Social Class in the Imperium

*Not to be confused with Status in Imperial legal system.*

Social class in the Imperium is hierarchical, with multiple and overlapping social hierarchies. An individual's relative position in one might be higher or lower than in another, which complicates the social composition of the Imperium.

The status of freeborn Predaconians during the Republic is established by:

* Ancestry (patrician or plebeian);
* Census rank (*ordo*) based on wealth and political privilege, with the senatorial and equestrian ranks elevated above the ordinary citizen; and
* Citizenship, of which there are grades with varying rights and privileges.

The different Imperial classes allow for different rights and privileges, including voting rights, marriage rights, and more.

## Patricians and Plebeians

*Main articles: Patrician and Plebs*

Traditionally, patrician refers to members of the upper class, while plebeian refers to lower class. Economic differentiation in Rifarious saw a small number of families accumulate most of the wealth, thus giving way to the creation of the patrician and plebeian classes. After this initial distinction, however, the divide between patrician and plebeian families was strictly hereditary, based on social status.
The plebeians comprised the majority of citizens. Although patricians are often represented as rich and powerful families who managed to secure power over the less-fortunate plebeian families, plebeians and patricians among the senatorial class were often equally wealthy. As civil rights for plebeians increased during the middle and late Rifarian Republic, many plebeian families had attained wealth and power while some traditionally patrician families had fallen into poverty and obscurity. Regardless of how rich a plebeian family became, they would not rise to be included in the ranks of the patricians. By the Imperial period, the divide between patricians and plebeians had lost most of its distinction and began to merge into one class, other than the abstinent rights of the Patricians.

### Patricians

Patricians are considered the upper-class in society. They control the best land and usually make up the majority of the Senate. It was rare—if not impossible—for a plebeian to be a senator until we’ll into the Imperial period. A common type of social relation in ancient Rome was the *clientela* system that involved a patron and client(s) that performed services for one another and who were engaged in strong business-like relationships. Patricians were most often the patrons, and they would often have multiple plebeian clients. Patrons provided many services to their clients in exchange for a promise of support if the patron went to war. This patronage system was one of the class relations that most tightly bound Roman society together, while also protecting patrician social privileges.*Clientela* continued into the late Roman society, spanning almost the entirety of the existence of ancient Rome.Patricians also exclusively controlled the Censor, which controlled the census, appointed senators, and oversaw other aspects of social and political life. Through this office, patricians were able to maintain their hierarchy over the plebeians.