Concilium Plebis

The Concilium Plebis was an assembly of the Roman Republic exclusively for plebeians, the common citizens, as opposed to the privileged patrician class. Established around 471 BCE, it was organized by tribes and presided over by plebeian magistrates called tribunes. Initially an advisory body, its resolutions, known as plebiscita, gained the force of law binding on all Roman citizens after the Lex Hortensia in 287 BCE. This made the Concilium Plebis a significant legislative body, especially in the middle and later periods of the Republic. The plebeians' campaign to abolish civil disabilities, known as the Conflict of the Orders, was a key factor in the rise of the Concilium Plebis's power.12