Mystikos
Encyclopedia
The mystikos was an important Byzantine
office of the imperial chancery from the 9th through to the 15th centuries. Its initial role is unclear; he was probably the emperor's private secretary. In time, the office also exercised judicial duties. It became an important fiscal official in the Komnenian period, and remained one of the highest-ranking state offices into the Palaiologan period as well.
held it. Its original function of the office is unclear. Franz Dölger
regarded the mystikos as the emperor's private secretary, while Nicolas Oikonomides considered him already at that stage as a judicial official.
Due to their proximity of the emperor, the holders of the office had considerable power. Already under Leo VI the Wise
(r. 886–912), a mystikos became Patriarch of Constantinople
: Nicholas I Mystikos. Trusted by the emperors, the mystikoi are thus attested as occupying various important offices: at times they exercised the duties of a protasekretis
, various judicial duties, and served as heads of the establishment of the imperial bedchamber (koitōn). The office rose to particular prominence under Manuel I Komnenos
(r. 1143–1180), when the mystikos was given charge of the imperial palace and the emperor's 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: at least one of its holders held the rank of pansebastos. Their functions however are again unclear. The office remains attested up to the end of the Empire in the 15th century.
(r. 1081–1118) in ca. 1100. He was possibly the assistant of the mystikos, since he follows right after him in the Escorial Taktikon
of ca. 975, and its holders' seals pair the title with positions as notaries and judicial officials. The office of mystolektēs 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.
Byzantine
Byzantine usually refers to the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages.Byzantine may also refer to:* A citizen of the Byzantine Empire, or native Greek during the Middle Ages...
office of the imperial chancery from the 9th through to the 15th centuries. Its initial role is unclear; he was probably the emperor's private secretary. In time, the office also exercised judicial duties. It became an important fiscal official in the Komnenian period, and remained one of the highest-ranking state offices into the Palaiologan period as well.
History and functions
The office first appears in the reign of Basil I the Macedonian (r. 867–886), when Leo ChoirosphaktesLeo 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 Basil I the Macedonian and served as an envoy under Emperor Leo VI the Wise to Bulgaria and the Abbasid Caliphate...
held it. Its original function of the office is unclear. Franz Dölger
Franz Dölger
Franz Dölger 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 from 1931 to 1963...
regarded the mystikos as the emperor's private secretary, while Nicolas Oikonomides considered him already at that stage as a judicial official.
Due to their proximity of the emperor, the holders of the office had considerable power. Already under Leo VI the Wise
Leo VI the Wise
Leo VI, surnamed the Wise or the Philosopher , was Byzantine emperor from 886 to 912. The second ruler of the Macedonian dynasty , he was very well-read, leading to his surname...
(r. 886–912), a mystikos became Patriarch of Constantinople
Patriarch of Constantinople
The Ecumenical Patriarch is the Archbishop of Constantinople – New Rome – ranking as primus inter pares in the Eastern Orthodox communion, which is seen by followers as the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church....
: Nicholas I Mystikos. Trusted by the emperors, the mystikoi are thus attested as occupying various important offices: at times they exercised the duties of a protasekretis
Protasekretis
The prōtasēkrētis , also found as prōtoasēkrētis and latinized as protasecretis or protoasecretis, was a senior official in the Byzantine bureaucracy. The title means "first asēkrētis", illustrating his position as the head of the order of the asēkrētai, the senior class of imperial notaries.The...
, various judicial duties, and served as heads of the establishment of the imperial bedchamber (koitōn). The office rose to particular prominence under Manuel I Komnenos
Manuel I Komnenos
Manuel I Komnenos was a Byzantine Emperor of the 12th century who reigned over a crucial turning point in the history of Byzantium and the Mediterranean....
(r. 1143–1180), when the mystikos was given charge of the imperial palace and the emperor's 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: at least one of its holders held the rank of pansebastos. Their functions however are again unclear. The office remains attested up to the end of the Empire in the 15th century.
Derivative offices
In the 10th and 11th centuries, a number of offices were based on the term mystikos. Τhe prōtomystikos (πρωτομυστικός, "first mystikos") is attested in 1057 as a senior judicial official. Furthermore, the posts of mystographos (μυστογράφος) and mystolektēs (μυστολέκτης) are frequently attested in seals. The former is first attested in 911/12 and extant until probably abolished by Alexios I KomnenosAlexios I Komnenos
Alexios I Komnenos, Latinized as Alexius I Comnenus , was Byzantine emperor from 1081 to 1118, and although he was not the founder of the Komnenian dynasty, it was during his reign that the Komnenos family came to full power. The title 'Nobilissimus' was given to senior army commanders,...
(r. 1081–1118) in ca. 1100. He was possibly the assistant of the mystikos, since he follows right after him in the Escorial Taktikon
Escorial Taktikon
The Escorial Taktikon , also known as the Taktikon Oikonomides after Nicolas Oikonomides who first edited it, is a list of Byzantine offices, dignities, and titles composed in Constantinople during the 970s...
of ca. 975, and its holders' seals pair the title with positions as notaries and judicial officials. The office of mystolektēs 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.