Protosebastos
The title of prōtosebastos (Greek: πρωτοσέβαστος, "first sebastos") was a high Byzantine court title created by Emperor Alexios I Komnenos (r. 1081–1181).
History
Although the title first appears in a document of 1049, where Domenico I Contarini, the Doge of Venice, uses it alongside the title of patrikios to refer to himself, it is commonly accepted that it was created by Emperor Alexios I Komnenos (r. 1081–1181).[1] It was first conferred to his brother Adrianos,[2] while another early holder, his brother-in-law Michael Taronites, was soon raised to the even higher title of panhypersebastos.[1] It was also conferred on Sergius VI of Naples and his son, John VI, at about the same time.[3] Later, during the 12th century, it was given to close relatives of the Byzantine emperor, such as the sons of a sebastokratōr. In the Palaiologan period it was conferred to leading aristocratic families, such as the Tarchaneiotai, the Raoul, etc.[1]
The Book on Offices by Pseudo-Kodinos, written after the middle of the 14th century, places the prōtosebastos in the thirteenth place in the overall hierarchy after the emperor, between the megas logothetēs and the pinkernēs.[4] His ceremonial costume comprised a golden-green skiadion hat with silk embroideries, or a domed skaranikon in a reddish apricot colour decorated with gold-wire embroidery, with a painted glass depiction of the emperor standing in front, and enthroned in the rear. A rich silk kabbadion tunic was also worn.[5]
Notable holders
- Adrianos Komnenos, brother of Alexios I Komnenos
- Alexios Branas, general
- Alexios Komnenos, nephew of Manuel I Komnenos, de facto regent in 1180–82
- Constantine Bodin, ruler of Duklja in 1081–1101
- George Mouzalon, friend and chief minister of Theodore II Laskaris
- Hrelja, magnate of the Serbian Empire
- John Doukas Kamateros, cousin and senior minister of Manuel I Komnenos
- John Komnenos, nephew of Alexios I Komnenos and governor of Dyrrhachium
- Michael Panaretos, official and historian of the Empire of Trebizond
- Philaretos Brachamios, general
References
- ^ a b c ODB, "Protosebastos" (A. Kazhdan), pp. 1747–1748.
- ^ Magdalino 2002, p. 181.
- ^ von Falkenhausen 2007, p. 107.
- ^ Verpeaux 1966, p. 137.
- ^ Verpeaux 1966, p. 155.
Sources
- Kazhdan, Alexander, ed. (1991). The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-504652-6.
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(help) - Magdalino, Paul (2002) [1993]. The Empire of Manuel I Komnenos, 1143–1180. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-52653-1.
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(help) - Verpeaux, Jean, ed. (1966). Pseudo-Kodinos, Traité des Offices (in French). Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique.
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(help) - von Falkenhausen, Vera (2007). "The South Italian Sources". Proceedings of the British Academy. 132.
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