Quaestura Exercitus

The Quaestura Exercitus was an administrative unit of the Eastern Roman Empire , which had its seat in Odessus . It was brought into being by Emperor Justinian I on May 18, 536.

history

The Quaestura Exercitus included the former Roman provinces of Moesia inferior (Lower Moesia ) and Scythia minor in the area of the lower Danube as well as the provinces of Cyprus , Caria and the Aegean Islands (the Cyclades ). All these provinces were withdrawn from the Praetorian Prefecture of the East and placed under the command of a newly created office called Quaestor Exercitus (" Quaestor of the Army"). The authority of the quaestor was equivalent to that of a magister militum . Since the strategically important provinces on the Danube were impoverished, the purpose of the Quaestura Exercitus was to supply the armies deployed there with supplies. By connecting the provinces on the Lower Danube with richer provinces, Justinian managed to transport supplies across the Black Sea . This territorial restructuring freed the impoverished population and devastated area south of the Danube from the maintenance of the troops stationed there. There is a great lack of information regarding the history of the Quaestura Exercitus . Since the office of quaestor still existed during the 570s, the offices of the office seem to have enjoyed long-term success.

Ultimately, however, the provinces belonging to the Quaestura Exercitus did not survive the invasions of the Slavs and Avars of the Balkan Peninsula in the seventh century. Nevertheless, some isolated fortresses at the mouth of the Danube and along the Black Sea managed to survive because of the regular supplies from the sea. There are also indications that the fleet of the Karabisianoi theme was originally formed by surviving forces of the Quaestura . Lead seals from the province of Moesia inferior and Scythia minor prove the existence of the Quästura Exercitus . In particular, thirteen imperial seals (nine from the time of Justinian I) show that regular communication between officials from Scythia Minor and Constantinople took place.

literature

Florin Curta: The Making of the Slavs: History and Archeology of the Lower Danube Region c. 500-700. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2001, ISBN 0-521-80202-4 .
Michael Maas (Ed.): The Cambridge Companion to the Age of Justinian. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2005, ISBN 0-521-81746-3 .
John F. Haldon: Warfare, State and Society in the Byzantine World, 565-1204. Routledge, London 1999, ISBN 1-85728-494-1 .
Velizar Iv. Velkov: Cities in Thrace and Dacia in Late Antiquity (Studies and Materials). AM Hakkert, Amsterdam 1977.

Individual evidence

^ Velkov: Cities in Thrace and Dacia in Late Antiquity (Studies and Materials). 1977 p. 62: “On May 18, 536 an administrative district was brought into being, the Quaestura Exercitus . It included Lower Moesia and Scythia (separate from the Diocese of Thrace), the Cyclades, Caria and Cyprus. "
^ Maas: The Cambridge Companion to the Age of Justinian. 2005 p. 120: “This infrastructure had the flexibility and the size necessary to adapt to different circumstances that were characteristic of the different parts of the empire, as Justinian's creation of the Quaestura Exercitus (Quaesture of the Army) in 536 showed, in which the Provinces of Moesia and Scythia on the lower Danube and the Asiatic provinces of Caria, Cyprus and the (Aegean) Islands were decoupled from the Praetorian Prefecture of the East and placed under the authority of a new official, the Quaestor of the Army. "
^ Warfare, State and Society in the Byzantine World, 565-1204. 1999 p. 68: “An important new field command, the Quaestura Exercitus , had been introduced under Justinian's rule. It was equivalent to that of a Magister Militum and the command of a general called Quaestor . He was in command of the troops stationed on the Danube (in the provinces of Scythia and Moesia II), but also the coastal province of Caria in Asia Minor and the Aegean Islands. "
^ Maas: The Cambridge Companion to the Age of Justinian. 2005 p. 120: “The Danube provinces, strategically important but economically insignificant, had to struggle for a long time with the costs of stationing garrisons there; Justinian tried to solve this problem by connecting these provinces with the richer Aegean and Asiatic provinces, which could contribute to the supply of the provinces on the lower Danube. Although the sources on the further fate of this arrangement are sparse, the post of quaestor was still in use during the 570s, which indicates a certain success of the institution. "
^ Warfare, State and Society in the Byzantine World, 565-1204. 1999, p. 68: "The goal seems to have been to supply the troops stationed on the Danube via a safe harbor in the hinterland and thus to spare the impoverished population and the devastated areas in the border areas."
^ Warfare, State and Society in the Byzantine World, 565-1204. 1999, p. 74: “The provinces of the original quaestura exercitus from Justinian times did not survive the Slavic and Avar invasions of the Balkan provinces (although some fortresses in the Danube Delta and along the Black Sea coast could be held and supplied by sea Aegean provinces, the original base for ships and the Quaesturian Marine Corps (known as 'Ship Troops' in the late seventh century) survived. These 'Karabisianoi' were probably first stationed in Rhodes, although they also recruited troops from the mainland. "
^ The Making of the Slavs: History and Archeology of the Lower Danube Region c. 500-700. 2001, pp. 185–186: “Ever since AH Jones described the Quaestura Exercitus as an administrative reform with the aim of a permanent food supply for the troops stationed on the Thracian border, scholars have insisted that the Quaesture should primarily be attributed financial attributes. The quaestor was personally responsible for the annona (rations) of the army in Moesia inferior and Scythia minor . In addition, lead seals found in the region indicate regular communication between the Balkan provinces summarized in the Quaestura Exercitus and the central government. Thirteen imperial seals, nine of them from the age of Justinian, prove that officials in Scythia Minor received letters and written instructions from the emperor. "

[1] Velkov: Cities in Thrace and Dacia in Late Antiquity (Studies and Materials). 1977 p. 62: “On May 18, 536 an administrative district was brought into being, the Quaestura Exercitus . It included Lower Moesia and Scythia (separate from the Diocese of Thrace), the Cyclades, Caria and Cyprus. "

[2] Maas: The Cambridge Companion to the Age of Justinian. 2005 p. 120: “This infrastructure had the flexibility and the size necessary to adapt to different circumstances that were characteristic of the different parts of the empire, as Justinian's creation of the Quaestura Exercitus (Quaesture of the Army) in 536 showed, in which the Provinces of Moesia and Scythia on the lower Danube and the Asiatic provinces of Caria, Cyprus and the (Aegean) Islands were decoupled from the Praetorian Prefecture of the East and placed under the authority of a new official, the Quaestor of the Army. "

[3] Warfare, State and Society in the Byzantine World, 565-1204. 1999 p. 68: “An important new field command, the Quaestura Exercitus , had been introduced under Justinian's rule. It was equivalent to that of a Magister Militum and the command of a general called Quaestor . He was in command of the troops stationed on the Danube (in the provinces of Scythia and Moesia II), but also the coastal province of Caria in Asia Minor and the Aegean Islands. "

[4] Maas: The Cambridge Companion to the Age of Justinian. 2005 p. 120: “The Danube provinces, strategically important but economically insignificant, had to struggle for a long time with the costs of stationing garrisons there; Justinian tried to solve this problem by connecting these provinces with the richer Aegean and Asiatic provinces, which could contribute to the supply of the provinces on the lower Danube. Although the sources on the further fate of this arrangement are sparse, the post of quaestor was still in use during the 570s, which indicates a certain success of the institution. "

[5] Warfare, State and Society in the Byzantine World, 565-1204. 1999, p. 68: "The goal seems to have been to supply the troops stationed on the Danube via a safe harbor in the hinterland and thus to spare the impoverished population and the devastated areas in the border areas."

[6] Warfare, State and Society in the Byzantine World, 565-1204. 1999, p. 74: “The provinces of the original quaestura exercitus from Justinian times did not survive the Slavic and Avar invasions of the Balkan provinces (although some fortresses in the Danube Delta and along the Black Sea coast could be held and supplied by sea Aegean provinces, the original base for ships and the Quaesturian Marine Corps (known as 'Ship Troops' in the late seventh century) survived. These 'Karabisianoi' were probably first stationed in Rhodes, although they also recruited troops from the mainland. "

[7] The Making of the Slavs: History and Archeology of the Lower Danube Region c. 500-700. 2001, pp. 185–186: “Ever since AH Jones described the Quaestura Exercitus as an administrative reform with the aim of a permanent food supply for the troops stationed on the Thracian border, scholars have insisted that the Quaesture should primarily be attributed financial attributes. The quaestor was personally responsible for the annona (rations) of the army in Moesia inferior and Scythia minor . In addition, lead seals found in the region indicate regular communication between the Balkan provinces summarized in the Quaestura Exercitus and the central government. Thirteen imperial seals, nine of them from the age of Justinian, prove that officials in Scythia Minor received letters and written instructions from the emperor. "