Misplaced Pages

Praetorian prefecture of Italy

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
Administrative division of the late Roman Empire (324-584 CE)
Praetorian prefecture of ItalyPraefectura praetorio Italiae
Praetorian prefecture of the Roman Empire
324–584

Praetorian prefectures of the Roman Empire in 395 AD.
CapitalRavenna from 476
Historical eraLate antiquity
• Established 324
• Fall of the Western Roman Empire 476
• Ostrogothic conquest 493
• Start of Gothic War 535
• Lombard conquest 568
• Foundation of Exarchate of Ravenna 584
Preceded by Succeeded by
Roman Italy
Kingdom of Italy
Exarchate of Ravenna
Kingdom of the Lombards
Part of a series on the
History of Italy
Old map of Italian peninsula
Early
Ancient Rome
Romano-Barbarian Kingdoms
Odoacer's 476–493
Ostrogothic 493–553
Vandal 435–534
Lombard 568–774
Frankish (Carolingian Empire) 774–962
Germanic (Holy Roman Empire) 962–1801
Medieval
Early modern
Modern
By topic


Timeline

flag Italy portal

The praetorian prefecture of Italy (Latin: Praefectura praetorio Italiae, in its full form (until 356) praefectura praetorio Italiae, Illyrici et Africae) was one of four praetorian prefectures into which the Late Roman Empire was divided. It comprised the Italian peninsula, the western Balkans, the Danubian provinces and parts of North Africa. The Prefecture's seat moved from Rome to Milan and finally, Ravenna.

Structure and history

The prefecture was established in the division of the Empire after the death of Constantine the Great in 337, and was made up of dioceses. Initially these were the Diocese of Africa, the Diocese of Italy, the Diocese of Pannonia, the Diocese of Dacia and the Diocese of Macedonia (the last two were until c. 327 united in the Diocese of Moesia). Eventually the Diocese of Italy was split in two, the Diocese of Suburbicarian Italy (Italia suburbicaria: "Italy under the City", also referred to as "Diocese of the City of Rome") and the Diocese of Annonarian Italy (Italia annonaria: "provisioning Italy").

In 347, the praetorian prefecture of Illyricum was established, comprising the dioceses of Pannonia, Dacia and Macedonia. Vulcacius Rufinus was the prefect, 347–352. The new prefecture was abolished in 361 by Julian and reestablished in 375 by Gratian. Its territory was contested between the two halves of the Empire, until the final partition in 395, when the Diocese of Pannonia was split off from the Illyricum and joined to the Western Empire and the prefecture of Italy as the Diocese of Illyricum.

Despite the end of the Western Empire in 476, the Germanic successor states under Odoacer and Theodoric the Great continued to use the Roman administrative machinery, as well as being nominal subjects of the Eastern emperor at Constantinople. The Prefecture thus survived, and came again into Roman hands after Justinian's Gothic War. However, with the Lombard invasion in 568, Roman rule became reduced to fragmented and isolated territories, and the Prefecture gave its place to the Exarchate of Ravenna, established by the emperor Maurice.

Prefects continue however to be attested until well into the 7th century. The last attested holder occurs in 639, and a couple of seals bearing the title eparchos ("prefect" in Greek) survive from the late 7th century, although it has been suggested that they are a misprint for exarchos ("exarch").

List of known praefecti praetorio Italiae et Africae

Western Empire

Germanic rule

Under Odoacer:

Under the Ostrogoths:

East Roman rule

References

  1. Nesbitt, John; Oikonomides, Nicolas, eds. (1994). Catalogue of Byzantine Seals at Dumbarton Oaks and in the Fogg Museum of Art, Volume 2: South of the Balkans, the Islands, South of Asia Minor. Washington, DC: Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection. p. 16. ISBN 0-88402-226-9.
  2. Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire, II, 51-2
  3. Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire, II, P452
List of historic states of Italy
Pre-Roman period
Ancient Rome
Medieval
and
Early Modern
states
Barbarian kingdoms
(476–774)
Byzantine Empire (584–751)
Papal States
(754–1870)
Holy Roman Empire
and other
independent
states
Republic of Venice
(697–1797)
Other Republics
(c. 1000–1797)
Southern Italy
(774–1139)
Byzantine
Arab
Lombard
Norman
Sardinia
(from the 9th century)
Kingdom of Sicily
(1130–1816) and
Kingdom of Naples
(1282–1816)
French Revolutionary
and Napoleonic eras
(1792–1815)
Republics
Monarchies
Post-Napoleonic
states
Post-unification
Late Roman and early Byzantine provinces (4th–7th centuries AD)
History
As found in the Notitia Dignitatum. Provincial administration reformed and dioceses established by Diocletian, c. 293. Permanent praetorian prefectures established after the death of Constantine I. Empire permanently partitioned after 395. Exarchates of Ravenna and Africa established after 584. After massive territorial losses in the 7th century, the remaining provinces were superseded by the theme system in c. 640–660, although in Asia Minor and parts of Greece they survived under the themes until the early 9th century.
Western Roman Empire (395–476)
Praetorian prefecture
of Gaul
Diocese of Gaul
Diocese of Vienne
Diocese of Spain
Diocese of the Britains
Praetorian prefecture
of Italy
Diocese of Suburbicarian Italy
Diocese of Annonarian Italy
Diocese of Africa
Eastern Roman Empire (395–c. 640)
Praetorian prefecture
of Illyricum
Diocese of Pannonia
Diocese of Dacia
Diocese of Macedonia
Praetorian prefecture
of the East
Diocese of Thrace
Diocese of Asia
Diocese of Pontus
Diocese of the East
Diocese of Egypt
Other territories
Categories: