Roman Provincial Government

  • Roman Provincial Government can be divided into three phases as the Roman Empire developed:
  • The Roman Republic (509-29 BCE), the Early Empire (29 BCE-294 CE) and the Late Empire (284-476 CE).

1. Under the Republic (509-29 BCE)

1. Propraetorial Provinces

2. Proconsular Provinces

The Governor

    • The Governor of a province was a Senator appointed by the Senate.
    • He was a senior Magistrate who had to have served either as a Consul or as a Praetor.
    • Whilst in Office he had the power of Imperium.
    • It was often a military command.
    • He served in Office for one year only.
    • This was designed to prevent one individual accumulating too much power or too much wealth.
    • ‘Prorogatio’ (Prorogue) The Governorship could be extended by the Senate if no suitable alternative candidate presented himself for Election by the end of the year.

1. The Proconsul

      • The Proconsul was the Governor of an Imperial Province, chosen directly by the Emperor and had Command of a Frontier Province with one or more Legions.
      • The Proconsul was a Patrician who would have already served as Consul.

2. The Propraetor

      • The Propraetor, meaning in place of the Praetor, was the Governor of Propraetorial Province.

3. The Legate could act as Governor during the Republic.

      • Legati served under the Consuls in the Roman Army, and were usually very experienced high calibre individuals. Their role was to assist and advise the Consul on all military and civil matters.
      • Required the authorisation of the Senate ‘Senatusconsultum’ before he could legally become a ‘Legatus’.
      • If the Consul acting as General was away from his Legion, the Legati stood in for him; if the ProConsul acting as Governor, was away from his Province, the Legati also stood in for him, becoming ‘Legatus Pro Praetore’. In bothe cases he was given the power of his superior. In the late Republic the Consul often remained in Rome whilst the Legati commanded the Legion or Ruled the Province.

5. The Status of the Roman Cities

 

2. Under The Early Empire (29 BCE – 284 CE)

The Reforms made under Augustus 27 BCE – 14 CE:

1. The Senatorial Provinces

    • They were called ‘Provinciae Populi Romani’, the ‘Province of the Roman People’.
    • Augustus decreed that there should always be a minimum of 10 Senatorial provinces, 2 Proconsular and 8 Propraetorial.
    1. Propraetorial Province
    2. Proconsular Province
    3. The Governors
      • Governors were appointed by the Roman Senate
        • Propraetorial Province: Propraetor ruled with one Legati.
        • ProconsularProvince: Proconsul ruled with three Legati.
      • He was the Commander in Chief of all Military Forces and Auxilia, the Chief Executive of the Province and Head of the Judiciary.
      • Only One Senatorial Province had a Legion, Africa Proconsularis (Tunisia), with one Legion to prevent Berber Raids. All other Proconsular Provinces which had Legions were Imperial.
      • The Governor had no control over Finance or Tax Collection, which was done by an Equestrian Fiscal Procurator.

2. The 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.

3. The Governors

    • The Legate
        1. ‘Legatus Propraetor’
        2. ‘Legati Augusti pro praetore’ (meaning ‘Envoy of the Emperor or acting Praetor’)
        3. ‘Legati Praetorii’, (all these had one Legati as an assistant)
        4. ‘Legati Consulares’ (assisted by 3 Legati).
      • The Emperor was the direct Governor of the Imperial Provinces.
      • He alone appointed Legates to rule on his behalf for between 1 to 5 years.
      • The Legate held ‘Praetorian Imperium’ which gave him command of a single Legion.
      • If there were 2 or 3 Legions in a Province:
        • Each Legion would have had a seperate Legate with ‘Praetorian Imperium’
        • The Province itself would have had a seperate Legate with ‘Consular Imperium’ who had supreme command over all the Legions in it.
      • The legate had a lower rank than Proconsuls or Propraetors as he was not a Governor himself and did not have Imperium. But as the Governor’s representative (The Governor was the Emperor) he therefore ruled and exercised the Emperor’s Imperium on his behalf.
      • The Emperor was senior to all other Provincial Governors in Roman Law, because he held ‘Imperium Maius’ – supreme Power.
    • The Equestrian Procurator or Prefect
      • 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.

3. Under the Late Empire (284-476 CE)

The Four Praetorian Prefectures of the Tetrarchy of Diocletian (284-305 CE)

    • Diocletian started removing the Military command of the Legions from Provincial Governors.
    • The Tetrarchy
      • Four Prefects governed the Empire which was subdivided into 12 Dioceses (2 to 4 each)
    • Diocletian's Praetorian Prefectures

Under Constantine I (307 – 337 CE)

    • Constantine I completed the removal of military command of the legions from the Provincial Governors.
    • It was the same structure as the Tetrarchy but instead of the Praetorian Prefects assisting the Co-Emperors, the Prefects themselves became the Chief Executives.
    • 4 Praetorian prefectures: each administered by a Praetorian prefect, reporting directly to the Emperor:
      1. Prefecture of the Gauls
      2. Prefecture of Italy and Africa
      3. Prefecture of Illyricum
      4. Prefecture of Oriens
      5. Prefecture of Egypt. In 367 CE, the Prefecture of Oriens was split and a Fifth Prefecture created.

Notitia Dignitatum

    • The Notitia Dignitatum (400-420 CE)
      • This is a list of all the Officials and Dignitaries governing the Late Roman Empire.
      • The Title of the Provincial Governor if he was a Senator and not an Equestrian, was either:
        • Corrector
        • Consularis
        • Praeses

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