The word stems from ''triumvir'' (each of its members), from Old Latin phrase ''trium virum'', genitive plural of ''tres viri'' "three men," from ''tres'' "three" + ''viri'', plural of ''vir'' "man"
- (compare the more informal from Russian ),
- Twice in the late pre-Principate period of the Roman republic, political power shifted de facto from the formal magistrates and senate to three ambitious men (in each case one of them a sidekick to the rivaling pair of military heavyweights), who thus constituted a transitional government, known as ''triumviratus'', each time only to break up again in civil war:
- --- First Triumvirate
- --- Second Triumvirate
- In various municipalities, also under the Principate, the chief magistracy was a college of three, styled ''triumviri''
The title was revived a few times for (short-lived) three-headed political 'magistratures' in post-feudal times.
Ironically, when the French revolutionaries turned to several Roman Magistrature names for their new institutions, the three-headed collective Head Of State was bizarrely named ''Consulat'' , a term in use for two-headed magistratures since Antiquity; furthermore it included a "First Consul" who was not an equal, but the de facto solo head of state and government- a tyrannical position Napoleon Bonaparte chose to convert openly into the First French Empire .
In the Roman Republic (1798-1850), the title of two sets of three joint chiefs of state in the year 1849:
- 29 March - 1 July 1849: Carlo Armellini (b. 1777 - d. 1863), Giuseppe Mazzini (b. 1805 - d. 1872) & ''Conte'' Aurelio Saffi (b. 1819 - d. 1890)
- 1 till 4 July 1849: Aurelio Saliceti (again), Alessandro Calandrelli (b. 1805 - d. 1888) & Livio Mariani (no dates available)
- In the present Dominican Republic (eastern part of formerly Spanish Hispaniola island), twice (in a long list of styles, basically Junta s, some also of three) :
29 May 1866 - 22 August 1866 - 1st Triumvirate (in rebellion from 1 May 1866): Pedro Antonio Pimentel Chamorro (b. 1830 - d. 1874; formerly one of three 'Generals-in-Chief' 23 January 1865 - 24 January 1865 ), Gregorio Luperón (b. 1839 - d. 1897) PA & Federico de Jesús García
26 September 1963 - 25 April 1965 - 2nd Triumvirate : Emilio de los Santos (b. 1903 - to 22 December 1963) (chairman; from 29 December 1963 succeeded by Donald Joseph Reid Cabral, b. 1923, UCN, new chairman), Manuel Enrique Tavares Espaillat (b. 1929) & Ramón Tapia Espinal (b. 1926 - d. 2002)
The word has been used as a term of convenience, though not an official title, for other groups of three in a similar position :
- Commonwealth Triamvirate in Andromeda describes the leading arrangement of the All Systems Commonwealth. Controled by 3 triamvers, Tri-Jema, Tri-Lorn and Tri-Ortiz, who was replaced by her sister, Tri-Camille
- Triumvirate of the Robotech Masters in fictional '' Robotech '' series.
- The Advocacy of the '' War Of The Worlds '' TV series, three aliens who made up a triumvirate to guide and counsel the lower classes.
- A brief Triumvirate Borg appeared on '' Star Trek '' for the first three seasons.
- In the television series '' The Pretender '', a shadowy council, called the Triumvirate, headquartered in Africa , were apparently The Powers That Be of the mysterious Centre and were concerned about a prophecy involving Jarod .
- In Orson Scott Card's Ender Series a triumvirate of the Strategos, the Polemarch, and the Hegemon are rulers to some extent.
- In Alastair Reynolds's '' Revelation Space '' series the Triumvirate commands the lighthugger "Nostalgia for Infinity" foucusing on the "Triumvir Ilia Volyova".
- In '' The Simpsons '' episode "Bart's Friend Falls In Love", triumvirate was a word in the closing credit segment "Homer Sez: Increase your Wordiness" with the definition "Three guys giving orders".
- In the '' Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter Series '' by Laurell K. Hamilton , Anita Blake forms a triumvirate between herself (a necromancer/animator), Jean-Claude (a master vampire) and Richard (a werewolf). There are two other triumvirates in the series. One in KD consisting of Sabin, Cassandra and Dominic and the other in BO consisting of Padma, Thomas and Gabriel.
- In the video game '''', the three Genma (demon) leaders, Claudius the Chancellor, Rosencrantz the Scientist and Ophelia the Priestess formed what was known as the Triumvirate. Throughout the game they worked together to resurrect the Genma God of Light, Fortinbras.
- In The Star Wars Expanded Universe , there have been several notable Triumvirates, including the Sith Triumvirate of Darths Traya, Nihilus, and Sion, and the Imperial Triumvirate of Moff Disra, Grodin Teirce, and Film.
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