The ''Paramonai'' ( el, Παραμοναί) were an obscure
Byzantine guard regiment of the
Palaiologan period.
The name derives from the Greek verb παραμένω, meaning "to stand near something". Unlike other major guard units in the
Palaiologan army
The Palaiologan army refers to the military forces of the Byzantine Empire under the rule of the Palaiologos dynasty, from the late 13th century to its final collapse in the mid-15th century. The army was a direct continuation of the forces of the ...
like the
Varangian Guard, the regiment of the ''Paramonai'' was a
native Byzantine formation, although little else is known about it. Its existence is safely attested in the literary sources only for the period from 1272 until 1315.
[.]
They are still mentioned by the mid-14th century writer
Pseudo-Kodinos, however, who records that the regiment had two divisions, one on foot and the other on horse, each commanded by an ''
allagator'', and that all the soldiers were armed with
sword
A sword is an edged, bladed weapon intended for manual cutting or thrusting. Its blade, longer than a knife or dagger, is attached to a hilt and can be straight or curved. A thrusting sword tends to have a straighter blade with a pointed ti ...
s. The veracity of Kodinos's account is impossible to ascertain.
References
Sources
*
Guards units of the Byzantine Empire
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