Despite the fact that the Great Roman Empire no longer exists, interest in this period of the ancient history of our world does not fade away. After all, it is the Romans who are the founders of modern law and jurisprudence, the constitutions of many European states, and their political treatises are still being studied in prestigious educational institutions around the world.
However, even the usual arrangement of this great state of the past is no less interesting. Do you know what a province of the Roman Empire is and how this territorial unit was formed? If not, then you should definitely read this article! We will immediately warn you that in the article we will talk about Rome as a single power. The division into the Eastern and Western empires occurred after the capture of the metropolis by the Visigoths and Ostrogoths.
General definition
In a broad sense, a "province" meant land given to some top official of the empire for his sole control. Thisa person within his own land had the title of imperio. But few people know that this word had four other meanings at once. Here they are:
- As in the previous case, a special position could be called a "province". So, title pr. maritima meant that the person who had it was entrusted with the duty of command of the Roman fleet.
- The same status was with a person in charge of some important task. For example, pr. frumentum curare was in charge of the supply of bread.
- Besides, even an enemy territory entrusted to some commander could be called a "province". The same Macedonia consulibus provincia decernitur, formed during the conquest of Greece.
- Finally, this was the name given to any newly conquered or Roman-sworn area in which Pax Romania, "the Roman order", had already been established.
It should be noted that the Western Roman Empire retained the administrative structure of its ancestors. Everything said here and in what follows is quite true for the Byzantine basileus.
Further development of the "provincial" way of life
Already in the third century AD, the Romans began a rapid expansion, as a result of which the territory of the Roman Empire increased dramatically, far beyond the boundaries of the Italian "boot". Soon all the lands lying near the Mediterranean Sea had already turned into Roman provinces. Finally, 117 AD was the culmination of a series of military successes. The dominions of the empire became as extensive as possible. In total, as part of the state, to thattime there were 45 provinces, not counting 12 regions in Italy itself.
How was the new province formed?
For all the time of the conquests, a clear procedure was introduced for “merging” new regions with other provinces of the empire: first, the commander who captured the new land made a preliminary delimitation of it. Important! If the Western Roman Empire is being discussed, then it must be said that there was practically no such “amateur activity” within its borders: all land operations were carried out exclusively with the knowledge and approval of the metropolis (Constantinople).
Legislative Procedures
A commission of 10 people, appointed by the Senate, approved the "land plan", simultaneously legitimizing the edicts of the interim ruler. Senate orders and codes of local law (if any) were immediately attached to these documents. By the way, it is the preservation of local legislative acts that is the hallmark of the Roman state.
That is why every province of the Roman Empire (in the early period of the empire) was in some sense an independent state.
Interim period
Over time, the state was strengthened, and the laws were increasingly striving for uniformity. The importance of local law was rapidly declining. Increasingly, "provincial charters" are being directly regulated by the Senate. In the end, local codes began to regulate only the general features of government, while all other issues were resolved according to Roman laws. Relations between the Roman citizens who inhabited the province of Romeempires were governed by the edictum provinciale, the edict of the viceroy, which he issued immediately upon taking office.
The "Edict" was valid only during the reign of the governor, but most often it happened that his predecessor in the document practically did not change anything. The administration of the province was carried out by the forces of praetors, proconsuls and propraetors. Their appointment was handled by Senta, and the people in these posts changed annually. If the circumstances required it, the term of office could be extended, but the Senate had the right to make a decision on this.
Last years of the empire
In the last years before the fall of Rome, the provinces were ruled by former consuls and praetors. They owned unlimited power in the province they controlled. This explained both the completely inadequate level of corruption and the complete incompetence of many managers who made their careers using good connections with the governor. During this period, the same Syria, once the richest province of the Roman Empire, was practically plundered by its rulers, and a meager part of the taxes collected went to the metropolis. All this only accelerated the coming collapse of the once great state.
List of Roman provinces and years of their origin
So, let's list the main provinces that made up the Eastern Roman Empire. The dating of their foundation is not end-to-end, since their conquests belong to different political periods in the history of the Roman state. The first "under the wing" of Rome was Sicily, and after it -Sardinia and Corsica. This happened in 241 and 231 BC, respectively. After them, Far and Near Spain were conquered.
It happened in 197 BC. e. It should be noted that 27 years before the beginning of our era, the province of Lusitania was separated from Farther Spain. Two years later, the country grew into the province of Galatia. As you can see, by the beginning of the new era, the map of the Roman Empire was impressive in its diversity. In 120 B. C. e. Gaul of Narbonne was conquered. Aquitaine, the Belgian and Lugdun provinces and Numidia were annexed to Rome as early as 50 BC, but they became separate, full-fledged subjects of the empire only in 17 AD. Provinces of Rezia and Norik - 15 BC.
So let's continue. The Maritime Alps were annexed in the year 14 (the Cottian Alps became part of Rome only under the infamous Nero). Nothing is known for certain about the time of the infusion of the Panin Alps into Rome, but it can be assumed that this happened no earlier than 200.
Upper and Lower Germany were conquered in 17. Around the same time, the province of Cappadocia was founded.
Britain was finally conquered by the Eastern Roman Empire only in 43, but the first outposts there were founded much earlier. Upper and Lower Pannonia were conquered around the year 10. Initially, they were one province, but under Emperor Trajan (around 105), it was divided into two parts for ease of administration. The same thing happened with the Upper and Lower Mysia. Conquered in 29, the division occurred atEmperor Domitian, the date of this event remains unknown.
Militant Thrace became a Roman province in 46. Dacia followed after just 100 years, followed by Arabia, Armenia and Assyria. Then Rome created a province with the name … Asia. The Romans “mastered” Dalmatia between 159 and 169, and ten years before them the province of Africa was founded. Macedonia and Achaia were conquered at about the same time (give or take ten years). The date of the emergence of the province of Epirus is not exactly known. The latest history of the Roman Empire says only that this happened under the emperor Vespasian.
Further "acquisitions"
Egypt fell in 30 BC. e. The history of the provinces of Bithyia and Pontus is interesting. Conquered 74 years before Christ (simultaneously with the provinces of Crete and Cyrenaica), they were greatly expanded in just nine years. Finally, seven years after the beginning of Our Era, their territories again grew significantly. Approximately the same story happened with Lycia and Pamphylia. The latter was conquered before the year 25 BC, and the attack on Lycia was completed only in 43 AD. e.
The conquest of Cilicia stretched from 64 BC to 67 AD. Cyprus and Syria were annexed around the same time. Mesopotamia was included in the state as early as 115, but after a couple of years the new province was lost. It was possible to return it only after half a century.
Shouldto complete our list with Tingitan and Caesarean Mauritania, which became part of the state 40 years after the birth of Christ. Thus, the history of the Roman Empire is inextricably linked with the conquest of new lands, due to which the metropolis had the means both to continue expansion and to bribe especially powerful enemies.
