Consul was not intended as an entry-level office: candidates advanced through a sequence of posts with age and service expectations. Military service, junior magistracies, and senior offices were supposed to build both governmental and command experience before a man could lead a consular army. Legates and tribunes likewise supplied a pool of experience beneath the elected commander. The structure made political advancement a form of command school, even though Arausio shows that possessing the credentials did not guarantee disciplined leadership or sound judgment.
Chapter · 17:43-19:45
The cursus honorum as Rome's command school
Roman age limits and sequential magistracies were meant to ensure that senior political leaders accumulated military and governmental experience.