The praetorian prefecture of Illyricum (; , also termed simply the prefecture of Illyricum) was one of four

praetorian prefecture The praetorian prefecture (; in Ancient Greek, Greek variously named ) was the largest administrative division of the Late Antiquity, late Roman Empire, above the mid-level Roman diocese, dioceses and the low-level Roman province, provinces. Praeto ...

s into which the

Late Roman Empire In historiography, the Late or Later Roman Empire, traditionally covering the period from 284 CE to 641 CE, was a time of significant transformation in Roman governance, society, and religion. Diocletian's reforms, including the establishment of t ...

was divided. The administrative centre of the prefecture was

Sirmium Sirmium was a city in the Roman province of Pannonia, located on the Sava river, on the site of modern Sremska Mitrovica in the Vojvodina autonomous province of Serbia. First mentioned in the 4th century BC and originally inhabited by Illyrians ...

(375–379), and, after 379, Thessalonica.Thessalonica
1910 Catholic Encyclopedia
1910 Catholic Encyclopedia It took its name from the older province of Illyricum, which in turn was named after ancient

Illyria In classical and late antiquity, Illyria (; , ''Illyría'' or , ''Illyrís''; , ''Illyricum'') was a region in the western part of the Balkan Peninsula inhabited by numerous tribes of people collectively known as the Illyrians. The Ancient Gree ...

, and in its greatest expanse encompassed

Pannonia Pannonia (, ) was a Roman province, province of the Roman Empire bounded on the north and east by the Danube, on the west by Noricum and upper Roman Italy, Italy, and on the southward by Dalmatia (Roman province), Dalmatia and upper Moesia. It ...

Noricum Noricum () is the Latin name for the kingdom or federation of tribes that included most of modern Austria and part of Slovenia. In the first century AD, it became a province of the Roman Empire. Its borders were the Danube to the north, R ...

Crete Crete ( ; , Modern Greek, Modern: , Ancient Greek, Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the List of islands by area, 88th largest island in the world and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fifth la ...

, and most of the

Balkan peninsula The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with 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 throug ...

except for

Thrace Thrace (, ; ; ; ) is a geographical and historical region in Southeast Europe roughly corresponding to the province of Thrace in the Roman Empire. Bounded by the Balkan Mountains to the north, the Aegean Sea to the south, and the Black Se ...

Administrative history

Unlike the other three "classical" prefectures that are mentioned in the ''

Notitia Dignitatum The (Latin for 'List of all dignities and administrations both civil and military') is a document of the Late Roman Empire that details the administrative organization of the Western and the Eastern Roman Empire. It is unique as one of very ...

'' (

Gaul Gaul () was a region of Western Europe first clearly described by the Roman people, Romans, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and parts of Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany, and Northern Italy. It covered an area of . Ac ...

, the Italy-Africa and the

East East is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fact that ea ...

), the early administrative history of Illyricum as a prefecture during the 4th century involved its abolition, re-establishment and division several times. Initially the territories comprising the later praetorian prefecture of Illyricum belonged to the Prefecture of Italy, Illyricum and Africa. It was as established as a praetorian prefecture in its own right during the dynastic struggles between the sons of Constantine the Great which followed his death in 337. It seems that the three dioceses of Macedonia,

Dacia Dacia (, ; ) was the land inhabited by the Dacians, its core in Transylvania, stretching to the Danube in the south, the Black Sea in the east, and the Tisza in the west. The Carpathian Mountains were located in the middle of Dacia. It thus ro ...

and

were first grouped together in a separate

in 347 by Constans by removing them from the praetorian prefecture of Italy, Africa and Illyricum (which then became the praetorian prefecture of Italy and Africa) or that this praetorian prefecture was formed in 343 when Constans appointed a prefect for Italy. It remained in existence until 361, when it was abolished by emperor Julian, and then revived under Gratian between 375 and 379.Morrison (2007), p. 396 In that year the Diocese of Pannonia (''Illyricum occidentale'', "Western Illyricum") was again added to Italy as the " Diocese of Illyricum", while Macedonia and Dacia (''Illyricum orientale'', "Eastern Illyricum") were briefly ruled directly by

Theodosius I Theodosius I ( ; 11 January 347 – 17 January 395), also known as Theodosius the Great, was Roman emperor from 379 to 395. He won two civil wars and was instrumental in establishing the Nicene Creed as the orthodox doctrine for Nicene C ...

from Thessalonica.Greece
1910 Catholic Encyclopedia During the years 384–395 they were again incorporated in the Italian prefecture, except a short period in 388–391, when the two dioceses formed a separate prefecture. Praetorian Prefectures of the Roman Empire 395 AD

Praetorian Prefectures of the Roman Empire 395 AD

Only after the death of Theodosius in 395 and the division of the Empire did the Illyricum assume the permanent form which appears in the ''Notitia'', incorporating the dioceses of Macedonia and Dacia, with Thessalonica as capital. However, the

Western Empire In modern historiography, the Western Roman Empire was the western provinces of the Roman Empire, collectively, during any period in which they were administered separately from the eastern provinces by a separate, independent imperial court. ...

, especially during the regency of Stilicho, continued claim them until 437 when, as part of the dowry of

Licinia Eudoxia Licinia Eudoxia (Late Greek, Greek: Λικινία, 422 – c. 493) was a Roman Empress, daughter of Eastern Roman Emperor Theodosius II. In early childhood she was placed in a political marriage with the Western Roman Emperor Valentinian III. ...

Valentinian III Valentinian III (; 2 July 41916 March 455) was Roman emperor in the Western Roman Empire, West from 425 to 455. Starting in childhood, his reign over the Roman Empire was one of the longest, but was dominated by civil wars among powerful general ...

recognized the East's sovereignty over the prefecture. On this occasion, it appears that the prefecture's capital was moved to Sirmium (437–441), although the realization of such a move is debated, as the northern Balkans were at the time ravaged by invasions. Likewise, the intention of

Justinian I Justinian I (, ; 48214 November 565), also known as Justinian the Great, was Roman emperor from 527 to 565. His reign was marked by the ambitious but only partly realized ''renovatio imperii'', or "restoration of the Empire". This ambition was ...

to move the capital to his new city of Justiniana Prima in the 540s remained unfulfilled. Following the Slavic invasions in the 6th and 7th century, most of the Balkan hinterland was lost by the Byzantines, who only retained control of the parts of

nearest

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

, Thessalonica and its environs, and some coastal strips in Greece. A

praetorian prefect The praetorian prefect (; ) 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 becoming the Emperor's chief ai ...

() is attested in the sources as governor of Thessalonica as late as the first years of the 9th century, one of the last survivals of the old Constantinian administrative system in the entire Empire. At that point however, the

wars War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of State (polity), states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or betwe ...

with the rising power of

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

necessitated a reorganization of the provinces, and Thessalonica was constituted as a distinct theme under a ''

strategos ''Strategos'' (), also known by its Linguistic Latinisation, Latinized form ''strategus'', is a Greek language, Greek term to mean 'military General officer, general'. In the Hellenistic world and in the Byzantine Empire, the term was also use ...

'' sometime before 840.Bury (1912), pp. 223–224

List of known ''praefecti praetorio per Illyricum''

Notitia dignitatum - insignia praefecti praetorio per illyricum

* 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

Sources

* * * * * * * * * * * * *
Notitia dignitatum

External links

{{Late Roman Provinces, state=collapsed Illyricum Illyricum (Roman province) Albania in the Roman era Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Roman era Bulgaria in the Roman era Croatia in the Roman era Dalmatia (Roman province) Greece under Roman rule Hungary in the Roman era Macedonia (Roman province) Montenegro in the Roman era Serbia in the Roman era Slovenia in the Roman era Roman Thessalonica Ancient history of Vojvodina Byzantine Serbia Medieval Thessalonica History of Syrmia

Praetorian prefecture of Illyricum The praetorian prefecture of Illyricum (; , also termed simply the prefecture of Illyricum) was one of four praetorian prefectures into which the Later Roman Empire, Late Roman Empire was divided. The administrative centre of the prefecture wa ...

4th century in the Byzantine Empire 5th century in the Byzantine Empire 6th century in the Byzantine Empire 7th century in the Byzantine Empire 347 establishments States and territories disestablished in the 7th century 4th-century establishments in the Byzantine Empire 7th-century disestablishments in the Byzantine Empire