Septem Provinciae - Misplaced Pages

Diocese of the Roman Empire

Diocese of the Seven ProvincesDioecesis Septem Provinciarum
Diocese of the Roman Empire
314–477
Roman Gaul - AD 400
Capital	Burdigala

Historical era	Late Antiquity

• Established	314
• Fall of Provence to the Visigoths	477

The Diocese of the Seven Provinces (Latin: Dioecesis Septem Provinciarum), originally called the Diocese of Vienne (Latin: Dioecesis Viennensis) after the city of Vienna (modern Vienne), was a diocese of the later Roman Empire, under the praetorian prefecture of Gaul. It encompassed southern and western Gaul (Aquitania and Gallia Narbonensis), that is, modern France south and west of the Loire, including Provence.

The diocese comprised the following provinces: Aquitanica I, Aquitanica II, Novempopulana (Aquitanica III), Narbonensis I, Narbonensis II, Viennensis and Alpes Maritimae.

History

The diocese was established during the reforms of Diocletian who reigned from 284-305. It is attested early in the reign of Constantine I in the Verona List which has been dated to around 314. In 402 an annual provincial assembly, the Concilium septem provinciarum, was established in Arles.

In 407, the Vandals and their allies invaded Gaul, devastating the region until they departed for the Iberian peninsula in 409. The Visigoths were brought in as foederati to aid the Romans against them, and in 418 emperor Honorius allowed them to settle in Aquitania around Toulouse. Although nominally Roman subjects, the Goths were practically independent, a fact which was formally recognized by the Western Empire in 475, just one year before its end.

In 462 Ricimer ceded them also the province of Narbonensis Prima, while the Goths proceeded to occupy the remaining provinces east of the Rhone in 477. Henceforth, the lands that had comprised the diocese of the Seven Provinces became part of the Visigothic Kingdom. Aquitania was soon lost to the Franks, with only the southern coastal strip (Septimania) retained by the Goths.

Sources

(in Italian) Heather, La caduta dell'Impero romano. Una nuova storia, 2006.
Halsall, Barbarian migrations in the roman West, 376-568, 2007.

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	Alpes Poeninae et Graiae Belgica I Belgica II Germania I Germania II Lugdunensis I Lugdunensis II Lugdunensis III Lugdunensis IV Maxima Sequanorum
Diocese of Vienne	Alpes Maritimae Aquitanica I Aquitanica II Narbonensis I Narbonensis II Novempopulania Viennensis
Diocese of Spain	Baetica Balearica Carthaginensis Gallaecia Lusitania Mauretania Tingitana Tarraconensis
Diocese of the Britains	Britannia I Britannia II Flavia Caesariensis Maxima Caesariensis Valentia (?)

Praetorian prefecture
of Italy

Diocese of Suburbicarian Italy	Apulia et Calabria Campania Corsica Lucania et Bruttium Picenum Suburbicarium Samnium Sardinia Sicilia Tuscia et Umbria Valeria
Diocese of Annonarian Italy	Alpes Cottiae Flaminia et Picenum Annonarium Liguria et Aemilia Raetia I Raetia II Venetia et Histria
Diocese of Africa	Africa proconsularis (Zeugitana) Byzacena Mauretania Caesariensis Mauretania Sitifensis Numidia (divided as Cirtensis and Militiana during the Tetrarchy) Tripolitania (Roman province)

Eastern Roman Empire (395–c. 640)

Praetorian prefecture
of Illyricum

Diocese of Pannonia	Dalmatia Noricum mediterraneum Noricum ripense Pannonia I Pannonia II Savia Valeria ripensis
Diocese of Dacia	Dacia Mediterranea Dacia Ripensis Dardania Moesia I Praevalitana
Diocese of Macedonia	Achaea Creta Epirus Nova Epirus Vetus Macedonia Prima Macedonia II Salutaris Thessalia

Praetorian prefecture
of the East

Diocese of Thrace	Europa Haemimontus Moesia Secunda Rhodope Scythia Thracia
Diocese of Asia	Asia Caria Hellespontus Islands Lycaonia (370) Lycia Lydia Pamphylia Pisidia Phrygia Pacatiana Phrygia Salutaris
Diocese of Pontus	Armenia Prima Armenia Secunda Armenia Maior Armenian Satrapies Armenia III (536) Armenia IV (536) Bithynia Cappadocia I Cappadocia II Galatia I Galatia II Salutaris Helenopontus Honorias Paphlagonia Pontus Polemoniacus
Diocese of the East	Arabia Cilicia I Cilicia II Cyprus Euphratensis Isauria Mesopotamia Osroene Palaestina I Palaestina II Palaestina III Salutaris Phoenice I Phoenice II Libanensis Syria I Syria II Salutaris Theodorias (528)
Diocese of Egypt	Aegyptus I Aegyptus II Arcadia Augustamnica I Augustamnica II Libya Superior Libya Inferior Thebais Superior Thebais Inferior

Other territories
Taurica Quaestura exercitus (536) Spania (552)

Later the Septem Provinciae
Re-established after reconquest by the Eastern Empire in 534 as the separate Prefecture of Africa
Later the Diocese of Illyricum
Placed under the Quaestura exercitus in 536
Affected (i.e. boundaries modified, abolished or renamed) by Justinian I's administrative reorganization in 534–536

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