Lex Hortensia

Roman law

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

June 30, 2026

Quick Summary

The Lex Hortensia was a Roman law passed in 287 BCE that significantly altered the Roman legal system. It was enacted by the dictator Quintus Hortensius to resolve the "struggle between the orders," a long-standing conflict between the plebeians and patricians.12

This law decreed that resolutions passed by the plebeian assembly, known as plebiscites, were binding on all Roman citizens, not just plebeians, and did not require the approval of the Senate. This effectively made plebiscites equal in authority to laws passed by other Roman assemblies, granting the plebeians greater political power and marking a crucial step in their fight for equality.12

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

4 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

Roman law
Written and unwritten law
…after the passage of the Lex Hortensia in 287 bce, however, did plebiscita become binding on all classes of citizens; thereafter, plebiscita were generally termed leges along with other enactments. In general, legislation was a source of law only during the republic. When Augustus Caesar established the empire in 31…
Read More
…after the passage of the Lex Hortensia in 287 bce, however, did plebiscita become binding on all classes of citizens; thereafter, plebiscita were generally termed leges along with other enactments. In general, legislation was a source of law only during the republic. When Augustus Caesar established the empire in 31…
Read More

Quintus Hortensius
He passed a law (the Lex Hortensia) whereby the resolutions of the plebeians (plebiscites) were made binding on all the citizens without requiring the approval of the Senate and so were equivalent to measures passed by the other assemblies. He is said to have died while still dictator.
Read More
He passed a law (the Lex Hortensia) whereby the resolutions of the plebeians (plebiscites) were made binding on all the citizens without requiring the approval of the Senate and so were equivalent to measures passed by the other assemblies. He is said to have died while still dictator.
Read More

plebeian
He instituted a law (Lex Hortensia) making plebiscita (measures passed in the plebeian assembly) binding not only on plebeians but also on the rest of the community. In the later republic and under the empire (after 27 bce), the name plebeian continued to be used in the sense of…
Read More
He instituted a law (Lex Hortensia) making plebiscita (measures passed in the plebeian assembly) binding not only on plebeians but also on the rest of the community. In the later republic and under the empire (after 27 bce), the name plebeian continued to be used in the sense of…
Read More