Praetorian prefecture of Gaul

Included Gaul, Upper and Lower Germany, Roman Britain, Spain and Mauretania Tingitana in Africa

Praefectura praetorio Galliarum

Praet. Prefecture of the Western Roman Empire337-477
510-536

Praetorian Prefectures of the Roman Empire (395)CapitalAugusta Treverorum (until 395/407)
Arelate (from 395/407)Historical eraLate Antiquity

• Established

337

• Conquest of Provence by the Visigoths

477

• Re-established by the Ostrogoths

510

• Fall of Provence to the Franks

536 Political subdivisionsDiocese of Gaul
Diocese of Britain
Diocese of Spain
Diocese of the Seven Provinces

The Praetorian Prefecture of Gaul (Latin: praefectura praetorio Galliarum) was one of four large prefectures into which the Late Roman Empire was divided.

History

The prefecture was established after the death of Constantine I in 337, when the empire was split up among his sons and Constantine II received the rule of the western provinces, with a praetorian prefect as his chief aide.^{[citation needed]} The prefecture comprised not only Gaul, but also of Roman Britain, Spain, and Mauretania Tingitana in Africa Proconsulare. Its territory overlapped considerably with what was once controlled by the short-lived Gallic Empire in the 260s.

After the permanent partition of the Empire in 395 into West and East spheres of control, the prefecture of Gaul continued to belong to the Western Roman Empire. Augusta Treverorum (present-day Trier in Germany) served as the prefecture's seat until 407 (or, according to other estimates, in 395), when it was transferred to Arelate (Arles).

The prefecture continued to function until 477, when the last areas under its control were seized by the Visigoths after the abolition of the Western imperial government of Ravenna in the previous year.

In 510, the Ostrogoth king Theodoric the Great re-established the prefecture in the small part of Gaul (the Provence) that he had just conquered, with headquarters again at Arelate. This short lived revival lasted until the area was in turn conquered by the Franks in 536, while the Ostrogoths were occupied by the East Roman invasion of Italy.

List of known praefecti praetorio Galliarum

4th century

Junius Bassus (318-331)
C. Caelius Saturninus (331-335)
C. Annius Tiberianus (335-337)
Aurelius Ambrosius (337-340)
Aconius Catullinus Philomathius (341, uncertain whether he was prefect of Gaul)
Fabius Titianus (341-350)
Vulcacius Rufinus (353-354)
Gaius Ceionius Rufius Volusianus Lampadius (354-355)
Honoratus (355-357)
Flavius Florentius (c. 357-360)
Nebridius (360-361)
Decimius Germaniacus (361)
Sallustius (in 363)
Sextus Claudius Petronius Probus (366)
Vulcacius Rufinus (2nd term, (366-368)
Viventius (368-371)
Maximinus (371-376) ^[1]
Flavius Claudius Antonius (376-377)
Ausonius (377-378, co-prefect from 376)
Siburius (378-382)
Mallius Theodorus (382-383)
Euodius (c. 384-386)
Constantinianus (389)
Neoterius (390)
Hilarius (396)
Theodorus (396/397)
Flavius Vincentius (397-400)

5th century

Andromachus (c. 401)
Claudius Postumus Dardanus (1st term, c. 402)
Romulianus (404-405)
Petronius (402-408) - seat of the prefecture moved to Arelate in 407
Limenius (408) - assassinated at Ticinum (Pavia)
Apollinaris (408)
Decimus Rusticus (409-411)
Claudius Postumus Dardanus (2nd term, 412-413)
Vicentius (413)
Iulius (c. 414)
Agricola (416-418)
Exuperantius (421-424)
Amatus (c. 425)
Flavius Aetius (426-c. 427)
Auxiliaris (435-437)
Avitus (c. 439)
Florentius (439)
Caecina Decius Aginatius Albinus (440)
Marcellus (c. 441-445)
Tonantius Ferreolus (450/451-453)
Priscus Valerianus (before 456)
Paeonius (456-458)
Magnus (459-460)
Arvandus (461-465, 467-468)
Magnus (469)
Magnus Felix (c. 470)
Eutropius (c. 471)
Polemius (475-after 477) - the last remnants of the prefecture in the Provence were conquered by the Visigoths

6th century

Petrus Marcellinus Felix Liberius (510-536) - Prefect under Ostrogothic rule

References

^ Burns (1994), p. 58

Sources

Burns, Thomas S. (1994), Barbarians within the gates of Rome:a study of Roman military policy and the barbarians, ca. 375-425 A.D., Indiana University Press, ISBN 978-0-253-31288-4

Late Roman and early Byzantine provinces (4th–7th centuries AD)

History
As found in the Notitia Dignitatum. Provincial administration reformed and dioceses established by Diocletian, c. 293. Permanent praetorian prefectures established after the death of Constantine I. Empire permanently partitioned after 395. Exarchates of Ravenna and Africa established after 584. After massive territorial losses in the 7th century, the remaining provinces were superseded by the theme system in c. 640–660, although in Asia Minor and parts of Greece they survived under the themes until the early 9th century.

History

As found in the Notitia Dignitatum. Provincial administration reformed and dioceses established by Diocletian, c. 293. Permanent praetorian prefectures established after the death of Constantine I. Empire permanently partitioned after 395. Exarchates of Ravenna and Africa established after 584. After massive territorial losses in the 7th century, the remaining provinces were superseded by the theme system in c. 640–660, although in Asia Minor and parts of Greece they survived under the themes until the early 9th century.

Western Roman Empire (395–476)

Praetorian prefecture
of Gaul

Diocese of Gaul	Alpes Poeninae et Graiae Belgica I Belgica II Germania I Germania II Lugdunensis I Lugdunensis II Lugdunensis III Lugdunensis IV Maxima Sequanorum
Diocese of Vienne¹	Alpes Maritimae Aquitanica I Aquitanica II Narbonensis I Narbonensis II Novempopulania Viennensis
Diocese of Spain	Baetica Balearica Carthaginensis Gallaecia Lusitania Mauretania Tingitana Tarraconensis
Diocese of the Britains	Britannia I Britannia II Flavia Caesariensis Maxima Caesariensis Valentia (?)

Praetorian prefecture
of Italy

Diocese of Suburbicarian Italy	Apulia et Calabria Campania Corsica Lucania et Bruttii Picenum Suburbicarium Samnium Sardinia Sicilia Tuscia et Umbria Valeria
Diocese of Annonarian Italy	Alpes Cottiae Flaminia et Picenum Annonarium Liguria et Aemilia Raetia I Raetia II Venetia et Histria
Diocese of Africa²	Africa proconsularis (Zeugitana) Byzacena Mauretania Caesariensis Mauretania Sitifensis Numidia (divided as Cirtensis and Militiana during the Tetrarchy) Tripolitania (Roman province)

Eastern Roman Empire (395–c. 640)

Praetorian prefecture
of Illyricum

Diocese of Pannonia³	Dalmatia Noricum mediterraneum Noricum ripense Pannonia I Pannonia II Savia Valeria ripensis
Diocese of Dacia	Dacia Mediterranea Dacia Ripensis Dardania Moesia I Praevalitana
Diocese of Macedonia	Achaea Creta Epirus Nova Epirus Vetus Macedonia Prima Macedonia II Salutaris Thessalia

Praetorian prefecture
of the East

Diocese of Thrace⁵	Europa Haemimontus Moesia II⁴ Rhodope Scythia⁴ Thracia
Diocese of Asia⁵	Asia Caria⁴ Hellespontus Islands⁴ Lycaonia (370) Lycia Lydia Pamphylia Pisidia Phrygia Pacatiana Phrygia Salutaris
Diocese of Pontus⁵	Armenia I⁵ Armenia II⁵ Armenia Maior⁵ Armenian Satrapies⁵ Armenia III (536) Armenia IV (536) Bithynia Cappadocia I⁵ Cappadocia II⁵ Galatia I⁵ Galatia II Salutaris⁵ Helenopontus⁵ Honorias⁵ Paphlagonia⁵ Pontus Polemoniacus⁵
Diocese of the East⁵	Arabia Cilicia I Cilicia II Cyprus⁴ Euphratensis Isauria Mesopotamia Osroene Palaestina I Palaestina II Palaestina III Salutaris Phoenice I Phoenice II Libanensis Syria I Syria II Salutaris Theodorias (528)
Diocese of Egypt⁵	Aegyptus I Aegyptus II Arcadia Augustamnica I Augustamnica II Libya Superior Libya Inferior Thebais Superior Thebais Inferior

Other territories
Taurica Quaestura exercitus (536) Spania (552)

¹ Later the Septem Provinciae
² Re-established after reconquest by the Eastern Empire in 534 as the separate Prefecture of Africa
³ Later the Diocese of Illyricum
⁴ Placed under the Quaestura exercitus in 536
⁵ Affected (i.e. boundaries modified, abolished or renamed) by Justinian I's administrative reorganization in 534–536