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Eunuchs In The Byzantine Empire
Eunuchs (in Greek language, Greek ''οἱ εὐνοῦχοι'') were an extremely important and numerous category of courtiers of the List of Byzantine emperors, Byzantine Emperor. Their main purpose was to serve the emperor and empress in the chambers of the Great Palace of Constantinople, Great Palace; only they could be fully trusted by the emperor. Because of their unfettered access to the emperor's person, the eunuchs, who had their own Byzantine bureaucracy and aristocracy, court hierarchy, controlled the administration of the state for most of Byzantine history. Eunuchs were highly privileged in Byzantine society. Although they could not occupy the imperial throne and their legal rights were limited in some respects, eunuchs otherwise had very attractive prospects. Although the main source of eunuchs in Byzantium was slaves from neighboring countries, it was not uncommon for the younger sons of noble families to be Castration, castrated. For example, two of the sons of Empero ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eunuch
A eunuch ( , ) is a male who has been castration, castrated. Throughout history, castration often served a specific social function. The earliest records for intentional castration to produce eunuchs are from the Sumerian city of Lagash in the 2nd millennium BCE. Over the millennia since, they have performed a wide variety of functions in many different cultures: courtiers or equivalent Domestic worker, domestics, for espionage or clandestine operations, ''castrato'' singers, Concubinage, concubines or sexual partners, religious specialists, soldiers, royal guards, government officials, and guardians of women or harem servants. Eunuchs would usually be servants or Slavery, slaves who had been castrated to make them less threatening servants of a royal court where physical access to the ruler could wield great influence. Seemingly lowly domestic functions—such as making the ruler's bed, bathing him, cutting his hair, carrying him in his litter (vehicle), litter, or even rel ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nerva
Nerva (; born Marcus Cocceius Nerva; 8 November 30 – 27 January 98) was a Roman emperor from 96 to 98. Nerva became emperor when aged almost 66, after a lifetime of imperial service under Nero and the succeeding rulers of the Flavian dynasty. Under Nero, he was a member of the imperial entourage and played a vital part in exposing the Pisonian conspiracy of 65. Later, as a loyalist to the Flavians, he attained Roman consul, consulships in 71 and 90 during the reigns of Vespasian and Domitian, respectively. On 18 September 96, Domitian was assassinated in a palace conspiracy involving members of the Praetorian Guard and several of his freedman, freedmen. On the same day, Nerva was declared emperor by the Roman Senate. As the new ruler of the Roman Empire, he vowed to restore liberties which had been curtailed during the autocratic government of Domitian. Nerva's brief reign was marred by financial difficulties and his inability to assert his authority over the Roman army. A r ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Barbarian
A barbarian is a person or tribe of people that is perceived to be primitive, savage and warlike. Many cultures have referred to other cultures as barbarians, sometimes out of misunderstanding and sometimes out of prejudice. A "barbarian" may also be an individual reference to an aggressive, brutal, cruel, and insensitive person, particularly one who is also dim-witted, while cultures, customs and practices adopted by peoples and countries perceived to be primitive may be referred to as "barbaric". The term originates from the (; ). In Ancient Greece, the Greeks used the term not only for those who did not speak Greek and follow classical Greek customs, but also for Greek populations on the fringe of the Greek world with peculiar dialects. In Ancient Rome, the Romans adapted and applied the term to tribal non-Romans such as the Germanics, Celts, Iberians, Helvetii, Thracians, Illyrians, and Sarmatians. In the early modern period and sometimes later, the Byzantine Greeks ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Leo I (emperor)
Leo I (; 401 – 18 January 474), also known as "the Thracian" (; ), was Eastern Roman emperor from 457 to 474. He was a native of Dacia Aureliana near historic Thrace. He is sometimes surnamed with the epithet "the Great" (; ), probably to distinguish him from his young grandson and co-''augustus'' Leo II (). During his 17-year rule, he oversaw a number of ambitious political and military plans, aimed mostly at aiding the faltering Western Roman Empire and recovering its former territories. He is notable for being the first Eastern Emperor to legislate in Koine Greek rather than Late Latin. He is commemorated as a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church, with his feast day on 20 January. Reign He was born in Thracia or in Dacia Aureliana province in the year 401 to a Thraco-Roman family. His Dacian origin is mentioned by Candidus Isaurus, while John Malalas believes that he was of Bessian Thracian stock. According to the '' Patria of Constantinople'' he had one siste ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ammianus Marcellinus
Ammianus Marcellinus, occasionally anglicized as Ammian ( Greek: Αμμιανός Μαρκελλίνος; born , died 400), was a Greek and Roman soldier and historian who wrote the penultimate major historical account surviving from antiquity (preceding Procopius). Written in Latin and known as the '' Res gestae'', his work chronicled the history of Rome from the accession of Emperor Nerva in 96 to the death of Valens at the Battle of Adrianople in 378. Only the sections covering the period 353 to 378 survive. Biography Ammianus was born in the East Mediterranean, possibly in Syria or Phoenicia, around 330, into a noble family of Greek origin. Since he calls himself ''Graecus'' ( Greek), he was most likely born in a Greek-speaking area of the empire. His native language was Greek, but he also knew Latin. The surviving books of his history cover the years 353 to 378. Ammianus began his career as a military officer in the Praetorian Guard, where he gained firsthand exper ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ursicinus (magister Equitum)
Ursicinus was a Roman senior military officer, holding the rank of ''Magister Equitum per Orientem'' (Master of Horse of the East) and even ''Magister Peditum Praesentalis'' in the later Roman Empire ''c.'' 349–359. He was a citizen of Antioch and was well connected in the Eastern part of the Roman Empire. Career From AD 349 to 359 he served as Magister Equitum in the East. In 351 or 352 he was entrusted with the suppression of the Jewish revolt against Constantius Gallus led by Patricius and Isaac of Diocesarea. Tiberias and Diospolis, two of the cities conquered by the rebels, were almost completely destroyed, while Diocaesarea was razed to the ground. Ursicinus also was ordered to kill several thousand rebels, even young ones.Jerome, ''Chronica'', 15-21; Theophanes, AM 5843. Service with Ammianus Marcellinus In 353, historian Ammianus Marcellinus was attached to the command of Ursicinus at his headquarters in Nisibis, where he remained until recalled in 354 by Gallus, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Arian Controversy
The Arian controversy was a series of Christian disputes about the nature of Christ that began with a dispute between Arius and Athanasius of Alexandria, two Christian theologians from Alexandria, Egypt. The most important of these controversies concerned the relationship between the substance of God the Father and the substance of His Son. The position advanced initially by Arius argued that the Son of God came after God the Father in both time and substance. This conflicted with the Trinitarian faction initially advanced by Athanasius which argued that the Christ was coeternal and consubstantial with God the Father. Emperor Constantine, through the Council of Nicaea in 325, attempted to unite Christianity and establish a single, imperially approved version of the faith. Ironically, his efforts were the cause of the deep divisions created by the disputes after Nicaea. While there was no formal schism, these disagreements divided the Church into various factions for over 55 y ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Arianism
Arianism (, ) is a Christology, Christological doctrine which rejects the traditional notion of the Trinity and considers Jesus to be a creation of God, and therefore distinct from God. It is named after its major proponent, Arius (). It is considered Heresy in Christianity, heretical by most modern mainstream branches of Christianity. It is held by a minority of modern denominations, although some of these denominations hold related doctrines such as Socinianism, and some shy away from use of the term Arian due to the term's historically negative connotations. Modern denominations sometimes connected to the teaching include Jehovah's Witnesses, some individual churches within the Churches of Christ (including the movement's founder Barton W. Stone), as well as some Hebrew Roots Christians and Messianic Judaism, Messianic Jews (although many Messianic Jews also follow Nicene Christianity). It is first attributed to Arius (), a Christian presbyter who preached and studied in Ale ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cubicularius
''Cubicularius'', Hellenized as ''koubikoularios'' (), was a title used for the eunuch chamberlains of the imperial palace in the later Roman Empire and in the Byzantine Empire. The feminine version, used for the ladies-in-waiting of the empresses, was ''koubikoularia'' (κουβικουλαρία). History The term derives from their service in the ''sacrum cubiculum'', the emperor's "sacred bedchamber". In the late Roman period, the ''cubicularii'' or ''koubikoularioi'' were numerous: according to John Malalas, Empress Theodora's retinue numbered as many as 4,000 '' patrikioi'' and ''koubikoularioi''.. They were placed under the command of the '' praepositus sacri cubiculi'' and the ''primicerius sacri cubiculi'', while the other palace servants came either under the '' castrensis sacri palatii'' or the ''magister officiorum''.. There were also special ''cubicularii''/''koubikoularioi'' for the empress (sometimes including female ''koubikoulariai''), and the office was intr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eusebius (praepositus Sacri Cubiculi)
Eusebius (died 361 AD) was a high-ranking officer of the Roman Empire, holding the position of ''praepositus sacri cubiculi'' during the rule of Emperor Constantius II (337-361). Biography Eusebius held the position of ''praepositus sacri cubiculi'' in 337, when Constantine I died; he concealed the will of the Emperor. Eusebius became a supporter of Arianism, influencing the empress and many other eunuchs. He entered then at the service of one of Constantine's sons and successors, Constantius II, with whom he shared the support for Arianism and on whom he exerted a great influence. In 354 Eusebius was sent by Constantius II to talk to Pope Liberius and then attended at the meeting between the Emperor and the Pope. He sent money to the orator Libanius in exile and, in 355, helped those Arian bishops who plotted against Athanasius of Alexandria. Eusebius followed Constantius into Gaul (353-354) and then to Milan (354). Here he plotted against Constantius' cousin, brother-in-law a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Praepositus Sacri Cubiculi
The ''praepositus sacri cubiculi'' (Latin: "provost of the sacred bedchamber", in ) was one of the senior palace offices in the Late Roman Empire. Its holder was usually a eunuch, and acted as the grand chamberlain of the palace, wielding considerable authority and influence. In the 7th or 8th century, the title was also given to an order of rank for eunuch palace servants. The title and office continued in use in the simplified form of ''praipositos'' (πραιπόσιτος) in the Byzantine Empire until the late 11th century. History and evolution The first securely identifiable holder of the office was Eusebius under Emperor Constantius II (), but the position may have been introduced already under Constantine the Great (), in replacement of the older ''a cubiculo''. He controlled the corps of the '' cubicularii'' (κουβικουλάριοι, ), also eunuchs, and was responsible for the imperial bedchamber, wardrobe and receptions. Originally under the control of the ''castr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Solidus (coin)
The ''solidus'' (Latin 'solid'; : ''solidi'') or ''nomisma'' () was a highly pure gold coin issued in the Later Roman Empire and Byzantine Empire. It was introduced in the early 4th century, replacing the aureus, and its weight of about 4.45 grams remained relatively constant for seven centuries. In the Byzantine Empire, the solidus or nomisma remained a highly pure gold coin until the 11th century, when several Byzantine emperors began to strike the coin with debasement, less and less gold. The nomisma was finally abolished by Alexios I Komnenos in 1092, who replaced it with the hyperpyron, which also came to be known as a "bezant". The Byzantine solidus also inspired the zolotnik in the Kievan Rus' and the originally slightly less pure gold dinar first issued by the Umayyad Caliphate beginning in 697. In Western Europe, the solidus was the main gold coin of commerce from late Roman times to the Early Middle Ages. In Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, the solidus also ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
