Painting of Emperor Basil II, exemplifying the Imperial Crown handed down by Angels.

The Byzantine Empire had a complex system of aristocracy and bureaucracy. Most of the offices and titles were honorifics only, as the emperor was the sole ruler. Over the more than 1000 years of the empire's existence, different titles were adopted and discarded, and many lost or gained prestige. At first the various titles of the empire were the same as those in the late Roman Empire, as the Byzantine Empire was not yet distinguished from Rome. By the time of Heraclius in the 7th century many of the titles had become obsolete; by the time of Alexius I, many of the positions were either new or drastically changed, but they remained basically the same from Alexius' reign to the fall of the Empire in 1453. Image File history File links Manuscript painting of Basil II File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Manuscript painting of Basil II File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Crown names several entities associated with monarchy: A crown (headgear), the headgear worn by a monarch, other high dignitaries, divinities etcetera. ... The Annunciation - the Angel Gabriel announces to Mary that she will bear Jesus (El Greco, 1575) An angel is an ethereal being found in many religions, whose duties are to assist and serve God. ... Byzantine Empire (Greek: Βυζαντινή Αυτοκρατορία) is the term conventionally used since the 19th century to describe the Greek-speaking Roman Empire during the Middle Ages, centered at its capital in Constantinople. ... -1... Bureaucracy is a concept in sociology and political science. ... This is a list of Byzantine Emperors. ... For other uses, see Roman Empire (disambiguation). ... Heraclius and his sons Heraclius Constantine and Heraclonas. ... The 7th century is the period from 601 - 700 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian Era. ... Byzantine emperor Alexius I Comnenus Alexius I (1048–August 15, 1118), Byzantine emperor (1081–1118), was the third son of John Comnenus, nephew of Isaac I Comnenus (emperor 1057–1059). ... Combatants Byzantine Empire Ottoman Empire Commanders Constantine XI† Mehmed II Strength 7,000 100,000 Casualties Entire garrison killed or captured Unknown, but heavy The Fall of Constantinople was the conquest of the Byzantine capital by the Ottoman Empire under the command of Sultan Mehmed II, on Tuesday, May 29... Events May 29 - Fall of Constantinople to Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II the Conqueror, marking the end of the Byzantine Empire (Eastern Roman Empire). ...

Aristocratic titles

Imperial titles

Art

Architecture

Gardens

Cuisine

Dress

Law

Literature

Aristocracy and Bureaucacy

Music

Medicine

Coinage

Economy

• Basileus (Βασιλεύς)– the Greek word for "sovereign" which originally referred to any king in the Greek-speaking areas of the Roman Empire, such as Herod in Judea. It also referred to the emperors of Persia. Heraclius adopted it to replace the old Latin title of Augustus (Augoustos) in 629, and it became the Greek word for "emperor." Heraclius also used the titles autokrator (αυτοκράτωρ - "autocrat," "self-ruler") and kyrios (κύριος - "lord"). The Byzantines reserved the term "basileus" among Christian rulers exclusively for the emperor in Constantinople, and referred to Western European kings as "rigas", a Hellenized form of the Latin word "rex" (=king). The feminine form basilissa referred to an empress. Empresses were addressed as "Eusebestati Augousta" (=Most Pious Augusta), and were also called Kyria (=Lady) or Despoina (the female form of "despotes", see below). Basileopator was a honorific to describe the "father" of an emperor, although a basileopator was not necessarily the emperor's actual father. The first basileopator was Zautzes, a nobleman under Leo VI; Romanus I Lecapenus also used the term when he was regent for Constantine VII. One has to bear in mind that primogeniture, or indeed heredity itself, was never legally established in Byzantine imperial succession, because in principle the Roman emperor was selected by the Senate, the People and the Army. This was rooted firmly in the Roman "republican" tradition, whereby hereditary kingship was rejected and the emperor was nominally the convergence of several offices of the Republic onto one person. Many emperors, anxious to safeguard their firstborn son's right to the throne, had them crowned as co-emperors when they were still children, thus assuring that upon their own death the throne would not be even momentarily vacant. In such a case the need for an imperial selection never arose. In several cases the new emperor ascended the throne e.g. after marrying the previous emperor's widow, or indeed after forcing the previous emperor to abdicate and become a monk. Several emperors were also deposed because of perceived inadequacy, e.g. after a military defeat, and some were murdered. This explains why a basileopator (i.e. the emperor's father or father-in-law) had not been an emperor himself.
• Porphyrogenitos (πορφυρογέννητος) - "born-in-the-purple": Emperors wanting to emphasize the legitimacy of their ascent to the throne appended this title to their names, meaning they were born in the delivery room of the imperial palace (called the Porphyra because it was panelled with slabs of purple marble), to a reigning emperor, and were therefore legitimate. Example (with more context): Constantine VII
• Autocrator (Αυτοκράτωρ) – "Emperor," this title was originally equivalent to Imperator, and was used by the emperors.
• Sebastos (ο Σεβαστός) – "Majesty," this title is the literal Greek translation of the Latin term Augustus or Augoustos, and was used by the emperors. Under Alexius I it became less important after the creation of Protosebastos. The feminine form was sebaste ("η Σεβαστή").
• Despotes (Δεσπότης) – This title ("despot") was created by Manuel I Comnenus in the 12th century, as the highest title after the emperor. A despot could be the holder of a despotate; for example, the Despotate of Morea, centred at Mistra, was held by the heir to the Byzantine throne after 1261. The feminine form, despoina, referred to a female despot or the wife of a despot.
• Sebastokrator (Σεβαστοκράτωρ) – "Venerable Ruler," a title created by Alexius I as a combination of autokrator and sebastos. The first sebastokrator was Alexius' brother Isaac; it was essentially a meaningless title, which signified only a close relationship with the emperor. The feminine form was sebastokratorissa.
• Kaisar (Καίσαρ) – Caesar (title), originally as in the late Roman Empire it was used for a subordinate co-emperor or the heir apparent. When Alexius I created sebastokrator, kaisar became third in importance, and fourth after Manuel I created despotes. The feminine form was kaisarissa.
• Panhypersebastos (Πανυπερσέβαστος), and Protosebastos (Πρωτοσέβαστος) – developed from sebastos ("majesty"). Alexius and later emperors could create a large number of titles by adding pan ("all"), hyper ("above"), proto ("first"), and other prefixes to basic titles, such as sebastos in these cases.

Despotes, sebastokrator, kaisar, panhypersebastos, and protosebastos were normally reserved for members of the imperial family, and were distinguished by different clothes and different crowns. However, they could also be given to foreigners. The first despotes was actually a foreigner, Bela III of Hungary, signifying that Hungary was considered a Byzantine tributary state. The first foreigner to be called sebastokrator was Stefan Nemanja of Serbia, who was given the title in 1191. Kaloyan of Bulgaria also used the title. Justinian II named Tervel, khan of the Bulgars, kaisar in 705; the title then developed into the Slavic term tsar or czar (from Latin through Bulgarian and then into Russian, Serbian etc.). Andronicus II Palaeologus also named Roger de Flor, leader of the Catalan Grand Company, kaisar in 1304. Protosebastos was also given to Enrico Dandolo, Doge of Venice, before his involvement in the Fourth Crusade. Image File history File links Byzculture2. ... The most famous of the surviving Byzantine mosaics of the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople - the image of Christ on the walls of the upper southern gallery. ... Byzantine architecture is the architecture of the Byzantine Empire. ... Byzantium undoubtedly occupies an important place in the history of garden design. ... // Overview During the Byzantine period there is a merger between the gastronomy of Greece and Rome. ... // Overview Byzantine Dress changed vastly over the centuries. ... This article is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... Byzantine literature refers to literature written in the Greek language during the Middle Ages, although certain works written in Latin, like the Corpus Juris Civilis may also be included. ... Byzantine music is the music of the Byzantine Empire and by extension the music of its culture(s) as they continued in the Orthodox Christian parts of the population after the fall of the empire to the rule of the Ottoman Empire. ... A gallery of birds from the Vienna Dioscurides Byzantine manuscript. ... Anastasius 40 nummi (M) and 5 nummi (E) Byzantine currency, money used in the Eastern Roman Empire after the fall of the West, consisted of mainly two types of coins: the gold solidus and a variety of clearly valued bronze coins. ... Byzantine Empire (Greek: Βυζαντινή Αυτοκρατορία) is the term conventionally used since the 19th century to describe the Greek-speaking Roman Empire during the Middle Ages, centered at its capital in Constantinople. ... A silver coin of the Seleucid king Antiochus I Soter. ... Look up monarch in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Hordos הוֹרְדוֹס, also known as Herod I or Herod the Great, was a Roman client-king of Judaea (c. ... Judea or Judaea (יהודה Praise, Standard Hebrew , Tiberian Hebrew ) (Greek: Ιουδαία) is a term used for the mountainous southern part of the historic Land of Israel (Hebrew: ארץ ישראל Eretz Yisrael), an area now divided between Israel and the West Bank, and, in a few geographical definitions of Judea, Jordan. ... The Persian Empire was a series of historical empires that ruled over the Iranian plateau. ... Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ... Augustus (Latin: IMPERATOR CAESAR DIVI FILIVS AVGVSTVS[1]; September 23, 63 BC – August 19, AD 14), known as Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus (in English Octavian) for the period of his life prior to 27 BC, was the first and among the most important of the Roman Emperors. ... Events Jerusalem reconquered by Byzantine Empire from the Persian Empire (September). ... This article is about the Byzantine Emperor. ... Contemporary coin of Romanus I. Romanus I Lecapenus (Romanos I Lakapenos, 870 - 948), who shared the throne of the Byzantine Empire with Constantine VII and exercised all the real power from 919 to 944, was admiral of the Byzantine fleet on the Danube River when, hearing of the defeat of... Constantine and his mother Zoë. Constantine VII Porphyrogenitos (the Purple-born) (Constantinople, 905 – November 9, 959 in Constantinople) was the son of Byzantine emperor Leo VI and his fourth wife Zoe Karvounopsina. ... Purple is any of a group of colors intermediate between deep blue and red. ... Constantine and his mother Zoë. Constantine VII Porphyrogenitos (the Purple-born) (Constantinople, 905 – November 9, 959 in Constantinople) was the son of Byzantine emperor Leo VI and his fourth wife Zoe Karvounopsina. ... The Latin word imperator was a title originally roughly equivalent to commander during the period of the Roman Republic. ... Byzantine emperor Alexius I Comnenus Alexius I (1048–August 15, 1118), Byzantine emperor (1081–1118), was the third son of John Comnenus, nephew of Isaac I Comnenus (emperor 1057–1059). ... Despotes (Greek DespotÄ“s, feminine Despoina, Bulgarian and Serbian Despot, feminine Despotica, sometimes Anglicized Despot), is a Byzantine court title, also granted in the Latin Empire, Bulgaria, Serbia, and the Empire of Trebizond. ... Manuel I Comnenus (Greek: Μανουήλ Α ο Κομνηνός; November 28, 1118 – September 24, 1180), was a Byzantine Emperor of the 12th century who reigned over a crucial turning point in the history of Byzantium and the Mediterranean. ... (11th century - 12th century - 13th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 12th century was that century which lasted from 1101 to 1200. ... The Morea and surrounding states carved from the Byzantine Empire, as they were in 1265 (William R. Shepherd, Historical Atlas, 1911) The name Morea (Μωρέας) for Peloponnesos first appears in the 10th century in Byzantine chronicles. ... For a village in the prefecture of Ioannina, see Ioannina The Vale of Laconia seen from the battlements of Mystras Mystras (also Mistra, Mystra and Mistras Greek: Μύστρας ) was a fortified town in Morea (the Peloponnesus), on Mt. ... Events July 25 - Constantinople re-captured by Nicaean forces under the command of Michael VIII Palaeologus, Byzantine Empire re-formed August 29 - Urban IV becomes Pope, the last man to do so without being a Cardinal first Bela IV of Hungary repels Tatar invasion Charles of Anjou given rule of... Caesar (p. ... Bela III of Hungary (Hungarian , Slovak: Belo III), born in 1148, was King of Hungary circa 1172_1196. ... Grand Prince/Duke Stefan Nemanja Stefan Nemanja (Serbian: Стефан Немања Мироточиви), Stefan I (1109-13 February 1199) was the Grand Prince of Rascia (Рашка), located in the central west region of the Balkans from 1166 to 25 March 1196 and founder of the House of Nemanja dynasty. ... Motto: none Anthem: Bože Pravde Capital Belgrade Largest city Belgrade Official language(s) Serbian1 Government Republic  - President Boris Tadić  - Prime Minister Vojislav KoÅ¡tunica Independence    - Formation of Serbia 850   - From the Ottoman Empire July 13, 1878   - Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes formed December 1, 1918   - Socialist Federal Republic... // Events May 12 - Richard I of England marries Berengaria of Navarre. ... Kaloyan Asen, Kalojan, Johannizza, John, The Romankiller (c. ... Justinian II, known as Rhinotmetus (the Split-nosed) (669-711) was a Byzantine emperor of the Heraclian Dynasty, reigned from 685 to 695 and again from 704 to 711. ... Khan Tervel or Tarvel, or Terval, or Terbelis in some Byzantine sources, was the khan of the Bulgars from 700 or 701-718. ... This article or section is missing references or citation of sources. ... Alternate meaning: Area code 705 Events End of the short-lived Zhou Dynasty in China Umayyad caliph Abd al-Malik succeeded by al-Walid I ibn Abd al-Malik. ... The Slavic languages (also called Slavonic languages) comprise the languages of the Slavic peoples. ... Tsar (Bulgarian, Serbian and Macedonian цар, Russian , in scientific transliteration respectively car and car ), often spelled Czar or Tzar and sometimes Csar or Zar in English, is the official Slavonic title designating Emperor in the following states: Bulgaria in 913–1422 (for later usage in 1908–1946, see below) Serbia in... Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ... Andronicus II Palaeologus (1260 - February 13, 1332), Byzantine emperor, was the elder son of Michael VIII Palaeologus, whom he succeeded in 1282. ... Roger de Flor, a catalan military adventurer of the 13th and 14th century, was the second son of a German falconer surnamed Blum (flower) in the service of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II, who fell at Tagliacozzo (1268). ... The Oriental Catalan Company, or the Grand Company, was founded by Roger de Flor (who inspired the medieval tale of Tirant lo Blanc) after the Peace of Caltabellotta in 1302 had left jobless the soldiers from Catalonia and French dynasty of French in 1282. ... Events 20 July - Fall of Stirling Castle: Edward I of England takes the last rebel stronghold in the Wars of Scottish Independence. ... Dandolo Preaching the Crusade, by Gustav Dore Tomb of Enrico Dandolo Enrico Dandolo (1107?-1205) was the Doge (1192-1205) of Venice during the Fourth Crusade. ... Grand Procession of the Doge, 16th century For some thousand years, the chief magistrate and leader of the Most Serene Republic of Venice was styled the Doge, a rare but not unique Italian title derived from the Latin Dux, as the major Italian parallel Duce and the English Duke. ... The Fourth Crusade (1201–1204), originally designed to conquer Jerusalem through an invasion of Egypt, instead, in 1204, invaded and conquered the Eastern Orthodox city of Constantinople, capital of the Byzantine Empire. ...

Especially in the later centuries of the empire, Byzantine emperors were also referred to as chronokrator (χρονοκράτωρ) and kosmokrator (κοσμοκράτωρ) - literally, "ruler of time" and "ruler of the world."

Court titles

The back of this coin by Manuel I Comnenus bears his title, porphyrogenitos.

• Pansebastohypertatos, panoikeiotatos, protoproedros – examples of the lengthy titles created by adding prefixes. These titles were held by members of the imperial family after Alexius I, signifying a close relationship with the emperor, but they held no real power.
• Protovestiarios - usually a minor relative of the emperor, who took care of the emperor’s personal wardrobe, especially on military campaigns. He was also sometimes responsible for other members of the imperial household, and the emperor’s personal finances. The older term, from before the time of Justinian I, was curopalata (or kouropalates in Greek). This was derived from kourator (curator), an earlier official responsible for financial matters. The vestiarios was a subordinate official. The protovestiaria and vestiaria performed the same functions for the empress.

The Byzantines also had aristocratic titles for lesser members of the royal family and lesser nobles, adopted from Latin terms and somewhat equivalent to the similar terms in Western Europe (derived from the same Latin terms). These were prinkeps (prince), doux (duke), and komes (count). They also had kleisourarka, apokomes, and akrita, equivalent to lower nobles such as marquesses, viscounts, earls, and barons. Image File history File links Manuel I Comnenus AV Hyperpyron. ... Image File history File links Manuel I Comnenus AV Hyperpyron. ... Manuel I Comnenus (Greek: Μανουήλ Α ο Κομνηνός; November 28, 1118 – September 24, 1180), was a Byzantine Emperor of the 12th century who reigned over a crucial turning point in the history of Byzantium and the Mediterranean. ... Justinian I depicted on one of the famous mosaics of the Basilica of San Vitale. ...

Various lesser nobles also held titles in the imperial residence, such as parakoimomenos (a bodyguard) and pankernes (a cupbearer), and megas konostaulos ("grand constable," in charge of the emperor’s stables).

Military titles

Army

• Exarchos - The exarchs were governors of remote parts of the empire such as Italy or Africa. They enjoyed a greater degree of independence than other provincial governors, combining both civil and military authority, practically acting as viceroys.
• Domestikos – the domestikoi were originally imperial guards, who became generals in the themes. They included:
  • Megas Domestikos (Grand Domestic) - the overall commander of the army.
  • Domestikos ton Scholon (Domestic of the Scholae) – the commander the Scholae, originally a prestigious army division, later a theme that provided troops for the division. This was a very prestigious title, which held a lot of power, unlike many of the other titles.
  • Domestikos tou thematos (Domestic of the Themes) – the commander and organizer of the military themes; there was one for the European themes and one for Asian themes.
• Strategos – a military commander of a theme, who often also had the title of doux. The term is basically equivalent to "general" or "admiral", as it was used in both branches of service
• Hypatos - the ruler of a Tyrrhenian city-state, usually translated into Latin as consul.
• Tourmarches – the commander of a tourma, an army division.
• Protospatharios – a senior officer in the imperial guard. The spatharios was his subordinate.
• Protostrator – initially the Emperor's stable master, later the term was used for the commander of the army.
• Stratopedarches (Master of the Camp) – a commander of the army in the field, who also possibly had legal powers.
• Hoplitarches or archegetes - commander of all infantry in a large army
• Protokentarchos and kentarchos - commanders of a smaller division of the army in the field. The name was derived from the Latin centurion.
• Merarches - commander of a cavalry division (meros) in the army.
• Taxiarches or chiliarches - commander of an infantry division (taxiarchia or chiliarchia) in the army.

In the Byzantine Empire, an exarch was an essentially military viceroy who governed a part of the empire at some remove from the central (oriental) authorities, the Emperor and the Patriarch of Constantinople. ... The themata in 950. ... The term strategos (plural strategoi; Greek στρατηγός) is used in Greek to mean general. In the hellenistic and Byzantine Empires the term was also used to describe a military governor. ... Hypatus or ypatus (pl. ... The Etruscan civilization existed in Etruria and the Po valley in the northern part of what is now Italy, prior to the formation of the Roman Republic. ... Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ... Consul (abbrev. ... Modern reenactment including a centurion of 70 AD A centurion (Latin: centurio; Greek: hekatontarchos) was a professional officer of the Roman army. ... Kircholm, a 1925 painting by Wojciech Kossak. ...

Navy

• Megas Doux – the Megaduke or Grand Duke, was the basic equivalent of the modern Lord High Admiral, and organized the Byzantine naval themes. He was very likely one of the few who knew the secret of the composition of Greek fire. By the end of the Palaiologos dynasty the megaduke was head of the government and bureaucracy, not just the navy.
  • Megas Drungarios - a subordinate of the megas doux, who was in charge of the naval officers.
  • Drungarios - a naval officer as well as an army officer. A somewhat higher version of the drungarios was the drungarokomes.
• Katepano – the governor of a naval theme, such as the Catapan of Italy, a title developed in the 9th century.

The Megas Doux (Gr. ... For the international law of the sea, see Admiralty law. ... Depiction of Greek fire in the Madrid Skylitzes manuscript. ... The Double-headed eagle, emblem of the Paleologus dynasty and the Byzantine Empire. ... Drungarios A Military rank of the Byzantine Army. ... In 890 the Byzantines defeated the Saracens in southern Italy. ... As a means of recording the passage of time the 9th century was that century that lasted from 801 to 900. ...

Other military titles

• Ethnarches - the ethnarch, commander of foreign troops.
• Kontostaulos - Greek form of Latin Comes stabuli 'count of the stable' and various European feudal titles such as English "constable" - the chief of the Frankish mercenaries.
• Hetaireiarches – the chief of the barbarian mercenaries, the Hetaireia.
• Akolouthos - "Acolyte," the chief of the Varangian Guard.
• Spatharokandidatos – another Varangian title.
• Manglabites or Manglavites – another Varangian title.
• Topoterites – a Lombard title.

Ethnarch refers generally to political leadership over a common ethnic group or heterogeneous kingdom. ... For other uses, see Franks (disambiguation). ... A mercenary is a soldier who fights, or engages in warfare primarily for private gain, usually with little regard for ideological, national or political considerations. ... // The word barbarian generally refers to an uncivilized, uncultured person, either in a general reference to a member of a nation or ethnos perceived as having an inferior level of civilization, or in an individual reference to a brutal, cruel, insensitive person of behavior inacceptable in a civilized society. ... The Varangians (Russian: Variags, Варяги) were Scandinavians who travelled eastwards, mainly from Jutland and Sweden. ... The Varangians (Russian: Variags, Варяги) were Scandinavians who travelled eastwards, mainly from Jutland and Sweden. ... The Varangians (Russian: Variags, Варяги) were Scandinavians who travelled eastwards, mainly from Jutland and Sweden. ... Topoterites (Italian: ) was the Byzantine title given to the Lombard Arduin as ruler over Melfi. ... The Lombards (Latin Langobardi, from which the alternative name Longobards found in older English texts), were a Germanic people originally from Northern Europe that entered the late Roman Empire. ...

Administrative titles

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. 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 when it had become useless (as there was by then no Western portion of the Empire). 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.
• Protoasecretes - an earlier title for the head of the chancery, responsible for keeping official government records. The asecretes was a subordinate. Other subordinates included the chartoularios (in charge of imperial documents), the kastrinsios (a chamberlain in the palace), the mystikos (a private secretary), and the eidikos (a treasury official).
• Logothetes - 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 (Postal Logothete) – the head of diplomacy and the postal service.
  • Logothetes ton oikeiakon (Domestic Logothete) – head of domestic affairs, such as the security of Constantinople and the local economy.
  • Logothetes tou genikou (General Logothete) – responsible for taxation.
  • Logothetes tou stratiotikou (Military Logothete) – a civilian, in charge of distributing pay to the army.

Logothetes originally had some influence on the emperor, but they eventually became honorary posts. In the later empire the Grand Logothete became the mesazon ("manager" or, more literally, "middle-man"). Praetorian prefect (Latin Praefectus praetorio) was the constant title of a high office in the Roman state that changed fundamentally in nature. ... Emperor Diocletian. ... Court of Chancery, London, late 18th century The Court of Chancery was one of the courts of equity in England and Wales. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Logothetes. ... The Megas Logothetes (Greek Μεγάς Λογοθέτης, Grand Accountant) was the head of the Byzantine bureaucracy during the middle era of the empire. ... The United Nations, with its headquarters in New York City, is the largest international diplomatic organization. ... A British pillar box (or post box, mail box [U.S.]). The postal system is a system by which written documents typically enclosed in envelopes, and also small packages containing other matter, are delivered to destinations around the world. ...

Other administrators included:

• Prefect – a lower official in Constantinople, involved in local government.
• Quaestor – originally a legal and financial official, which lost power after the development of the logothetes.
• Tribounos – equivalent to the Roman tribune; responsible for maintenance of roads, monuments, and buildings in Constantinople.
• Magister (magister officiorum, magister militum, "maistor" in Greek) – an old Roman term, master of offices and master of the army; by the time of Heraclius, these had become honorary and were eventually discarded.
• Sacellarios – under Heraclius, an honorary supervisor of the other palace administrators, logothetes, etc.
• Praetor – originally an administrator of Constantinople, in charge of taxation; after Alexius, a civil governor of a theme.
• Kephale - "head," the civil governor of a Byzantine town. (“Head”)
• Dragoman – a Turkish title, which was applied to interpreters and ambassadors.
• Horeiarios – in charge of distributing food from the state granaries.

The protoasecretes, logothetes, prefect, praetor, quaestor, magister, and sacellarios, among others, were members of the senate, until this became an increasingly unused aspect of the Empire after Heraclius. A prefect (from the Latin praefectus, perfect participle of praeficere, to make in front, i. ... Quaestors were elected officials of the Roman Republic who supervised the treasury and financial affairs of the state, its armies and its officers. ... Tribune (from the Latin: tribunus; Greek form tribounos) was a title shared by several elected magistracies and other governmental and/or (para)military offices of the Roman Republic and Empire. ... Magister militum (Master of the Soldiers) was a rank used in the later Roman Empire dating from the reign of Constantine. ... // Definition According to Cicero, Praetor was a title which designated the consuls as the leaders of the armies of the state. ... Dragoman, a word of Aramaic/Assyrian origin, designates the function of interpreter, translator and official guide in countries and polities of the Near East. ... The Byzantine Senate was a nominal continuation of the Roman Senate, established in the 4th century by Constantine I. It survived for centuries but was increasingly irrelevant until its eventual disappearance in the 13th century. ...

Sources

• Michael Angold. The Byzantine Aristocracy: IX to XIII Centuries. Oxford: BAR International Series, 1984. ISBN 0860542831.
• H.R. Ellis Davidson. The Viking Road to Byzantium. London: George Allen & Unwin Ltd., 1976. ISBN 0049400495
• Deno John Geanakoplos. Emperor Michael Palaeologus and the West, 1258-1282: A Study in Byzantine-Latin Relations. Hamden, Connecticut: Archon Books, 1973. ISBN 1208013105.
• John Haldon. Warfare, State and Society in the Byzantine World, 565–1204. London: UCL Press, 1999. ISBN 1-85728-495-X
• Warren T. Treadgold. A History of the Byzantine State and Society. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1997. ISBN 0-8047-2630-2
• The Alexiad of Anna Comnena, http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/basis/AnnaComnena-Alexiad.html
• The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon, http://www.ccel.org/g/gibbon/decline/
• Byzantine Monastic Foundation Documents from Dumbarton Oaks