Hypatus or ypatus (pl. hypati or ypati) was the Latin form of the Greek hypatos (pl. hypatoi), which is often translated consul, though it survives in Italian as ipato. The title refers to the rulers of the Tyrrhenian coastal city-states of Italy, which recognised Byzantine authority in the ninth through eleventh centuries. Eventually, with the waning of Byzantine power in the region, these rulers took on more familiar Latin titles like consul and dux, modern duke. The most famous hypati were those of Gaeta. John I of Gaeta won the title patricius, in its late imperial signification of "military strongman", from the Emperor, as a reward for defeating the Saracens. The feminine form of the term was ypatissa, though this too was replaced by ducissa during the reign of Docibilis II of Gaeta and his wife Orania, in the first half of the tenth century. Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in Latium, the region immediately surrounding Rome. ... Consul (abbrev. ... 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. ... Byzantine Empire (native Greek name: - Basileia tōn Romaiōn) is the term conventionally used since the 19th century to describe the Greek-speaking Roman Empire of the Middle Ages, centered at its capital in Constantinople. ... Dux is Latin for leader (from the verb ducere, to lead) and could refer to anyone who commanded troops, such as tribal leaders. ... Duke is a title of nobility which refers to the sovereign male ruler of a Continental European duchy, to a nobleman of the highest grade of the British peerage, or to the highest rank of nobility in various other European countries, including Portugal, Spain and France (in Italy, principe is... Gaeta (ancient Latin name Caieta) is a city in Province of Latina, in Lazio, Italy. ... Patricians (patricii) were originally the elite caste in ancient Rome. ... It has been suggested that Serkland be merged into this article or section. ...