The chief administrative official in Spania was the "magister militum Spaniae", meaning "master of the military of Spain." The "magister militum" governed civil and military affairs in the province and was subordinate only to the Emperor. Typically the "magister" was a member of the highest aristocratic class and bore the rank of patrician. The office, though it only appears in records for the first time in 589, was probably a creation of Justinian, as was the mint, which issued provincial currency until the end of the province (c. 625).