The Law on Roman Citizenship in the Late Republic I. Introduction A. Background and Context The Roman Republic was a phase in ancient Roman history that lasted from 509 to 27 BCE. The founding of the Republic occurred after the removal of the Roman monarchy, which, in turn, led to the formation

The Roman Republic was a phase in ancient Roman history that lasted from 509 to 27 BCE. The founding of the Republic occurred after the removal of the Roman monarchy, which, in turn, led to the formation of a new government system accompanied by aggressive imperialism (Erskine, A. (2010). The Roman Republic was characterized by highly complex political systems, such as the Senate, Consuls, and Assembly. These institutions ensured some form of democracy for the Roman citizens, although the powers remained in the hands of the wealthy patricians. As an expansionist power, it conquered large swaths of territories throughout the Mediterranean region. The territorial expansion of Rome exposed the Romans to various cultures and societies, for which Rome had to establish laws that would assimilate these societies into the Roman state. Thus, accepting the defeat into Roman polity was not a simple, unambiguous affair, and it entailed offering different kinds of citizenship or legal rights. The late Republic, which is said to have lasted from 133 to 27 BCE, was characterized by immense political distress and advancement of social issues; this period marked the emergence of solid military figures like Gaius Marius, Lucius Cornelius Sulla, Pompey, and Julius Caesar, who indeed employed the army to manipulate politics (Steed, 2008). The civil wars resulted from power struggles between these leaders, which, in the end, saw the death of the Republic and the birth of the Roman Empire under Augustus. In the late Republic, Rome's political system persisted on a delicate balance due to internal crises and external imperialism. In the mid-Roman political power struggle, the Senate had to contend with populist political leaders such as the Gracchi brothers, who wanted to introduce political and social reforms (Stephens, 2016). Family reforms were sometimes aimed at redressing this imbalance, particularly regarding property ownership and the franchise. In the socio-political aspect, the late Republic's maturity was marked by the emergence of significant disparity between the wealthy members of the society and the plebeians. These tensions grew worse with the increased flow of wealth from conquered lands, resulting in societal strife and demands for change. Romans tried to solve problems with social tensions by extending citizenship to various groups inside the Italian peninsula and beyond since citizenship gave some legal rights and privileges that could facilitate the incorporation of different groups into the Roman state. Four key individuals and occurrences were instrumental in analyzing the nature of the laws and policies guiding Roman citizenship during the late Republic. The Social War (91-88 BCE), or the War of the Allies, was a significant struggle that arose due to a push for the Italians to be given a political position in Rome and the request for citizenship (Santangelo, 2018). The conflict ended with the passage of Lex Julia in 90 BC and Lex Plautia Papiria in 89 BC, which awarded Roman citizenship to Italian allies who fought for Rome. Gaius Marius, an esteemed Roman military commander and consul, introduced many reforms that expanded the existence of soldiers in the Roman legions, not only for citizens but also for other individuals (Elliott, 2017). These reforms paved the way for conferring citizenship to auxiliary troops and other non-citizen soldiers to the extent of their performance in some victorious battles for Rome. Julius Caesar