Hispania Balearica
Hispania Balearica was a
Conquest
Prior to the Roman occupation, the island was settled by the native
The Roman historians
Economy
The territory was extremely valuable economically, so much so that Balearicus settled 3,000 ‘Romans’ on the islands in two settlements on Majorca, Palma, and Pollentia. The two settlements attest to the importance of the islands being firmly under Roman control. There is some debate as to where these settlers came from, as it is unlikely there were this many
The Balearicas had much to trade.
Slingers
Balearica was also known for its fighting
The islands are named for their famed fighters, balearica meaning 'land of the slinger' (ballo) in Greek.Government
Before being separated, Hispania Balearica was the fourth district of the
Hispania Balearica became an independent province during the reign of Emperor Diocletian sometime after 284 AD. Under Diocletian, sweeping reforms of the provincial administration were enacted, designed to separate military and civic authority. Also, to reduce the power of other officials, the provinces were systematically reduced in size. All provinces were now under the direct control of the Emperor. All officials were chosen by him, including the legati pro praetore, men of praetorian rank who ran civic affairs in the province, and curators who ran the municipalities within provinces.[13] Balearica was separated because it was not reliant on the mainland for any staples and had special needs as a trading center that were more difficult to fulfil as a municipality than as a province. By the time of Diocletian, the islands' population was over 30,000, and they were granted their own Roman bishop in 418 AD.[14]
Decline and fall
In 426, the Vandals under King Gunderic captured Carthago Nova, the base of the "main naval force in the Western Mediterranean." That year or the next the king led a raid on Balearica.[15]: pp.60–61 In 455, following the death of Valentinian III, Gunderic's successor Gaiseric, now established in North Africa, annexed Balearica along with Corsica and Sardinia,[16] presumably to gain a naval base to attack Roman naval forces.[15]: p.153
Around 553 forces of the Byzantine general Belisarius recaptured the islands for the Empire,[17] where they remained until likely the tenth century when they were occupied by the Caliphate of Córdoba.[18]
References
- ^ a b Smith, LLD, William (1854). Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography. London: Walton and Maberly. Retrieved Sep 26, 2019.
- ^ M. G. Morgan. ‘The Roman conquest of the Balearic Isles’, California Studies in Classical Antiquity, vol. 2, 1969, pp. 217.
- ^ Badian, E. Foreign Clientelea. Oxford University press, 1958, pp. 182.
- ^ Morgan. pp. 231.
- ^ J.S. Richardson. Hispaniae: Spain and the development of Roman Imperialism. Cambridge University Press, 1986, pp. 163.
- ^ J.J. Van Nostrand. ‘Roman Spain’, Economic Survey of Ancient Rome, vol. 3, 1937, pp. 176.
- ^ Cambridge Ancient Histories. vol. X, pp. 408.
- ^ J.J. Van Nostrand. pp. 218.
- ^ I.L.S., pp. 1875.
- ^ Morgan. pp. 219.
- ^ Curchin, Leonard. Roman Spain: Conquest and Assimilation. Routledge Inc., 1991, pp. 101.
- ^ Curchin, Leonard. Pp. 64.
- ^ C.A.H., vol. IX, pp.347-48.
- ^ Bouchier, E.S. Spain Under the Roman Empire. Oxford University Press, 1914, pp. 179.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-78159-018-8. Retrieved Oct 2, 2019.
- ISBN 978-0-674-66013-7.
- ^ Smith, William; Wace, Henry (1882). A Dictionary of Christian Biography, Literature, Sects and Doctrines: Hermogenes-Myensis. Little, Brown. p. 540. Retrieved Oct 2, 2019.
- ISBN 978-1-138-24331-6. Retrieved Oct 2, 2019.