Exarchatus Ravennatis Exarchate of Ravenna Exarchate of the East Roman Empire ← 584 – 751 →   →   →   → Capital Ravenna Historical era Early Middle Ages  - Lombard invasion of Italy 568  - Foundation of Exarchate 584  - Fall of Ravenna 751

The Exarchate of Ravenna or of Italy was a centre of Byzantine power in Italy, from the end of the 6th century to 751, when the last Exarch (Byzantine governor) was put to death by the Emperor's enemies in Italy, the Lombards. This article is about Byzantine governors and ecclesiastical ranks The praetorian prefecture of Italy (praefectura praetorio Italiae in its full form (until 356 la ''praefectura praetorio Italiae Illyrici et Africae'' was one of four large Events By Place Europe Andeca deposes and kills Eboric to become king of the Suevi. Events By Place Europe Pepin the Short is elected as king of the Franks by the Frankish nobility marking the end of the The Kingdom of the Lombards or Lombard Kingdom of Italy was an early medieval state on the Italian Peninsula. The Catepanate (or Catapanate) of Italy ( Greek:) was a province of the Byzantine Empire, comprising mainland Italy south of a line drawn from The Papal States, State(s of the Church or Pontifical States (in Italian Stato Ecclesiastico, Stato della Chiesa, Stati della Chiesa The Islamic conquest and rule of Sicily, Malta, and parts of Southern Italy was a process whose origin can be traced back through the general This is a list of national capitals of the world in alphabetical order Ravenna is a City and Comune in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. The Early Middle Ages is a period in the History of Europe following the fall of the Western Roman Empire spanning roughly five centuries from AD 500 The Lombards ( Latin Langobardi, whence the alternative names Langobards and Longobards) were a Germanic people originally from Events By Place Europe April 1 — King Alboin leads the Lombards into Italy refugees fleeing from them go on Events By Place Europe Andeca deposes and kills Eboric to become king of the Suevi. Events By Place Europe Pepin the Short is elected as king of the Franks by the Frankish nobility marking the end of the Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest The 6th century is the period from 501 to 600 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian / Common Era. Events By Place Europe Pepin the Short is elected as king of the Franks by the Frankish nobility marking the end of the This article is about Byzantine governors and ecclesiastical ranks The Lombards ( Latin Langobardi, whence the alternative names Langobards and Longobards) were a Germanic people originally from

Contents 1 Introduction 2 The Lombard invasion and Byzantine reaction 3 The Exarchate 4 The end of the Exarchate 5 Exarchs of Ravenna 6 References 6.1 Notes 6.2 Sources

Introduction

Ravenna became the capital of the Western Roman Empire in 402 under Honorius, due to its fine harbour with access to the Adriatic and its ideal defensive location amidst impassable marshes. Ravenna is a City and Comune in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. The Western Roman Empire refers to the western half of the Roman Empire, from its division by Diocletian in 285 the other half of the Roman Empire was the Eastern Flavius Honorius ( September 9, 384 &ndash August 15, 423) was Roman Emperor (393- 395 and then Western Roman Emperor The city remained the capital of the Empire until its dissolution in 476, when it became the capital of Odoacer, and then of the Ostrogoths under King Theodoric. Events By place Western Roman Empire September 4 — Romulus Augustus, the last Emperor of the Western Roman Empire Odoacer (435–493 also known as Odovacar (from the Germanic Audawakrs, meaning "watchful of wealth" was a Roman general and the The Ostrogoths (Ostrogothi or Austrogothi were a branch of the Goths, an East Germanic tribe that played a major role in the political events of the late It remained the capital of the Ostrogothic Kingdom, but in 540 during the Gothic War (535–554), Ravenna was occupied by the great Byzantine general Belisarius. The Ostrogothic Kingdom established by the Ostrogoths in Italy and neighbouring areas lasted from 493 to 553. Events By place Byzantine Empire General Belisarius conquers Milan and the Ostrogothic capital Ravenna See Gothic War (376-382 for the war on the Danube The Gothic War was a war fought in Italy and the adjoining regions of Dalmatia, Sardinia Flavius Belisarius (Βελισάριος (505(? – 565 was one of the greatest Generals of the Byzantine Empire and one of the most acclaimed generals in history After the Roman reconquest it became the seat of the provincial governor. At that time, the administrative structure of Italy followed, with some modifications, the old system established by Emperor Diocletian and retained by Odoacer and the Goths. Gaius Aurelius Valerius Diocletianus ( ca. December 22 244 The modern historian Timothy Barnes takes December 22 as his birthdate

The Lombard invasion and Byzantine reaction

In 568, the Lombards under their king Alboin, together with other Germanic allies, invaded northern Italy. The Lombards ( Latin Langobardi, whence the alternative names Langobards and Longobards) were a Germanic people originally from Alboin or Alboïn (died 572 or 573 was king of the Lombards, and conqueror of Italy. The area had only a few years ago been completely pacified, and had suffered greatly during the long Gothic War. The local Roman forces were weak, and after taking several towns, in 569 the Lombards conquered Milan. Milan (Milano Milan (listen) is one of the largest cities in Italy, located in the plains of Lombardy. They took Pavia after a three-year siege in 572, and made it their capital. Pavia (pronounced Pavìa,) the ancient Ticinum, is a town and Comune of south-western Lombardy, northern Italy, 35 km south ^[1] In subsequent years, they took Tuscany. Tuscany (Toscana is a region in Italy. It has an area of 22990 km² and a population of about 3 Others, under Faroald and Zotto, penetrated into central and southern Italy, where they established the duchies of Spoleto and Benevento. Zotto (also Zotton or Zottone) was the military leader ( Latin: dux) of the Lombards in the Mezzogiorno. The independent Duchy of Spoleto was a Lombard territory founded about 570 in Central Italy by the Lombard Dux Faroald. The Duchy and later Principality of Benevento was the southernmost Lombard duchy in medieval Italy centred on Benevento, a city central in the Mezzogiorno ^[2] However, after Alboin's murder in 573, the Lombards fragmented into several autonomous duchies (the "Rule of the Dukes"). The Rule of the Dukes was an Interregnum in the Lombard Kingdom of Italy (574/5&ndash584/5 during which Italy was ruled by the Lombard Dukes

Emperor Justin II tried to take advantage of this, and in 576 he sent his son-in-law, Baduarius, to Italy. Flavius Iustinus (Iunior Augustus (c 520 - 578 was Eastern Roman emperor from 565 to 578 However, he was defeated and killed in battle, ^[3] and the continuing crises in the Balkans and the East meant that another imperial effort at reconquest was not possible. Because of the Lombard incursions, the Roman possessions had fragmented into several isolated territories, and in 580, Emperor Tiberius II reorganized them into five provinces, now termed in Greek, eparchies: the Annonaria in northern Italy around Ravenna, Calabria, Campania, Emilia and Liguria, and the Urbicaria around the city of Rome (Urbs). Flavius Tiberius Constantinus Augustus or Tiberius II Constantine (c Calabria ( Latin: Brutium) is a region in southern Italy, south of Naples, located at the "toe" of Campania is a region of Southern Italy in Europe. The region has a population of around 5 Liguria is a coastal region of north-western Italy, the third smallest of the Italian regions Rome ( Roma ˈroma Roma is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city with more than 2 Thus by the end of the sixth century the new order of powers had settled into a stable pattern. Ravenna, governed by its exarch, who held civil and military authority in addition to his ecclesiastical office, was confined to the city, its port and environs as far north as the Po, beyond which lay territory of the duke of Venice, nominally in imperial service, and south to the Marecchia River, beyond which lay the Pentapolis on the Adriatic, also under a duke nominally representing the Emperor of the East. The Po ( Latin: Padus, Po Ligurian: Bo, Greek: Eridanus) is a river that flows 652 km(405 miles (682 km by considering Venice ( Italian: Venezia, Venetian: Venesia or Venexia) is a city in Northern Italy, the capital of the The Marecchia is a River in eastern Italy. It flows northeast through Montefeltro and Romagna and into the Adriatic Sea near A pentapolis, from the Greek words penta 'five' and Polis 'city(-state' is geographic and/or institutional grouping of five cities ^[4]

The Exarchate

The exarchate was organised into a group of duchies (i. e the Duchy of Rome, Duchy of Venetia, Duchy of Calabria, Lucania, Spoleto etc) which were mainly the coastal cities in the Italian peninsula since the Lombards held the advantage in the hinterland.

The civil and military head of these imperial possessions, the exarch himself, was the representative at Ravenna of the emperor in Constantinople. Constantinople (Κωνσταντινούπολις Konstantinoúpolis, or gr ἡ Πόλις hē Polis, Latin: la CONSTANTINOPOLIS The surrounding territory reached from the boundary with Venice in the north to the Pentapolis at Rimini, the border of the "five cities" in the Marches along the Adriatic coast; and reached even cities not on the coast, as Forlì for instance. Venice ( Italian: Venezia, Venetian: Venesia or Venexia) is a city in Northern Italy, the capital of the A pentapolis, from the Greek words penta 'five' and Polis 'city(-state' is geographic and/or institutional grouping of five cities Rimini is a city in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy and capital city of the Province of Rimini. Mark from the Old English mearc and march (or various plural forms of these words derived from the Frankish word marka ("boundary" Forlì ( Latin: Forum Livii) is a Comune and city in Emilia-Romagna, Italy famed as the birthplace of the great painter Melozzo da Forlì All this territory lies on the eastern flank of the Apennines; this was under the exarch's direct administration and formed the Exarchate in the strictest sense. Surrounding territories were governed by dukes and magistri militium more or less subject to his authority. A duke is a member of the Nobility, historically of highest rank below the Sovereign, and historically controlled a Duchy or a Dukedom From the perspective of Constantinople, the Exarchate consisted of the province of Italy.

The Exarchate of Ravenna was not the sole Byzantine province in Italy. Byzantine Sicily formed a separate government, and Corsica and Sardinia, while they remained Byzantine, belonged to the Exarchate of Africa. Sicily ( Italian and Sicilian: Sicilia) is an autonomous region of Italy. Corsica (Corse Corsican and Italian: Corsica) is the fourth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea (after Sicily Sardinia (sɑrˈdɪnɪə Sardegna Sardigna or Sardinnya is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea (after Sicily) The Exarchate of Africa or of Carthage, after its capital was the name of an administrative division of the Eastern Roman Empire encompassing its possessions

The Lombards had their capital at Pavia and controlled the great valley of the Po. Pavia (pronounced Pavìa,) the ancient Ticinum, is a town and Comune of south-western Lombardy, northern Italy, 35 km south The Po ( Latin: Padus, Po Ligurian: Bo, Greek: Eridanus) is a river that flows 652 km(405 miles (682 km by considering The Lombard wedge in Italy spread to the south, and established duchies at Spoleto and Beneventum; they controlled the interior, while Byzantine governors more or less controlled the coasts. The independent Duchy of Spoleto was a Lombard territory founded about 570 in Central Italy by the Lombard Dux Faroald. Benevento is a town and Comune of Campania, Italy, capital of the Province of Benevento, 50 km northeast of Naples.

The Piedmont, Lombardy, the interior mainland of Venetia, Tuscany and the interior of Naples belonged to the Lombards, and bit by bit the Imperial representative in Italy lost all genuine power, though in name he controlled areas like Liguria (completely lost in 640 to the Lombards), or Naples and Calabria (being overrun by the Lombard duchy of Benevento). Piedmont ( Piemonte; Piedmontese and Occitan: Piemont; French: Piémont) is one of the 20 Regions of Italy. Lombardy (Lombardia Latin: Langobardia, Western Lombard: Lumbardìa, Eastern Lombard: Lombardia) is one of the Tuscany (Toscana is a region in Italy. It has an area of 22990 km² and a population of about 3 Naples ( Napoli, Neapolitan: Nàpule) is a historic City in southern Italy, the Capital of the Calabria ( Latin: Brutium) is a region in southern Italy, south of Naples, located at the "toe" of In Rome, the pope was the real master.

At the end, ca 740, the Exarchate consisted of Istria, Venetia (except for the lagoon of Venice itself, which was becoming an independent protected city-state, the forerunner of the future republic of Venice), Ferrara, Ravenna (the exarchate in the limited sense), with the Pentapolis, and Perugia. This article is about a geographical region bordering the Adriatic Sea Venice ( Italian: Venezia, Venetian: Venesia or Venexia) is a city in Northern Italy, the capital of the Ferrara is a city in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, capital city of the Province of Ferrara. A pentapolis, from the Greek words penta 'five' and Polis 'city(-state' is geographic and/or institutional grouping of five cities Perugia is the capital City of the region of Umbria in central Italy, near the Tiber river and the capital of the Province of Perugia

These fragments of the province of Italy, as it was when reconquered for Justinian, were almost all lost, either to the Lombards, who finally conquered Ravenna itself about 750, or by the revolt of the pope, who finally separated from the Empire on the issue of the iconoclastic reforms. Flavius Petrus Sabbatius Iustinianus ( Greek: Φλάβιος Πέτρος Σαββάτιος Ιουστινιανός; known in English as Justinian I or Iconoclasm, Greek for "image-breaking" is the deliberate destruction within a culture of the culture's own religious Icons and other symbols or monuments

The relationship between the Pope in Rome and the Exarch in Ravenna was a dynamic that could hurt or help the empire. History See also History of the Papacy Catholics recognize the Pope as a successor to Saint Peter, who Jesus named as the "shepherd" and Rome ( Roma ˈroma Roma is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city with more than 2 The Papacy could be a vehicle for local discontent. The old Roman senatorial aristocracy resented being governed by an Exarch who was considered by many a meddlesome foreigner. Thus the exarch faced threats from without as well as from within, hampering much real progress and development.

In its internal history the exarchate was subject to the splintering influences which were leading to the subdivision of sovereignty and the establishment of feudalism throughout Europe. Sovereignty is the exclusive Right to control a Government, a country, a people or oneself Feudalism, a term first used in the early modern period (17th century in its most classic sense refers to a Medieval Europe Political system composed Step by step, and in spite of the efforts of the emperors at Constantinople, the great imperial officials became local landowners, the lesser owners of land were increasingly kinsmen or at least associates of these officials, and new allegiances intruded on the sphere of imperial administration. Meanwhile the necessity for providing for the defence of the imperial territories against the Lombards led to the formation of local militias, who at first were attached to the imperial regiments, but gradually became independent, as they were recruited entirely locally. These armed men formed the exercitus romanae militiae, who were the forerunners of the free armed burghers of the Italian cities of the Middle Ages. Other cities of the exarchate were organized on the same model.

The end of the Exarchate

During the 6th and 7th centuries the growing menace of the Lombards and the Franks, and the split between eastern and western Christendom caused by Iconoclasm and the acrimonious rivalry between the Pope and the patriarch of Constantinople, made the position of the exarch more and more untenable. The Franks or Frankish people (Franci or gens Francorum) were West Germanic tribes first identified in the 3rd century as an Ethnic group Iconoclasm, Greek for "image-breaking" is the deliberate destruction within a culture of the culture's own religious Icons and other symbols or monuments "Patriarch of Constantinople" redirects here For the institutional church itself see Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.

Ravenna remained the seat of the exarch until the revolt of 727 over Iconoclasm. Eutychius, the last exarch of Ravenna, was killed by the Lombards in 751. For the Christian martyr St Eutychius see Saint Placidus (martyr. The exarchate was reorganized as the Catapanate of Italy headquartered in Bari which was lost to the Saracens in 858 and only recovered in 878. The Catepanate (or Catapanate) of Italy ( Greek:) was a province of the Byzantine Empire, comprising mainland Italy south of a line drawn from Bari ( Barium in Latin, Bàrion or Vàrion in Greek, Bare in Neapolitan Saracen was a term used by Europeans in the Middle Ages for Fatimids at first then later for all who professed the religion of Islam. Events By Place Europe May 21 — After a siege of eight months Syracuse is captured by the Muslims of Sicily.

When in 756 the Franks drove the Lombards out, Pope Stephen II claimed the exarchate. Events By Place Europe Pepin the Short defeats the Lombards of northern Italy, who have threatened Pope Stephen In sources prior to the 1960s this pope is sometimes called Stephen III and Pope-elect Stephen is sometimes called Stephen II. His ally Pippin the Younger, King of the Franks, donated the conquered lands of the former exarchate to the Papacy in 756; this donation, which was confirmed by his son Charlemagne in 774, marked the beginning of the temporal power of the popes as the Patrimony of Saint Peter. Pepin or Pippin (714 &ndash 24 September 768) called the Short, and often known as Pepin the Younger or Pepin III, was Events By Place Europe Pepin the Short defeats the Lombards of northern Italy, who have threatened Pope Stephen Charlemagne (ˈʃɑrlɨmeɪn Carolus Magnus or Karolus Magnus meaning Charles the Great) (747 – 28 January 814 was King of the Franks from 768 to his Events By Place Europe Charlemagne conquers the kingdom of the Lombards, and takes title King of the Lombards The expression Patrimonium Sancti Petri, or shorter Patrimonium Petri, meaning 'Patrimony of (Saint Peter' originally designated the landed possessions and revenues of The archbishoprics within the former exarchate, however, had developed traditions of local secular power and independence, which contributed to the fragmenting localization of powers. Three centuries later, that independence would fuel the rise of the independent communes.

So the Exarchate disappeared, and the small remnants of the imperial possessions on the mainland, Naples and Calabria, passed under the authority of the Catapan of Italy, and when Sicily was conquered by the Arabs in the 9th century the remnants were erected into the themes of Calabria and Langobardia. The Catepanate (or Catapanate) of Italy ( Greek:) was a province of the Byzantine Empire, comprising mainland Italy south of a line drawn from The 9th century is the period from 801 to 900 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian / Common Era. Istria at the head of the Adriatic was attached to Dalmatia. Dalmatia ( Croatian: Dalmacija, see names in other languages) is a region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea, situated mostly in modern

Exarchs of Ravenna

Note: For some exarchs there exists some uncertainty over their exact tenure dates.

• Decius (584-585)
• Smaragdus (585-589) died 611
• Romanus (589-598)
• Callinicus (598-603)
• Smaragdus (restored) (603-611)
• John I Lemigius (611-615)
• Eleutherius (616-619) died 620
• Isaac ( 625-643)
• Theodore I Calliopas ( 643-c. Events By Place Europe Andeca deposes and kills Eboric to become king of the Suevi. Events By Place Europe The Suebi kingdom on the Iberian peninsula is conquered by the Visigoths under King Smaragdus was Exarch of Ravenna twice (585-589 and 603-611 Smaragdus was known for his violence toward the adherents of the Three-Chapter Controversy. Events By Place Europe The Suebi kingdom on the Iberian peninsula is conquered by the Visigoths under King Events By Place Europe October 17 — The Adige River overflows its banks flooding the church of St For the telephone number 611 see 6-1-1. Births Deaths Ceolwulf of Wessex Map-bms611 Romanus (died 596 or 597 was Exarch of Ravenna (589-596/7 In 589 he became Exarch in place of the discredited Smaragdus. Events By Place Europe October 17 — The Adige River overflows its banks flooding the church of St Events Battle of Catraeth at Catterick North Yorkshire: The Celtic British (Brythonic people defeat the Anglo-Saxon Bernicians (approximate Callinicus or Kallinikos ( Καλλίνικος in Greek) was the Exarch of Ravenna (597 &ndash 602 or 603 Events Battle of Catraeth at Catterick North Yorkshire: The Celtic British (Brythonic people defeat the Anglo-Saxon Bernicians (approximate Events By Place Europe Battle of Degsastan: Æthelfrith of Bernicia defeats Áedán mac Gabráin of Events By Place Europe Battle of Degsastan: Æthelfrith of Bernicia defeats Áedán mac Gabráin of For the telephone number 611 see 6-1-1. Births Deaths Ceolwulf of Wessex Map-bms611 John I Lemigius or Joannes Lemigius Thrax (died 615 was Exarch of Ravenna (611-615 For the telephone number 611 see 6-1-1. Births Deaths Ceolwulf of Wessex Map-bms611 Events By Place Europe The Edict of Paris grants extensive rights to the Frankish nobility Eleutherius (died 620 was Exarch of Ravenna (615-619 A eunuch he succeeded John I Lemigius as exarch Events By Place Europe Eadbald succeeds Ethelbert as king of Kent. Events By Place Byzantine Empire The Avars attack Constantinople. Events By Place Byzantine Empire The Slavs attack Thessaloniki. Isaac the Armenian was an Exarch of Ravenna hailing from the Kamsarakan clan Events By Topic Religion March 23 - Battle of Uhud ( Muhammad retreats against the inhabitants of Mecca Events By Place Europe Rothari King of the Lombards, issues the Lombard law code Theodore Calliopas (Greek Θεόδωρος Καλλιοπάς) was an Exarch of Ravenna twice ( 643 –c Events By Place Europe Rothari King of the Lombards, issues the Lombard law code 645)
• Plato (c. Events By Place Byzantine Empire The Byzantines recapture Alexandria from the Arabs Asia Plato was the Exarch of Ravenna from 646 to 649 He is known primarily for his Monothelitism and his opposition to the Pope Theodore I. 645-649)
• Olympius (649-652)
• Theodore I Calliopas (restored) (653-before 666)
• Gregory (c. Events By Place Byzantine Empire The Byzantines recapture Alexandria from the Arabs Asia Events By Place Europe Reccaswinth succeeds his father Chindaswinth as king of the Visigoths. Olympius (died 652 was an Exarch of Ravenna (649 - 652 Prior to his term as exarch Olympius was an imperial chamberlain at Constantinople. Events By Place Europe Reccaswinth succeeds his father Chindaswinth as king of the Visigoths. Events By Place Europe Rodoald succeeds his father Rothari as king of the Lombards. Events Sigeberht II the Good succeeds Sigeberht I the Little as king of Essex. Number of the Beast if you were looking for the Gregory was an Exarch of Ravenna (664-677 Gregory succeeded Theodore I Calliopas as Exarch 666-678)
• Theodore II (678-687)
• John II Platinus (687-702)
• Theophylactus (702-710)
• John III Rizocopo (710-711)
• Entichius (711-713)
• Scholasticus (713-726)
• Paul (726-727)
• Eutychius (728-752)

References

Notes

Sources

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