Vicarius 1533512 218365948 2008-06-10T09:30:47Z Zorrobot 7218328 robot Adding: [[no:Vicarius]] [r5545] {{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]] [[de:Vicarius]] [[es:Vicarius]] [[no:Vicarius]] [[pt:Vicarius]]