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In 476, after the fall of the Roman Empire in the West, the Eastern Roman Empire remained stable through the early years of the Middle Ages and retained the ability for expansion. During this period Emperor [[Justinian]] re-conquered, as part of the Eastern Roman Empire, North Africa, Italy, Dalmatia, and parts of Spain. This expansion put an incredible strain on the limited resources of the Empire, but later emperors would not surrender the re-conquered lands to remedy the strain on resources. This set the stage for establishment of the Exarchates to handle locally the constantly evolving situation in the provinces.
The Exarchates were a response to weakening imperial authority in the provinces, particularly in Italy and North Africa, and were part of the overall process of unification of civil and military offices in these lands. This type of organization initiated in an early form by [[Justinian]] led eventually to the creation of the Theme system by emperor [[Heraclius]]. The first exarchate, with [Ravenna]] at its center, was formed and organized during the reign of Emperor [[Maurice]]. The exarch functioned also as the representative of the [[Patriarch]] of Constantinople. Similarly, separate exarchates were established for Byzantine Sicily and Africa. By the mid eighth century all these exarchates were lost under the advance of the Lombards and Franks. {{Clergy}}
==Ecclesiastical history==
