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The praetorian prefecture of the East, or of the Orient ( la, praefectura praetorio Orientis, el, ἐπαρχότης/ὑπαρχία τῶν πραιτωρίων τῆς ἀνατολῆς) was one of four large praetorian prefectures into which the Late
Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post-Roman Republic, Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings aro ...
was divided. As it comprised the larger part of the
Eastern Roman Empire The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantino ...
, and its seat was at
Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...
, the praetorian prefect was the second most powerful man in the East, after the Emperor, in essence serving as his first minister.


Structure

The Prefecture was established after the death of
Constantine the Great Constantine I ( , ; la, Flavius Valerius Constantinus, ; ; 27 February 22 May 337), also known as Constantine the Great, was Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337, the first one to convert to Christianity. Born in Naissus, Dacia Mediterran ...
in 337, when the empire was split up among his sons and
Constantius II Constantius II (Latin: ''Flavius Julius Constantius''; grc-gre, Κωνστάντιος; 7 August 317 – 3 November 361) was Roman emperor from 337 to 361. His reign saw constant warfare on the borders against the Sasanian Empire and Germanic ...
received the rule of the East, with a
praetorian prefect The praetorian prefect ( la, praefectus praetorio, el, ) was a high office in the Roman Empire. Originating as the commander of the Praetorian Guard, the office gradually acquired extensive legal and administrative functions, with its holders be ...
as his chief aide. The part allotted to Constantius encompassed four (later five) dioceses, each in turn comprising several
provinces A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...
. The authority of the prefecture stretched from the Eastern
Balkans The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...
, grouped into the
Diocese of Thrace The Diocese of Thrace ( la, Dioecesis Thraciae, el, Διοίκησις Θρᾴκης) was a diocese of the later Roman Empire, incorporating the provinces of the eastern Balkan Peninsula (comprising territories in modern south-eastern Romania, c ...
, to
Asia Minor Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...
, divided into the dioceses of Asiana and Pontus, and the Middle East, with the dioceses of
Orient The Orient is a term for the East in relation to Europe, traditionally comprising anything belonging to the Eastern world. It is the antonym of '' Occident'', the Western World. In English, it is largely a metonym for, and coterminous with, the ...
and
Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning the North Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via a land bridg ...
.


List of known ''praefecti praetorio Orientis''

*
Pompeius Probus Pompeius Probus ( 307–314) was a politician of the Roman Empire during the Tetrarchy, active at the Eastern court under Emperors Galerius and Licinius. Life Probus was a member of the Petronii Probi, a family of the senatorial aristocracy. Hi ...
* Ablabius (329-337/338) * Septimius Acindynus (338–340) * Philippus (344–351) * Thalassius (? - 354) * Domitianus (354) * Strategius Musonianus (354–358) * Flavius Hermogenes (358-360) * Helpidius (360) *
Saturninius Secundus Salutius Saturninius Secundus Salutius ( 355–367) was a Roman official and Neoplatonist author. A native of Gaul, he had a successful career as a provincial governor and officer at the imperial court, becoming a close friend and adviser of the Emperor J ...
(361 until some years into the reign of Valentinian) * Nebridius * Domitius Modestus (369–377) * Quintus Clodius Hermogenianus Olybrius (379) * Neoterius (380-381) * Maternus Cynegius (384–388) * Eutolmius Tatianus (388–392) * Flavius Rufinus (392, September 10 – 395, November 27) * Caesarius (1st time, 395, November 30 – 397, July 13) * Eutychianus (1st time, 397, September 4 – 399, July 25) * Aurelianus (1st time, 399, August 17 – October 2) * possibly Eutychianus (2nd time, 399, December 11 – 400, July 12)Cameron's dates for Aurelianus overlap those of Eutychianus in 400 * Caesarius (2nd time, 400–403) * Eutychianus (3rd time, 404–405) * Flavius Anthemius (405–414) *
Monaxius Flavius Monaxius (''floruit'' 408–420) was a politician of the Eastern Roman Empire, ''praefectus urbi'' of Constantinople, Consul and twice praetorian prefect of the East. Biography From 17 January 408 to 26 April 409 he was ''praefectus urbi ...
(1st time, 10 May – 30 November 414) * Aurelianus (2nd time, 414–416) *
Monaxius Flavius Monaxius (''floruit'' 408–420) was a politician of the Eastern Roman Empire, ''praefectus urbi'' of Constantinople, Consul and twice praetorian prefect of the East. Biography From 17 January 408 to 26 April 409 he was ''praefectus urbi ...
(2nd time, 26 August 416 – 27 May 420) * Eustathius (420–422) * Asclepiodotus (423–425) * Aetius (425) *
Hierius Hierius ( el, Ἱέριος) was a Neoplatonist philosopher, a son of Plutarch of Athens, and brother of Asclepigenia, who lived in the early 5th century. Plutarch instructed both Hierius and Asclepigenia in the Neoplatonist philosophies of his sc ...
(1st time, 425–428) * Flavius Florentius (1st time, 428–430) * Antiochus Chuzon (430–431) * Rufinus (431–432) *
Hierius Hierius ( el, Ἱέριος) was a Neoplatonist philosopher, a son of Plutarch of Athens, and brother of Asclepigenia, who lived in the early 5th century. Plutarch instructed both Hierius and Asclepigenia in the Neoplatonist philosophies of his sc ...
(2nd time, 432) * Flavius Taurus (1st time, 433–434) *
Anthemius Isidorus Flavius Anthemius Isidorus ( 410–436) was a politician of the Eastern Roman Empire, the maternal uncle of the Western emperor Anthemius. Biography A native of Egypt, Isidorus, the name by which he is known in almost all sources, was the son of ...
(435–436) * Darius (436–437) * Flavius Florentius (2nd time, c. 438–439) * Flavius Taurus Seleucus Cyrus (439–441) * Thomas (442) * Apollonius (442–443) * Zoilus (444) * Hermocrates (444) * Flavius Taurus (2nd time, 445) * Flavius Constantinus (first term, c. 447) * Antiochus (448) * Flavius Florentius Romanus Protogenes (448–449) * Hormisdas (449–450) * Palladius (450–455) * Flavius Constantinus (second term, 456) * Flavius Constantinus (third term, 459) *
Flavius Antoninus Messala Vivianus Flavius Antoninus Messala Vivianus (fl. 459–463) was an administrator of the Eastern Roman Empire. __NOTOC__ Biography Vivianus was the father of Paulus (Consul in 512) and Adamantius. His full nomenclature is found on a monument from an unce ...
(459–460) *
Pusaeus Pusaeus ( 465–467) was a politician of the Roman Empire. Biography Pusaeus was a pupil of the Neoplatonist philosopher Proclus, at his school in Alexandria. Other noteworthy figures belonged to the same pagan circle and studied with Pusaeus, ...
(465) * Amasius (c. 469) * Matronianus (491) * Hierius (494–496) * Euphemius (496) * Polycarpus (498) * Constantine (1st time, 502) * Appion (503) * Leontius (503–504) * Constantine (2nd time, 505) * Eustathius (505–506) * Zoticus (511–512) * Marinus (1st time, c. 512–515) * Sergius (517) * Marinus (2nd time, 519) * Demosthenes (520–524) * Archelaus (524–527) *
Basilides Basilides ( Greek: Βασιλείδης) was an early Christian Gnostic religious teacher in Alexandria, Egypt who taught from 117 to 138 AD, notes that to prove that the heretical sects were "later than the catholic Church," Clement of Alexandr ...
(c. 527) * Atarbius (c. 528) * Iulianus (530–531) *
John the Cappadocian John the Cappadocian ( el, Ἰωάννης ὁ Καππαδόκης) (''fl.'' 530s, living 548) was a praetorian prefect of the East (532–541) in the Byzantine Empire under Emperor Justinian I (r. 527–565). He was also a patrician and the '' ...
(1st time, 531–532) * Phokas (533) *
John the Cappadocian John the Cappadocian ( el, Ἰωάννης ὁ Καππαδόκης) (''fl.'' 530s, living 548) was a praetorian prefect of the East (532–541) in the Byzantine Empire under Emperor Justinian I (r. 527–565). He was also a patrician and the '' ...
(2nd time, 533–541) * Flavius Comitas Theodorus Bassus (c. 541) as John's deputy * Peter Barsymes (1st time, 543–546) * Flavius Comitas Theodorus Bassus (c. 548) * Addaeus (c. 551) *
Hephaestus Hephaestus (; eight spellings; grc-gre, Ἥφαιστος, Hḗphaistos) is the Greek god of blacksmiths, metalworking, carpenters, craftsmen, artisans, sculptors, metallurgy, fire (compare, however, with Hestia), and volcanoes.Walter B ...
(551–552) * Areobindus (c. 553) * Peter Barsymes (2nd time, 555–562) * Diomedes (c. 572) * Georgius (c. 598) * Constantine Lardys (c. 602)


References


Sources

* The Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire (PLRE), Vols. I-III: (Vol. II, pp. 1250–1252;) * {{DEFAULTSORT:East Praetorian Prefecture 7th-century disestablishments 337 establishments 4th century in the Byzantine Empire 5th century in the Byzantine Empire 6th century in the Byzantine Empire 7th century in the Byzantine Empire