Hikanatoi
Encyclopedia
The Hikanatoi sometimes Latinized as Hicanati, were one of the Byzantine
tagmata, the elite guard units based near the imperial capital of Constantinople
. Founded in the early 9th century, it survived until the late 11th century.
(r. 802–811), and this date is generally accepted; sigillographic evidence, however, is vague, and could support a late 8th-century establishment. According to the Vita, Niketas, the future patriarch Ignatius, was appointed as its first commander. The unit is well-attested in the 9th through 10th centuries, but evidence becomes unclear in the 11th century, when the term Hikanatoi may have been used as a family name rather than a unit title. At any rate, the unit, like most of the tagmata, ceased to exist sometime in the latter half of the 11th century.
, and headed by a domestikos
(Greek: , domestikos tōn Ikanatōn), usually with the court rank of prōtospatharios
. His chief subordinate was the topotērētēs ("lieutenant"), likewise of prōtospatharios rank, while the rest of the unit's officials were below the rank of spatharios. Following the pattern of the Vigla, there were a chartoularios
(financial official), a number of komētes ("counts") and their subordinate kentarchoi commanding the banda into which the unit was divided, a prōtomandatōr (head messenger), and three classes of standard-bearers: the bandophoroi, sēmeiophoroi and doukiniatores.
As with the other tagmata, the exact size of the unit and its subdivisions is a matter of debate, since it is chiefly based on Arab accounts, whose accuracy and veracity is open to question. Warren Treadgold, who accepts the Arab figures, considers the tagmata to have had a standard size of 4,000 men each, while John Haldon, who considers their numbers inflated, considers a total of 4,000 for all tagmata more plausible. The lists of the Cretan
expedition of 949, included in the De Ceremoniis
of Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogennetos (r. 913–959), include mention of 456 Hikanatoi, but it is unclear what part of the unit's strength they represent.
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
tagmata, the elite guard units based near the imperial capital of Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
. Founded in the early 9th century, it survived until the late 11th century.
History
The exact date of the unit's establishment is uncertain: the Vita Ignatii, an hagiographic account of the life of Patriarch Ignatius of Constantinople, records that the unit was said to have been established circa 809 by Emperor Nikephoros INikephoros I
Nikephoros I or Nicephorus I, Logothetes or Genikos was Byzantine emperor from 802 to 811, when he was killed in the Battle of Pliska....
(r. 802–811), and this date is generally accepted; sigillographic evidence, however, is vague, and could support a late 8th-century establishment. According to the Vita, Niketas, the future patriarch Ignatius, was appointed as its first commander. The unit is well-attested in the 9th through 10th centuries, but evidence becomes unclear in the 11th century, when the term Hikanatoi may have been used as a family name rather than a unit title. At any rate, the unit, like most of the tagmata, ceased to exist sometime in the latter half of the 11th century.
Structure
The Hikanatoi were apparently modelled on the tagma of the ViglaVigla (tagma)
The Vigla , also known as the Arithmos and in English as the Watch, was one of the elite tagmata of the Byzantine army. It was established in the latter half of the 8th century, and survived until the late 11th century...
, and headed by a domestikos
Domestikos
Domestikos , in English sometimes [the] Domestic, was a civil, ecclesiastic and military office in the late Roman Empire and the Byzantine Empire.-Military usage:...
(Greek: , domestikos tōn Ikanatōn), usually with the court rank of prōtospatharios
Protospatharios
Prōtospatharios was one of the highest court dignities of the middle Byzantine period , awarded to senior generals and provincial governors, as well as to foreign princes.-History:...
. His chief subordinate was the topotērētēs ("lieutenant"), likewise of prōtospatharios rank, while the rest of the unit's officials were below the rank of spatharios. Following the pattern of the Vigla, there were a chartoularios
Chartoularios
The chartoularios or chartularius , Anglicized as chartulary, was a late Roman and Byzantine administrative official, entrusted with administrative and fiscal duties, either as a subaltern official of a department or province or at the head of various independent bureaus.-History:The title derives...
(financial official), a number of komētes ("counts") and their subordinate kentarchoi commanding the banda into which the unit was divided, a prōtomandatōr (head messenger), and three classes of standard-bearers: the bandophoroi, sēmeiophoroi and doukiniatores.
As with the other tagmata, the exact size of the unit and its subdivisions is a matter of debate, since it is chiefly based on Arab accounts, whose accuracy and veracity is open to question. Warren Treadgold, who accepts the Arab figures, considers the tagmata to have had a standard size of 4,000 men each, while John Haldon, who considers their numbers inflated, considers a total of 4,000 for all tagmata more plausible. The lists of the Cretan
Emirate of Crete
The Emirate of Crete was a Muslim state that existed on the Mediterranean island of Crete from the late 820s to the Byzantine reconquest of the island in 961....
expedition of 949, included in the De Ceremoniis
De Ceremoniis
De Ceremoniis is the Latin title of a description of ceremonial protocol at the court of the Eastern Roman emperor in Constantinople. It is sometimes called De ceremoniis aulae byzantinae...
of Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogennetos (r. 913–959), include mention of 456 Hikanatoi, but it is unclear what part of the unit's strength they represent.