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The '''Princeps senatus''' (plural ''principes senatus'') was the [[Rome|Roman]] leader of the [[Roman senate|senate]]. Although officially out of the ''[[cursus honorum]]'' and owing no ''[[imperium]]'', this office brought an enormous prestige to the magistrate holding it.

The ''princeps senatus'' was not, like the most of Roman offices, a lifetime job. He was chosen by every new pair of [[censor]]s (that is, every five years). Censors could, however, confirm a ''princeps senatus'' for a period of another five years. He was selected from [[patrician]] senators with [[consul]]ar rank, usually former censors. The successful candidate must be a patrician with impeccable political record, respected by his fellow senators.

The office tasks include:
* Declaring opening and closure of the senate sessions
* Deciding the agenda
* Deciding where the session should take place
* Imposing order an other rules of the session
* Meet, in the name of the senate, with embassies of foreign countries
* Writing, in the name of the senate, letters and dispatches

After the fall of the [[Roman Republic]], the ''princeps senatus'' was the [[Roman Empire|Emperor]].

===Incomplete List of ''Principes Senatus''===

* �
* [[214 BC]] � Marcus Fabius Buteo
* [[209 BC]] � [[Fabius Maximus|Quintus Fabius Maximus Verrucosus]]
* [[199 BC]] � [[Scipio Africanus|Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus Major]]
* [[184 BC]] � [[Lucius Valerius Flaccus]]
* [[179 BC]] � Mamercus Aemilius Lepidus
* [[147 BC]] � Publius Cornelius Scipio Nasica
* [[136 BC]] � Appius Claudius Pulcher
* [[131 BC]] � Lucius Cornelius Lentulus Lupus
* [[125 BC]] � Publius Cornelius Lentulus
* [[115 BC]] � [[Marcus Aemilius Scaurus]]
* [[86 BC]] - [[Lucius Valerius Flaccus]]
* �

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====References====
* Adapted from the [[Wikipedia]] article, "Princeps_senatus" [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princeps_senatus http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princeps_senatus], used under the [[GNU Free Documentation License]]