Logothetes tou stratiotikou

The logothetēs toū stratiōtikou (Greek: λογοθέτης τοῦ στρατιωτικοῦ), rendered in English as the Logothete of the Military or Military Logothete, was a Byzantine imperial official in charge of the pay and provisioning of the Byzantine army.

History and functions

This duty was originally exercised by the praetorian prefecture, but the military chest (Greek: το στρατιωτικόν, to stratiōtikon) was eventually detached and formed as a separate logothesion. The first attested logothetēs toū stratiōtikou was Julian, the "most glorious apo hypatōn and patrikios" in 680. The office disappears after 1088.^[1][2]

The exact sphere of duties of the logothete is somewhat obscure. The only direct evidence as to his functions comes from the 10th-century De Ceremoniis of Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogennetos (r. 913–959), according to which he oversaw the imposition and exemption from taxes on the households of soldiers. It is also known that by the 11th century, he exercised some juridical functions.^[2] Several scholars (notably E. Stein) have argued that the Military Logothete supervised military affairs in general, such as the levying of troops, the construction of fortifications and the overall military expenditure. This hypothesis, however, cannot be proved.^[2]

Subordinate officials

The subordinates of the logothetēs tou stratiōtikou were:

• The chartoularioi of the sekreton (χαρτουλάριοι τοῦ σεκρέτου), the senior subaltern officials of the department.^[1]
• The chartoularioi of the themata (χαρτουλάριοι τῶν θεμάτων) and the tagmata (χαρτουλάριοι τῶν ταγμάτων), supervising the financial affairs of the thematic troops and the imperial tagmata, respectively.^[1]
• A number of legatarioi (λεγατάριοι), whose exact function is unknown.^[3][4]
• The optiones (ὀπτίονες, from Latin optio), officials responsible for the distribution of pay to the troops.^[4]
• A number of kankellarioi under a prōtokankellarios.^[4]
• A number of mandatores ("messengers").^[4]

References

1. Bury 1911, p. 90.
2. Kazhdan 1991, p. 1248.
3. Kazhdan 1991, p. 1202.
4. Bury 1911, p. 91.

Sources

• Bury, John Bagnell (1911). The Imperial Administrative System of the Ninth Century - With a Revised Text of the Kletorologion of Philotheos. London: Oxford University Press.
• Kazhdan, Alexander, ed. (1991). The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-504652-6.

Further reading

• Guilland, Rodolphe (1971). "Les Logothètes: Etudes sur l'Histoire Administrative de l'Empire Byzantin". Revue des Études Byzantines (in French) 29 (29): 5–115. doi:10.3406/rebyz.1971.1441.