Local government of the Byzantine Empire (Byzatium)

The local government system of the Byzantine Empire reflects the Imperial principles and the diverse nature of the empire, while also incorporating the principles of Orthodox Christianity and Enlightenment ideas.

Provinces

The Empire is subdivided into 15 Provinces (sing. Περιφέρεια, Periféreia; pl. Περιφέρειες, Periféreies; lit. "Regions"). for administrative purposes.

The Provinces exercise their right to self-government within the limits set forth in the constitution and organic laws, which broadly define the powers that they assume.

Each statute sets out the devolved powers for each community; typically those communities with stronger historical loyalties have more powers, and this type of attribution of powers has been called asymmetrical.

The Provincial Councils are responsible for discussing and passing legislation related to regional matters, such as cultural preservation and language policies. All Provinces have chosen unicameralism. While these parliaments have legislative powers, they also serve as advisory bodies to the Eparchs and the Roman Senate. All such governments have legislative and executive branches of government but not judicial.

Since 1965, the Empire is subdivided into 15 provinces:

• Byzantium Special Region;
• Obsikon
• Serbia
• Dalmatia
• Epirus
• Acaia and Morea
• Macedonia
• Moesia
• Western Anatolia
• Paphlagonia and Pontus
• Central Anatolia
• Crete
• Cyprus
• Eastern Anatolia
• Western Armenia

Province	Area	Population	Eparchies	Capital	Notes
Byzantium Special Region	5,343 km2	15,907,951	1	Costantinople	The Metropolitan, the Eparchy and the Provincial governments coincide and are managed by the Roman Senate
Crete	8,450 km2	624,408	1	Herakleion	The Eparchy and the Provincial governments coincide
Cyprus	9,251 km2	1,244,188	5	Nicosia
Obsikon	83,510 km2	11,555,026	12	Prusa
Serbia	82,261 km2	7,368,745	37	Singidonon
Moesia	110,993 km2	6,447,710	28	Serdica
Macedonia	61,463 km2	4,781,278	15	Skópia	The civil Eparchy of Mount Athos is entrusted to the Monastic community of Mount Athos
Acaia-Morea	26,840 km2	1,186,586	3	Patras
Attica-Thessalia	38,680 km2	5,331,402	4	Athens
Epirus	31,936 km2	2,677,392	10	Tirana
Dalmatia	18,010 km2	1,516,526	16	Dyrratio
Paphlagonia-Pontus	122,016 km2	7,486,845	18	Trebizond
Central Anatolia	175,693 km2	14,563,906	14	Ánkyra
Eastern Anatolia	81,029 km2	11,363,201	9	Adana
Western Anatolia	102,675 km2	13,101,051	9	Smirne
Western Armenia	192,680 km2	11,485,149	19	Amida
Total	1,052,656 km2	117,139,970	201	Costantinople

System of government

The Provincial government consists of the Executive Council, the Governor and the Parliament. With few exceptions, most of the justice system is administered by imperial judicial institutions. The legal system is uniform throughout the Spanish state, with the exception of some parts of civil law – especially family, inheritance, and real estate law – that have traditionally been ruled by local laws. The fields of civil law that are subject to autonomous legislation have been codified in the Provincial Civil Code.

Each Province has a Governor (Περιφερειάρχης, Perifereiárches) appointed by the Emperor. The Governor is assisted by a provincial parliament known as Provincial Council (Περιφερειακό Συμβούλιο, Perifereiakó Symvoúlio).

Provincial Council

The Provincial Council is the unicameral legislative body of the Provincial government and represents the people of the Province. Each Provincial Council has a member every 100,000 inhabitants. Members are elected by universal suffrage to serve for a four-year period. According to the relevant Statute, the Provincial Coincil has powers to legislate over devolved matters.

Governor

The Governor is the highest provincial authority, and is also responsible of leading the provincial government's action, presiding the Provincial Executive Council. The Governor, nominated by the Prime Minister and appointed and dismissed by the Emperor, but approved by the Senate, is responsible only to the Emperor.

The Governor serves until removed by the Emperor. He is chancellor of public sector universities of province, Governor appoints Secretaries of the Provincial Executive and takes oath from them. He also took oath from judges of the province.

The Governor signs bills and budget passed by the Provincial Council. He signs notificiations promulgated by the Provincial Executive Council. He may also promulgate executive decress motu proprio.

He has right to address in Provincial Council. He can summon and prorogue the sessions of Provincial Council. He may dissolve the Provincial Council and the Provincial Executive Council, ruling by decree when mandated by the Prime Minister of the Empire or by the Emperor.

Provincial Executive Council

The Provincial Executive Council is the body responsible of the government of the province, it holds executive and regulatory power, being accountable to the Provincial Council and to the Emperor. It comprises the Governor and the Secretaries appointed by the Governor, as well as the the Secretary of Government.

Secretary of Government

The Secretary of Government is the bureaucratic chief and highest-ranking career official of the provincial government. The appointment of the Secretary of Government is appointed directly by the Prime Minister of the Empire.

The Secretary of Government is the province's administrative leader. All Eparchs of the relevant province report to him. The Secretary of Government in turn reports to the Governor. However, the Secretary of Government is not under the charge of the Governor. The Secretary of Government also serves as the main0 Advisor to the Governor and as Secretary to the Provincial Executive Council.

Eparchies

The Eparchy (Επαρχία Eparchía) is the second of the four levels of government under the national level, between the Provinces and the Archontates. Eparchies are further subdivided into Archontates. They serve as the foundation of local governance and as significant hubs of central government's actions.

Eparchies are the last remanants of the ancient territorial organisation known as thematic system. In late 18th Century, Constantine XIII swept away all older subdivisions, completed the scaling down of remaining Themes and renamed them Eparchies. These new subidivisions, while remaining the territorial reference point for the imperial government, lost all military defence duties save for the local support militias.

Each Eparchy is led by an Eparch (Επαρχ Eparch), appointed by the Emperor. The Eparch is responsible for overseeing local administration and ensuring that imperial policies and values are upheld within the Eparchy. Below the Eparch, elected local councils would manage local affairs, including infrastructure, education, and public services.

Each of the Eparchies features a non-legislative governing body called a Eparchy government, concerned mostly with administrative decisions on a local level for districts within its jurisdiction.

Each Eparchy is administered by the Eparch, assisted by an elected body called Eparchial council (Επαρχιακό συμβούλιο Eparchiakó symvoúlio). The chief executive of the department is the Eparch, who represents the Government of the Empire in each Eparchy and is appointed by the Emperor upon proposal of the Ministry of Interior. The Eparch is assisted by one or more sub-Eparchs and by Archons.

Eparchy main areas of responsibility, as distinct from government services organised at Eparchial level, include the management of a number of social and welfare allowances, of junior high school buildings and technical staff, and local roads and school and rural buses, and a contribution to municipal infrastructures. Local services of the state administration are traditionally organised at Eparchial level, where the Eparch represents the government.

Byzantine Eparchies are assigned a three-digit number, the Official Geographical Code, allocated by the Imperial Statistics Agency.

The Eparchial seat of government is generally a town of some importance roughly at the geographical centre of the Eparchy. Eparchies are divided into Archontates.

The Eparchial Council is an assembly elected for six years by universal suffrage.

Archontates

Eparchies are in turn subdivided into Districts known as Archontates. The Archontate councils consist of representatives elected by the local communities, as well as individuals appointed based on their expertise and contributions to the community. The councils would have the authority to make decisions on matters related to local governance, such as infrastructure, public services, and community development.