Rome

Patricians were the higher class in ancient Rome. They were very wealthy and owned land.  It was believed that Patrician families descended from the leaders of the rebellion against the Etruscans. The Plebians were merchants, farmers, and craft workers. The Patricians didn't let the Plebians participate in the consulship or Senate, so the Plebians refused to fight when Senate declared war in 491 BC. Legend has it that the Plebians left Rome and wouldn't return until they were given the right to vote and elect their own leaders. This was called the Struggle of the Orders. Later, the Patricians and Plebians worked out a settlement that gave the Plebians a voice in the Roman government. In their government, Plebians elected tribunes, who, according to http://www.mrdowling.com/702-patricians.html, "...represented their order against any mistreatment by the consuls or the Senate." Tribunes had the ability to veto laws passed by consuls and Senate. The Roman government was bicameral, meaning that both the Plebians and the Patricians had representatives in the Roman government. Then, in 287 BC, the Struggle of the Orders ended.