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How did Marcus Aurelius’s legal decisions affect slaves, widows, and minors?

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Bronze equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius with his right arm raised, seated on a horse, at Piazza del Campidoglio in Rome, Italy. — Marcus Aurelius Marcus Aurelius, bronze equestrian statue in the Piazza del Campidoglio, Rome.

Marcus Aurelius approached his role as emperor with a strong interest in law, acting as a dedicated ombudsman to refine the legal system. His judicial decisions and promulgated measures focused on clearing away anomalies and harshness within the civil law, which served to improve the circumstances of less-favored groups, specifically slaves, widows, and minors.1

While these actions were beneficial, it is important to note that they were not radical departures from existing structures. Marcus Aurelius inherited a pattern of ameliorating legislation rather than initiating entirely new trends. Furthermore, his legal legacy is complex; while he worked to improve the lot of the vulnerable, his reign also saw the formalization of a class distinction in criminal law between honestiores (the elite) and humiliores (the lower classes), which resulted in harsher and more degrading punishments for the latter. Ultimately, his contributions were refinements of existing practices rather than a fundamental restructuring of Roman society.1