In ancient Rome, a patriciate was a very wealthy and important sector of society. Those citizens who were part of the patriciate were known as patricians, who were considered as the direct descendants of the first founders of the city of Rome.
Throughout the history of Rome, the patricians were characterized by being that part of society that enjoyed lineage. Even though there were times when they had to face all kinds of aggressions, by those who tried to strip them of their power; they always knew how to stay on the cusp of wealth and power in ancient Rome. So much so, that the first Roman kings emerged from this sector.
Similarly, only those who belonged to the patriciate could be elected to form part of the Senate, which was the most relevant political body, since it was where decisions related to the social, political, economic, and social aspects were made. cultural or religious.
The patriciate was made up of various sectors of society, among which were: the financial, the commercial, the ecclesiastical and the military.
During the imperial era, this dynasty formally lost its power to the emperors. However, they were still the wealthiest and most powerful stratum in Rome and thanks to these riches, they were always taken into account to offer advice to the rulers.
As has been observed, the patriciate had innumerable social privileges for centuries, many of its members were owners of large estates, producers of wheat and wine, others were part of the army and since Rome was a military power, they were favored by it..
Once the Roman Empire is overthrown, the Roman patricians became noble medieval knights.