The (, "the secret one") was an important

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

office of the imperial chancery from the 9th through to the 15th centuries. Its initial role is unclear; he was probably the Byzantine emperor's private secretary. In time, the office also exercised judicial duties. It became an important fiscal official in the

Komnenian period The Byzantine Empire was ruled by emperors of the Komnenos dynasty for a period of 104 years, from 1081 to about 1185. The ''Komnenian'' (also spelled ''Comnenian'') period comprises the reigns of five emperors, Alexios I, John II, Manuel I, ...

, and remained one of the highest-ranking state offices into the

Palaiologan period The Byzantine Empire, officially known as the Roman Empire, was ruled by the Palaiologos dynasty in the period between 1261 and 1453, from the restoration of Byzantine rule to Constantinople by the usurper Michael VIII Palaiologos following its r ...

as well.

History and functions

The office first appears in the reign of Emperor

Basil I the Macedonian Basil I, nicknamed "the Macedonian" (; 811 – 29 August 886), was List of Byzantine emperors, Byzantine emperor from 867 to 886. Born to a peasant family in Macedonia (theme), Macedonia, he rose to prominence in the imperial court after gainin ...

(), when it was held by

Leo Choirosphaktes Leo Choirosphaktes, sometimes Latinized as Choerosphactes () and also known as Leo Magistros or Leo Magister, was a Byzantine official who rose to high office under Emperor Basil I the Macedonian () and served as an envoy under Emperor Leo VI the W ...

.. The original function of the office is unclear.

Franz Dölger Franz Dölger ( Kleinwallstadt, 4 October 1891 – Munich, 5 November 1968) was a German Byzantinist. He is most notable for his crucial contributions to Byzantine diplomatics, and as the chief editor of the journal ''Byzantinische Zeitschrift'' f ...

regarded the as the emperor's private secretary, while

Nicolas Oikonomides Nikolaos or Nikos Oikonomides (, 14 February 1934 – 31 May 2000) was a Greeks, Greek Byzantinist, and one of the leading experts in the field of Byzantine aristocracy and bureaucracy, Byzantine administration. Biography Oikonomides was born i ...

considered him already at that stage as a judicial official. Due to their proximity to the emperor, the holders of the office had considerable power. Already under Emperor

Leo VI the Wise Leo VI, also known as Leo the Wise (; 19 September 866 – 11 May 912), was Byzantine Emperor from 886 to 912. The second ruler of the Macedonian dynasty (although his parentage is unclear), he was very well read, leading to his epithet. During ...

(), a became

Patriarch of Constantinople The ecumenical patriarch of Constantinople () is the archbishop of Constantinople and (first among equals) among the heads of the several autocephalous churches that comprise the Eastern Orthodox Church. The ecumenical patriarch is regarded as ...

: Nicholas I Mystikos. Trusted by the emperors, the are thus attested as occupying various important offices: at times they exercised the duties of a (head of the chancery), various judicial duties, or served as heads of the establishment of the imperial bedchamber (). The office rose to particular prominence under Emperor

Manuel I Komnenos Manuel I Komnenos (; 28 November 1118 – 24 September 1180), Latinized as Comnenus, also called Porphyrogenitus (; " born in the purple"), was a Byzantine emperor of the 12th century who reigned over a crucial turning point in the history o ...

(), when the was given charge of the imperial palace and the emperor's private treasury, thus controlling not only the flow of salaries to the various imperial officials, but also the patronage and donations from the imperial purse to the Church. The office remained important in the 13th century, when at least one of its holders held the rank of . The title's functions at this time, however, are again unclear. The office remains attested up to the end of the Byzantine Empire in the 15th century.

Derivative offices

In the 10th and 11th centuries, a number of offices were based on the term . The (, "first ") is attested in 1057 as a senior judicial official. Furthermore, the posts of () and () are frequently attested in seals. The former is first attested in 911/2 and was extant until , when it was probably abolished by Emperor

Alexios I Komnenos Alexios I Komnenos (, – 15 August 1118), Latinization of names, Latinized as Alexius I Comnenus, was Byzantine Emperor, Byzantine emperor from 1081 to 1118. After usurper, usurping the throne, he was faced with a collapsing empire and ...

(). He was possibly the assistant of the , since he follows right after him in the list of offices of the ''

Escorial Taktikon The ''Escorial Taktikon'' (other spellings: ''Escurial Taktikon'', ''Escorial Tacticon'', ''Escurial Tacticon''), also known as the ''Taktikon Oikonomides'' after Nicolas Oikonomides who first edited it, is a list of Byzantine Empire, Byzantine of ...

'', written around 975, and its holders' seals pair the title with positions as notaries and judicial officials. The office of is chiefly attested in seals of the 11th and 12th centuries. Along with notarial and judicial posts, its holders are also linked in seals with positions within the court itself.

References

Sources

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History and functions

Derivative offices

References

Sources

Further reading