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Exarch

Former political and military office; now an ecclesiastical office

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Through Roman Empire

Political exarchs

In the late Roman Empire and early Byzantine Empire, an exarch was a regional governor. From the end of the 3rd or early 4th century, every Roman imperial diocese was headed by a civilian governor titled as vicar (Latin: vicarius), who was also called "exarch" in eastern parts of the Empire, where the Greek language and the use of Greek terminology was predominant, even though Latin was the language of the imperial administration from the provincial level up until the 440s (Greek translations were sent out with the official Latin text). In Greek texts, the Latin title is spelled βικάριος (bikarios).

Since the second half of the 6th century, in the administrative structure of the Byzantine Empire a new type of regional governors was introduced, with extended, both civilian and military powers. Such governors were also called exarchs, and their jurisdictions came to be known as exarchates. Two vast imperial exarchates were thus formed in the western regions of the empire: the Exarchate of Ravenna and the Exarchate of Africa, both headed by imperial exarchs with extensive viceroyal powers.

The creation of such a powerful office was a response to the need of strengthening imperial authority in remote regions of the empire. It was also part of the overall process of unification of civil and military offices, initiated in early form by emperor Justinian I, which would lead eventually to the creation of the thematic system by either the emperor Heraclius or Constans II.

After the dissolution of the Western Empire in the late fifth century, the Eastern Roman Empire remained stable through the beginning of the Middle Ages and retained the ability for future expansion. Justinian I reconquered North Africa, Italy, Dalmatia and finally parts of Spain for the Eastern Roman Empire. However, this put an incredible strain on the Empire's limited resources. Subsequent emperors would not surrender the re-conquered land to remedy the situation. Thus the stage was set for Emperor Maurice to establish the Exarchates to deal with the constantly evolving situation of the provinces.

In Italy the Lombards were the main opposition to Byzantine power. In North Africa the Amazigh or Berber princes were ascendant due to Roman weakness outside the coastal cities. The problems associated with many enemies on various fronts (the Visigoths in Spain, the Slavs and Avars in the Balkans, the Sassanid Persians in the Middle East, and the Amazigh in North Africa) forced the imperial government to decentralize and devolve power to the former provinces.

The term Exarch most commonly refers to the Exarch of Italy, who governed the area of Italy and Dalmatia, still remaining under Byzantine control after the Lombard invasion of 568. The exarchate's seat was at Ravenna, whence it is known as the "Exarchate of Ravenna". Ravenna remained the seat of the Exarch until the revolt of 727 over Iconoclasm. Thereafter, the growing menace of the Lombards and the split between eastern and western Christendom that Iconoclasm caused made the position of the Exarch more and more untenable. The last Exarch was killed by the Lombards in 751.

A second exarchate was created by Maurice to administer northern Africa, formerly a separate praetorian prefecture, the islands of the western Mediterranean and the Byzantine possessions in Spain. The capital of the Exarchate of Africa was Carthage. An emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire, Heraclius, was the son of the exarch of Africa before Heraclius replaced the usurper emperor Phocas in 610. Phocas had revolted under emperor Maurice who had appointed Heraclius' father as exarch of Africa. The exarchate proved both financially and militarily strong, and survived until the Arab Muslim conquest of Carthage in 698.

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