''Dishypatos'',
Latinized as ''dishypatus'' ( el, δισύπατος, "twice ''
hypatos
''Hypatos'' ( gr, ὕπατος; plural: , ''hypatoi'') and the variant ''apo hypatōn'' (, "former ''hypatos''", literally: "from among the consuls") was a Byzantine court dignity, originally the Greek translation of Latin ''consul'' (the litera ...
''"), 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 ...
honorary dignity (διὰ βραβείου ἀξία, ''dia brabeiou axia'') in the 9th–11th centuries, intended for "bearded men" (i.e. non-
eunuch
A eunuch ( ) is a male who has been castrated. Throughout history, castration often served a specific social function.
The earliest records for intentional castration to produce eunuchs are from the Sumerian city of Lagash in the 2nd millenni ...
s). From then on, and especially during the
Palaiologan period
The Byzantine Empire was ruled by the Palaiologos dynasty in the period between 1261 and 1453, from the restoration of Byzantine rule to Constantinople by the usurper Michael VIII Palaiologos following its recapture from the Latin Empire, founde ...
, it is attested as a family name.
The title is relatively rarely mentioned in literary sources, and few seals of ''dishypatoi'' have been found. Likely created in the 8th century, it is first attested in the early 9th century, when a certain Thomas, addressee of
Theodore the Studite
Theodore the Studite ( grc-x-medieval, Θεόδωρος ό Στουδίτης; 759–826), also known as Theodorus Studita and Saint Theodore of Stoudios/Studium, was a Byzantine Greek monk and abbot of the Stoudios Monastery in Constantinople. ...
, held the title.
[.] Nevertheless, in 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 ...
'', compiled in 899 by Byzantine court official Philotheos, it ranks quite high, being placed below the ''
protospatharios
''Prōtospatharios'' ( el, πρωτοσπαθάριος) was one of the highest court dignities of the middle Byzantine period (8th to 12th centuries), awarded to senior generals and provincial governors, as well as to foreign princes.
History
Th ...
'' and above the ''
spatharokandidatos
( gr, σπαθαροκανδιδᾶτος), Latinized as , was a mid-ranking Byzantine court dignity used in the 7th–11th centuries.
History
The title was created as a portmanteau of the titles and , both of which were types of palace guard ...
''. The ''Kletorologion'' also mentions that its characteristic insigne (βραβείον, ''brabeion'') is a
diploma
A diploma is a document awarded by an educational institution (such as a college or university) testifying the recipient has graduated by successfully completing their courses of studies. Historically, it has also referred to a charter or offici ...
.
[.] The title seems to have disappeared in Byzantium itself by the late 11th century, but it is still attested during the 12th century in Byzantine-influenced
southern Italy
Southern Italy ( it, Sud Italia or ) also known as ''Meridione'' or ''Mezzogiorno'' (), is a macroregion of the Italian Republic consisting of its southern half.
The term ''Mezzogiorno'' today refers to regions that are associated with the pe ...
.
In the same period, ''Dishypatos'' begins to appear as a surname, becoming more common after the 13th century, when it also became connected with the reigning
Palaiologos
The House of Palaiologos ( Palaiologoi; grc-gre, Παλαιολόγος, pl. , female version Palaiologina; grc-gre, Παλαιολογίνα), also found in English-language literature as Palaeologus or Palaeologue, was a Byzantine Greek f ...
dynasty. Among its most notable members were the ''
kanstresios'' Manuel Dishypatos and the 14th-century
Palamite monk David Dishypatos.
References
Sources
*
* {{ODB , last=Kazhdan , first=Alexander P. , authorlink=Alexander Kazhdan , title = Dishypatos , page = 638
Byzantine court titles