Vicariate of Tengaria

Vicariate of the West Vicariatus Occidentis
Vassal of the Empire of Arciluco
1121–1385 →
Triband of the Vicarius Coat of arms
Capital		Lenovo
Vicarius et Comes Occidentalis
•	495-504	Theocritus
•	1370-1385	Vasil the Great
History
•	Established	1121
•	Iconoclast Crisis	1372-1385
•	Empire Proclaimed	1385
Today part of		Tengaria Bistravia

The Vicariate of Tengaria, the common exonym for the Vicariate of the West (Solarian: Vicariatus Occidentis or Vicariatus Occidentalis, Tengarian: Vicariat Occidenti), was a division comprising the Western marches of the Empire of Arciluco lasting its establishment 1121 to the proclamation of the Empire of Tengaria in 1385. The leader, known as the Vicarius et Comes Occidentalis, would be one of the most important military offices in the Empire, whose members were also members of the Cyriacan dynasty as thus eligbile to become Emperor.

The Vicariate was a regrouping of the western dioceses and themes of the Empire of Arciluco, centred around the wealthy and prominent Diocese of Tengaria (Solarian: Diocesis Tengariae) centred around the fertile Len River valley. As a border province of the Empire, the Diocese was an important military outpost, which saw the development of the region, especially around the colony of Colonia Lenis, which would later become to be known as Lenovo.

The reorganisation was to allow for more effective military responses for threats along the western border, but also, gave the western marches more political autonomy from the capital Arciluco. Even still, the Vicars retained close ties with wider Imperial affairs. In the late 14th century, the Iconclast Crisis caused the final collapse of the Empire of Arciluco to Iconoclast forces, who established the Realm of Thorns. The Vicarius et Comes Vasil the Great, who opposed iconoclasm, was proclaimed as Emperor, which would mark the effective end of the Vicariate and the beginning of the Empire of Tengaria.

Nomeclature

The term "Vicariate" comes from the Solarian word Vicariatus, from the noun Vicarius (meaning "Vicar"), signifying a proxy or a deputy or one who stands in the place of another. This title comes from the titles of the rulers of the Vicarius, Vicarius et Comes Occidentalis ("Western Vicar and Companion"), where their office of Vicarius allowed them to excercise the authority of the Emperor in the Western Marches, and the title of Comes signified their close ties to the Emperor. This position allowed for the Vicar to control all of the military and governing affairs with the Western portion of the Empire, and hence why the term Occidentis ("of the west") or Occidentalis ("western") was affixed to the Vicariate's title, but was limited in geographic scope, as the Emperor still maintained control over the heartlands. The position was equal in rank to the Vicarius et Comes Orientalis, which presided over the eastern marches of the Empire.

Because the former territory of the Diocese of Tengaria was the administrative centre of the Western Vicariate and "Tengaria" remained a geographic region within the larger Vicariate, the "Vicariate of Tengaria" is an exonymn used by East Euclean historians to clarify any ambiguities of what "western" might mean. In historical documents, however, the adjective "Western" is used to describe figures associated with the Vicariate, which for example which the Archbishop and later Patriarch of Istros was called "Metropolitan of the West".

History

Diocese of Tengaria

Diocese of Tengaria Diocesis Tengariae
Vassal of the Empire of Arciluco
495–1121 →
Capital		Lenovo
Praefectus
•	495-504	Theocritus
•	1117-1121	Flavus
History
•	Established	495
•	Disestablished	1121
Today part of		Tengaria

After the Tengar tribes migrated to modern day Tengaria in the early fifth century, the Arcilucan Emperors were able to defeat the conquer most the region in several campaigns from 480 to 495, with the Tengars becoming foederati of Arciluco. As the new border region of the Empire, the Arcilucans built a Colonia called "Colonia Lenis" after the river that was flowing through the middle of the region. Eventually, the Diocese of Tengaria was established with the new city as its centre. Although the city of Istros also became a centre of a new administrative diocese, Colonia Lenis (later called "Urbs Lenis") became an central staging points for military expeditions along the Empire's western marches, as such, the city became one of the larger and more prominent cities within the Empire.

Although as the Empire expanded to the west and to the north and the Diocese ceased being a border region to become deeply engrained with the Empire, it nevertheless was used by generals of the western armies as a point to coordinate both offensive and defensive campaigns to the north or the west, and retained its prominence as one of the administratively important cities.In addition, the Len River valley's fertility and the city's place on the outlet river of Lake Min saw trade and goods flow in and out of the Diocese.