Twelve Tables of Roman Law (451 BCE) Commentary by Eric May, M.A.

Impact

The impact of the Twelve Tables was felt immediately in the context of the Conflict of the Orders as the laws showcased the legal bias of the government toward the patrician faction. The promulgation of the laws also precipitated yet another plebeian secession that would lead to more political rights for plebeians in the form of increasing powers for the tribune of the plebs and would end the decemvirate permanently. In the long term, the Twelve Tables served as the basis for the Roman legal code until it was replaced by the far more systematic Theodosian Code of the fifth century ce. The Theodosian Code would provide the basis for all other legal systems that later evolved in Western Europe, serving as the bedrock of what is now known as the civil law.

The exact reaction from the Roman people upon receiving the Twelve Tables is not clear from ancient sources. It is known, however, that along with the laws' promulgation, another by-product of the secession of 449 bce...