494 BC

Events in 494 BC 1

• 494 BC First Secession of the Plebs The plebeian class — the non-patrician majority — withdraws to the Sacred Mount outside Rome, refusing to serve in the army until their grievances are addressed. The patricians, unable to defend Rome without them, negotiate: the tribunes of the plebs are created, magistrates with the power to veto any action harmful to a plebeian citizen (the sacrosanct "intercessio"). The first great victory of Roman democracy — won by walking away.