Stratopedarchēs (), sometimes Anglicized as Stratopedarch, was a Greek term used with regard to high-ranking military commanders from the 1st century BC on, becoming a proper office in the 10th-century Byzantine Empire. It continued to be employed as a designation, and a proper title, of commanders-in-chief until the 13th century, when the title of (μέγας στρατοπεδάρχης) or Grand Stratopedarch appeared. This title was awarded to senior commanders and officials, while the ordinary stratopedarchai were henceforth low-ranking military officials.
History Origin and early use The term first appears in the late 1st century BC in the Hellenistic Near East. Its origin is unclear, but it is used as a translation, in some inscriptions, for the contemporary Roman legionary post of (). Josephus (De Bello Judaico, VI.238) uses the term to refer to the quartermaster-general of all camps, while Dionysius of Halicarnassus (Roman Antiquities, X.36.6) used it to refer to the role of a in a legion that had lost its commander. It also occurs in the Bible (), where it has been interpreted as referring to the praetorian prefect, the commander of the camp and garrison of the Praetorian Guard in Rome, or the subordinate officials and .
From the 1st century AD, it was used (albeit infrequently) in a broader sense as a literary term to refer to generals, i.e. as a synonym of the older title . Thus in the 4th century, the bishop and historian Eusebius (Church History, IX.5.2) writes of the ", whom the Romans call ". Similarly, in the early 5th century, Ardabur was called " of both forces" by Olympiodorus of Thebes, while the acts of the Council of Chalcedon (451) refer to Zeno, " and of both forces of the East". This is an obvious translation of the Latin term , especially as the contemporary historian Eunapius records that the was "the greatest of offices". Other Greek-language authors translate Ardabur's title more commonly with or . The Swiss historian Albert Vogt suggested that the were military intendants, responsible for army supplies and managing the fortified assembly bases, the .
However, as the Byzantinist Rodolphe Guilland commented, references to a are rare before the 10th century, and always seem to be a different way of referring—often anachronistically—to a , or later a thematic . Such references exist to emperor Jovian (), who was a general before his rise to the throne, by Theophanes the Confessor; Rusticius, a general of Leo I (), by Zonaras; Busur, an Arab commander in , by Theophanes; Krateros, a " of the East" who was sent to arrest Theodore Stoudites; Eudokimos, / of Cappadocia and Charsianon under Theophilos (); and a certain Mousilikes, subordinate of the thematic of Sicily. A Constantine, whose seal mentions him as a , cannot be further identified.
Middle Byzantine period
In the middle Byzantine period (9th–12th centuries), the term came to signify more the army on campaign, rather than the camp itself; hence the term was used more in the sense of 'commander-in-chief'. The title is first attested as a technical term in 967, when Emperor Nikephoros II Phokas () named the eunuch Peter as before sending him with an army to Cilicia. The Escorial Taktikon, written a few years later, shows the existence of two , one of the East (Anatolia) and one of the West (the Balkans). This arrangement parallels that of the two , a fact that led Nicolas Oikonomides to suggest that the post was created as a substitute of the latter office, which was barred to eunuchs until the 11th century.
The actual nature of the office is difficult to reconstruct, as it is rarely found in technical sources like the Byzantine military and court manuals, and its usage in the historical accounts is simply as another word for a high commander, in place of '' or ''. Thus it is unclear what position the occupied vis-à-vis the , or why some officers received the former rather than the latter title. The precise arrangement suggested by Oikonomides is certainly not in evidence in the 11th and 12th centuries, when the term likely signified a commander-in-chief for a field army composed of professional regiments (), rather than an institutionalized position.
Late Byzantine period
The title ('grand master of the camp') was instituted by the Emperor Theodore II Laskaris () for his chief minister and confidante, George Mouzalon. Theodore II states in a decree that he "established the dignity anew", but no other holder of the office is known before that time. The mid-14th century Book of Offices of pseudo-Kodinos places the as the ninth-most senior official of the state below the Emperor, ranking between the and the . Kodinos reports that he was "supervisor of the provisioning of the army, that is food, drink and all necessities". In reality, however, during the Palaiologan period (1261–1453) the was most likely an honorific court title, and did not necessarily entail an active military command. Like many other titles in the Palaiologan period, the post could be held by two people simultaneously. According to Pseudo-Kodinos, the ceremonial costume of the was identical to the offices immediately superior to it: a rich silk tunic, a golden-red hat decorated with embroideries in the style, without veil, or a domed hat, again in red and gold and decorated with golden wire, with a portrait of the emperor standing in front, and another of him enthroned in the rear. Only his staff of office () differed, with all the knobs except the topmost in silver, and golden engraved knots.
Pseudo-Kodinos further reports the existence of four subordinate , occupying the 65th to 68th rank in the imperial hierarchy respectively. These were: The of the (μονοκάβαλλοι, 'single-horsemen'). Kodinos explains that cavalry used to be raised in the themes according to the wealth of its owners, with the classes being , , and after the number of horses each rider provided; a system similar to that current in Western Europe at the time. The of the (τζαγγράτορες, 'crossbow-men'). The of the (μουρτάτοι). According to Kodinos these were palace guards armed with the bow. Their name is commonly held to derive from the Arabo-Turkish word murted/murtat ('apostate'), implying they were Christianized Turks, but according to Mark Bartusis may refer more generally to the offspring of mixed Greek–Turkish unions. The of the (τζάκωνες, 'Tsakonians'). The or (Λάκωνες, 'Laconians') had served as marines since Michael VIII Palaiologos. According to Kodinos, some served as palace guards, equipped with maces () and wearing with a distinctive blue cuirass that bore two white lions facing each other on the chest, but the supervised those who were employed as garrison troops in various fortresses.
The dress of these junior members of the court was the same: a white with embroideries, a long of "commonly used silk", and a covered in red velvet and topped by a small red tassel. Their were of smooth, unadorned wood.
The semi-autonomous Despotate of the Morea appears to have had a and subordinate of its own.
List of known Name Tenure Appointed by Notes Refs Peter 967–977 Nikephoros II PhokasJohn I Tzimiskes Eunuch servant of Nikephoros II, he was raised to of the eastern armies and played a major role in the campaigns of the next decade. In 969 he led the capture of Antioch and forced the Hamdanid Emirate of Aleppo to become an imperial vassal, participated in the Siege of Dorostolon, and was killed in 977 fighting against the rebel general Bardas Skleros. Nikephoros 1048–1050 Constantine IX Monomachos A eunuch and former cleric, he was ignorant of military affairs but a trusted friend of Constantine IX. Named and , he succeeded in subduing the Shaddadid emir of Dvin, Abu'l-Aswar Shavur ibn Fadl. In the next year he was again commander-in-chief against the Pechenegs in the Balkans, but was defeated. Isaac Komnenos –1054 Constantine IX Monomachos A seal mentioning his titles as , and of the East survives, and he was "relieved of the of the East" by Empress Theodora after her accession. He may however have been in reality a . Romanos Skleros Constantine IX MonomachosTheodora Great-grandson of the general and rebel Bardas Skleros, he rose to prominence due to his sister, who was the mistress of Constantine IX, and was raised successively to higher commands and titles. He ended his career with the titles of , of the East and of Antioch. He may however have been in reality a . Alexios Komnenos Michael VII Doukas The future emperor is mentioned as of the East in 1074, by his son-in-law and historian Nikephoros Bryennios the Younger. Eumathios Philokales 1092/3–1111/2 Alexios I Komnenos One of the most distinguished commanders of Alexios I Komnenos, he was named and governor of Cyprus in 1092/3, a post he held at least until 1111/12. By 1118, he had risen further to become . Aspietes Alexios I Komnenos Of noble Armenian descent, he served as of the East and governor of Cilicia in , but due to his negligence was defeated by Tancred of Antioch. Isaac Komnenos unknown John II Komnenos (?) A , , and John Komnenos Doukas is attested in a seal of office. The first title is more suitable for Isaac, the older brother of Alexios I who stepped aside for Alexios to accede to the throne, but the surname 'Doukas' points to Alexios I's son Isaac. Apart from the title of , the other two titles are otherwise unattested for him. Manuel Lykaïtes 12th century unknown Known only from a single seal, he was and of the great imperial camp and horse farms at Malagina. Andronikos Komnenos 12th century unknown Mentioned by Eustathius of Thessalonica, otherwise unidentified. Michael Phokas John III Vatatzes A relative by marriage of the Nicaean emperor John Vatatzes, he is attested as " of the Thracesian Theme and of Philadelphia", in effect combining the role of a provincial governor () with the new role of the as a fiscal intendant over a fixed circumscription. Theophanes mid-13th century unknown Mentioned, as " and " (a fiscal official), in an act concerning possessions of the Monastery of Saint John the Theologian. George Sophianos John V Palaiologos and governor of Karyopolis in the Morea. Siouros Andronikos II Palaiologos of the , sent to command troops against the Ottoman Turks, he was defeated near the fortress of Katoikia, losing the army's pay chest. Petzikopoulos before 1325 Andronikos II Palaiologos Known through his wife Melane, daughter Eulogia, and sons Demetrios Doukas Petzikopoulos and John Senachereim, all active in Thessalonica in 1325–1327. John Choumnos John V Palaiologos and of the , mentioned in a chrysobull gifting him with lands at Zichnai. He was the son of either the John Choumnos, or the George Choumnos. Demetrios John VI Kantakouzenos Mentioned as recently deceased in a synodal act of November 1348 along with his brother, the Alexios. Their mother was a lady of the Xanthopoulos family. Akrokondylos unknown Mentioned among the donors of lands to the Brontochion Monastery at Mystras. Kantakouzenos before 1453 unknown Unnamed son of the Manuel Kantakouzenos.
List of known Byzantine Empire