The
spatharii or
spatharioi (singular: ; , literally "
spatha-bearer") were a class of
Late Antiquity Roman Empire imperial bodyguards in the court in
Constantinople in the 5th–6th centuries, later becoming a purely honorary dignity in the
Byzantine Empire.
History
Originally, the term was probably applied to both private and imperial bodyguards.
[.] The original imperial
spatharioi were probably or later became also the eunuch
cubicularius (Greek:
koubikoularioi), members of the
sacrum cubiculum (the imperial "sacred chamber") charged with military duties. They are attested from the reign of Emperor
Theodosius II (r. 408–450), where the eunuch
Chrysaphius held the post.
The existence of the specific title of
spatharokoubikoularios for eunuchs in 532 probably suggests the existence by then of other, non-eunuch,
spatharioi in imperial service. The various generals and provincial governors also maintained military attendants called
spatharioi, whilst those of the emperor were distinguished with the prefix
basilikoi ("imperial ones").
[.] The officer leading the imperial
spatharioi held the title
Protospatharios ("first
spatharios"), which became a separate dignity probably in the late 7th century.
[.]
By the early 8th century, these titles had lost their original military connotations and become honorific titles. The title of spatharios ranked initially quite high, being awarded for instance by Emperor Justinian II (r. 685–695) to his friend and future emperor Leo III the Isaurian (r. 717–741).[.] According to the Klētorologion, the insignia of the dignity was a gold-hilted sword.[.] At the same time, the term oikeiakos spatharios still designated a bodyguard of the imperial oikos ("household"), as distinct from the basilikoi spatharioi who now were the holders of the honorary dignity.
Other occurrences
-
In the Lex Alemannorum (79.7), a spatharius is a bladesmith.
-
In medieval Moldavia, the Spătar was the keeper of the royal sword and bludgeon, commander of the cavalry and second-in-command of the army after the voivode.
-
Ælfric of Eynsham glosses spatharius as "sword-bearer": " swyrd-bora. Id est, Ensifer."
-
In the 12th century, the Milites Ordinis Militaris S. Jacobi de la Spatha, a Portugal chivalric order, were known as Spatharii.
See also
-
Rynda
-
Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms
Sources
Further reading
