''Prōtospatharios'' ( el, πρωτοσπαθάριος) was one of the highest court dignities of the middle

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

period (8th to 12th centuries), awarded to senior generals and provincial governors, as well as to foreign princes.

History

The meaning of the title, "first '' spatharios''", indicates its original role as leader of the order (''taxis'') of the ''spatharioi'', the imperial bodyguards, was already attested in the 6th century. Probably under the Heraclians, the rank became an honorary dignity (Greek: δια βραβείου ἀξία, ''dia brabeiou axia''), and was henceforth bestowed to high-ranking theme commanders, senior court officials, and allied rulers.. The first concrete reference to a ''prōtospatharios'' occurs in the ''Chronicle'' of

Theophanes the Confessor Theophanes the Confessor ( el, Θεοφάνης Ὁμολογητής; c. 758/760 – 12 March 817/818) was a member of the Byzantine aristocracy who became a monk and chronicler. He served in the court of Emperor Leo IV the Khazar before taking ...

, who records "Sergios, ''prōtospatharios'' and '' stratēgos'' of

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

" in 718. In the late 9th century, the ''prōtospatharios'' is recorded as ranking below the ''

patrikios The patricians (from la, patricius, Greek: πατρίκιος) were originally a group of ruling class families in ancient Rome. The distinction was highly significant in the Roman Kingdom, and the early Republic, but its relevance waned aft ...

'' and above the '' dishypatos''. The award of the dignity also meant the entry of its holder in the

Byzantine Senate The Byzantine senate or eastern Roman senate ( el, Σύγκλητος, ''Synklētos'', or , ''Gerousia'') was a continuation of the Roman Senate, established in the 4th century by Constantine I. It survived for centuries, but the senate's powers ...

. Its prestige was consequently very high, as illustrated by a well-known story related by Emperor

Constantine Porphyrogennetos Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus (; 17 May 905 – 9 November 959) was the fourth Emperor of the Macedonian dynasty of the Byzantine Empire, reigning from 6 June 913 to 9 November 959. He was the son of Emperor Leo VI and his fourth wife, Zoe K ...

() in his ''

De Administrando Imperio ''De Administrando Imperio'' ("On the Governance of the Empire") is the Latin title of a Greek-language work written by the 10th-century Eastern Roman Emperor Constantine VII. The Greek title of the work is ("To yown son Romanos"). It is a domes ...

'': during the reign of his father, Emperor Leo VI the Wise (), an aged cleric of the '' Nea Ekklesia'', Ktenas by name, paid 60 litras of gold (circa 19.4 kg), i.e. sixty times the annual stipend of 72 '' nomismata'' to which ''prōtospatharioi'' were entitled, to acquire the title. He did not live long to enjoy his new status, however, dying two years later. Like other titles of the middle Byzantine period, its importance declined sharply in the 11th century. The last attested occurrence is in 1115, although the title is still recorded by pseudo-Kodinos in the mid-14th century in the 34th place of the court hierarchy, between the '' primmikerios'' of the court and the ''megas archōn''. According to the ''Klētorologion'' of Philotheos, the holders of the dignity were distinguished between eunuchs (''ektomiai'') and non-eunuchs (''barbatoi'', "bearded ones"). In addition to the insigne of their rank, a gold necklet (''maniakion'') adorned with pearls, the former had a special dress, a white, gold-adorned

tunic A tunic is a garment for the body, usually simple in style, reaching from the shoulders to a length somewhere between the hips and the knees. The name derives from the Latin ''tunica'', the basic garment worn by both men and women in Ancient Ro ...

and a red doublet with gold facings. The non-eunuchs were distinguished only by their golden collar (''kloios''), decorated with precious stones. Pictorial evidence of the dress of ''prōtospatharioi'' in

illuminated manuscript An illuminated manuscript is a formally prepared document where the text is often supplemented with flourishes such as borders and miniature illustrations. Often used in the Roman Catholic Church for prayers, liturgical services and psalms, th ...

s, however, varies considerably over time. In the ''Book of Offices'' of pseudo-Kodinos, the garb of this rank is defined as a gold wire-embroidered ''skaranikon'' (a tubular headdress), with the image of the reigning emperor enthroned in front and riding a horse behind, a gold '' kabbadion'' ( caftan) and a ''skiadion'' (brimmed hat) of the ''klapōton'' type,The ''klapōton'' type involves something being "decorated with small golden squares in the shape of a nailhead". . while bearing no distinctive ''dikanikion'' (staff of office). In the

Empire of Trebizond The Empire of Trebizond, or Trapezuntine Empire, was a monarchy and one of three successor rump states of the Byzantine Empire, along with the Despotate of the Morea and the Principality of Theodoro, that flourished during the 13th through ...

, an equivalent title of Turkish origin, ''amytzantarios'', was used.

Functions

Aside from being a court rank, there were several ''prōtospatharioi'' who had specific duties: *The ''prōtospatharios'' in charge of the '' Chrysotriklinos'' (), the main reception hall of the Great Palace. *The ''prōtospatharios'' in charge of the ''Lausiakos'' (), one of the main halls adjacent to the ''Chrysotriklinos'', serving as a meeting hall. The personnel (''oikeiakoi'') of the ''Lausiakos'' most likely also had functions related to the preparation of imperial banquets. *The ''prōtospatharios'', or '' katepanō'', of the '' basilikoi anthrōpoi'' (), a corps of low-level imperial servants, including foreigners. He is listed as one of the ''

stratarchai ( el, στρατάρχης, pl. (archaic) or (modern)), means ''ruler of the army'' in Greek, and is a title associated with successful generals. In modern Greek usage, it corresponds to the rank of Field Marshal. Byzantine Empire The term o ...

'', thereby denoting an unspecified military role. His subordinate staff included lower-ranking officials (those of ''spatharioi'' and ''kandidatoi'' rank), with a '' domestikos'' as chief aide. *The ''prōtospatharios tēs Phialēs'' (), an official acting as

judge A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...

for the oarsmen of the

Byzantine navy The Byzantine navy was the naval force of the East Roman or Byzantine Empire. Like the empire it served, it was a direct continuation from its Imperial Roman predecessor, but played a far greater role in the defence and survival of the state than ...

stationed around the capital, Constantinople. Like the exact functions of the office, the term ''phialē'' ("water-basin") is obscure; it could possibly refer to a location in the harbour of the imperial palace of Boukoleon.

Notable foreign ''prōtospatharioi''

Ivan the Russian Ivan the Russian ( bg, Иван Русина, ''Ivan Rusina''; hu, Orosz Iván) (floruit, fl. 1288/1323–1332) was a 14th-century Bulgarian military leader of Russians, Russian origin who served List of Bulgarian monarchs, Bulgarian tsars Micha ...

* Mihailo I Vojislavljević of Duklja

References

Sources

* * * * {{Byzantine offices after pseudo-Kodinos Byzantine court titles