Byzantine Grand Dukes
For more details on this topic, see Megas doux.The Latin title dux (the etymological root of duke), which was phonetically rendered δουξ in Greek, was a common title for imperial generals in the Late Roman Empires (west and east), but note it was lower in rank than Comes (the etymological root of Count). In the Eastern Empire, a dux ranked just below a strategos.
Under the latter, exclusively Byzantine theme system, the commander of a theme was often styled a dux. The title of "Grand Duke" (megas doux) was created by Alexios I Komnenos and was conferred upon the commanding admiral of the Byzantine navy. The title remained in use until the Empire's end, by which time the office had become a virtual chief minister, heading both civil and military administration.
Read more about this topic: Grand Duke
Famous quotes containing the word grand:
“The most refined skills of color printing, the intricate techniques of wide-angle photography, provide us pictures of trivia bigger and more real than life. We forget that we see trivia and notice only that the reproduction is so good. Man fulfils his dream and by photographic magic produces a precise image of the Grand Canyon. The result is not that he adores nature or beauty the more. Instead he adores his camera—and himself.”
—Daniel J. Boorstin (b. 1914)