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Tzaousios
The ''tzaousios'' ( gr, τζαούσιος) was a late Byzantine military office, whose exact functions and role are somewhat unclear.. The term is derived from the Turkish '' çavuş'', meaning "courier" or "messenger", and was in use by the Byzantines perhaps as early as the late 11th century.. In the 13th–15th centuries, it became applied to officers serving in provincial posts. A ''tzaousios'' could serve as commander of the garrison of a ''kastron'' (a fortified administrative center run by a '' kephale''), possibly combining the military and administrative roles, or as an officer to the '' megala allagia'' of the imperial field army. Most of the ''tzaousioi'' mentioned in the sources came from the Byzantine Morea, where they played an important role in provincial administration. In Macedonia and Thrace by contrast, they seem to have been limited to a purely military role within the ''megala allagia''. The variant ''megas tzaousios'' (μέγας τζαούσιος, "grand ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Constantine Margarites
Constantine Margarites ( el, Κωνσταντῖνος Μαργαρίτης) was a senior military officer and courtier of the Empire of Nicaea in the mid-13th century. His life is only known from the brief, and very hostile, references to him in the ''History'' of George Akropolites. Akropolites disparages Margarites, as well as many other of the low-born "new men" who rose to prominence as favourites of Theodore II Laskaris (ruled 1254–58), as opposed to the traditional aristocracy which customarily monopolized high offices. According to Akropolites, Margarites was born in the theme of Neokastra in northwestern Asia Minor, a "peasant born of peasants, reared on barley and bran and knowing only how to grunt". He joined the thematic army and rose to the rank of ''tzaousios''. His skill impressed the Nicaean emperor John III Vatatzes (r. 1222–54), who placed him in his own bodyguard, and later raised him to the post of ''megas tzaousios''. Apparently on his accession, John's son T ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Allagion
The ''allagion'' ( el, ) was a Byzantine military term designating a military unit of 50-400 soldiers. It first appeared in the mid-to-late 10th century, and by the 13th century had become the most frequent term used for the Byzantine army's standing regiments, persisting until the late 14th century. Etymology The term means "rotation of duties"On proposals by earlier scholars on the meaning of the term, cf. and first appears in the '' Tactica'' of Leo VI the Wise in the early 10th century for a generic body of troops. In a more technical use it came into use as an alternate term for a cavalry '' bandon'', numbering between 50 and 400 men. In the 10th and 11th centuries, provincial ''allagia'' had some 50–150 men, while those of the central imperial army were closer to the upper limit, with circa 320–400 men. ''Allagia'' in the late Byzantine era From the late 11th century, as evidenced in the writings of Michael Attaleiates, the term also began to be used in a more specif ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mandator
The ''mandatōr'' ( el, μανδάτωρ), deriving from the Latin word for "messenger", was a subaltern official in the middle Byzantine Empire. History and functions The ''mandatores'' were a corps of messengers for special duties attached to the bureaux of all senior civil and military officials, such as the thematic '' stratēgoi'', the commanders of the '' tagmata'', the logothetes and others. They were then headed by a ''prōtomandatōr'' (πρωτομανδάτωρ, "first ''mandatōr''"), a mid-level official.. These officials must be distinguished from the honorary dignity of ''basilikos mandatōr'' (βασιλικὸς μανδάτωρ, "imperial ''mandatōr''"), which was one of the lower court titles (fourth from the bottom, between the '' vestētōr'' and the '' kandidatos'') intended for "bearded men" (i.e. non-eunuchs). According to the '' Klētorologion'' of 899, its insigne was a red wand. Together with the other lower rank classes, the ''basilikoi mandatores'' wer ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinople. It survived the fragmentation and fall of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD and continued to exist for an additional thousand years until the fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Empire in 1453. During most of its existence, the empire remained the most powerful economic, cultural, and military force in Europe. The terms "Byzantine Empire" and "Eastern Roman Empire" were coined after the end of the realm; its citizens continued to refer to their empire as the Roman Empire, and to themselves as Romans—a term which Greeks continued to use for themselves into Ottoman times. Although the Roman state continued and its traditions were maintained, modern historians prefer to differentiate the Byzantine Empire from Ancient Rome ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Turkish Language
Turkish ( , ), also referred to as Turkish of Turkey (''Türkiye Türkçesi''), is the most widely spoken of the Turkic languages, with around 80 to 90 million speakers. It is the national language of Turkey and Northern Cyprus. Significant smaller groups of Turkish speakers also exist in Iraq, Syria, Germany, Austria, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Greece, the Caucasus, and other parts of Europe and Central Asia. Cyprus has requested the European Union to add Turkish as an official language, even though Turkey is not a member state. Turkish is the 13th most spoken language in the world. To the west, the influence of Ottoman Turkish—the variety of the Turkish language that was used as the administrative and literary language of the Ottoman Empire—spread as the Ottoman Empire expanded. In 1928, as one of Atatürk's Reforms in the early years of the Republic of Turkey, the Ottoman Turkish alphabet was replaced with a Latin alphabet. The distinctive characteristics of the Turk ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
çavuş
Çavuş, also anglicized Chaush and Chiaus (from tr, çavuş / , "messenger"), Arabic 'shawish, شاويش', (from Old Turkic ''Çabuş'' or ''Çawuş'', "person who gives order, person who yells") was an Ottoman title used for two separate soldier professions, both acting as messengers although differing in levels. It was a rank below '' agha'' and ''kethüda'' (from Persian, kad-khuda, "magistrate"), in units such as the Janissaries and Sipahi, and was also a term for members of the specialized unit of '' çavuşān'' (, also ''çavuşiyye'', ''çavuş(an)-i divan(i)'') consisting of combined cavalry and infantry serving the Imperial Council (as in Ottoman Egypt). The leaders of the council's ''çavuş'' were titled ''çavuşbaşı'' / (or ''başçavuş'' / ). The ''çavuşbaşı'' was an assistant (or deputy) to the Grand Vizier, dealing with security matters, accompanying ambassadors visiting the Grand Vizier, and also carried out the first examination of petitions submitted ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kephale (Byzantine Empire)
In the late Byzantine Empire, the term ''kephale'' ( gr, κεφαλή, kephalē, head) was used to denote local and provincial governors. It entered use in the second half of the 13th century, and was derived from the colloquial language. Consequently, it never became an established title or rank of the Byzantine aristocracy and bureaucracy, Byzantine imperial hierarchy, but remained a descriptive term.. In essence, the ''kephalē'' replaced the Komnenian period, Komnenian-era ''dux, doux'' as the civil and military governor of a territorial administrative unit, known as a ''katepanikion'' (κατεπανίκιον, ''katepaníkion''),Not to be confused with the very different katepano, katepanates of the 10th-11th centuries. but also termed a ''kephalatikion'' (κεφαλατίκιον, ''kephalatíkion''). In size, these provinces were small compared to the earlier ''Theme (Byzantine district), themata'', and could range from a few villages surrounding the ''kephales seat (a ''kast ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Despotate Of The Morea
The Despotate of the Morea ( el, Δεσποτᾶτον τοῦ Μορέως) or Despotate of Mystras ( el, Δεσποτᾶτον τοῦ Μυστρᾶ) was a province of the Byzantine Empire which existed between the mid-14th and mid-15th centuries. Its territory varied in size during its existence but eventually grew to include almost all the southern Greek peninsula now known as the Peloponnese, which was known as the Morea during the medieval and early modern periods. The territory was usually ruled by one or more sons of the current Byzantine emperor, who were given the title of ''despotes'' (in this context it should not be confused with despotism). Its capital was the fortified city of Mystras, near ancient Sparta, which became an important centre of the Palaiologan Renaissance. History The Despotate of the Morea was created out of territory seized from the Frankish Principality of Achaea. This had been organized from former Byzantine territory after the Fourth Crusade (12 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Macedonia (region)
Macedonia () is a geographical and historical region of the Balkan Peninsula in Southeast Europe. Its boundaries have changed considerably over time; however, it came to be defined as the modern geographical region by the mid 19th century. Today the region is considered to include parts of six Balkan countries: larger parts in Greece, North Macedonia North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Socialist Feder ..., and Bulgaria, and smaller parts in Albania, Serbia, and Kosovo. It covers approximately and has a population of 4.76 million. Its oldest known settlements date back approximately to 7,000 BC. From the middle of the 4th century BC, the Kingdom of Macedon became the dominant power on the Balkan Peninsula; since then Macedonia has had a diverse history. Etymology Both proper nouns ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Thrace
Thrace (; el, Θράκη, Thráki; bg, Тракия, Trakiya; tr, Trakya) or Thrake is a geographical and historical region in Southeast Europe, now split among Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey, which is bounded by the Balkan Mountains to the north, the Aegean Sea to the south, and the Black Sea to the east. It comprises southeastern Bulgaria (Northern Thrace), northeastern Greece (Western Thrace), and the European part of Turkey ( East Thrace). The region's boundaries are based on that of the Roman Province of Thrace; the lands inhabited by the ancient Thracians extended in the north to modern-day Northern Bulgaria and Romania and to the west into the region of Macedonia. Etymology The word ''Thrace'' was first used by the Greeks when referring to the Thracian tribes, from ancient Greek Thrake (Θρᾴκη), descending from ''Thrāix'' (Θρᾷξ). It referred originally to the Thracians, an ancient people inhabiting Southeast Europe. The name ''Europe'' first referred to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John III Vatatzes
John III Doukas Vatatzes, Latinized as Ducas Vatatzes ( el, Ιωάννης Δούκας Βατάτζης, ''Iōannēs Doukas Vatatzēs'', c. 1192 – 3 November 1254), was Emperor of Nicaea from 1221 to 1254. He was succeeded by his son, known as Theodore II Laskaris. Life John Doukas Vatatzes, born in about 1192 in Didymoteicho, was probably the son of the general Basil Vatatzes, who was killed in battle in 1194, and his wife, a cousin of the Emperors Isaac II Angelos and Alexios III Angelos. John Doukas Vatatzes had two older brothers. The eldest was Isaac Doukas Vatatzes (1188-1261), while his younger brother died young. Through his marriage to Eudokia Angelina he fathered Theodora Doukaina Vatatzaina, who later married Michael VIII Palaiologos. The middle brother's name is unknown, but his daughter married the ''protovestiarios'' Alexios Raoul. A successful soldier from a military family, John was chosen in about 1216 by Emperor Theodore I Laskaris as the second husband f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Byzantinist
Byzantine studies is an interdisciplinary branch of the humanities that addresses the history, culture, demography, dress, religion/theology, art, literature/epigraphy, music, science, economy, coinage and politics of the Eastern Roman Empire. The discipline's founder in Germany is considered to be the philologist Hieronymus Wolf (1516–1580), a Renaissance Humanist. He gave the name "Byzantine" to the Eastern Roman Empire that continued after the Western Roman Empire collapsed in 476 AD. About 100 years after the final conquest of Constantinople by the Ottomans, Wolf began to collect, edit, and translate the writings of Byzantine philosophers.''Byzantium: Faith and Power (1261–1557)'' [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
