A prefect (from the Latin praefectus, perfect participle of praeficio, to make in front, i.e. put in charge) is an official of various different types. A prefect's office, department or area of control is called a prefecture. Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ... The term prefecture (from the Latin Praefectura) indicates the office, seat, territorial circonscription of a Prefect; consequentally, like that word, is its applied in English in relation to actual Prefects, whose title is just that (or the forms it takes in other, especially Romance, languages), in the broadest sense in...

Ancient Rome

Praefectus, often with a further qualification, was the formal title of many, fairly low to high-ranking, military or civil officials in the Roman Empire, whose authority was not embodied in their person (as it was with elected Magistrates) but conferred by delegation from a higher authority. King of Rome redirects here. ... See also Roman Republic (18th century) and Roman Republic (19th century). ... For other uses, see Roman Empire (disambiguation) The Roman Empire is the term conventionally used to describe the Ancient Roman polity in the centuries following its reorganization under the leadership of Octavian (better known as Augustus), until its radical reformation in what was later to be known as the Byzantine... The Principate is, according to its etymological derivation from the Latin word princeps, meaning chief or first, the political regime dominated by such a head of state and government. ... The Dominate was the despotic last of the two phases of government in the ancient Roman Empire between its establishment in 27 BC and the formal date of the collapse of the Western Empire in AD 476. ... The Western Roman Empire is the name given to the western half of the Roman Empire after its division by Diocletian in 286. ... The Byzantine Empire is the term conventionally used to describe the Greek-speaking Roman Empire during the Middle Ages, centered at its capital in Constantinople. ... Magistratus ordinarii (ordinary magistrates) and Magistrarus extraordinarii (extraordinary magistrates) were two categories of officials who held political, military, and, in some cases, religious power in the Roman Republic. ... For modern diplomatic consuls, see Consulate general. ... // Definition According to Cicero, Praetor was a title which designated the consuls as the leaders of the armies of the state. ... Quaestors were elected officials of the Roman Republic who supervised the treasury and financial affairs of the state, its armies and its officers. ... See Roman Governor for the duties of a promagistrate as a governor of a province A promagistrate is a person who acts in and with the authority and capacity of a magistrate, but without holding a magisterial office. ... Aedile (Latin Aedilis) was an office of the Roman Republic. ... Tribune (from the Latin: tribunus; Greek form tribounos) was a title shared by several elected magistracies and other governmental and/or (para)military offices of the Roman Republic and Empire. ... For omission and secrecy, see censorship. ... A Roman governor was an official either elected or appointed to be the chief adminstator of Roman law throughout one or more of Ancient Romes many provinces. ... Magistratus ordinarii (ordinary magistrates) and Magistrarus extraordinarii (extraordinary magistrates) were two categories of officials who held political, military, and, in some cases, religious power in the Roman Republic. ... Dictator was a political office of the Roman Republic. ... The Master of the Horse was (and in some cases, is) a historical position of varying importance in several European nations. ... The term triumvirate is commonly used to describe an alliance between three equally powerful political or military leaders. ... Decemviri (sing. ... Alternate meanings: see Pontifex (disambiguation) In Ancient Rome, the Pontifex Maximus was the high priest of the collegium of the Pontifices, the most august position in Roman religion, open only to a patrician, until 254 BC, when a plebeian first occupied this post. ... A legatus (often anglicized as legate) was equivalent to a modern general officer in the Roman army. ... Dux is Latin for leader (from the verb ducere, to pull) and could refer to anyone who commanded troops, such as tribal leaders. ... Officium (plural officia) is a Latin word with various meanings, including service, (sense of) duty, courtesy, ceremony and the likes. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... The Vigintisexviri (sing. ... The lictor, derived from the Latin ligare (to bind), was a member of a special class of Roman civil servant, with special tasks of attending magistrates of the Roman Republic and Empire who held imperium. ... Magister militum (Master of the Soldiers) was a rank used in the later Roman Empire dating from the reign of Constantine. ... The Latin word imperator was a title originally roughly equivalent to commander during the period of the Roman Republic. ... The princeps senatus (plural principes senatus) was the leader of the Roman senate. ... Roman Emperor is the term historians use to refer to rulers of the Roman Empire, after the epoch conventionally named the Roman Republic. ... Augustus (plural augusti) is Latin for majestic or venerable. The feminine form is Augusta. ... Caesar (p. ... The Tetrarchs, a porphyry sculpture sacked from a Byzantine palace in 1204, Treasury of St. ... This is a tentative list of topics regarding political institutions of Ancient Rome. ... The Roman Senate (Latin, Senatus) was a deliberative body which was important in the government of both the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. ... The cursus honorum (Latin: succession of magistracies) was the sequential order of public offices held by aspiring politicians in both the Roman Republic and the early Empire. ... The Roman Republic (Latin: Res Publica Romanorum) vested formal governmental powers in four separate peoples assemblies — the Comitia Curiata, the Comitia Centuriata, the Comitia Tributa, and the Concilium Plebis. ... Collegiality is the relationship between colleagues. ... Roman Law is the legal system of ancient Rome. ... In the Roman Republic and later in the Roman Empire, all men could be very roughly divided into three classes. ... Imperium can, in a broad sense, be translated as power. ... For other uses, see Roman Empire (disambiguation) The Roman Empire is the term conventionally used to describe the Ancient Roman polity in the centuries following its reorganization under the leadership of Octavian (better known as Augustus), until its radical reformation in what was later to be known as the Byzantine...

Praetorian praefecti

The Praetorian prefect (Praefectus praetorio) began as the military commander of a general's guard company in the field, then grew in importance as the Praetorian Guard became a potential kingmaker during the Empire. From the Emperor Diocletian's tetrarchy (circa AD300) they became the administrators of Praetorian Prefectures, the government level above the (newly created) dioceses and (multiplied) provinces. Praetorian prefect (Latin Praefectus praetorio) was the constant title of a high office in the Roman state that changed fundamentally in nature. ... The Praetorian Guard of Caesar Augustus - 1st century A.D. Depicted in a marble bas-relief. ... Emperor Diocletian Gaius Aurelius Valerius Diocletianus (245?–312?), born Diocles, was Roman Emperor as Diocletian from November 20, 284 to May 1, 305. ... The Tetrarchs, a porphyry sculpture sacked from a Byzantine palace in 1204, Treasury of St. ... For other uses, see number 300. ... Map of the Roman Empire, with the provinces, after 120 AD. In Ancient Rome, a province (Latin, provincia, pl. ...

Police praefecti

• Praefectus urbi : city prefect, in charge of the administration of Rome
• Praefectus vigilum : commander of the Vigiles

The Vigiles or more properly the Vigiles Urbani (watchmen of the City) or Cohortes Vigilum (cohorts of the watchmen) were the firefighters and police of Ancient Rome. ...

Military praefecti

• Praefectus alae : commander of a cavalry regiment
• Praefectus castrorum : camp commandant
• Praefectus cohortis : commander of a cohort (constituent unit of a legion, or analogous unit)
• Praefectus classis : fleet commander
• Praefectus equitatus : cavalry commander
• Praefectus equitum : cavalry commander
• Praefectus fabrum : officer in charge of engineers and artisans
• Praefectus legionis : equestrian legionary commander
• Praefectus legionis agens vice legati : equestrian acting legionary commander
• Praefectus sociorum : Roman officer appointed to a command function in an ala sociorum (unit recruited among the socii, Italic peoples of a privileged status within the empire)

A cohort (from the Latin cohors, plural cohortes) is a fairly large military unit, generally consisting of one type of soldier. ...

Religious praefecti

• Praefectus urbi : a prefect of the republican era who guarded the city during the annual sacrifice of the feriae latina on Mount Alban in which the Consuls participated. His former title was custos urbi ("guardian of the city").

For modern diplomatic consuls, see Consulate general. ...

Feudal times

Especially in Middle Latin, praefectus was used to refer to various officers - administrative, military, judicial, etc - usually alongside a more precise term in the vernacular (such as Burggraf). Burgrave, the Eng. ...

Ecclesiastical

The term is used by the Roman Catholic Church in several different ways. The Roman Catholic Church, (also known as the Catholic Church), is the Christian Church led by the Bishop of Rome (Pope), currently Benedict XVI, and whose adherents constitute almost half of all Christians worldwide. ...

• The Roman Curia still has two Prefects, of the Papal Household and the Economic Affairs of the Holy See.
• The title now also attaches to the heads of some Congregations (central departments of the Curia), who are traditionally Cardinals (and if not are titled Pro-Prefect).
• A Prefect Apostolic is a cleric (usually a Titular Bishop) in charge of an apostolic prefecture, a type of Roman Catholic territorial circumscription fulfilling diocesan functions in a territory (usually missionary and/or in a country that is anti-religious, such as the People's Republic of China) not given the status of regular diocese, usually destined to become one in time.

The Roman Curia is the administrative apparatus of the Holy See, coordinating and providing the necessary organisation for the correct functioning of the Roman Catholic Church and the achievement of its goals. ... A congregation is an assembly of people for a given purpose. ... A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official in the Roman Catholic Church, ranking just below the Pope and appointed by him as a member of the College of Cardinals during a consistory. ... When first appointed auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Honolulu in Hawaii, Joseph Anthony Ferrario became a titular bishop of the ancient Egyptian city of Cusae. ... An apostolic prefecture is a particular church of the Roman Catholic Church for non-Catholic or missionary regions and countries which do not have a diocese yet. ...

Academic

• In the context of schools, a prefect is a pupil who has been given limited, trustee-type authority over other pupils in the school, such as a hall monitor or safety patrol.
• In British public schools and Commonwealth equivalents, prefects, usually sixth formers, have considerable power and effectively run the school outside the classroom. They were even allowed to administer corporal punishment (now abolished in the UK and several other countries), under a system of self control, or sometimes used as (generally willing) 'executioner' by the staff. They usually answer to a senior prefect known as the Head of School (colloquially, Head Boy or Head Girl).
• In United States private residential college preparatory schools, see also "proctor."
• In Sweden, a prefect (prefekt) is the head of a university department.

A school is most commonly a place designated for learning. ... For information about school hall monitors, see Hall monitor. ... A public school, in current English, Welsh and Northern Ireland usage, is a (usually) prestigious independent school, for children usually between the ages of 11 or 13 and 18, which charges fees and is not financed by the state. ... The Commonwealth of Nations, usually known as The Commonwealth, is an association of independent sovereign states, almost all of which are former territories of the British Empire. ... England, Wales, Northern Ireland The sixth form, in the English, Welsh and Northern Irish education systems, is the term used to refer to the final two years of secondary schooling (when students are about sixteen to eighteen years of age), during which students normally prepare for their GCE A-level... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Head Boy and Head Girl are terms commonly used in the British education system. ... Proctor is the name of certain important university officials. ...

Modern sub-national administration

• In France (and some former French or Belgian colonies, such as Rwanda), a prefect (préfet) is the State's representative in a région (préfet de région) or département. His agency is called the préfecture. Sub-prefects (sous-préfets, sous-préfecture) operate in the arrondissements under his control.
• In Italy, a prefect (prefetto) is the State's representative in a province (provincia). His agency is called the prefettura.
• In some Spanish-speaking states in Latin America, following a French-type model introduced in Spain itself, prefects were installed as governors.
• In Romania, a prefect is the governmental representative in a county (judeţ), in an agency called prefectură.
• In Quebec, a prefect (préfet) is the head of a regional county municipality.
• In Brazil, a prefect (prefeito) is the elected head of the executive branch in a municipality. Larger cities, such as São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Curitiba, etc., also have sub-prefects, appointed to their offices by the elected prefect.

In France and many other French-speaking countries, a préfet (English: prefect) is the States representative in a département or région (in the later case, he is called a préfet de région). ... France is divided into 26 régions: 21 of these are in the continental part of metropolitan France, one is Corse on the island of Corsica (although strictly speaking Corse is in fact a territorial collectivity, not a région, but is referred to as a région in common... The départements (or departments) are administrative units of France, roughly analogous to British counties. ... In France, a préfecture is the capital city of a département. ... The 100 French départements are divided into 342 arrondissements. ... In Italy, the Province (in Italian: provincia) is an administrative division of an intermediate level, between municipality (comune) and region (regione). ... Latin America consists of the countries of South America and some of North America (including Central America and some the islands of the Caribbean) whose inhabitants mostly speak Romance languages, although Native American languages are also spoken. ... A judeÅ£ is an administrative division in Romania and was also used for some time in Moldova. ... The first European explorer to reach Quebec was Jacques Cartier, who planted a cross either in the Gaspé in 1534 or at Old Fort Bay on the Lower North Shore and sailed into the St. ... Following is a list of the regional county municipalites, territories, and newly amalgamated cities (villes) in the province of Quebec. ...

Police

The Prefect of Police (Préfet de police) is the officer in charge of co-ordinating police forces in the various administrative circumscriptions of Paris. ... The Eiffel Tower has become a symbol of Paris throughout the world. ...

See also

• Ford Prefect
• Prefecture

Ford Prefect is: a model of car - see Ford Prefect (car) a character in The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, named after the car - see Ford Prefect (character) This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... The term prefecture (from the Latin Praefectura) indicates the office, seat, territorial circonscription of a Prefect; consequentally, like that word, is its applied in English in relation to actual Prefects, whose title is just that (or the forms it takes in other, especially Romance, languages), in the broadest sense in...

External links

• Catholic Hierarchy