Why were the tribunes added to the republic?

Answer 1

During the period of the Roman Republic, the plebeian tribunes were the representatives of the plebeians, the commoners. They were elected by the plebeians, presided over the Plebeian Council and protected the plebeians from arbitrary action by the officers of state. In the Early Republic they were the leaders of the plebeian movement in the period of the 200-year Conflict of the Orders between patricians (the aristocracy) and plebeians. The rich plebeians wanted power sharing with the patricians who monopolised power. They eventually succeeded in gaining access to the consulship (the office of the two annually elected heads of the Republic), the other offices of state which were created as the Republic developed and some of the priesthood, thus attaining power-sharing. The grievances of the poor plebeians were economic and were not addressed properly.

In the late Republic the issue of poverty became a political hot potato. There was strife between the popularis faction which championed the cause of the poor and wanted reforms to help them and the optimate faction which favour the aristocracy and was opposed to the reforms. At times this could spill into violence and even civil war. The plebeian tribunes and the Plebeian Council played an important role in this.

There were also the military tribunes who were wealthy young men who aspired to a career in politics and civil service. They were elected as administrative officers of the high military commanders as the first step of their career.

Answer 2

There were two types of tribunes. The military tribunes were young aristocratic men who served as military officers seconded to the commander of a legion. The plebeian tribunes were created during the rebellion of the first plebeian secession of 494 BC. The plebeians seceded to a hill outside Rome and threatened to refuse to return unless the Roman state met their demands for legal protections against the abuse of defaulting debtors by creditors who imprisoned them and often tortured them. During this rebellion the plebeians created the plebeian tribunes as the leaders of the plebeian movement and the representatives and protectors of the plebeians, the aediles, who were the assistants of these tribunes, and the Plebeian Council, the assembly of the plebeians. The demands of the plebeians were not met. However, they obtained the recognition of the institutions they had created.