Cubicularius

Last updated

Cubicularius, Hellenized as koubikoularios (Greek : κουβικουλάριος), was a title used for the eunuch chamberlains of the imperial palace in the later Roman Empire and in the Byzantine Empire. The feminine version, used for the ladies-in-waiting of the empresses, was koubikoularia (κουβικουλαρία).

Contents

History

The term derives from their service in the sacrum cubiculum, the emperor's "sacred bedchamber". In the late Roman period, the cubicularii or koubikoularioi were numerous: according to John Malalas, Empress Theodora's retinue numbered as many as 4,000 patrikioi and koubikoularioi. [1] They were placed under the command of the praepositus sacri cubiculi and the primicerius sacri cubiculi , while the other palace servants came either under the castrensis sacri palatii or the magister officiorum . [2] There were also special cubicularii/koubikoularioi for the empress (sometimes including female koubikoulariai), and the office was introduced into the Roman Church as well, probably under Pope Leo I. [1]

In Byzantium, they played a very important role, holding senior palace offices such as parakoimōmenos or the epi tēs trapezēs , but also served in posts in the central financial departments, as provincial administrators and sometimes even as generals. [1] Gradually, in the 7th-8th centuries, the eunuchs of the imperial bedchamber proper (in Greek known as the [βασιλικὸς] κοιτῶν, [basilikos] koitōn) were separated from the other koubikoularioi and, distinguished as the koitōnitai (κοιτωνῖται), came under the authority of the parakoimōmenos. At the same time, the imperial wardrobe ( basilikon vestiarion ) and its officials also became a separate department under the prōtovestiarios . [1] [2] The remainder continued as the "koubikoularioi of the kouboukleion" (κουβικουλάριοι τοῦ κουβουκλείου), still under the praepositus (Greek: πραιπόσιτος τοῦ εὐσεβεστάτου κοιτῶνος, praipositos tou eusebestatou koitōnos in Greek), with the primicerius (πριμηκήριος τοῦ κουβουκλείου, primikērios tou kouboukleiou) continuing as his chief aide. [3] The office was eventually abandoned by the Byzantines, but it is not clear when: Nikolaos Oikonomides suggested the latter half of the 11th century, but Rodolphe Guilland supported its continued existence until the early 13th century. [1]

By the 9th century, aside from its general use denoting a eunuch palace servant, koubikoularios had also acquired a more technical meaning as a grade or dignity in the Byzantine palace hierarchy: according to the Klētorologion of 899, the rank of koubikoularios was the second-lowest among those reserved for the eunuchs, coming after the spatharokoubikoularios and before the nipsistiarios . Again according to the Klētorologion, the distinctive insignia of the rank were a kamision (an over-cape similar to the paenula ) edged with purple, and a paragaudion (tunic). [4]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Byzantine bureaucracy and aristocracy</span> Government of the Byzantine Empire

Throughout the fifth century, Hellenistic political systems, philosophies, and theocratic Christian-Eastern concepts had gained power in the eastern Greek-speaking Mediterranean due to the intervention of important religious figures there such as Eusebius of Caesarea and Origen of Alexandria who had been key to developing the constant Christianized worldview of late antiquity.

A sakellarios or sacellarius is the title of an official entrusted with administrative and financial duties in a government or institution. The title was used in the Byzantine Empire with varying functions and the title remains in use in the Eastern Orthodox Church.

The Latin term primicerius, Hellenized as primikērios, was a title applied in the later Roman Empire and the Byzantine Empire to the heads of administrative departments, and also used by the Church to denote the heads of various colleges.

The logothetes tou dromou, in English usually rendered as Logothete of the Course/Drome/Dromos or Postal Logothete, was the head of the department of the Public Post, and one of the most senior fiscal ministers (logothetes) of the Byzantine Empire.

The logothetes tou genikou (Greek: λογοθέτης τοῦ γενικοῦ, often called genikos logothetes or simply ho genikos, and usually rendered in English as the General Logothete, was in charge of the 'general financial ministry', the genikon logothesion of the middle Byzantine Empire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John the Orphanotrophos</span>

John the Orphanotrophos was the chief court eunuch (parakoimomenos) during the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Romanos III. John was born in the region of Paphlagonia. His family were said to be involved in a disreputable trade, perhaps money changing or, according to George Kedrenos, counterfeiting. John was the eldest of five brothers. Two, Constantine and George, were also eunuchs, while the other two, Niketas and Michael, were 'bearded' men; the latter became Michael IV the Paphlagonian after John introduced him to the reigning Empress Zoë. According to Michael Psellos, the two became lovers and may have plotted to assassinate Zoë's husband. Romanos was probably killed in his bath on 11 April 1034. Some contemporary sources implicate John in the assassination.

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.

The parakoimōmenos was a Byzantine court position, usually reserved for eunuchs. The position's proximity to the emperors guaranteed its holders influence and power, and many of them, especially in the 9th and 10th centuries, functioned as the Byzantine Empire's chief ministers.

The kanikleios, more formally chartoularios tou kanikleiou or epi tou kanikleiou was one of the most senior offices in the Byzantine imperial chancery. Its holder was the keeper of the imperial inkstand, the kanikleion, which was shaped as a little dog and contained the scarlet ink with which the Byzantine emperor signed state documents. The office first appears in the 9th century, and was usually held in tandem with other government offices. In the Kletorologion of 899 it is ranked among the "special dignities", following the synkellos and preceding the protostrator. In the overall order of precedence, he ranked behind the chartoularios tou vestiariou and before the protostrator, and is recorded as usually holding the rank of protospatharios.

The vestiarion, sometimes with the adjectives basilikon or mega, was one of the major fiscal departments of the Byzantine bureaucracy. In English, it is often known as the department of the Public Wardrobe. Originating from the late Roman palace office of the sacrum vestiarium, it became an independent department in the 7th century under a chartoularios. By the late Byzantine period, it had become the state's sole treasury department. The public vestiarion must not be confused with the Byzantine emperor's private wardrobe, the oikeiakon vestiarion, which was headed by the prōtovestiarios.

Pinkernes, sometimes also epinkernes, was a high Byzantine court position.

The praepositus sacri cubiculi was one of the senior palace offices in the Late Roman Empire. Its holder was usually a eunuch, and acted as the grand chamberlain of the palace, wielding considerable authority and influence. In the 7th or 8th century, the title was also given to an order of rank for eunuch palace servants. The title and office continued in use in the simplified form of praipositos (πραιπόσιτος) in the Byzantine Empire until the late 11th century.

The papias was a eunuch official in the Byzantine court, responsible for the security and maintenance of the buildings of the imperial palaces in Constantinople. He commanded an extensive staff and performed in important role in palace ceremonies. In the Palaiologan period, the honorary title of megas papias was created and awarded to senior aristocrats.

Silentiarius, Hellenized to silentiarios and Anglicized to silentiary, was the Latin title given to a class of courtiers in the Byzantine imperial court, responsible for order and silence in the Great Palace of Constantinople. In the middle Byzantine period, it was transformed into an honorific court title.

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.

The epi tes trapezes was a Byzantine court post, responsible for the imperial banquets.

The nipsistiarios was a Byzantine court position and rank reserved for eunuchs.

<i>Quaestor sacri palatii</i> Roman Empire and Byzantium legal office

The quaestor sacri palatii was the senior legal authority in the late Roman Empire and early Byzantium, responsible for drafting laws. In the later Byzantine Empire, the office of the quaestor was altered and it became a senior judicial official for the imperial capital, Constantinople. The post survived until the 14th century, albeit only as an honorary title.

Ostiarios was a Byzantine court dignity reserved for eunuch palace officials.

The epi tou eidikou, also known simply as the [e]idikos, meaning 'Special Secretary', or, from the 11th century on, as the logothetes tou eidikou, was an official of the Byzantine Empire who controlled the department known as eidikon, a special treasury and storehouse.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Kazhdan 1991 , p. 1154.
  2. 1 2 Bury 1911 , p. 120.
  3. ↑ Bury 1911 , pp. 120, 123.
  4. ↑ Bury 1911 , p. 121.

Sources

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.