Vicarius
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{{Roman government}}
'''Vicarius''' is a Latin word, meaning ''substitute'' or ''deputy''. It is the root and origin of the English word "[[vicar]]."
Originally, in ancient Rome, this was an equivalent to the English "[[viceroy|vice-]]" (as in "deputy"), used as part of the title of various officials. Each vicarius was assigned to a specific superior official, after whom his full title was generally completed by a [[genitive]] (e.g. ''Vicarius Praetoris'').
Later, during the period of the [[Roman Empire]] known as the [[Dominate]], a vicarius was the imperial deputy responsible for the lawfulness of a group of [[Roman province]]s called a [[Roman diocese|diocese]]. The title was used without a genitive, simply as "vicarius". This position was introduced under Emperor [[Diocletian]] who reformed the Roman Empire, collegially, into the [[Tetrarchy]]. Among other changes, the eastern and western empires were each divided into two large [[praetorian prefecture]]s. Each of the four prefectures was run by a [[Praetorian Prefect]] and contained several subdivisions known as dioceses, which in turn were divided into provinces. The vicarius was the governor of a diocese, and was responsible for a number of provinces, each province with its own [[Roman governor|governor]]. The various prefectures, dioceses and provinces are listed systematically in their hierarchical groupings in the article [[Roman province]].
According to the ''[[Notitia dignitatum]]'' (an early fifth century imperial [[chancery]] document), the Vicarius had the rank of [[Vir spectabilis]]; the staff of a vicarius, called his [[officium]], was rather similar to a gubernatorial ''officium''. For example, in the diocese of [[Hispaniae]], the people of his staff included:
* The ''Princeps'' (i.e. chief) of the [[scola agentum in rebus]], from the salary class of the [[ducenari]].
* A Cornicularius.
* Two Numerarii.
* A Commentariensis.
* An Adiutorem.
* An Ab actis.
* A Cura epistolarum.
* An unnamed number of Subadiuvae ('deputy assistants').
* Various Exceptores (lower clerks).
* Singulares et reliquum officium (various menial staff).
The term was also used to refer to slaves hired out by other slaves to raise money to buy their freedom.
==Sources and references==
*[[Notitia dignitatum]]
*[[Pauly-Wissowa]] (in German)
{{Ancient Rome topics}}
[[Category:Ancient Roman titles]]
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