The Settlement in Italy
After the recovery of Rome and the rest of Italy the question that faced Theodoros was the administrative settlement of the peninsula. The southern half, from Naples to Bari, was administered by the Catepan of Italy. The northern half had no systematized administration per se, rather consisting of a patchwork of local Lombard barons, city councils and church lands, all thrown into disarray by the wars. This situation was unacceptable to Theodoros: a loyal and efficient administration was needed. Maintaining the existing institutions was out of the question. An office of Catepan or Exarch with authority over all Italy from Etruria to Apulia would make an excellent springboard for would-be usurpers. An arrangement after the Frankish fashion would be just as prone to rebellion and weak in the face of external threats, a fact that was made obvious by the relatively easy Imperial reconquest of Italy. Extension of the theme system into Italy was thus viewed as the best long-term solution, as Kaisar Romanos Komnenos reports in his chronicle of his father's reign. However, the redistribution of the popular land acquired from the Lombard dukes' and counts' estates to the soldiers of the new themes would take some time, and would further be delayed in order to avoid a sudden displacement of the serfs from those estates, which would have contributed greatly to any possible rebellions.
Therefore, a new arrangement would be needed, at least temporarily. As the old saying goes, nihil sub sole novum, and Theodoros' solution was to revive the ancient administration of Italy. Following the surrender of Rome to the Empire by the Pope, Theodoros made a great show of "The first Imperial visit to the City in centuries", and ordered the restoration of the Senate in Rome. Much like Constantine the Great some 800 years prior, Theodoros promised land grants and free grain to any senator willing to move to Rome. In addition, he elevated members of several of the prominent local families to the rank of patrikios, and admitted them to the new Roman Senate as well. This new Senate was to elect from amongst its ranks a Consul, or Hypatos each year, who would then assume administrative, and, in theory, military control of Italy. After his term of office, the same man could be elected again only after 10 years.
There were, however, significant differences between this new consulship and its ancient ancestor. There was no standing army in Italy to command, thus the military duties of the consul consisted mainly of assembling and commanding a levee in Italy with the aim of defending from an invasion long enough for one of the Thematic armies to be dispatched by Constantinople. The consul held no authority outside of Italy and had no foreign policy making or local legislative power. After his term of office he had to rely entirely on the Emperor for further appointments.
In the end, this system was to last, as the extension of the theme system into Italy never materialized. Moreover, the Senate in Rome and the Imperial Senate in Constantinople gradually gained the same range of powers and responsibilities, when Theodoros transferred the administration of Thrace to the Consul of the Senate in Constantinople and Demetrios I gave the votes of Roman and Constantinopolitan senators equal weight during the election of the Emperor. In addition, the restoration of the Roman Senate caused an influx of wealth into Rome that financed the architectural rebirth of the City. Many old buildings were restored, and many new ones were built. This, in turn, rekindled contemporary interest in the classical past that laid the foundation for the Renaissance of the late 13th century.
Constantinople, circa 1150 AD
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