The purpose of this thesis is to trace the constitutional methods by which stability was restored to the Roman Empire after the civil wars of the middle part of the third century. The core of the problem was the lack of any specific laws concerning the appointment of imperial successors and the predominance of the army in the politics of the period. During the first two centuries of the Christian era the hereditary principle, never recognized in law, had brought stability to the imperial succession but the emperor's fundamental role as commander-in-chief of the armies necessitated that the elective principle be invoked by the military in order to oppose the barbarian invasions. The failure of this system became manifest in the decline of imperial unity and indicated that a method had to be devised whereby the succession might become automatic and at the same time might ensure capable military leaders. By an investigation of the ancient literary sources, and especially those which record imperial propaganda, and to a lesser extent the legal codes, inscriptions, and coins, an attempt is made in this thesis to trace the restoration of stability in the imperial succession. This restoration was accomplished in two distinct stages. In the first Diocletian anticipated potential usurpers by associating them with himself in the imperial power. Diocletian's denial of hereditary right led to the downfall of his system, the Tetrarchy, but the restoration of imperial unity enabled the dynastic system to flourish in the second stage under Constantine and his successors. / Arts, Faculty of / Classical, Near Eastern and Religious Studies, Department of / Graduate

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Zugl.: Basel, Univ., Diss., 2006 / Originally presented as the author's thesis (doctoral) -- Universität Bayreuth, 2006. Includes bibliographical references (p. [416]-464) and index.

En 1945, la période de la Libération devait également être un moment de rénovation pour le droit constitutionnel. Au moment même où la France se dotait d’une nouvelle Constitution, une nouvelle génération de constitutionnalistes accède au devant de la scène. A la génération des « disciples », qui elle-même avait succédé à la génération des fondateurs, succède celle que Marcel Prélot avait baptisée la « troisième génération de constitutionnalistes » et qui devait être la génération des « novateurs ». La rénovation du droit constitutionnel s’avéra toutefois un programme difficile à mettre en œuvre. La IVe République, malgré l’adoption d’une Constitution nouvelle, est rapidement revenue aux pratiques et usages de la IIIe République antérieure, décevant ainsi les espoirs de la doctrine constitutionnelle et les tentatives de façonner un droit constitutionnel propre au nouveau régime. Constatant l’échec du droit constitutionnel à encadrer la vie parlementaire, les constitutionnalistes ont alors délaissé le terrain de la technique constitutionnelle et se sont tournés vers la science politique afin de refonder leur discipline. Si cette voie politiste a permis à la « jeune école de droit public » d’aborder des champs de recherches nouveaux, tels que les partis politiques ou l’histoire des idées politiques, elle l’a toutefois détournée du terrain de la technique constitutionnelle sur lequel allait finalement se jouer la révision constitutionnelle de 1958, qui a consacré la Constitution de la Ve République. / In 1945, the Liberation era was supposed to be a time when constitutional law would be renovated. At the very moment where France was adopting a new Constitution, a new generation of constitutional law Professors emerged. From the « disciple » generation which succeeded to « the founders » generation itself, the « Third generation of constitutional law Professors », as Marcel Prélot named them, emerged. It was meant to be the « creative » generation. But renewing constitutional law was not an easy task. Notwithstanding the adoption of a new Constitution, the IVth Republic rapidly came back to the uses and habits of the IIIrd Republic. It therefore disappointed the hopes of the constitutional legal doctrine and its attempts to reshape a specific constitutional law suiting the new regime. Taking note of the failure of constitutional law to frame the parliamentary daily life, constitutional law Professors reoriented their efforts to renew their academic discipline in a way that would get closer to political sciences. This new orientation allowed the « Third generation » to tackle new fields of research, such as political parties or the history of political ideas, but diverted them from a more technical approach. However, it was on the latter that the constitutional revision of 1958 that set out the Constitution of the Vth Republic settled.