User:Eulen/potestas
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Potestas is a Latin word meaning power or faculty. It is an important concept in Roman Law.
The idea of potestas refers to the power, through coercion, of a Roman magistrate to promulgate edicts, give action to litigants, etc. This power, in Roman political and legal theory, is analogous (though lesser) to military power. Some magistrates are said to have imperium, which is the ultimate form of potestas, and refers indeed to military power.
Potestas strongly contrasts with the power of the Senate and the prudents, a common way to refer to Roman jurists. While the magistrates had potestas, they had auctoritas. It's said that auctoritas is a manifestation of socially recognized knowledge, while potestas is a manifestation of socially recognized power.
