Byzantine Aristocracy and Bureaucracy - Administrative Offices

Administrative Offices

The vast Byzantine bureaucracy had many titles, and varied more than aristocratic and military titles. In Constantinople there were normally hundreds, if not thousands, of bureaucrats at any time. Like the Church and the military, they wore elaborately differentiated dress, often including huge hats. These are some of the more common ones, including non-nobles who also directly served the emperor.

• Praetorian prefect – The Praetorian prefect was originally an old Roman office used for the commander of the army in the Eastern and Western portions of the Empire. It was abolished in the 7th century owing to wide reaching civil and military reforms. The title evolved into the domestikos. After Diocletian's reforms, the functions of the Prefect embraced a wide sphere; they were administrative, financial, judicial, and even legislative. The provincial governors were appointed at his recommendation, and with him rested their dismissal, subject to the Emperor's approval. He received regular reports of the administration from the governors of the provinces. He had treasuries of his own, and the payment and the food supplies of the army devolved upon him. He was also a supreme judge of appeal; in cases which were brought before his court from a lower tribunal there was no further appeal to the Emperor. He could issue, on his own authority, praetorian edicts, but they concerned only matters of detail.
• Basileopatōr (βασιλεοπάτωρ)– "Father of the Emperor": an exceptional title, granted only twice in Byzantine history. Although a basileopatōr was not the emperor's actual father, and the title did not necessarily denote any familial relationship at all, both awardees were father-in-laws to the emperor: Stylianos Zaoutzes under Leo VI the Wise and Romanos I Lekapenos briefly as regent for Constantine VII, before he raised himself to co-emperor. It ranked first among the "decreed" offices, and entailed wide-ranging administrative duties.
• Protasekretis – "First Secretary" an earlier title for the head of the chancery, responsible for keeping official government records. The asekretis was a subordinate. Other subordinates included the chartoularios (in charge of imperial documents), the kastrensios (a chamberlain in the palace), the mystikos (a private secretary), and the eidikos (a treasury official).
• Logothetes – "one who accounts, calculates or ratiocinates", literally "one who sets the word;" a secretary in the extensive bureaucracy, who did various jobs depending on the exact position. Logothetes were some of the most important bureaucrats. They included:
  • Megas logothetes (Grand Logothete) – the head of the logothetes, personally responsible for the legal system and treasury, somewhat like a chancellor in western Europe.
  • Logothetes tou dromou (Drome Logothete) – the head of diplomacy and the postal service.
  • Logothetes ton oikeiakon (Logothete of the oikeiakoi)
  • Logothetes tou genikou (General Logothete) – responsible for taxation. Also acts as a secretary in later cases.
  • Logothetes tou stratiotikou (Military Logothete) – a civilian, in charge of distributing pay to the army.
• Chartoularios tou vestiariou Literally "keeper of documents for the Public Wardrobe" (see Vestiarion); responsible for minting gold and silver coins and equipping the fleet.

Logothetes originally had some influence on the emperor, but they eventually became honorary posts. In the later empire the Grand Logothete was replaced by the mesazōn ("mediator").

Other administrators included:

• Eparch of Constantinople – Governor of the urban prefect of Constantinople.
• Quaestor – Originally an accountant or auditor, the office eventually became a judicial one for Constantinople.
• Tribounos – translation of Latin tribune; responsible for maintenance of roads, monuments, and buildings in Constantinople (which were the responsibility of the Aedile, not the Tribunes in earlier Latin speaking times.)
• Magister (magister officiorum, magister militum, "maistor" in Greek) – an old Roman term, master of offices and master of the army; by the time of Leo III, these had become honorary titles and were eventually discarded.
• Sakellarios – "Treasurer; purse-bearer." Under Heraclius, an honorary supervisor of the other palace administrators, logothetes, etc. Later, the chief financial comptroller of the Empire.
• Praetor – Latin for "Man who goes before; first man." One of the oldest of Roman titles, predating the Roman Republic, the title's use morphed considerably through the years. By the time of Theodosius I (379-395) it meant the leading municipal magistrate (like a modern Mayor) but from late 10th century until 1204, a civil governor of a theme.
• Kephale – "head", the governor of a small province, usually a town and its surrounding territory, in the Palaiologan period
• Horeiarios – in charge of distributing food from the state granaries.

The protasekretis, logothetes, prefect, praetor, quaestor, magister, and sakellarios, among others, were members of the senate.