The praetorian prefecture (Latin: praefectura praetorio; in Greek variously named ἐπαρχότης τῶν πραιτωρίων or ὑπαρχία τῶν πραιτωρίων) was the largest administrative division of the late Roman Empire, above the mid-level dioceses and the low-level provinces. Praetorian prefectures originated in the reign of Constantine I (r. 306–337), reaching their more or less final form in the last third of the 4th century and surviving until the 7th century, when the reforms of Heraclius diminished the prefecture's power, and the Muslim conquests forced the Eastern Roman Empire to adopt the new theme system. Elements of the prefecture's administrative apparatus, however, are documented to have survived in the Byzantine Empire until the first half of the 9th century.
>>>PUT SHARE BUTTONS HERE<<<
Praetorian prefecture in the context of Roman province
The Roman provinces (Latin: provincia, pl. provinciae) were the administrative regions of Ancient Rome outside Roman Italy that were controlled by the Romans under the Roman Republic and later the Roman Empire. Each province was ruled by a Roman appointed as governor.
For centuries, it was the largest administrative unit of the foreign possessions of ancient Rome. With the administrative reform initiated by Diocletian, it became a third level administrative subdivision of the Roman Empire, or rather a subdivision of the imperial dioceses (in turn subdivisions of the imperial prefectures).
Praetorian prefecture in the context of Roman diocese
In the Late Roman Empire, usually dated AD 284 to 641, the regional governance district known as the Roman or civil diocese was made up of a grouping of provinces each headed by a vicarius, the vicars being the representatives of praetorian prefects (who governed directly the dioceses they were resident in). There were initially twelve dioceses, rising to fourteen by the end of the 4th century.
The term diocese comes from the Latin dioecēsis, which derives from the Ancient Greek dioíkēsis (διοίκησις) meaning 'administration', 'management', 'assize district', or 'group of provinces'.
Praetorian prefecture in the context of Praetorian prefect
The praetorian prefect (Latin: praefectus praetorio; Greek: ἔπαρχος/ὕπαρχος τῶν πραιτωρίων) was a high office in the Roman Empire established by Emperor Augustus in 2 BC. 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 aides. Under Constantine I, the office was much reduced in power and transformed into a purely civilian administrative post, while under his successors, territorially defined praetorian prefectures emerged as the highest-level administrative division of the Empire. The prefects again functioned as the chief ministers of the state, with many laws addressed to them by name. In this role, praetorian prefects continued to be appointed by the Eastern Roman Empire (and the Ostrogothic Kingdom) until the reign of Heraclius in the 7th century AD, when wide-ranging reforms reduced their power and converted them to mere overseers of provincial administration. The last traces of the prefecture disappeared in the Byzantine Empire by the 840s.
The term praefectus praetorio was often abbreviated in inscriptions as "PR PR" or "PPO".
Praetorian prefecture in the context of Prefecture of Illyricum
The praetorian prefecture of Illyricum (Latin: praefectura praetorio per Illyricum; Greek: ὑπαρχία τῶν πραιτωρίων τοῦ Ἰλλυρικοῦ, also termed the prefecture of Illyricum) was one of four praetorian prefectures into which the Late Roman Empire was divided.
The administrative center of the prefecture was Sirmium from 375 to 379, then Thessalonica. The prefecture took its name from the older province of Illyricum, which in turn was named after ancient Illyria. In its greatest expanse it encompassed Pannonia, Noricum, Crete, and most of the Balkan peninsula except for Thrace.