- Twice in the late pre- Principate period of the Roman Republic , political power shifted from the formal magistrates and Senate to three ambitious men, who thus constituted a transitional government, known as ''triumviratus'', each time only to break up again in civil war:
- ---What modern scholars call the First Triumvirate was an informal political alliance of two rival generals, Julius Caesar and Pompey The Great representening the popular viz. senatorial party, with the extremely wealthy businessman Marcus Licinius Crassus . This fell apart after the death of Crassus, and the two other triumvirs fought a civil war, during which Pompey was killed and Caesar established his sole rule as perpetual dictator.
- ---The Second Triumvirate was a formal governing body, consisting of Octavian and Mark Antony , the rivals for real power, and third wheel Marcus Aemilius Lepidus . Lepidus was sidelined early on in the triumvirate, and Antony was eliminated in a civil war, leaving Octavian as the sole leader.
- 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 (1849), the title of two sets of three joint chiefs of state in the year 1849:
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 Triumvirate in Andromeda describes the leading arrangement of the All Systems Commonwealth. Controlled by 3 triumvirs, Tri-Jema, Tri-Lorn and Tri-Ortiz, who was replaced by her sister absurd: a woman as 'man' , 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 the DC Universe , specifically in the series of '' Etrigan The Demon '', the Triumvirate rule hell.
- 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 lighthugger ''Nostalgia for Infinity'' is commanded by a Triumvirate of Ultranauts in lieu of the ship's incapacitated Captain.
- 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 ''The Killing Dance'' consisting of Sabin, Cassandra and Dominic and the other in ''Burnt Offerings'' consisting of Padma, Thomas and Gideon.
- 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, Major Tierce, and Flim.
- In So I Married An Axe Murderer , Stuart Mackenzie is convinced that The Queen, the Vatican, the Gettys, the Rothschilds, and Colonel Sanders form a group known as the Pentavirate, and is further convinced that this group run everything in the world, including the newspapers, and meet tri-annually at a secret country mansion in Colorado, known as The Meadows.
- Belfast footballing minnows, Glentoran FC , use the word 'Triumvirate' to describe their three biggest achievements to date.. namely 'Morgan's Day' (the day they beat their larger rivals, Linfield FC , to win the Irish Premiership), the successful tour of the USA (when they played as ' Detroit Cougars ') and finally, their winning of the ' Vienna Cup '.
- In Captain Scarlet And The Mysterons , the episode Codename Europa features the Triumvirate of Europe.
- In the video game Natla, Qualopec and Tihocan form the trumvirate of the Atlantis.
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