The ''mystikos'' ( el, μυστικός, "the secret one") was an important

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 of the imperial chancery from the 9th through to the 15th centuries. Its initial role is unclear; he was probably the Byzantine emperor's private secretary. In time, the office also exercised judicial duties. It became an important fiscal official in 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 ...

, and remained one of the highest-ranking state offices into 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 ...

as well.

History and functions

The office first appears in the reign of Emperor

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 ...

(r. 867–886), when it was held by

Leo Choirosphaktes Leo Choirosphaktes, sometimes Latinized as Choerosphactes ( el, Λέων Χοιροσφάκτης) and also known as Leo Magistros or Leo Magister, was a Byzantine official who rose to high office under Emperor Basil I the Macedonian () and served ...

.. The original function of the office is unclear.

Franz Dölger Franz Dölger (Kleinwallstadt, 4 October 1891 – Munich, 5 November 1968) was a German Byzantinist. He is most notable for his crucial contributions to Byzantine diplomatics, and as the chief editor of the journal '' Byzantinische Zeitschrift'' fr ...

regarded the ''mystikos'' as the emperor's private secretary, while

Nicolas Oikonomides Nikolaos or Nikos Oikonomides ( el, Νικόλαος Οικονομίδης, 14 February 1934 – 31 May 2000) was a Greek Byzantinist, and one of the leading experts in the field of Byzantine administration. Biography Oikonomides was born in ...

considered him already at that stage as a judicial official. Due to their proximity to the emperor, the holders of the office had considerable power. Already under Emperor

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. 886–912), a ''mystikos'' became Patriarch of Constantinople:

Nicholas I Mystikos Nicholas I Mystikos or Nicholas I Mysticus ( el, Νικόλαος Α΄ Μυστικός, ''Nikolaos I Mystikos''; 852 – 11 May 925) was the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople from March 901 to February 907 and from May 912 to his death ...

. Trusted by the emperors, the ''mystikoi'' are thus attested as occupying various important offices: at times they exercised the duties of a ''

protasekretis The or ( gr, πρωτ ��σηκρῆτις), Latinized as or , was a senior official in the Byzantine bureaucracy. The title means "first ", illustrating his position as the head of the order of the , the senior class of imperial notaries. The p ...

'', various judicial duties, or served as heads of the establishment of the imperial bedchamber (''koitōn''). The office rose to particular prominence under Emperor Manuel I Komnenos (r. 1143–1180), when the ''mystikos'' was given charge of the imperial palace and the emperor's treasury, thus controlling not only the flow of salaries to the various imperial officials, but also the patronage and donations from the imperial purse to the Church. The office remained important in the 13th century, when at least one of its holders held the rank of '' pansebastos''. The title's functions at this time, however, are again unclear. The office remains attested up to the

end End, END, Ending, or variation, may refer to: End *In mathematics: ** End (category theory) ** End (topology) **End (graph theory) ** End (group theory) (a subcase of the previous) **End (endomorphism) *In sports and games **End (gridiron footbal ...

of the Byzantine Empire in the 15th century.

Derivative offices

In the 10th and 11th centuries, a number of offices were based on the term ''mystikos''. The ''prōtomystikos'' (πρωτομυστικός, "first ''mystikos''") is attested in 1057 as a senior judicial official. Furthermore, the posts of ''mystographos'' (μυστογράφος) and ''mystolektēs'' (μυστολέκτης) are frequently attested in seals. The former is first attested in 911/2 and was extant until ca. 1100, when it was probably abolished by Emperor

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 ...

(r. 1081–1118). He was possibly the assistant of the ''mystikos'', since he follows right after him in the list of offices of the ''

Escorial Taktikon The ''Escorial Taktikon'' (other spellings: ''Escurial Taktikon'', ''Escorial Tacticon'', ''Escurial Tacticon''), also known as the ''Taktikon Oikonomides'' after Nicolas Oikonomides who first edited it, is a list of Byzantine offices, dignities, ...

'', written ca. 975, and its holders' seals pair the title with positions as notaries and judicial officials. The office of ''mystolektēs'' is chiefly attested in seals of the 11th and 12th centuries. Along with notarial and judicial posts, its holders are also linked in seals with positions within the court itself..

References

Sources

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History and functions

Derivative offices

References

Sources

Further reading