Praetorian prefecture of Illyricum
| Praetorian prefecture of Illyricum Praefectura praetorio per Illyricum Ἐπαρχότης Ἰλλυρικοῦ | |
|---|---|
| Praet. prefecture of the Eastern Roman Empire | |
| 347–630s | |
 The praetorian prefecture of Illyricum (375–379) | |
| Capital | Sirmium, later Thessalonica |
| Historical era | Late antiquity |
• Established | 347 |
• Loss of most of Illyricum to Slavic incursions | 630s |
| Political subdivisions | Diocese of Macedonia Diocese of Dacia Diocese of Pannonia (until 379) |
The praetorian prefecture of Illyricum (Latin: praefectura praetorio per Illyricum; Greek: ὑπαρχία τῶν πραιτωρίων τοῦ Ἰλλυρικοῦ, also termed the prefecture of Illyricum) was one of four praetorian prefectures into which the Late Roman Empire was divided.
The administrative center of the prefecture was Sirmium from 375 to 379, then Thessalonica.[1][2] The prefecture took its name from the older province of Illyricum, which in turn was named after ancient Illyria. In its greatest expanse it encompassed Pannonia, Noricum, Crete, and most of the Balkan peninsula except for Thrace.[3]
Administrative history
[edit]Unlike the other three classical prefectures listed in the Notitia Dignitatum—Gaul, the Italy–Africa and the East—the fourth-century history of Illyricum as a prefecture involved abolition, re-establishment, and repeated division.[4][5] Later writers created the impression that Constantine I established territorial prefectures early in the fourth century, but contemporary practice kept the praetorian prefect as the emperor's chief of staff, and only by the mid-fourth century did the prefectures become enduring territorial units.[5]
Initially the territories later grouped as Illyricum belonged to the Prefecture of Italy, Illyricum and Africa. The Illyrian dioceses were set apart as a praetorian prefecture in their own right during the struggles among Constantine's sons after his death in 337.[6] The dioceses of Macedonia, Dacia, and Pannonia were probably first grouped together in 347 by Constans, when they were detached from the Italian prefecture. Some scholars prefer an earlier stage in 343, when Constans appointed a separate prefect for Italy, which implies a corresponding rebalancing in the Danubian and Balkan provinces.[5]
The prefecture existed until 361, when Julian abolished it. It was revived under Gratian between 375 and 379.[2] In 379 the Diocese of Pannonia, often called Illyricum occidentale or Western Illyricum, was reassigned to the Italian sphere as the Diocese of Illyricum, while Macedonia and Dacia, the so-called Illyricum orientale, were ruled directly by Theodosius I from Thessalonica for a short period.[7] During 384–395 the two eastern dioceses were once more attached to the Italian prefecture, except for 388–391, when they again formed a separate Illyrian prefecture.[6]
After Theodosius's death in 395 and the final division of the Empire, Illyricum assumed the permanent form shown in the Notitia, comprising the dioceses of Macedonia and Dacia, with Thessalonica as capital.[4] The Western Roman Empire continued to claim these dioceses, especially under the regency of Stilicho, until 437 when, as part of the dowry of Licinia Eudoxia, Valentinian III recognized Eastern control over the prefecture.[3] Some scholars place the prefectural seat at Sirmium again between 437 and 441, although this relocation is debated because the northern Balkans were then destabilized by invasions.[1] Justinian I later elevated Justiniana Prima, but proposals to shift the prefectural center there did not take effect.[2]
Following the Slavic incursions in the later sixth and seventh centuries, most of the Balkan hinterland slipped from imperial control. The government retained Thrace near Constantinople, Thessalonica and its environs, and coastal Greece.[2][8] The pressures of the Byzantine–Bulgarian Wars led to reorganization. By the early ninth century Thessalonica formed a distinct theme under a strategos and the old prefectural framework had vanished from practical administration.[7]
List of known praefecti praetorio per Illyricum
[edit]
- Vulcacius Rufinus (347–352)
- Quintus Flavius Maesius Egnatius Lollianus Mavortius (355–56)
- Anatolius (−360)
- Florentius (360)
- Sextus Claudius Petronius Probus (c.364)
- Quintus Clodius Hermogenianus Olybrius (378–379)
- Vettius Agorius Praetextatus (384, also Praetorian Prefect of Italy)
- Flavius Eutychianus (396–397)
- Anatolius (397–399)
- Herculius (408–410)
- Leontius (412–413)
- Flavius Junius Quartus Palladius (416–421, also Praetorian Prefect of Italy)
- Gessius (some time between 421 and 443)
- Flavius Anthemius Isidorus (424)
- Flavius Simplicius Reginus (435)
- Eubulus (436)
- Thalassius (439)
- Apraeumius (441)
- Eulogius (c. 451)
- Valentinianus (452)
- Callicrates (468–469)
- Iohannes (472)
- Basilides (529)
References
[edit]- ^ a b Mirković, Miroslava B. (2017), Sirmium: Its History from the First Century AD to 582 AD, Novi Sad: Center for Historical Research
- ^ a b c d Curta, Florin (2006), Southeastern Europe in the Middle Ages, 500–1250, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
- ^ a b Mócsy, András (2014) [1974], Pannonia and Upper Moesia: A History of the Middle Danube Provinces of the Roman Empire, New York: Routledge
- ^ a b Notitia dignitatum
- ^ a b c Barnes, T. D. (2011), Constantine: Dynasty, Religion and Power in the Later Roman Empire, Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell, p. 160
- ^ a b Barnes, T. D. (1982), The New Empire of Diocletian and Constantine, Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, p. 139
- ^ a b Bury, John B. (1912), A History of the Eastern Roman Empire from the Fall of Irene to the Accession of Basil I (A.D. 802–867), London: Macmillan, pp. 223–224
- ^ Whitby, Michael (1988), The Emperor Maurice and His Historian: Theophylact Simocatta on Persian and Balkan Warfare, Oxford: Clarendon Press
Sources
[edit]- Bulić, Dejan (2013). "The Fortifications of the Late Antiquity and the Early Byzantine Period on the Later Territory of the South-Slavic Principalities, and their re-occupation". The World of the Slavs: Studies of the East, West and South Slavs: Civitas, Oppidas, Villas and Archeological Evidence (7th to 11th Centuries AD). Belgrade: The Institute for History. pp. 137–234.
- Bury, John B. (1912), A history of the Eastern Roman empire from the fall of Irene to the accession of Basil I. (A. D. 802–867), London: Macmillan and Co.
- Curta, Florin (2001). The Making of the Slavs: History and Archaeology of the Lower Danube Region, c. 500–700. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- Curta, Florin (2006). Southeastern Europe in the Middle Ages, 500–1250. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- Given, John (2014). The Fragmentary History of Priscus. Merchantville, New Jersey: Evolution Publishing.
- Janković, Đorđe (2004). "The Slavs in the 6th Century North Illyricum". Гласник Српског археолошког друштва. 20: 39–61.
- Kazhdan, Alexander, ed. (1991), Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium, Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0-19-504652-6
- Mirković, Miroslava B. (2017). Sirmium: Its History from the First Century AD to 582 AD. Novi Sad: Center for Historical Research.
- Mócsy, András (2014) [1974]. Pannonia and Upper Moesia: A History of the Middle Danube Provinces of the Roman Empire. New York: Routledge.
- Petrović, Vladimir P. (2007). "Pre-Roman and Roman Dardania: Historical and Geographical Considerations" (PDF). Balcanica. 37. Balkanološki institut SANU: 7–23.
- Popović, Radomir V. (1996). Le Christianisme sur le sol de l'Illyricum oriental jusqu'à l'arrivée des Slaves. Thessaloniki: Institute for Balkan Studies.
- Whitby, Michael (1988). The Emperor Maurice and his Historian: Theophylact Simocatta on Persian and Balkan warfare. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
- Zeiller, Jacques (1918). Les origines chrétiennes dans les provinces danubiennes de l'Empire romain. Paris: E. De Boccard.
- Notitia dignitatum
External links
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