Roman governor - Citizendia

A Roman governor was an official either elected or appointed to be the chief administrator of Roman law throughout one or more of the many provinces constituting the Roman Empire. Ancient Rome was a Civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC The Roman Kingdom ( Latin: Regnum Romanum) was the monarchical Government of the city of Rome Events and trends 756 BC — Founding of Cyzicus. 755 BC — Ashur-nirari V succeeds Ashur-Dan III as king of Assyria The Roman Republic was the phase of the ancient Roman civilization characterized by a Republican form of government a period which began with the overthrow of the Year 27 BC was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Julian calendar. 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Tribune (from the Latin: tribunus; Byzantine Greek form τριβούνος) was a title shared by 2–3 elected magistracies in the A Censor was a magistrate of high rank in the ancient Roman Republic. Dictator was a Political office of the Roman Republic. The dictator was above the three branches of government in the Constitution of the Roman Republic The Master of the Horse was (and in some cases is a historical position of varying importance in several European nations The Tribuni militum consulari potestate, or Consular Tribunes were Tribunes elected with Consular power during the Conflict of the Orders The King of Rome ( Latin: rex regis) was the Chief magistrate of the Roman Kingdom. The term triumvirate (from Latin, "of three men" is commonly used to describe a political regime dominated by three powerful individuals Decemviri (singular decemvir) is a Latin term meaning "Ten Men" which designates any such commission in the Roman Republic (cf The Roman Emperor was the ruler of the Roman State during the imperial period (starting at about 27 BC A legatus (often anglicized as legate) was a general in the Roman army, equivalent to a modern general officer Dux (plural duces) is Latin for leader (from the verb ducere, 'to lead' and could refer to anyone who commanded troops such Officium (plural officia) is a Latin word with various meanings in Ancient Rome, including "service" "(sense of duty" "courtesy" Prefect (from the Latin praefectus, perfect participle of praeficere: "make in front" i Vicarius is a Latin word meaning substitute or deputy. It is the root and origin of the English word " Vicar " and Cognate to the Persian The Vigintisexviri (sing vigintisexvir) was a college ( collegium) of minor magistrates ( magistratus minores) in the Roman Republic The lictor, derived from the Latin ligare (to bind was a member of a special class of Roman civil servant with special tasks of attending and guarding Magister militum ( Latin for "Master of the Soldiers" was a top-level military command used in the later Roman Empire, dating from the reign of The Latin word Imperator was a title originally roughly equivalent to commander during the period of the Roman Republic. The princeps senatus (plural principes senatus) was the first member by precedence of the Roman Senate. The Pontifex Maximus was the high priest of the Ancient Roman College of Pontiffs. Augustus (plural augusti) Latin for "majestic" "the increaser" or "venerable" was an Ancient Roman Caesar (plural Caesars Latin: Caesar (plural Caesares is a Title of imperial character Tetrarchy ( Greek: "leadership of four " can be applied to any system of government where power is divided between four individuals Roman law is the legal system of Ancient Rome. As used in the West the term commonly refers to legal developments prior to the Roman/Byzantine state's adopting Imperium in a broad sense translates as power. In Ancient Rome the concept applied to People, and meant something like "power The mos maiorum (lit ways of the ancestors) were the ancestral Traditions an unwritten code of Laws and conduct of the Collegiality is the relationship between colleagues Definition of collegiality Colleagues are those explicitly united in a common Purpose and respecting Citizenship in the time of Ancient Rome was a privileged status afforded to certain individuals with respect to laws property and governance Auctoritas is a Latin word and is the origin of English " Authority " The cursus honorum ( Latin: "course of honors" or "honors race" was the sequential order of Public offices held by aspiring Information on politics by country is available for every Country, including both De jure and De facto independent Roman law is the legal system of Ancient Rome. As used in the West the term commonly refers to legal developments prior to the Roman/Byzantine state's adopting In Ancient Rome, a province (Latin provincia, pl provinciae) was the basic and until the Tetrarchy (circa The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial

The generic term in Roman legal language was Rector provinciae, regardless of the specific titles, which also reflect the province's intrinsic and strategic status, and corresponding differences in authority. The word rector ("ruler" from the Latin regere and Rector meaning "Teacher" In Latin has a number of different meanings but all of them indicate an academic

By the time of the early empire, there were two types of provinces — senatorial and imperial — and several types of governor would emerge. The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial A senatorial province was a Roman province where the Roman Senate had the right to appoint governors An imperial province was a Roman province where the Emperor had the sole right to appoint governors Only proconsuls and propraetors fell under the classification of promagistrate. A promagistrate is a person who acts in and with the authority and capacity of a magistrate, but without holding a magisterial office

1 Duties of the governor
2 Republican governors
3 Imperial governors
4 Late imperial governors
5 See also
6 Sources and references
7 External links

Duties of the governor

The governor of any Roman province had many tasks to carry out during his administration.

Firstly, he was responsible for taxation and financial management. Depending on the basis of his appointment, he was either the Emperor's personal agent, or the Roman Senate’s financial agent, and had to supervise the local authorities, the private tax collectors, and levy taxes. The Roman Emperor was the ruler of the Roman State during the imperial period (starting at about 27 BC The Roman Senate was a political institution in Ancient Rome. A governor could mint coins and negotiate with wealthy institutions such as temples and private money-lenders that could advance money. The governor was also the province's chief accountant. He inspected the books of major cities and various operations as well as supervising large-scale building projects throughout the province. He would also need to keep the peace between contries

Aside from these financial duties, the governor was the province's chief judge. The governor had the sole right to impose capital punishment, and capital cases were normally tried before him. Capital punishment, the death penalty or execution, is the Killing of a person by judicial process as Punishment. To appeal a governor's decision necessitated travelling to Rome and presenting one's case before either the Praetor Urbanus, or even the Emperor himself, an expensive, and thus rare, process. Praetor was a title granted by the government of Ancient Rome to men acting in one of two official capacities the commander of an Army, either before An appeal was unlikely to succeed anyway, as a governor wouldn’t generally take the chance of convicting someone contrary to the Emperor's wishes. The governor was also supposed to travel across his province to administer justice in the major towns where his attention was required.

Finally, and most importantly, he commanded the military forces within the province. In the more important provinces, this could consist of legions, but elsewhere, there were only auxiliaries. For other uses see Legion The Roman Legion (from Latin legio "military levy Conscription," As a part of his standing orders the governor had the authority to use his legions to stamp out organized criminal gangs or rebels in the area without need for the Emperor's or Senate's approval.

Every governor had at his disposal a diversity of advisors and staff, who were known as his comites (Latin for "companions"); the number of these depended on the governor's social standing and rank. The French Solar Energy Authority ( Commissariat à l'Energie Solaire, ComES) a public Scientific and industrial entity was set up in Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. These comites would serve as the governor's executive council, with each supervising a different aspect of the province, and assisting the governor in decision making. In the provinces with a significant legionary presence, the governor's second-in-command was usually a quaestor, a man elected in Rome and sent to the province to serve a mainly financial role, but who could command the military with the governor's approval. Quaestors were originally appointed by the Consuls to investigate criminal acts and determine if the consul needed to take public action In other provinces, governors themselves appointed non-magistrate prefects or procurators to govern a small part of the province and act as their second-in-command. Prefect (from the Latin praefectus, perfect participle of praeficere: "make in front" i

Republican governors

During the time of the Roman Republic, the Senate was in charge of appointing governors to Rome's provinces. The Roman Republic was the phase of the ancient Roman civilization characterized by a Republican form of government a period which began with the overthrow of the This was done by appointing promagistrates to serve, either by random casting of lots or by senatus consultum (advice of the Senate); however, these appointments were not legally binding and could be overruled by Roman assemblies. A promagistrate is a person who acts in and with the authority and capacity of a magistrate, but without holding a magisterial office The Roman Assemblies were institutions in Ancient Rome. They functioned as the machinery of the Roman legislative branch and thus (theoretically at least passed all legislation

The governor's level of authority was determined by what type of imperium he possessed. Most provinces were governed by propraetors who had served an annual term in the praetorship the year before. A promagistrate is a person who acts in and with the authority and capacity of a magistrate, but without holding a magisterial office Praetor was a title granted by the government of Ancient Rome to men acting in one of two official capacities the commander of an Army, either before The provinces governed by propraetors were usually the most tranquil ones, where chances of revolt or invasion were small, but in some cases propraetors would be given command of more troubled provinces.

Provinces that lay on the empire's borders, thereby requiring a permanent military garrison, were governed by proconsuls who had served a term as consul (the highest rank of magistrate) the year before their governorship. Ancient Rome In the Roman Republic, a proconsul was a Promagistrate (like a Propraetor) who after serving as Consul, spent a year Consul (abbrev cos; Latin plural consules) was the highest elected office of the Roman Republic and an appointive office under the Empire They were given the authority to command provinces with actual Roman legions, rather than just using the militia.

These promagistrates held equal authority with other magistrates with the same level of imperium and were attended by the same number of lictors. Imperium in a broad sense translates as power. In Ancient Rome the concept applied to People, and meant something like "power The lictor, derived from the Latin ligare (to bind was a member of a special class of Roman civil servant with special tasks of attending and guarding Generally speaking, they had autocratic power within their provinces. A provincial governor had almost totally unlimited authority and frequently extorted vast amounts of money from the provincial population—but, though he retained immunity from prosecution as long as he held his imperium, once he left office he became vulnerable to prosecution for his actions during his term.

Imperial governors

Imperial provinces

After Augustus established the principate, the Emperor himself was the direct governor of Rome's most important provinces (called imperial provinces) and, even in the provinces he did not directly govern, was senior to other provincial governors through holding imperium maius, or supreme imperium. Augustus ( Latin: IMPERATOR·CAESAR·DIVI·FILIVS·AVGVSTVS September 23 63 BC – August 19 AD 14) born Gaius Octavius Thurinus, was The Principate is the first period of the Roman Empire, extending from the beginning of the reign of Caesar Augustus to the Crisis of the Third Century, An imperial province was a Roman province where the Emperor had the sole right to appoint governors Imperium in a broad sense translates as power. In Ancient Rome the concept applied to People, and meant something like "power In imperial provinces, the Emperor would appoint legates to govern in his name. A legatus (often anglicized as legate) was a general in the Roman army, equivalent to a modern general officer The Emperor had sole say in the appointing of these legates, who were lower in rank than other provincial governors, as officially they were only representatives of the province's true governor, the Emperor.

The principate did not totally do away with the system of selecting proconsuls and propraetors. In provinces with one legion, a legate bearing praetorian imperium, thus being a propraetor, not only governed the province in the Emperor’s name, but also controlled the legion himself. However, in provinces with more than one legion, each legion was commanded by its own legate with praetorian imperium, while the province as a whole was commanded by a legate with consular imperium, who had general command over the entire army stationed there, as well as administering the province as a proconsul.

Appointment to these governorships was completely at the whim of the Emperor and could last anywhere from 1 to 5 years.

Senatorial provinces

While the Emperor had sole authority in provinces with legions, senatorial provinces were provinces where the Senate had the right to appoint governors. A senatorial province was a Roman province where the Roman Senate had the right to appoint governors The Roman Senate was a political institution in Ancient Rome. These provinces were away from the Empire's borders and free from the likelihood of rebellion, and so had few, if any, legions stationed in them (thus lessening the chance the Senate might try to seize power from the Emperor).

These senatorial provinces were under the direct control of a proconsular senator, with little need for intervention by the Emperor (although the Emperor had the power to appoint these governors if he wished). Most senatorial provinces, since they were not under the direct authority of the Emperor, did not grant the governor legions to command. There was one exception to this rule, the province of Africa, where there was always at least a single legion to protect the province from Berber tribes. The Roman province of Africa was established after the Romans defeated Carthage in the Third Punic War. Berbers are the indigenous peoples of North Africa west of the Nile Valley.

Augustus decreed that there would be at least ten senatorial provinces. Though all ten were "proconsular", only two of these provinces (Asia and Africa), were actually governed by senators with proconsular imperium, the remaining eight being governed by propraetors. The Roman province of Asia, also called Phrygia was an administrative unit added to the late Republic. The two proconsular governors served for one year, while the eight praetors served typically for up to 3 years. Each of these men had six lictors who served as bodyguards and also as a symbol of authority and a mark of their position.

Equestrian procurator

The Emperor also had under his control a number of smaller, but potentially difficult provinces that did not need an entire legion. These provinces were put under the control of governors of equestrian status. New conquests generally fell into this equestrian category but most were later changed in status to reflect the changing conditions of Roman's growing empire. Thus, a province would become upon conquest a procuratorial province until it was decided that it should become either an imperial or senatorial province and thus governed by either a propraetor or proconsul. Like the other imperial provinces, the equestrian governors could serve any length of time up to 5 years, or even longer.

Much like the senatorial province of Africa, the equestrian province of Aegyptus (Egypt) was an exception to the general rule of legions only being stationed in imperial provinces. Ægyptus redirects here See Egypt Province for the province of the Ottoman Empire Egypt was not a normal province like any other, it was considered the personal possession of the Emperor, and its governor, the praefectus aegypti, was considered the highest ranking equestrian post during the early empire. Later, the post would fall second to that of the praetorian command, but its position remained highly prestigious.

Though the practice of appointing equestrians to help manage provinces officially began with Augustus, governors from years before had appointed procurators to help them govern. However, it was not until the reign of Claudius that these procurators received the powers of a governor. Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus or Claudius I ( August 1, 10 BC &ndash October 13, AD 54 ( Tiberius Claudius Drusus from birth to Though by definition the procurators were prefects, a procuratorship was a more formal way of denoting a prefect’s authority to govern. Prefect (from the Latin praefectus, perfect participle of praeficere: "make in front" i It is important to note that procurators were not magistrates, so did not own imperium, and merely exercised the Emperor’s, or governor's, authority with his approval.

Late imperial governors

Under the Dominate, i. The Dominate was the ' despotic ' latter phase of government in the ancient Roman Empire between its establishment in 27 BC and the formal date of the collapse e. the Late Roman Empire, the Roman Emperor Diocletian began in 293AD reforms of the provincial administration that were completed under the Emperor Constantine the Great in 318. The Roman Emperor was the ruler of the Roman State during the imperial period (starting at about 27 BC Gaius Aurelius Valerius Diocletianus ( ca. December 22 244 The modern historian Timothy Barnes takes December 22 as his birthdate Flavius Valerius Aurelius Constantinus (27 February ca. 272 &ndash 22 May 337 commonly known as Constantine I, Constantine the Great, or Saint Constantine Diocletian set up 12 dioceses (later several were split; see under Roman province), originally two to four for each of the four co-emperors under the shortlived Tetrarchy (two senior Augusti, each above a Caesar), each governed by a Vicarius (a form of Governor-General). A Roman or civil diocese ( Latin: dioecesis, from the διοίκησις, "administration" was one of the administrative divisions In Ancient Rome, a province (Latin provincia, pl provinciae) was the basic and until the Tetrarchy (circa Tetrarchy ( Greek: "leadership of four " can be applied to any system of government where power is divided between four individuals Vicarius is a Latin word meaning substitute or deputy. It is the root and origin of the English word " Vicar " and Cognate to the Persian The term governor general or governor-general refers to a vice-regal representative of a Monarch in an independent realm or a major colonial circonscription Each diocese comprised several Roman provinces, now rather known as eparchy, each under the authority of a provincial governor (see above), of various ranks and carrying a series of titles, including republican relics such as Proconsul and novelties such as Corrector provinciae, Moderator Provinciae, Praeses provinciae. A province is a territorial unit almost always an Administrative division. Eparchy is an Anglicized Greek word authentically Latinized as eparchia and loosely translating as 'rule over something' but has the following A corrector (English plural Correctors) is a person who or object that practices Correction, usually by removing or rectifying errors The Vicarius's authority was supreme within his diocese, only being vetoed by the Praetorian Prefect (see below) or the Emperor himself.

Also, since the reign of Constantine, the governors lost their military command (and some related competences) to new, strictly military officers. Within each of the provinces, the governor was assisted by a dux (Latin: leader) whose job was to manage the legions garrisoned within the province. Dux (plural duces) is Latin for leader (from the verb ducere, 'to lead' and could refer to anyone who commanded troops such Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. When it came to the diocesan level, another dux was appointed to command the legion(s) within each diocese. Soon the ducatus (military territory of a dux) would however be determined independently, in several cases comprising several provinces, while at higher territorial levels military commands were created under the titles of (military) Comes and Magister militum

Emperor Constantine completed Diocletian's reforms and organized the Roman Empire into four pretorian prefectures, actually the former territorial circonscriptions of the former four imperial tetrarchs to which each praetorian prefect had acted as chief of staff: the Prefecture of the Gauls, the Prefecture of Italy and Africa, the Prefecture of Illyricum, and the Prefecture of Oriens, with each administrated by an imperially appointed Praetorian prefect. The French Solar Energy Authority ( Commissariat à l'Energie Solaire, ComES) a public Scientific and industrial entity was set up in Magister militum ( Latin for "Master of the Soldiers" was a top-level military command used in the later Roman Empire, dating from the reign of Praetorian prefect (Latin Praefectus praetorio) was the constant title of a high office in the Roman state that changed fundamentally in nature The Prefect of each Prefecture was the highest civil service echelon, being subordinate only to the Emperor(s) (soon there were two, Eastern to become Byantine and Western in Rome, later in Ravenna, each inheriting two prefectures as Augustus). The Prefect did not moderate between the various governors and vicarii and the Emperor, but acted as the Emperor's representative and had the authority to issue orders and administor justice within his Prefecture.

As within the dioceses level, the civil and military parts of the Prefecture were divided between the Praetorian Prefect, as the highest civil officer, and the Magister Militum as the highest military office. Magister militum ( Latin for "Master of the Soldiers" was a top-level military command used in the later Roman Empire, dating from the reign of The Magister Militum was identified as to which Prefecture he belonged by the territorial name following his title, such as Magister Militum per Gallias. Gaul (Gallia was the Roman name for the region of Western Europe comprising present day northern Italy, France, Belgium, western There was, however, one supreme Magister Militum that was the most senior military rank in the (soon each) whole empire, subordinate only to the Emperor.

A list of the provinces within the dioceses and the dioceses within the prefectures can be found on the Roman provinces page. In Ancient Rome, a province (Latin provincia, pl provinciae) was the basic and until the Tetrarchy (circa

Sources and references

Notitia dignitatum (authentic imperial chancery document, early Vth century)
Pauly-Wissowa

External links

Livius.org: Roman governors

The Constitution of the Roman Republic or Mos maiorum (Latin for "customs of the ancestors" was an unwritten set of guidelines and principles The Notitia Dignitatum is a unique document of the Roman imperial chanceries The Realencyclopädie der Classischen Altertumswissenschaft, commonly called the "Pauly-Wissowa", is a German Encyclopedia of

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