Hikanatoi
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The ''Hikanatoi'' ( gr, Ἱκανάτοι, 3=The Able Ones), sometimes Latinized as ''Hicanati'', were one of the
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 ...
'' tagmata'', the elite guard units based near the imperial capital of
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 (" ...
. Founded in the early 9th century, it survived until the late 11th century.


History

The exact date of the unit's establishment is uncertain: the ''Vita Ignatii'', a
hagiographic A hagiography (; ) is a biography of a saint or an ecclesiastical leader, as well as, by extension, an adulatory and idealized biography of a founder, saint, monk, nun or icon in any of the world's religions. Early Christian hagiographies might ...
account of the life of
Patriarch Ignatius of Constantinople St. Ignatius or Ignatios ( el, Ιγνάτιος), (c. 798 – 23 October 877) was a Patriarch of Constantinople from July 4, 847, to October 23, 858, and from November 23, 867, to his death on October 23, 877. In the Catholic Church and Eas ...
, records that the unit was said to have been established by Emperor
Nikephoros I Nikephoros I or Nicephorus I ( gr, Νικηφόρος; 750 – 26 July 811) was Byzantine emperor from 802 to 811. Having served Empress Irene as '' genikos logothetēs'', he subsequently ousted her from power and took the throne himself. In r ...
(). A brief notice in the '' Chronicle of 811'' fragment also records that in his ninth
regnal year A regnal year is a year of the reign of a sovereign, from the Latin ''regnum'' meaning kingdom, rule. Regnal years considered the date as an ordinal, not a cardinal number. For example, a monarch could have a first year of rule, a second year of ...
(which began on 1 November 810) Nikephoros I, in preparation for a campaign against the
Bulgars The Bulgars (also Bulghars, Bulgari, Bolgars, Bolghars, Bolgari, Proto-Bulgarians) were Turkic semi-nomadic warrior tribes that flourished in the Pontic–Caspian steppe and the Volga region during the 7th century. They became known as nomad ...
, created a bodyguard for his son and heir
Staurakios Staurakios or Stauracius ( gr, Σταυράκιος, links=no; early 790s – 11 January 812AD) was Byzantine emperor from 26 July to 2 October 811. He was born in the early 790s, probably between 791 and 793, to Nikephoros I and an unknown ...
, recruiting into it the sons of the aristocracy. This date is generally accepted, although
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 as to its establishment is vague, and could support a late 8th-century establishment. According to the ''Vita'', Niketas, the grandson of Nikephoros and future patriarch Ignatius, was appointed as the regiment's first commander. The name of the unit derives from the Greek word , "able", and the Latin ending ''-atus''. The unit is well attested in the 9th through 10th centuries. The first battle the unit participated in was the disastrous
Battle of Pliska The Battle of Pliska or Battle of Vărbitsa Pass was a series of battles between troops, gathered from all parts of the Byzantine Empire, led by the Emperor Nicephorus I, and the First Bulgarian Empire, governed by Khan Krum. The Byzantines plu ...
on 26 July 811 against the Bulgars, where Emperor Nikephoros I was killed. The unit is often recorded under
Basil I the Macedonian Basil I, called the Macedonian ( el, Βασίλειος ὁ Μακεδών, ''Basíleios ō Makedṓn'', 811 – 29 August 886), was a Byzantine Emperor who reigned from 867 to 886. Born a lowly peasant in the theme of Macedonia, he rose in the ...
(), and participated in another defeat against the Bulgars, at the
Battle of Acheloos The Battle of Achelous or Acheloos ( bg, Битката при Ахелой, el, Μάχη του Αχελώου), also known as the Battle of Anchialus,Stephenson (2004), p. 23 took place on 20 August 917, on the Achelous river near the Bulga ...
in 917. In the
Cretan Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, and ...
expedition of 949, 456 soldiers of the unit from
Bithynia Bithynia (; Koine Greek: , ''Bithynía'') was an ancient region, kingdom and Roman province in the northwest of Asia Minor (present-day Turkey), adjoining the Sea of Marmara, the Bosporus, and the Black Sea. It bordered Mysia to the southwest, Pa ...
, as well as an unspecified number of members garrisoned in the European
theme Theme or themes may refer to: * Theme (arts), the unifying subject or idea of the type of visual work * Theme (Byzantine district), an administrative district in the Byzantine Empire governed by a Strategos * Theme (computing), a custom graphical ...
s of
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 t ...
and Macedonia took part. The unit's continued existence in the 11th century can not be safely attested, as the few occurrences are either modern emendations or may refer to a family name "Hikanatos". Like most of the ''tagmata'', it probably ceased to exist sometime in the latter half of the 11th century.


Structure

According to
John Haldon John F. Haldon FBA ( 23 October 1948 in Newcastle upon Tyne) is a British historian, and Shelby Cullom Davis '30 Professor of European History emeritus, professor of Byzantine history and Hellenic Studies emeritus, as well as former director ...
, the ''Hikanatoi'' were apparently modelled on the ''tagma'' of the '' Vigla''. The regiment was headed by a ''
domestikos ''Domestikos'' (; el, δομέστικος, from the la, domesticus, , of the household), in English sometimes heDomestic, was a civil, ecclesiastic and military office in the late Roman Empire and the Byzantine Empire. Military usage The ''dom ...
'' (, ''domestikos tōn Hikanatōn''), usually with the court rank of '' prōtospatharios'', although they could theoretically advance to the ranks of ''
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 after ...
'' and ''
anthypatos patrikios ''Anthypatos'' ( gr, ἀνθύπατος) is the translation in Greek of the Latin ''proconsul''. In the Greek-speaking East, it was used to denote this office in Roman and early Byzantine times, surviving as an administrative office until the 9th ...
''. His chief subordinate was the '' topotērētēs'' ("lieutenant"), of ''
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 ...
'' or ''
spatharios The ''spatharii'' or ''spatharioi'' (singular: la, spatharius; el, σπαθάριος, literally "spatha-bearer") were a class of Late Roman imperial bodyguards in the court in Constantinople in the 5th–6th centuries, later becoming a purely ho ...
'' rank, while the rest of the unit's officials were below the rank of ''spatharios''. Following the pattern of the ''Vigla'', there were a ''
chartoularios The ''chartoularios'' or ''chartularius'' ( el, χαρτουλάριος), Anglicized as chartulary, was a late Roman and Byzantine administrative official, entrusted with administrative and fiscal duties, either as a subaltern official of a depar ...
'' (financial official), a number of ''komētes'' ("counts") and their subordinate '' kentarchoi'' commanding the ''banda'' into which the unit was divided, a '' prōtomandatōr'' (head messenger), and three classes of standard-bearers: the ''bandophoroi'', ''sēmeiophoroi'' and ''doukiniatores''. As with the other ''tagmata'', the exact size of the unit and its subdivisions is a matter of debate, since it is chiefly based on
Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...
accounts, whose accuracy and veracity is open to question.
Warren Treadgold Warren T. Treadgold (born April 30, 1949, Oxford, England) is an American historian and specialist in Byzantine studies. He is the National Endowment for the Humanities Professor of Byzantine Studies at Saint Louis University. His interest in the ...
, who accepts the Arab figures as accurate, considers the ''tagmata'' to have had a standard size of 4,000 men each, while Haldon, who considers their numbers inflated, considers a total of 4,000 for all ''tagmata'' more plausible. The lists of the
Cretan Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, and ...
expedition of 949, included in the ''
De Ceremoniis The ''De Ceremoniis'' (fully ''De cerimoniis aulae Byzantinae'') is the conventional Latin name for a Greek book of ceremonial protocol at the court of the Byzantine emperors in Constantinople. Its Greek title is often cited as ("Explanation of th ...
'' of Emperor
Constantine VII Porphyrogennetos Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus (; 17 May 905 – 9 November 959) was the fourth Emperor of the Macedonian dynasty of the Byzantine Empire, reigning from 6 June 913 to 9 November 959. He was the son of Emperor Leo VI and his fourth wife, Zoe Kar ...
(), include mention of 456 ''Hikanatoi'', but it is unclear what part of the unit's strength they represent.


Known commanders

* Niketas Rhangabe (the future Patriarch Ignatios), *
Peter Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a sur ...
, ''patrikios'' and previously '' domestikos tōn scholōn'', he served ''domestikos tōn hikanatōn'' under Nikephoros I and was captured at Pliska, later became a monk and saint * Orestes, ''prōtospatharios'', attended the 869 Church council in Constantinople * Nikephoros Tzourakes, ''prōtospatharios'', mid-9th/10th century, known only from his seal *
John Kourkouas John Kourkouas ( gr, Ἰωάννης Κουρκούας, Ioannes Kourkouas, ), also transliterated as Kurkuas or Curcuas, was one of the most important generals of the Byzantine Empire. His success in battles against the Muslim states in the Ea ...
(grandfather of the namesake 10th-century general), rebelled against Basil I * Bardas, ''basilikos spatharios'', 9th century, known only from his seal * Michael, ''basilikos prōtospatharios'', 9th century, known only from his seal * Theoktistos or Theognostos, ''basilikos spatharios'', 9th century, known only from his seals; based on a better exemplar he may have actually been ''domestikos'' of the ''
Optimatoi The ''Optimatoi'' ( gr, Ὀπτιμάτοι, from la, Optimates, "the Best Men") were initially formed as an elite Byzantine military unit. In the mid-8th century, however, they were downgraded to a supply and logistics corps and assigned a provi ...
'' rather than of the ''Hikanatoi'' * Pankratoukas, under
Leo VI the Wise Leo VI, called the Wise ( gr, Λέων ὁ Σοφός, Léōn ho Sophós, 19 September 866 – 11 May 912), was Byzantine Emperor from 886 to 912. The second ruler of the Macedonian dynasty (although his parentage is unclear), he was very well r ...
() * Olbianos Maroules, commanded the regiment at Acheloos in 917 * Constantine Barymichael, defected from
Leo Phokas the Elder Leo Phokas ( el, , ) was an early 10th-century Byzantine general of the noble Phokas clan. As Domestic of the Schools, the Byzantine army's commander-in-chief, he led a large-scale campaign against the Bulgarians in 917, but was heavily defeated ...
to
Romanos Lekapenos Romanos I Lekapenos ( el, Ρωμανός Λεκαπηνός; 870 – 15 June 948), Latinized as Romanus I Lecapenus, was Byzantine emperor from 920 until his deposition in 944, serving as regent for the infant Constantine VII. Origin Romanos ...
during their rivalry for the throne in 919 * John, ''basilikos prōtospatharios'', 9th/10th century, known only from his seal * Leo, ''basilikos prōtospatharios'', late 9th/early 10th century, known only from his seal * Constantine, ''basilikos prōtospatharios'', 10th century, known only from his seal *
Leo Sarakenopoulos Leo Sarakenopoulos ( el, Λέων Σαρακηνόπουλος, ) was a 10th-century Byzantine military commander who was active in the northeastern Balkans. Biography Leo Sarakenopoulos first appears in 971, at the end of the Rus'–Byzantine War ...
, before 971 * Theodore, ''basilikos prōtospatharios'', 10th century, known only from his seal


References


Sources

* * * * * * * *


Further reading

*{{cite journal, last=Treadgold, first=Warren T., title=Notes on the Numbers and Organisation of the Ninth-Century Byzantine Army, journal=Greek, Roman and Byzantine Studies, volume=21, year=1980, location=Oxford, United Kingdom , pages=269–288 Cavalry units and formations 800s establishments in the Byzantine Empire 809 establishments 11th-century disestablishments in the Byzantine Empire Guards units of the Byzantine Empire Military units and formations established in the 9th century