Thedroungarios of the Fleet (Greek:δρουγγάριος τοῦ πλοΐμου/τῶν πλοΐμων,droungarios tou ploïmou/tōn ploïmōn; after the 11th century δρουγγάριος τοῦ στόλου,droungarios tou stolou),^[1] sometimesanglicized asDrungary of the Fleet, was the commander of the Imperial Fleet (βασιλικὸς στόλος,basilikos stolos, or βασιλικὸν πλόϊμον,basilikon ploïmon), the central division of theByzantine navy stationed at the capital ofConstantinople, as opposed to the provincial (thematic) fleets.^[2] From the late 11th century, when the Byzantine fleets were amalgamated into a single force under themegas doux, the post, now known as theGranddroungarios of the Fleet (μέγας δρουγγάριος τοῦ στόλου,megas droungarios tou stolou), became the second-in-command of themegas doux and continued in this role until the end of the Byzantine Empire.

In response to theMuslim conquests, some time in the latter half of the 7th century, the bulk of theByzantine navy was formed into a single command, the great fleet of theKarabisianoi (Greek:Καραβισιάνοι, "the Ships' Men"), commanded, like the landthemes that appeared around the same time, by astratēgos (stratēgos tōn karabōn/karabisianōn, "general of the ships/ships' men").^[3] TheKarabisianoi, however, proved inadequate and were replaced in the early 8th century by a more complex system composed of three elements, which, with minor alterations, survived until the 11th century: a central fleet based atConstantinople; a few regional naval commands, namely the maritimeTheme of the Cibyrrhaeots and a number of independent commands under adroungarios, which eventually evolved into the maritime themes of theAegean Sea and ofSamos in the course of the 9th century; and a greater number of local squadrons in the land themes, charged with purely defensive and police tasks and subordinate to the local thematic governors.^[4]

A fleet was based in Constantinople at least since the 7th century, and indeed played a central role in the repulsion of the two Arab sieges of Constantinople in674–678 and717–718,^[5] but the exact date of the establishment of the Imperial Fleet (βασιλικὸς στόλος,basilikos stolos, or βασιλικὸν πλόϊμον,basilikon ploïmon) as a distinct command is unclear. The Irish historianJ. B. Bury, followed by the French ByzaninistRodolphe Guilland, considered it "not improbable" that the Imperial Fleet existed as a subordinate command under thestratēgos tōn karabisianōn already in the 7th century.^[2][6] Certainly thedroungarios of the Fleet first appears in theTaktikon Uspensky ofc. 842/43;[6] and as there is little evidence for major fleets operating from Constantinople during the 8th century, the Greek ByzantinistHélène Ahrweiler dated the fleet's creation to the early 9th century.^[7] From that point on, the Imperial Fleet formed the main naval reserve force and provided the core of various expeditionary fleets.^[8]

In theTaktikon Uspensky, thedroungarios of the Fleet is positioned relatively lowly in the hierarchy, coming after all the senior military and civilian officials, placed between theprōtostratōr and theek prosōpou of the themes. By the time of the 899Klētorologion of Philotheos, however, he had risen considerably in importance, being placed variously either immediately before or after thelogothetēs tou dromou and in the 35th or 38th position of the overall hierarchy, ahead of thedomestikoi of the guard regiments (tagmata) of theHikanatoi and theNoumeroi, as well as of the variouschartoularioi (civil department heads). Indeed, he was not classed with the other military commanders, whether of the themes or of thetagmata, but in the special class of military officials, thestratarchai, where he is listed second, after thehetaireiarchēs, the commander of the imperial bodyguard.^[9][10] This rise coincided with the revival in the Byzantine navy's fortunes, begun underMichael III (r. 843–867) but carried to fruition under the first two emperors of theMacedonian dynasty,Basil I the Macedonian (r. 867–886) andLeo VI the Wise (r. 886–912).[11]^[12]

TheKlētorologion further lists his subordinate officials as comprising his deputy ortopotērētēs (τοποτηρητής), the secretary orchartoularios (χαρτουλάριος), the head messenger orprōtomandatōr and the other messengers (μανδάτορες,mandatores), the commanders of squadrons orkomētes (κόμητες; sing. κόμης,komēs), and thecenturions of the individual ships (κένταρχοι,kentarchoi; sing. κένταρχος,kentarchos). In addition, there was akomēs tēs hetaireias (κόμης τῆς ἑταιρείας), whose function is disputed: according to Bury, he probably commanded the foreign mercenaries, especiallyRus' or Scandinavians, who served as marines, but the Greek historianNicolas Oikonomides considered him the head of thedroungarios' personal guard.^[1][12][13] According to theDe Ceremoniis of EmperorConstantine VII (r. 913–959), he also had a role in imperial ceremonies, often in association with thedroungarios tēs viglēs. Typical dignities associated with the post where the senior ranks ofprōtospatharios,patrikios, andanthypatos.^[12]

The office reached its heyday during the 10th century, when several important personages held it, most notably EmperorRomanos I Lekapenos (r. 920–944), who used it as a springboard to the throne. The office continued in the 11th century, but as the fleet was no longer very active, thedroungarios chiefly commanded the Constantinopolitan fleet instead of leading expeditions; the title was now usually referred to asdroungarios tou stolou (δρουγγάριος τοῦ στόλου).[1]^[14] With the accession ofAlexios I Komnenos (r. 1081–1118) a major reorganization of the navy took place. With the great naval themes having suffered a long decline as military formations, Alexios gathered the remnants of the provincial fleets and amalgamated them with the Imperial Fleet into a single force based in Constantinople, and placed it under the command of themegas doux.^[15]

The post of thedroungarios of the Fleet remained in existence, now with the addition of the prefixmegas ("grand"). According to the mid-14th centuryBook of Offices ofPseudo-Kodinos, he "has the same relation to themegas doux as themegas droungarios tēs viglēs had to themegas domestikos", i.e., he was the second in command. He was apparently in charge of subordinatedroungarioi, who however were of very lowly rank and are rarely mentioned in the sources. Although reduced in significance in comparison to its heyday, themegas droungarios tou stolou remained important, ranking 32nd in the overall hierarchy in theBook of Offices.^[1][16][17] Pseudo-Kodinos gives his ceremonial costume at the time as follows: a gold-embroideredskiadion hat, a plain silkkabbadion kaftan, and askaranikon (domed hat) covered in golden and lemon-yellow silk and decorated with gold wire and images of the emperor in front and rear, respectively depicted enthroned and on horseback. He bore no staff of office (dikanikion).^[16][18]

Note: Uncertain entries are marked in italics.

A number of holders are known only by their surviving seals of office, and can only approximately be dated:

• Ahrweiler, Hélène (1966).Byzance et la mer: La marine de guerre, la politique et les institutions maritimes de Byzance aux VIIe–XVe siècles (in French). Paris: Presses universitaires de France.
• Bury, J. B. (1911).The Imperial Administrative System of the Ninth Century – With a Revised Text of the Kletorologion of Philotheos. London: Oxford University Press.OCLC 1046639111.
• Guilland, Rodolphe (1967). "Le Drongaire de la flotte, le Grand drongaire de la flotte, le Duc de la flotte, le Mégaduc".Recherches sur les institutions byzantines [Studies on the Byzantine Institutions]. Berliner byzantinische Arbeiten 35 (in French). Vol. I. Berlin and Amsterdam: Akademie-Verlag & Adolf M. Hakkert. pp. 535–562.OCLC 878894516.
• Haldon, John (1999).Warfare, State and Society in the Byzantine World, 565–1204. London: UCL Press.ISBN 1-85728-495-X.
• Holmes, Catherine (2005).Basil II and the Governance of Empire (976–1025). Oxford: Oxford University Press.ISBN 978-0-19-927968-5.
• Kazhdan, Alexander, ed. (1991).The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press.ISBN 0-19-504652-8.
• Lilie, Ralph-Johannes; Ludwig, Claudia; Pratsch, Thomas; Zielke, Beate (2013).Prosopographie der mittelbyzantinischen Zeit Online. Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften. Nach Vorarbeiten F. Winkelmanns erstellt (in German). Berlin and Boston: De Gruyter.
• Skoulatos, Basile (1980).Les personnages byzantins de l'Alexiade: Analyse prosopographique et synthèse [The Byzantine Personalities of the Alexiad: Prosopographical Analysis and Synthesis] (in French). Louvain-la-Neuve and Louvain: Bureau du Recueil Collège Érasme and Éditions Nauwelaerts.OCLC 8468871.
• Trapp, Erich; Beyer, Hans-Veit; Walther, Rainer; Sturm-Schnabl, Katja; Kislinger, Ewald; Leontiadis, Ioannis; Kaplaneres, Sokrates (1976–1996).Prosopographisches Lexikon der Palaiologenzeit (in German). Vienna: Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften.ISBN 3-7001-3003-1.
• Verpeaux, Jean, ed. (1966).Pseudo-Kodinos, Traité des Offices (in French). Paris: Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique.

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