The title of () was a

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 ...

court title A royal court, often called simply a court when the royal context is clear, is an extended royal household in a monarchy, including all those who regularly attend on a monarch, or another central figure. Hence, the word ''court'' may also be ap ...

created by

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 ...

() using the imperial root (the Greek translation of ). It was always conferred to members of

aristocratic Aristocracy (; ) is a form of government that places power in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocrats. Across Europe, the aristocracy exercised immense economic, political, and social influence. In Western Christian co ...

families closely allied to the imperial family. Michael Taronites, Alexios I's brother-in-law, was first awarded this title and regarded as almost equal to a . Under the Komnenian emperors, was one of the titles accorded to the emperor's sons-in-law (): the husband of the eldest daughter received the title of , the husband of the second daughter became , and those of the third and fourth received the titles of and respectively. The title remained very important through to the

Palaiologan era 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 ...

, coming right after the , but under

Andronikos III Palaiologos Andronikos III Palaiologos (; 25 March 1297 – 15 June 1341), commonly Latinized as Andronicus III Palaeologus, was the Byzantine emperor from 1328 to 1341. He was the son of Michael IX Palaiologos and Rita of Armenia. He was proclaimed c ...

(), when the future emperor

John VI Kantakouzenos John VI Kantakouzenos or Cantacuzene (; ; – 15 June 1383) was a Byzantine Greek nobleman, statesman, and general. He served as grand domestic under Andronikos III Palaiologos and regent for John V Palaiologos before reigning as Byza ...

was named , the latter office was raised above the . According to

Pseudo-Kodinos George Kodinos (), also Pseudo-Kodinos or Codinus, is the conventional name of an anonymous late 15th-century author of late Byzantine literature. Their attribution to him is only traditional, and is based on the fact that all three works come ...

, writing after the middle of the 14th century, the was distinguished by the yellow colour of his clothing: his shoes, his mantle (), as well as his saddle, were all yellow, decorated with gold braid. Otherwise his costume resembled that of the , i.e., a hat in red and gold, decorated with embroideries in the style, with a veil and pendants in the same style. Alternatively, a domed hat could be worn, again in red and gold, with a portrait of the emperor, standing crowned and flanked by angels, within a circle of pearls, in front. The itself was also bordered with pearls. A rich silk tunic, the , of two colours, decorated with stripes of gold braid, was also worn, and the staff of office () featured carved knobs, with the first of plain gold, the second of gold bordered with silver braid, the third like the first, the fourth like the second, etc.

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Sources

* * * * * {{Byzantine offices after pseudo-Kodinos Byzantine court titles Court titles in the Middle Ages