Spatharokandidatos
Encyclopedia
Spatharokandidatos Latinized as spatharocandidatus, was a mid-ranking Byzantine
court dignity
used in the 7th–11th centuries.
and in a letter by Pope Gregory II to emperor Leo III the Isaurian
(r. 717–741). John B. Bury accepted a creation in the early 7th century, but the title is clearly attested only from the early 9th century on. In the 9th-century lists of precedence (Taktika), the dignity ranks below that of dishypatos
and above that of spatharios. Its distinctive badge (brabeion) was a golden chain (maniakion) worn around the chest.
The dignity was not given to eunuchs, for whom the corresponding dignity was that of spatharokoubikoularios. Judging from sigillographic evidence, the dignity was associated mostly with mid-level ranks, such as notarioi and lower judges. In the lists of offices known as the Taktika, the dignity corresponds to specific positions in the lower tier of the senior civil and military hierarchy, such as those of asekretis (senior secretary), kleisourarches (commander of a frontier district), topoteretes of a tagma
or tourmarches of a thema (divisional commanders). The last attested mention of the title is in 1094, and it was dropped from use at the latest in the 12th century.
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...
court dignity
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...
used in the 7th–11th centuries.
History
The title was created as a portmanteau of the titles spatharios and kandidatos, both of which were types of palace guards in the 4th–6th centuries. The earliest references to the title occur in the History of SebeosSebeos
Sebeos was a 7th century Armenian bishop and historian who participated in the first Council of Dvin in 645.The history of Sebeos contains detailed descriptions from the period of Sassanid supremacy in Armenia up to the Islamic conquest in 661...
and in a letter by Pope Gregory II to emperor Leo III the Isaurian
Leo III the Isaurian
Leo III the Isaurian or the Syrian , was Byzantine emperor from 717 until his death in 741...
(r. 717–741). John B. Bury accepted a creation in the early 7th century, but the title is clearly attested only from the early 9th century on. In the 9th-century lists of precedence (Taktika), the dignity ranks below that of dishypatos
Dishypatos
Dishypatos, Latinized as dishypatus , was a Byzantine honorary dignity in the 9th-11th centuries. From then on, and especially during the Palaiologan period, it is attested as a family name....
and above that of spatharios. Its distinctive badge (brabeion) was a golden chain (maniakion) worn around the chest.
The dignity was not given to eunuchs, for whom the corresponding dignity was that of spatharokoubikoularios. Judging from sigillographic evidence, the dignity was associated mostly with mid-level ranks, such as notarioi and lower judges. In the lists of offices known as the Taktika, the dignity corresponds to specific positions in the lower tier of the senior civil and military hierarchy, such as those of asekretis (senior secretary), kleisourarches (commander of a frontier district), topoteretes of a tagma
Tagma (military)
The tagma is a term for a military unit of battalion or regiment size. The best-known and most technical use of the term however refers to the elite regiments formed by Byzantine emperor Constantine V and comprising the central army of the Byzantine Empire in the 8th–11th centuries.-History and...
or tourmarches of a thema (divisional commanders). The last attested mention of the title is in 1094, and it was dropped from use at the latest in the 12th century.