What does exarchate mean?
An exarchate is a territory under the authority of an exarch — historically, a provincial governor or viceroy acting on behalf of a distant sovereign. The term is inseparable from the Byzantine Empire: in the late sixth century, Emperor Maurice reorganized imperial holdings in Italy and North Africa into the Exarchates of Ravenna and Carthage, placing each under an exarch who combined military and civil command. The Exarchate of Ravenna, the most famous example, preserved Byzantine rule in Italy against Lombard encroachment for roughly two centuries until its conquest in 751. In ecclesiastical usage, certain Eastern Christian churches also designate the jurisdiction of an episcopal exarch as an exarchate. Today the word is confined to historical, archaeological, and religious scholarship, where it denotes a distinctive form of delegated, semi-autonomous imperial administration.
nounThe territory or jurisdiction governed by an exarch, especially a Byzantine viceroy; most famously the Exarchate of Ravenna in early medieval Italy.
- The office, dignity, or jurisdiction of an exarch, especially as a territorial province of the Byzantine Empire (such as the Exarchates of Ravenna and Africa).
- (In some Eastern Christian churches) the diocese or sphere of authority of an exarch acting as a metropolitan's or patriarch's deputy.
"In the sixth century, the Exarchate of Ravenna served as Byzantium's administrative stronghold in Italy."
"After the reconquest of Italy, Justinian organized the recovered lands into the Exarchate of Ravenna."
"The fall of the exarchate in 751 left the papacy without its traditional Byzantine protector."
Standard pluralization; used when referring to multiple jurisdictions, e.g. the Byzantine exarchates of Ravenna and Africa.
"Both exarchates were created in the 580s to tighten imperial control at the empire's edges."
For two centuries the western Roman Empire lived on in miniature — not in Rome, but in a Byzantine exarchate centered on Ravenna, until the Lombards snuffed it out in 751.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of exarchate
Exarchate derives from 'exarch' plus the suffix '-ate' denoting an office or domain. 'Exarch' comes from Greek 'exarchos' ('leader, one set over others'), formed from 'ex-' ('out of') and 'archein' or 'archos' ('to rule, chief'), passing through Late Latin 'exarchus' into English. The same Greek root for 'rule' gives cognates such as monarchy, anarchy, hierarchy, and oligarchy. The territorial sense became established through Byzantine usage describing the provinces of Ravenna and Africa.
Related word forms
How exarchate is actually used
A historical and largely scholarly term, encountered mainly in late antique and Byzantine studies, church history, and discussions of medieval Italy. It carries no figurative use in everyday English.
Easily confused with exarchate
A patriarchate is the jurisdiction of a patriarch (a high church official), whereas an exarchate is the territory governed by an exarch, whether a secular Byzantine viceroy or an Eastern Orthodox ecclesiastical deputy.