''Akolouthos'' ( gr, ἀκόλουθος, , follower, attendant) was a
Byzantine
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 Constantinopl ...
office with varying functions over time. Originally a subaltern officer of the imperial guard regiment (''
tagma'') of the ''
Vigla'', it was associated with the command over the famed
Varangian Guard
The Varangian Guard ( el, Τάγμα τῶν Βαράγγων, ''Tágma tōn Varángōn'') was an elite unit of the Byzantine Army from the tenth to the fourteenth century who served as personal bodyguards to the Byzantine emperors. The Varangi ...
in the 11th–12th centuries.
History
The title is first attested in the late 9th century, when the ''
Kletorologion
The ''Klētorologion'' of Philotheos ( el, Κλητορολόγιον), is the longest and most important of the Byzantine lists of offices and court precedence ('' Taktika'').. It was published in September 899 during the reign of Emperor Leo VI ...
'' of 899 lists him as one of the senior officers of the ''
Vigla'' or ''Arithmos'' guard regiment (''
tagma''). In the 9th–10th centuries, the ''akolouthos'' (often termed , ''akolouthos tou arithmou'', to emphasize his links to the ''Vigla''/''Arithmos'') was the deputy of the regimental commander, the ''
droungarios tes vigles
The ''Droungarios'' of the Watch ( el, δρουγγάριος τῆς βίγλης/βίγλας, ''droungarios tēs viglēs/viglas''), sometimes anglicized as "Drungary of the Watch", was originally a senior Byzantine military post. Attested since ...
'', i.e. the equivalent of the ''proximos'' and the ''
protomandator'' in the two senior ''tagmata'', the ''
Scholai'' and the ''
Excubitores''. Already at this time, however, he was associated with the command of the foreign mercenaries, chiefly the
Franks
The Franks ( la, Franci or ) were a group of Germanic peoples whose name was first mentioned in 3rd-century Roman sources, and associated with tribes between the Lower Rhine and the Ems River, on the edge of the Roman Empire.H. Schutz: Tools, ...
.
From the early 11th century, the ''droungarios tes vigles'' was entrusted with judicial and police duties in the capital,
Constantinople
la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه
, alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya ( Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...
, and the post of ''akolouthos'' became an independent command, still linked to mercenary contingents, now chiefly the
Varangian Guard
The Varangian Guard ( el, Τάγμα τῶν Βαράγγων, ''Tágma tōn Varángōn'') was an elite unit of the Byzantine Army from the tenth to the fourteenth century who served as personal bodyguards to the Byzantine emperors. The Varangi ...
, which from the
Komnenian period
The Byzantine Empire was ruled by emperors of the Komnenos dynasty for a period of 104 years, from 1081 to about 1185. The ''Komnenian'' (also spelled ''Comnenian'') period comprises the reigns of five emperors, Alexios I, John II, Manuel I, A ...
on became one of the main, and most enduring, corps of the imperial bodyguard.
In the 12th century however, the ''akolouthoi'' are mentioned chiefly in connection with diplomatic missions. The ''akolouthos'' is still named as the chief of the Varangians in the mid-14th century ''Book of Offices'' of
pseudo-Kodinos
George Kodinos or Codinus ( el, Γεώργιος Κωδινός), also Pseudo-Kodinos, ''kouropalates'' in the Byzantine court, is the reputed 14th-century author of three extant works in late Byzantine literature.
Their attribution to him is mere ...
, but the last attested holder of the post is a certain John Nomikopoulos in 1199. The historian
Rodolphe Guilland Rodolphe Joseph Guilland (Lons-le-Saunier, 1888 – Saint-Marcellin, Isère, 5 October 1981) was a French Byzantinist.
Life
Born in 1888, he completed his thesis on Nikephoros Gregoras (a biography in 1926, and his edited correspondence in 1927), ...
however considered it very likely that the post continued to exist until the end of the empire, even though no holders are named. According to pseudo-Kodinos, he occupied the 51st place in the palace hierarchy, was always in close attendance to the emperor, and assisted by the "''
primikerioi'' of the Varangians". The same work also gives his distinctive court dress: a ''
skiadion'' hat with gold-wire embroidery, a "plain silk" ''
kabbadion
The ''kabbadion'' ( el, καββάδιον) was a caftan-like garment of oriental origin which became a standard part of court costume in the last centuries of the Byzantine Empire.
The first known reference to the ''kabbadion'' occurs in the ''K ...
'' kaftan, and a ceremonial hat called ''
skaranikon'', covered with velvet and topped with a red tassel. In the breakaway
Empire of Trebizond (1204–1461), the ''akolouthos'' was also known as ''chourtzes'' (χουρτζής), a title of unknown origin; it is possibly linked to similar
Persian
Persian may refer to:
* People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language
** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples
** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...
or
Georgian
Georgian may refer to:
Common meanings
* Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country)
** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group
** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians
**Georgian scripts, three scrip ...
titles signifying "
page
Page most commonly refers to:
* Page (paper), one side of a leaf of paper, as in a book
Page, PAGE, pages, or paging may also refer to:
Roles
* Page (assistance occupation), a professional occupation
* Page (servant), traditionally a young m ...
".
Known holders
A few ''akolouthoi'' are recorded by name in the sources. A ''
patrikios
The patricians (from la, patricius, Greek: πατρίκιος) were originally a group of ruling class families in ancient Rome. The distinction was highly significant in the Roman Kingdom, and the early Republic, but its relevance waned aft ...
'' Michael served as ''akolouthos'' under
Constantine IX Monomachos
Constantine IX Monomachos ( grc-x-medieval, Κωνσταντῖνος Μονομάχος, translit=Kōnstantinos IX Monomachos; 1004 – 11 January 1055), reigned as Byzantine emperor from June 1042 to January 1055. Empress Zoë Porphyrogenita ...
(), and was active as a general against the
Pechenegs
The Pechenegs () or Patzinaks tr, Peçenek(ler), Middle Turkic: , ro, Pecenegi, russian: Печенег(и), uk, Печеніг(и), hu, Besenyő(k), gr, Πατζινάκοι, Πετσενέγοι, Πατζινακίται, ka, პა ...
and the
Seljuk Turks
The Seljuk dynasty, or Seljukids ( ; fa, سلجوقیان ''Saljuqian'', alternatively spelled as Seljuqs or Saljuqs), also known as Seljuk Turks, Seljuk Turkomans "The defeat in August 1071 of the Byzantine emperor Romanos Diogenes
by the Turk ...
. A certain Nampites occupied the post early in the reign of
Alexios I Komnenos
Alexios I Komnenos ( grc-gre, Ἀλέξιος Κομνηνός, 1057 – 15 August 1118; Latinized Alexius I Comnenus) was Byzantine emperor from 1081 to 1118. Although he was not the first emperor of the Komnenian dynasty, it was during ...
(). Under
Manuel I Komnenos (), the ''akolouthos'' Stephen was sent by the emperor to accompany and guide
Conrad III of Germany while crossing Byzantine territory during the
Second Crusade (1147). In ca. 1160/61, the post was held by
Basil Kamateros, and a little later by
Isaac Aaron, who betrayed the emperor's confidence and was blinded in 1171. The last known holder of the office, John Nomikopoulos, is attested in a
chrysobull of
Alexios III Angelos () from 1199. A handful of seals of ''akolouthoi'' are also known, but they cannot be dated or identified with any certainty.
See also
*
Ragnvald Ingvarsson
References
Sources
*
*
{{Byzantine offices after pseudo-Kodinos
Byzantine army
Byzantine military offices
Greek words and phrases
Varangian Guard