The diocese of Thrace ( Latin: Dioecesis Thraciae ; Greek Διοίκησις Θράκης ) is the diocese of the late Roman Empire , which included the eastern provinces of the Balkan Peninsula (an area that extended to the territory of modern southeastern Romania , Central and Eastern Bulgaria , Greek Thrace and Turkey ) .
| Diotez | |
| Diocese of Thrace | |
|---|---|
| lat Dioecesis thraciae Greek Διοίκησις Θράκης | |
 | |
| A country |  Roman Empire →  Byzantine Empire |
| Included in | Praetorian Prefecture of the East |
| Provinces | Europe , Thrace , Gemimont , Rhodope , Moesia II and Scythia |
| Adm. Centre | Philippopol |
| History and Geography | |
The diocese was created as a result of administrative reforms of Diocletian and was subordinate to the prefect of the Praetorium of the East . The diocese was directly controlled by the vicar, who had the rank of spectabile . The capital of the Thracian diocese was Philippopolis . The following provinces were part of the diocese: Europe , Thrace , Gemimont , Rhodope , Moesia II and Scythia .
When the Eastern Roman Emperor Anastasius I built the Long Walls in Thrace, the diocese was divided into two parts: the Thracian diocese itself and the Long Wall Diocese. Historian John Bagnell Buri suggested that the latter was located north of Constantinople.
The Thracian diocese suffered from the discord between civil and military power and the invasions of the barbarians. In May 535, Justinian I abolished the titles of Vicar of Thrace (supreme civil authority in the diocese) and Vicar of the Long Walls and entrusted the administration of the diocese to the special praetor Justinian ( Latin praetor Justinianus ) in Thrace, endowed with the fullness of civil and military power. Subsequently, the provinces of Moesia II and Scythia were disconnected from the diocese, which, together with Cyprus , the Cyclades and Caria, began to be separately controlled by a special military quaestor [1] .
Subsequently, as a result of the invasions of the Avars and Slavs , the Thracian diocese was disbanded and the Theme of Thrace formed on the territory that remained under the control of the Byzantines.
Notes
- ↑ Bury (1923) Vol. II, pp. 340-341
Literature
- Bury, John Bagnell. History of the Later Roman Empire: From the Death of Theodosius I to the Death of Justinian . - London: MacMillan & Co., 1923. - ISBN 0-486-20399-9 .