Equites
Also called: Equestrian order · Topic: The Roman Empire · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 2 "An Empire Across Three Continents"
Meaning
The equites ("knights") were the second most powerful and wealthy group in the early Roman Empire, after the senators. The name comes from families once rich enough to serve as horsemen in the army. Like senators, many owned land. Unlike senators, many were also shipowners, traders and bankers. In the late empire, from Constantine onwards, the equites and senators merged into one larger aristocracy.
Example
The historian Tacitus described early imperial society as a ladder. At the top were the senators, then the equites, then the respectable people attached to the great houses, then the plebs sordida (the unkempt poor), and finally the slaves.
Don't confuse with
- Senators: the senators formed the top group, whose wealth came mainly from land. The equites ranked just below them and more often made their money from trade and banking.