Satrap Large City

Though the empires of the east had relied on client kings to indirectly administer their provinces for some time, satraps came into existence in their particular form under the Persian Achaemenid Empire. The divine associations attributed to kingship meant that the men appointed to rule their domains were instead called satraps, essentially governors who ruled in the Great King’s name. Despite this lesser status, they remained responsible for every aspect of administration from taxation to defence, and had miniature courts that reflected their power. Such autonomy decreased the administrative burden on the Great King but provided ample opportunity for rebellion when central power weakened.