UNIVERSAL CITIZENSHIP

The universal citizenship of 212 A.D. has been selected by Roberto Amati in relation to the real history of european integration, then enlisted in the People, Dates, Places and Events category, accompanied by own fact SHEET useful to the comprehension, completed of historical MAPS AND IMAGES or with a direct linking to the related Blog contents dedicated to the entire history of european integration and the future of Europe.

The universal citizenship od 212 A.D. is one of the most important event in the history of european integration and will probably have influence on the future of United europe, because for the first time every free man within the Roman Empire could exert the same rights despite his ethnical origin, class belongings or place of living, a juridical news that inspired many times the european politicians until nowadays.

The roman citizenship had became a prestigious award for whoever was living within the limes of the respublica romana since the epoch of the civil wars civil wars begun with the revolt of the Plebeians in the I century B.C., that in the end suggested to triumvirate Mario and to the dictator Julius Caesar and finally to the Princeps Augustus to concede it to many more people: indeed, after 27 B.C. the citizenship was estended to all the European peoples inhabitant in the Western provinces, while only the roman gens classes or the aristocratic elites of others regions could be elected to the Senatus.

One of the privilege of the roman citizenship was the exemption from the public purse (Aerarium), while every Romans had the right to be judged and executed only by the Imperator personally, that remained a prerogative of the head of the Imperium for centuries all along the history of european integration. This privilege became essential when Christianity spreaded everywhere in the Roman Empire and the martyrs were often condamned to the death penalty by the emperors, after a regular public trial in the imperial palace: the most famous case was Saint Paul who when charged with infedility to the emperor figure said in latin "civus romanum sum" (translated: "I am a roman citizen") and obtained to be received and judged by the emperor Nero, who began persecutions against Christians. But this policy changed when Constantine I put an end to persecutions against christians, whatever was their origin.

The citizenship conceeding had been a valid policy during the great expansion of the Roman Empire in II century A.D., when it reached the maximum extension up to the Rhine and Danube rivers, to the Hadrian's Wall in Britain, to Anatolia and the Middle East region up to the Euphrates river (see Babylon), to the Sahara and arabic deserts: the "romanization" of the lands and peoples conquered and submitted to Rome needed often to concede the citizenship to some person or class as a gift or a premium for their loyalty to the emperor, aside the "colonization" of the new provinces or civitas founded with Italics or other citizens inhabitants of the empire. This policy transformed the Senatus composition, from the ancient roman gens chaste to a multiethnic council of new citizens or richest chevaliers coming from every side of the empire.

The imperial dinasty of Severi was an perfect example of "new comers" from Africa province entered the Senatus and finally climbed to the maximum power when Septimius Severus was acclamated imperator at the end of the usual civil war. It is not a case that his son Caracalla issued the Edict of universal citizenship in 212 A.D., once his father died and he ruled the empire together with his brother Geta. with that act had completion the political goal of the ancient Roman Respublica to civilize the "known world" to the roman culture and the ecumenic vision of Alexander the great. The impact had been incalculable, in particular for christians who were spreading among the poor classes and the military troops, so provoking the long crisis of the "anarchic wars" right after the end of the Severi dinasty, ended with the Tetrachy reform and the persecutions perdured along the III century A.D.. The universal citizenship changed the history of european integration until nowadays, establishing a fundamental human right included also in the Treaties of European Union as "european citizenship".

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