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Alegatus Augusti pro praetore (lit. 'envoy of the emperor – acting for the praetor') was the official title of thegovernor or general of someImperial provinces of theRoman Empire during thePrincipate era, normally the larger ones or those wherelegions were based. Provinces were denoted imperial if their governor was selected by the emperor, in contrast tosenatorial provinces, whose governors (calledproconsuls) were elected by theRoman Senate.
Alegatus Augusti was always a senator of consular or praetorian rank (i.e., who had previously held the office ofconsul orpraetor). However, the position of the governor ofEgypt (praefectus Aegypti) was unparalleled, for though aneques (Roman knight) he had legions under his command. Some smaller imperial provinces where no legions were based (e.g.Mauretania,Thrace,Rhaetia,Noricum, andJudaea) were administered by equestrianpraefecti (prefects) later designatedprocuratores (procurators) who commanded onlyauxiliary forces. Thelegatus Augusti was both the head of the provincial administration, chief judicial officer and commander-in-chief of all military forces based in the province (legions and auxiliaries). The only function outside the remit of thelegatus was finance (the collection of imperial taxes and revenues), which was handled by an independentprocurator, who reported direct to the emperor.
In the military hierarchy, thelegatus' direct subordinates were thelegati legionis (the commanders of the legions based in the province), who in turn commanded thetribuni militum (the legion's senior staff officers) and thepraefecti (commanders) of the auxiliary regiments attached to the legion.
In AD 68, 15 out of a total of 36 provinces were ruled bylegati Augusti:Hispania Tarraconensis,Lusitania,Gallia Aquitania,Gallia Lugdunensis,Gallia Belgica,Britannia,Germania Inferior,Germania Superior,Moesia,Dalmatia,Galatia,Cappadocia,Lycia et Pamphylia,Syria, andNumidia.[1]
