Imperial Proconsular

  • An Imperial Proconsular Province was an Imperial Province Governed by a Proconsul who was appointed by the Roman Emperor.
  • There were three types of Imperial Provinces.

1. Imperial Proconsular Province

2. Imperial Propraetorial Province

3. Imperial Procuratorial Province

    • The Emperor was the direct Governor of the Procuratorial Provinces: these were recently conquered territories, sometimes still subject to rebellion.
    • It was a Province in transition: once it had been Romanised, it would subsequently become either a Senatorial or Imperial Province.
    • Procuratorial Province List
  • The Equestrian Procurator
    • The Procurators ruled as Prefects.
    • They resided in the Praetorium – Palace of the Procurator.
    • Procurators were not Roman Magistrates and did not hold Imperium themselves.
    • The Emperor himself held Imperium and the Procurators exercised his authority by their appointment.
    • The Emperor appointed the Equestrian Procurator to rule on his behalf for between 1 to 5 years.
    • This was usually a difficult Province but not on a Frontier, so it would have had a garrison but not a full Legion.
  • Egypt Imperial Procuratorial Province.
    • However, Egypt was the exception: it remained an Equestrian Procutorial Province with 2 Legions under the Prefectus Aegypti answering only to the Emperor. It only rebelled once, forming part of the Palmyrene Empire
    • Different Status to all other Provinces.
    • Ruled by an Equestrian Prefect with 2 Legions answering directly to the Emperor.
    • The Governor of Egypt was an Equestrian appointed by Augustus not by the Senate.
    • This was because Egypt was the personal property of the Augustus and therefore not a Senatorial appointment.

 

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