Editing Princeps (section)

== Roman Emperor ==
{{redirect|First Citizen|the novel by Thomas Thurston Thomas|First Citizen (novel)}}
''Princeps civitatis'' ("First Citizen") was an official title of a Roman [[Emperor]], as the title determining the leader in [[Ancient Rome]] at the beginning of the [[Roman Empire]]. It created the [[principate]] Roman imperial system.<ref name="grant62">Grant, p. 62</ref>

This usage of "''Princeps''" derived from the position of ''[[Princeps senatus]]'', the "[[Primus inter pares|first among equals]]" of the [[Roman Senate|Senate]]. The ''princeps senatus'' (plural ''principes senatus'') was the first member by precedence of the Roman Senate, and his opinion would usually be asked first in senatorial debates.<ref name=EB/>

It was first given as a special title to [[Caesar Augustus]] in 27&nbsp;BC,<ref>{{cite book|last=Africa|first=Thomas|title=The Immense Majesty: A History of Rome and the Roman Empire|year=1991|publisher=Harlan Davidson, Inc.|pages=219}}</ref> who saw that use of the titles [[Roman Kingdom|''rex'']] (king) or [[Roman dictator|dictator]] would create resentment amongst senators and other influential men, who had earlier demonstrated their disapproval by supporting the assassination of [[Julius Caesar]]. While Augustus had political and military supremacy, he needed the assistance of his fellow Romans to manage the Empire. In his ''[[Res Gestae Divi Augusti|Res Gestae]]'', Augustus claims [[auctoritas]] for the princeps (himself).<ref name="grant62"/>

Various [[Roman Emperor#Titles.2C Positions.2C and Powers|official titles]] were associated with the Roman Emperor. These titles included ''[[imperator]]'', [[Augustus]], [[Caesar (title)|Caesar]], and later [[Dominus (title)|dominus]] (lord) and [[basileus]] (the Greek word for "[[Monarch|sovereign]]").{{cn|date=December 2023}} The word [[Emperor]] is derived from the Roman title "imperator", which was a very high, but not exclusive, military title until Augustus began to use it as his [[praenomen]].

The Emperor [[Diocletian]] (284–305), the father of the [[Tetrarchy]], was the first to stop referring to himself as "princeps" altogether, calling himself "dominus" (lord, master),{{cn|date=December 2023}} thus dropping the pretense that emperor was not truly a monarchical office. The period when the emperors that called themselves princeps ruled—from Augustus to Diocletian—is called "the [[Principate]]".<ref name=EB/>

Ancient Rome knew another kind of "princely" principes too, like "princeps iuventutis" ("the first amongst the young"), which in the early empire was frequently bestowed on eligible successors to the emperor, especially from his family. It was first given to Augustus' maternal grandsons [[Gaius Caesar|Gaius]] and [[Lucius Caesar|Lucius]].<ref>Suetonius</ref>{{Page needed|date=January 2021}}