exarchate
/ˈɛksɑːrkeɪt/
noun
- A historical administrative territory or province governed by an exarch (a Byzantine governor or a bishop).
- The Byzantine Empire divided Italy into several exarchates, including the Exarchate of Ravenna.
- The exarchate was ruled by a military governor who reported directly to the emperor in Constantinople.
- Historians study the exarchate system to understand how the Byzantines managed distant territories.