Protostrator
Encyclopedia
Prōtostratōr was a Byzantine
court office
, originating as the imperial stable master
, which in the last centuries of the Empire evolved into one of the senior military offices. The female form of the title, given to the wives of the prōtostratores, was prōtostratorissa (Greek: πρωτοστρατόρισσα).
. Although the existence of stratores is attested since the 6th century, the first direct mention of the office dates to 765. During the middle Byzantine period (up to the mid-11th century), its official place in the hierarchy was not high, but its proximity to the emperor did facilitate a rapid rise, as exemplified by the future emperors Michael II
and Basil I the Macedonian. The prōtostratōr had a prominent place in imperial ceremonies, riding beside the Byzantine emperor on processions, or even introducing foreign envoys at imperial audiences. In the 9th-11th centuries, his subordinates included the [basilikoi] stratōres, the armophylakes ("keepers of the armaments" or possibly "of the chariots", from armatophylakes), and three stablokomētes ("stable counts").
By the late Komnenian period
, however, the post had risen considerably in importance: in the Komnenian army
, the holder of the office was second-in-command of the army after the megas domestikos, and was equated by Niketas Choniates to the Western marshal
. The office continued to exist during the Palaiologan period
until the Fall of Constantinople
in 1453. It remained one of the highest dignities of state, although from the late 13th century on, multiple persons could hold it.
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...
court office
Byzantine aristocracy and bureaucracy
The Byzantine Empire had a complex system of aristocracy and bureaucracy, which was inherited from the Roman Empire. At the apex of the pyramid stood the Emperor, sole ruler and divinely ordained, but beneath him a multitude of officials and court functionaries operated the administrative...
, originating as the imperial stable master
Stable Master
A Stable Master or Head Groom is the manager in charge of a stable.At large horse establishments there may be several grooms under the management of the stable master....
, which in the last centuries of the Empire evolved into one of the senior military offices. The female form of the title, given to the wives of the prōtostratores, was prōtostratorissa (Greek: πρωτοστρατόρισσα).
History and evolution
The title means "first stratōr", reflecting the office's initial nature as chief of the imperial taxis of the stratōres ("grooms"), who formed a schola under the Count of the StableCount of the Stable
The Count of the Stable was a late Roman and Byzantine office responsible for the horses and pack animals intended for use by the army and the imperial court...
. Although the existence of stratores is attested since the 6th century, the first direct mention of the office dates to 765. During the middle Byzantine period (up to the mid-11th century), its official place in the hierarchy was not high, but its proximity to the emperor did facilitate a rapid rise, as exemplified by the future emperors Michael II
Michael II
Michael II , surnamed the Amorian or the Stammerer , reigned as Byzantine emperor from December 820 to his death on 2 October 829, and the first ruler of the Phrygian or Amorian dynasty....
and Basil I the Macedonian. The prōtostratōr had a prominent place in imperial ceremonies, riding beside the Byzantine emperor on processions, or even introducing foreign envoys at imperial audiences. In the 9th-11th centuries, his subordinates included the [basilikoi] stratōres, the armophylakes ("keepers of the armaments" or possibly "of the chariots", from armatophylakes), and three stablokomētes ("stable counts").
By the late Komnenian period
Byzantium under the Komnenoi
The Byzantine Empire or Byzantium is the term conventionally used by historians to describe the Greek-speaking Roman Empire of the Middle Ages, centered around its capital of Constantinople...
, however, the post had risen considerably in importance: in the Komnenian army
Komnenian army
The Komnenian Byzantine army or Komnenian army was the force established by Byzantine emperor Alexios I Komnenos during the late 11th/early 12th century, and perfected by his successors John II Komnenos and Manuel I Komnenos during the 12th century. Alexios constructed a new army from the ground...
, the holder of the office was second-in-command of the army after the megas domestikos, and was equated by Niketas Choniates to the Western marshal
Marshal
Marshal , is a word used in several official titles of various branches of society. The word is an ancient loan word from Old French, cf...
. The office continued to exist during the Palaiologan period
Byzantium under the Palaiologoi
The Byzantine Empire or Byzantium, the term conventionally used since the 19th century to describe the Greek-speaking Roman Empire of the Middle Ages, was ruled by the Palaiologoi dynasty in the period c...
until the Fall of Constantinople
Fall of Constantinople
The Fall of Constantinople was the capture of the capital of the Byzantine Empire, which occurred after a siege by the Ottoman Empire, under the command of Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II, against the defending army commanded by Byzantine Emperor Constantine XI...
in 1453. It remained one of the highest dignities of state, although from the late 13th century on, multiple persons could hold it.
Notable prōtostratores
- Michael IIMichael IIMichael II , surnamed the Amorian or the Stammerer , reigned as Byzantine emperor from December 820 to his death on 2 October 829, and the first ruler of the Phrygian or Amorian dynasty....
- Basil I the Macedonian
- Alexios AxouchAlexios AxouchAlexios Axouch or Axouchos, sometimes found as Axuch , was a 12th-century Byzantine nobleman and military leader of Turkish ancestry....
- Alexios Doukas PhilanthropenosAlexios Doukas PhilanthropenosAlexios Doukas Philanthropenos was a Byzantine nobleman and distinguished admiral, with the rank of protostrator and later megas doux, during the reign of Michael VIII Palaiologos .- Life :...
- Michael Doukas Glabas TarchaneiotesMichael Doukas Glabas TarchaneiotesMichael Doukas Glabas Tarchaneiotes or Michael Tarchaneiotes Glabas was a notable Byzantine aristocrat and general.- Life :He is first mentioned in ca. 1260, when he was assigned to capture the city of Mesembria on the Black Sea coast from the deposed Bulgarian tsar Mitso Asen...
- Theodore Synadenos
- Giovanni GiustinianiGiovanni GiustinianiGiovanni Giustiniani Longo was a young Genoese captain, a member of one of the greatest families of the Republic, a kinsman to the powerful house of Doria in Southern Italy., and protostrator of the Byzantine Empire...