The Manglabites or Manglavites ( el, μαγ ��αβίται, ''manglabitai''; sing. μαγ ��αβίτης, ''manglabitēs'') were a corps of bodyguards in the

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 Constantinopl ...

Etymology

Their name derives from the term ''manglabion'' (μαγγλάβιον, "cudgel") which was also used to designate the entire corps. The origin of the term itself is debated: one theory regards it as deriving from

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

''mijlab'' ("whip"), while another from

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

''manus'' ("hand") and ''clava'' ("cudgel").

History

The ''manglabitai'' first appear in the 9th century, when, along with the imperial ''

Hetaireia The ( grc-gre, Ἑταιρεία, Latinized as ''hetaeria'') was a term for a corps of bodyguards during the Byzantine Empire. Etymology and usage of the term means 'the Company', echoing the ancient Macedonian Companions and the Classical Gr ...

'', they were responsible for the personal safety of the emperor. Armed with swords, the ''manglabitai'' preceded him in ceremonies and were responsible for the unlocking of certain gates of the imperial palace, the

Great Palace of Constantinople The Great Palace of Constantinople ( el, Μέγα Παλάτιον, ''Méga Palátion''; Latin: ''Palatium Magnum''), also known as the Sacred Palace ( el, Ἱερὸν Παλάτιον, ''Hieròn Palátion''; Latin: ''Sacrum Palatium''), was th ...

every morning.

Structure

The individual ''manglabitēs'' was of relatively lowly origin and status, often even illiterate, but their commander, known as ''prōtomanglabitēs'' (πρωτομαγγλαβίτης, "first ''manglabitēs''") or ''epi tou manglabiou'' (, "in charge of the ''manglabion''"), ranked high in the imperial hierarchy due to his proximity to the emperor. The ''manglabitai'' as an imperial bodyguard appear to have disappeared by the late 11th century, but there is

sigillographic Sigillography, also known by its Greek-derived name, sphragistics, is the scholarly discipline that studies the wax, lead, clay, and other seals used to authenticate archival documents. It investigates not only aspects of the artistic design and ...

evidence for "''manglabitai'' of the Great Church" (i.e. the

Patriarchate of Constantinople The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople ( el, Οἰκουμενικὸν Πατριαρχεῖον Κωνσταντινουπόλεως, translit=Oikoumenikón Patriarkhíon Konstantinoupóleos, ; la, Patriarchatus Oecumenicus Constanti ...

) from the 11th through the 13th centuries.

Notable members

The perhaps most famous ''manglabitēs'' was the

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

king

Harald Hardrada Harald Sigurdsson (; – 25 September 1066), also known as Harald III of Norway and given the epithet ''Hardrada'' (; modern no, Hardråde, roughly translated as "stern counsel" or "hard ruler") in the sagas, was King of Norway from 1046 t ...

, who received the title in recognition of his services in 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 ...

in the 1030s.

References

{{Byzantine-stub Medieval bodyguards