the emperor issued a ruling or instruction regarding the tax, the referendarius would ensure that decision was communicated back to Lucius and his village.

  This example illustrates the referendarius's role in receiving Lucius's formal petition to the emperor and subsequently delivering the emperor's official answer or directive, acting as the vital link between the citizen and the supreme authority.

• Consider a scenario where a group of merchants in a distant province faces a severe trade dispute with a neighboring region and believes only the emperor's decree can resolve the impasse. They collectively write a detailed appeal to the emperor, outlining the economic hardship and requesting a specific imperial edict. This appeal would be directed to the referendarius, who would process it, bring it to the emperor's attention, and then, once the emperor made a decision, communicate the imperial judgment or new policy back to the merchants.

  Here, the referendarius functions as the gatekeeper for the merchants' collective petition to the emperor and the conduit for delivering the emperor's authoritative response, demonstrating both aspects of the role.

• Suppose a Roman soldier, Gaius, believes he was unjustly denied a promotion and seeks the emperor's personal review of his military record. Gaius would submit a formal request for reconsideration directly to the emperor's office. The referendarius would be the official who receives Gaius's detailed appeal, ensures it is properly presented to the emperor for consideration, and then, once the emperor has made a determination, formally informs Gaius of the imperial decision regarding his promotion request.

  This example highlights the referendarius's function in managing an individual's personal appeal to the emperor and ensuring the emperor's final decision is conveyed back to the petitioner.