Editing Principate (section)

{{Short description|First period of the Roman Empire (27 BC – AD 284)}}
{{Distinguish|Principality}}
{{Roman government}}

The '''Principate''' was the form of imperial government of the [[Roman Empire]] from the beginning of the reign of [[Augustus]] in 27 BC to the end of the [[Crisis of the Third Century]] in AD 284, after which it evolved into the [[Dominate]].<ref>Loewenstein, K. (1973). ''The Governance of Rome'' (p. 370), {{ISBN|9789024714582}}. Springer Science & Business Media.</ref><ref>Goldsworthy, A. (2010). ''How Rome Fell Death of a Superpower.'' (p. 443). Yale Univ Pr.

“From Diocleitan onwards, emperors prefered to be called dominus, which meant lord or master”</ref> The principate was characterized by the reign of a single emperor (''princeps'') and an effort on the part of the early emperors, at least, to preserve the illusion of the formal continuance, in some aspects, of the [[Roman Republic]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/principate|title=Principate – government|website=britannica.com|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161011034548/https://www.britannica.com/topic/principate|archive-date=2016-10-11}}</ref><ref>''A history of Rome'', M. Cary & H.H. Scullard, {{ISBN|0333278305}}{{page needed|date=March 2023}}</ref><ref>''SPQR''; Mary Beard, {{ISBN|9781846683800}}{{page needed|date=March 2023}}</ref>