() 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 ...

technical term, meaning deputy or

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

(). As such, it was used in different ways throughout the Empire's history. In the 9th-11th centuries, the was the deputy of senior military commanders of the , the and the

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

. The was usually placed in command of one half of the respective unit. In the early 12th century, are found as commanders of small regions and fortresses, while in the late

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 ...

, the term was used for representatives of the

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 ...

in sees that now lay outside the Byzantine Empire's borders.

References

Literature

* ''Cheynet J.–Cl.'' Toparque et topotètèretes à la fi n du 11e siècle // Revue des Études Вyzantines. 1984. P. 215–218 Greek words and phrases Byzantine military offices Byzantine administrative offices {{byzantine-stub