A Roman governor was an official either elected or appointed to be the chief adminstator of Roman law throughout one or more of Ancient Rome's many provinces. By the time of the early empire, there were two types of provinces (senatorial and imperial), and several classifications of governor. For the son of Napoleon I of France, styled the King of Rome, see Napoleon II of France. ... See also Roman Republic (18th century) and Roman Republic (19th century) The Roman Republic (Latin: Res Publica Romanorum) was the republican government of the city of Rome and its territories from 510 BC until the establishment of the Roman Empire, which sometimes placed at 44 BC the year of Caesar... 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 Caesar Augustus). ... 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. ... The Byzantine Empire is the term conventionally used to describe the Greek-speaking Roman Empire during the Middle Ages, centred 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. ... 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 (Latin for rule by three men) or troika in Russian, is commonly used to describe an alliance between three equally powerful political or military leaders. ... Decemviri (sing. ... Alternate meanings: see Pontifex (disambiguation) Originally the Pontifex Maximus was the high priest of the pre-Christian Roman religion. ... 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 two or more legions. ... Officium (plural officia) is a Latin word with various meanings, including service, (sense of) duty, courtesy, ceremony and the likes. ... A prefect (from the Latin praefectus, perfect participle of praeferre, to bring in front, i. ... Under the Roman Empire, a vicarius was the deputy prefect of a diocese or group of provinces. ... The Vigintisexviri (sing. ... 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 title 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 an tentative list of topics regarding political institutions of Rome. ... 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. ... The Roman Senate (Latin, Senatus) was a deliberative body which was important in the government of both the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. ... Imperium can, in a broad sense, be translated as power. ... Roman Law is the legal system of ancient Rome. ... 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. ... Collegiality is the relationship between colleagues. ... Roman Law is the legal system of ancient Rome. ... Ancient Rome was a civilization that existed in Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East between 753 BC and its downfall in AD 476. ... Map of the Roman Empire, with the provinces, after 120 AD. In Ancient Rome, a province (Latin, provincia, pl. ... 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 Caesar Augustus). ... A senatorial province was a Roman province where the Roman Senate had the right to appoint governors. ... An imperial province was a Roman province where the Emperor had the sole right to appoint governors. ...

See promagistrate for information on proconsuls and propraetors 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. ...

Duties of the governor

The governor of any Roman province had many tasks to carry out during his administration.

Firstly, he was responsible for taxation and financial management. Depending on the basis of his appointment, he was either the Emperor's personal agent, or the Senate’s financial agent, and had to supervise the local authorities, the private tax collectors, and levy taxes. A governor could mint coins and negotiate with wealthy institutions such as temples and private money-lenders that could advance money. The governor was also the province's chief accountant. He inspected the books of major cities and various operations as well as supervising large-scale building projects throughout the province. Roman Emperor is the title historians use to refer to rulers of the Roman Empire, after the epoch conventionally named the Roman Republic. ...

Aside from these financial duties, the governor was the province's chief judge. The governor had the sole right to impose capital punishment, and capital cases were normally tried before him. To appeal a governor's decision necessitated travelling to Rome and presenting one's case before either the Praetor Urbanus, or even the Emperor himself, an expensive, and thus rare, process. An appeal was unlikely to succeed anyway, as a governor wouldn’t generally take the chance of convicting someone contrary to the Emperor's wishes. The governor was also supposed to travel across his province to administer justice in the major towns where his attention was required. Death Penalty World Map Color Key: Blue: Abolished for all crimes Green: Abolished, except for crimes committed under certain circumstances (such as crimes committed in time of war) Orange: Abolished in practice Red: Legal form of punishment Capital punishment, also referred to as the death penalty, is the judicially ordered... // Definition According to Cicero, Praetor was a title which designated the consuls as the leaders of the armies of the state. ...

Finally, and most importantly, he commanded the military forces within the province. In the more important provinces, this could consist of legions, but elsewhere, there were only auxiliaries. As a part of his standing orders the governor had the authority to use his legions to stamp out organized criminal gangs or rebels in the area without need for the Emperor's or Senate's approval. The Roman legion (from the Latin legio, meaning levy) was the basic military unit of ancient Rome. ...

Every governor had at his disposal a diversity of advisers and staff, who were known as his comites (Latin for "companions"); the number of these depended on the governor's social standing and rank. These comites would serve as the governor's executive council, with each supervising a different aspect of the province, and assisting the governor in decision making. In the provinces with a significant legionary presence, the governor's second-in-command was usually a quaestor, a man elected in Rome and sent to the province to serve a mainly financial role, but who could command the military with the governor's approval. In other provinces, governors themselves appointed non-magistrate prefects or procurators to govern a small part of the province and act as their second-in-command. Comes is the Latin word for companion, either individually or as a member of a collective known as comitatus (compare comitatenses), especially the suite of a magnate, in some cases large and/or formal enough to have a specific name, such as a cohors amicorum. ... An Executive Council in Commonwealth constitutional practice based on the Westminster system exercizes executive power and is the top tier of a government led by a Governor-General, Governor, Lieutenant-Governor or Administrator (all governors). Until the advent of responsible government, Executive Councils existed primarily to advise the governor of... Quaestors were elected officials of the Roman Republic who supervised the treasury and financial affairs of the state, its armies and its officers. ... A prefect (from the Latin praefectus, perfect participle of praeferre, to bring in front, i. ... A promagistrate is a person who acts in and with the authority and capacity of a magistrate, but without holding a magisterial office. ...

Republican governors

During the time of the Roman Republic, the Senate was in charge of appointing governors to Rome's provinces. This was done by appointing promagistates to serve, either by random casting of lots, or by senatus consultum (advice of the Senate); however, these appointments did not strictly conform with the law, and could be overruled by Roman assemblies. See also Roman Republic (18th century) and Roman Republic (19th century) The Roman Republic (Latin: Res Publica Romanorum) was the republican government of the city of Rome and its territories from 510 BC until the establishment of the Roman Empire, which sometimes placed at 44 BC the year of Caesar... 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. ...

The governor’s level of authority was determined by which type of imperium he possessed. Most provinces were governed by propraetors who had served an annual term in the praetorship the year before. The provinces governed by propraetors were usually near the Mediterranean, or landlocked where chances of revolt or invasion were small. But in some cases propraetors would be given command of legions instead of the provincial militia. Examples of propraetorian provinces were Hispania Baetica and Numidia. // Definition According to Cicero, Praetor was a title which designated the consuls as the leaders of the armies of the state. ... Satellite image The Mediterranean Sea is a part of the Atlantic Ocean almost completely enclosed by land, on the north by Europe, on the south by Africa, and on the east by Asia. ... Roman province of Hispania Baetica, 120 CE In Hispania, which in Greek is called Iberia, there were three Imperial Roman provinces, Hispania Baetica in the south, Lusitania, corresponding to modern Portugal, in the west, and Hispania Tarraconensis in the north and northeast. ... Numidia was an ancient African Berber kingdom and later a Roman province on the northern coast of Africa between the province of Africa (where Tunisia is now) and the province of Mauretania (which is now the western part of Algerias coastal area). ...

However, provinces that lay on the Republic’s boarders, thereby requiring a permanent military garrison, were governed by proconsuls who had served a term as consul the year before their governorship. They were given the authority to command provinces with actual Roman legions, rather than just using the militia. Examples of proconsular provinces were Britannia, Germania, and Dacia. For modern diplomatic consuls, see Consulate general. ... Britannia, the British national personification. ... Germania - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Dacia, in ancient geography the land of the Daci, a subtribe of the Getae, was a large district of Central Europe, bounded on the north by the Carpathians, on the south by the Danube, on the west by the Tisa (Tisza river, in Hungary), on the east by the Tyras...

These promagistrates held equal authority with other magistrates with the same level of imperium, and was attended by the same number of lictors, and generally speaking had autocratic power within his province. A propraetor or proconsul with imperium appointed to govern a province, therefore, had absolute authority within his capacity as governor of that province. A provincial governor had almost totally unlimited authority, and frequently extorted vast amounts of money from the provincial population — but his imperium granted him total immunity from prosecution during his term in office. Imperium can, in a broad sense, be translated as power. ... 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. ...

Imperial governors

Imperial provinces

After Octavian (Augustus) established the principate, the Emperor himself, as holding imperial maius, was the most senior governor of all of Rome's provinces, but rarely governed the provinces himself. Instead, the Emperor would appoint legates to govern any of the provinces with legions stationed within its borders; these are known as imperial provinces. The Emperor had sole say in the appointing of these governors. Legates were only the representative of the governor, but officially they were lower in rank because they were subordinates of the Emperor, who was theoretically the actual governor of any given province. Bust of Augustus Caesar Caesar Augustus (Latin:IMP·CAESAR·DIVI·F·AVGVSTVS) ¹ (23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), known earlier in his life as Gaius Octavius or Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus, was the first Roman Emperor and is traditionally considered the greatest. ... 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. ... Imperium can, in a broad sense, be translated as power. ... The word legate comes from the Latin legare (to send). It has several meanings, all related to representatives: A legate is a member of a diplomatic embassy. ... The Roman legion (from the Latin legio, meaning levy) was the basic military unit of ancient Rome. ... An imperial province was a Roman province where the Emperor had the sole right to appoint governors. ...

The principate did not totally do away with the system of selecting proconsuls and propraetors. In provinces with one legion, a legate bearing praetorian imperium, thus being a propraetor, not only governed the province in the Emperor’s name, but also controlled the legion himself. However, in provinces with more than one legion, each legion was commanded by its own legate with praetorian imperium, while the province as a whole was commanded by a legate with consular imperium, who had general command over the entire army stationed there, as well as administering the province as a proconsul.

These governorships were completely at the whim of the Emperor and could serve anywhere from 1 to 5 years.

Senatorial provinces

While the Emperor had sole authority in provinces with legions, senatorial provinces were provinces where the Senate had the right to appoint governors. These provinces were away from the Empire's borders and free from the likelihood of rebellion, and so had few, if any, legions stationed in them (thus lessening the chance the Senate might try to seize power from the Emperor). A senatorial province was a Roman province where the Senate had the right to appoint governors. ... The Roman Senate (Latin, Senatus) was a deliberative body which was important in the government of both the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. ...

These senatorial provinces were under the direct control of a proconsular senator, with little need for intervention by the Emperor (although the Emperor had the power to appoint these governors if he wished). Most senatorial provinces, since they were not under the direct authority of the Emperor, did not grant the governor legions to command. There was one exception to this rule, the province of Africa, where there was always at least a single legion to protect the province from Berber tribes. The Roman Empire ca. ... The Berbers (also called Imazighen, free men, singular Amazigh) are an ethnic group indigenous to Northwest Africa, speaking the Berber languages of the Afroasiatic family. ...

Augustus decreed that there would be at least ten senatorial provinces. Though all ten were "proconsular", only two of these provinces (Asia and Africa), were actually governed by senators with proconsular imperium, the remaining eight being governed by propraetors. The two proconsular governors served for one year, while the eight praetors served typically for up to 3 years. Each of these men had six lictors who served as bodyguards and also as a symbol of authority and a mark of their position. Roman conquest of Asia minor The Roman province of Asia was the administrative unit added to the late Republic, a Senatorial province governed by a proconsul who was an ex-consul, an honor granted only to Asia and the other rich province of Africa. ...

Equestrian procurator

The Emperor also had under his control a number of smaller, but potentially difficult provinces that did not need an entire legion. These provinces were put under the control of governors of equestrian status. New conquests generally fell into this equestrian category but most were later changed in status to reflect the changing conditions of Roman's growing empire. Thus, a province would become upon conquest a procuratorial province until it was decided that it should become either an imperial or senatorial province and thus governed by either a propraetor or proconsul. Like the other imperial provinces, the equestrian governors could serve any length of time up to 5 years, or even longer. An Equestrian (Latin eques, plural equites) was a member of one of the two upper social classes in the Roman Republic and early Roman Empire. ...

Much like the senatorial province of Africa, the equestrian province of Aegyptus (Egypt) was an exception to the general rule of legions only being stationed in imperial provinces. Egypt was not a normal province like any other, it was considered the personal possession of the Emperor, and its governor, the praefectus aegypti, was considered the highest ranking equestrian post during the early empire. Later, the post would fall second to that of the praetorian command, but its position remained highly prestigious. The Roman Empire ca. ...

Though the practice of appointing equestrians to help manage provinces officially began with Augustus, governors from years before had appointed procurators to held them govern. However, it was not until the reign of Claudius that these procurators received the powers of a governor. Though by definition the procurators were prefects, a procuratorship was a more formal way of denoting a prefect’s authority to govern. It is important to note that procurators were not magistrates, so did not own imperium, and merely exercised the Emperor’s, or governor's, authority with his approval. An Equestrian (Latin eques, plural equites) was a member of one of the two upper social classes in the Roman Republic and early Roman Empire. ... A statue of Emperor Claudius Tiberius Claudius Nero Caesar Drusus (August 1, 10 BC - October 13, 54), originally known as Tiberius Claudius Drusus Nero Germanicus, was the fourth Roman Emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, ruling from January 24th 41 to his death in 54. ... A promagistrate is a person who acts in and with the authority and capacity of a magistrate, but without holding a magisterial office. ... A prefect (from the Latin praefectus, perfect participle of praeferre, to bring in front, i. ...

Late Imperial Governors

Under the Dominate of the Late Roman Empire, the Roman Emperor Diocletian began reforms of the provincial administration that were completed under the Emperor Constantine the Great. Diocletian set up 12 dioceses, eah governed by a Vicarius (a form of Governor-General). Each of these dioceses consisted of several Roman province under the command of a provincial governor (see above). The Vicarius's authority was supreme within his dioceses, only being vetoed by the Praetorian Prefect (see below) or the Emperor himself. 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. ... Roman Emperor is the title historians use to refer to rulers of the Roman Empire, after the epoch conventionally named the Roman Republic. ... Emperor Diocletian Gaius Aurelius Valerius Diocletianus (245-313 AD), born Diocles, was Roman Emperor from November 20, 284 to May 1, 305. ... Constantine. ... In some Christian churches, the diocese is an administrative territorial unit governed by a bishop, sometimes also referred to as a bishopric or episcopal see, though more often the term episcopal see means the office held by the bishop. ... Under the Roman Empire, a vicarius was the deputy prefect of a diocese or group of provinces. ... Governor-General (or Governor General) is a term used both historically and currently to designate the appointed representative of a head of state or their government for a particular territory, historically in a colonial context, but no longer necessarily in that form. ... Province is a name for a secondary, or subnational entity of government in most countries. ...

Also, in the time of Constantine, the governors lost their military authority and that power was given to new military ranks. Within each of the provinces, the governor was assisted by a dux (Latin: leader) whose job was to manage the legions garrisoned within the province. When it came to the dioceses level, another dux was appointed with authoriy over all of the legions within the dioceses. Dux is Latin for leader (from the verb ducere, to pull) and could refer to anyone who commanded two or more legions. ... Latin is the language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ...

Constantine completed Diocletian's reforms and organized the Roman Empire into four prefectures: the Prefecture of the Gauls, the Prefecture of Italy and Africa, the Prefecture of Illyrium, and the Prefecture of Oriens, with each administrated by a Praetorian prefect. The Prefect of each Prefecture was the highest civil office under the Empire, being subordinate only to the Emperor. The Prefect did not act as a moderator between the various governors and vicarii and the Emperor, but as the Emperor's representative and had the authority to issue orders and administor justice within his Prefecture. The praetorian prefect was commander of the Praetorian Guard until Constantine abolished it in 314. ...

As within the dioceses level, the civil and military parts of the Prefecture were divided between the Praetorian Prefect as the highest civil office and the Magister Militum as the highest military office. The Magister Militum was identified as to which Prefecture he belonged by the provincial name following his title, such as Magister Militum per Gallias. There was, however, one supreme Magister Militum that was the most senior military rank in the entire empire, subordinate only to the Emperor. Magister militum (Master of the Soldiers) was a rank used in the later Roman Empire dating from the reign of Constantine. ... Map of Gaul circa 58 BC Gaul (from Latin Gallia, c. ...

• A list of the provinces within the dioceses and the dioceses within the prefectures can be found on the Roman provinces page.