The law of the Twelve Tables of 450 BC was the first written and published set of laws in Rome. Prior to this, laws were set by religious rules and ancestral customs which were kept secret by the patricians. This gave room for abuse by the rich and powerful. The law code followed demands for laws that were to be made public and that would confront some of the legal and social issues of the time.
The law covered matters of civil law and punishments for some crimes. Most importantly, it set procedures for the trial of defaulting debtors which provided a degree of protection for them. This was an issue which had led to the first plebeian rebellion because creditors abused the defaulters by imprisoning them, torturing them and sometimes selling them as slaves.
The law covered matters of civil law and punishments for some crimes. Most importantly, it set procedures for the trial of defaulting debtors which provided a degree of protection for them. This was an issue which had led to the first plebeian rebellion because creditors abused the defaulters by imprisoning them, torturing them and sometimes selling them as slaves.
