# The Year Without a Consul: Rome's Interregnum Crisis

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-story-of-italy-rome-renaissance-and-the-birth-of-modern-europe-fexingo-history-7829683/the-year-without-a-consul-rome-s-interregnum-crisis
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-story-of-italy-rome-renaissance-and-the-birth-of-modern-europe-fexingo-history-7829683/the-year-without-a-consul-rome-s-interregnum-crisis.md
Podcast: [The Story of Italy: Rome, Renaissance, and the Birth of Modern Europe — Fexingo History](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-story-of-italy-rome-renaissance-and-the-birth-of-modern-europe-fexingo-history-7829683)
Published: 2026-07-16T01:13:03+00:00
Episode link: https://audio.fexingo.com/history/the-story-of-italy/episode-0161.mp3
Audio file: https://audio.fexingo.com/history/the-story-of-italy/episode-0161.mp3
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Duration seconds: 622

## Resource

In 55 BCE, the Roman Republic nearly ground to a halt when political chaos left the state without consuls for several months. This episode unpacks the extraordinary mechanism of the interregnum — a temporary government led by the patrician senators called interreges, one after another, each holding power for just five days. We follow the high-stakes maneuvering of Pompey, Crassus, and Cato the Younger, the use of religious obstruction and tribunician vetoes, and the eventual deal that put Pompey and Crassus in office. But the price was high: the breakdown highlighted how hollow the Republic's ancient institutions had become. Learn about the technical rules of the interregnum, the role of the augurs, and how this ancient crisis management tool became a symptom of terminal decay. #Interregnum #RomanRepublic #Pompey #Crassus #CatoTheYounger #55BC #RomanConsuls #Patricians #Tribunes #Augurs #Senate #RomanPolitics #LateRepublic #FexingoHistory #History #AncientRome #Italy #Crisis Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

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