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TheHetaireia (Ancient Greek:Ἑταιρεία,romanized: Hetaireía,Byzantine Greek pronunciation:[(h)e.teˈri.a],Latinized ashetaeria) was a term for a corps ofbodyguards during theByzantine Empire.

Hetaireia means'Company, Association, Brotherhood' (fromAncient Greek:ἑταῖροι,romanized: hetaîroi,lit. 'companions, partners, comrades'), echoing theancient MacedonianCompanions and theClassical Greekaristocrats who attendedsymposia.^[1]

The most important such corps was the 'ImperialHetaireia' (βασιλική ἑταιρεία,basilikḗ hetaireía), composed chiefly of foreigners, which formed part of the Byzantine professional standing army alongside thetagmata in the 9th–12th centuries.^[2] The termhetaireia was also applied to the smaller bodyguards ofthematic military commanders (strategoi), headed by a count (κόμης τῆς ἑταιρείας,kómēs tês hetaireías),^[3] and from the 13th century on, it was employed in a generic sense for the armed retinues of magnates, bound byoath to their master.^[2]

The exact origin, role, and structure of the ImperialHetaireia are unclear.^[4] The term first appears in the early 9th century, as the bodyguard of EmperorLeo V the Armenian (r. 813–820) on campaign.[4] It is unclear, however, whether the usage is technical, referring to a specific unit, or simply as a term for bodyguard; it is not until the reign ofTheophilos (r. 829–842) that the unit is definitely attested.[5]John B. Bury theorized that it was the evolution of the earlierFoederati,^[6] but this supposition was rejected byJohn Haldon as the two units are mentioned as co-existing in some sources.^[7] According to Haldon, it likely began as part of thetagma of theVigla—which also functioned as a palace guard in its early history^[8]—before becoming an independent unit.^[9]

The bulk of theHetaireia was apparently composed of foreigners (ethnikoi), and contemporary accounts list Khazars,Pharganoi,^[a]Tourkoi (i.e.Magyars),Franks andArabs.^[10] Hans-Joachim Kühn even refers to it as a "ByzantineForeign Legion".^[11] For this reason, although it is frequently mentioned alongside thenative Byzantinetagmata, it was always a unit apart, with its own peculiar internal structure and a different role: whereas thetagmata were the professional regiments forming the core of the Byzantine army on campaign, theHetaireia was responsible for the protection of the emperor's person.^[12]

TheHetaireia of the 9th–10th centuries was divided in several units: three or four according to the sources, distinguished by their epithets and each, at least originally, under is respectivehetaireiarches (Ancient Greek:ἑταιρειάρχης,lit. 'master of thehetaireia').^[13]

The senior unit was the 'GreatHetaireia' (μεγάλη ἑταιρεία,megálē hetaireía), under themegas hetaireiarches, who ranked as the senior of the military officials known asstratarchai and was often referred to simply as 'thehetaireiárkhēs' (ὁ ἑταιρειάρχης)par excellence.^[14] It was a very important position in the late 9th and first half of the 10th centuries, as he was in charge of the emperor's security, and was entrusted with delicate assignments. It is telling that the future emperorRomanos Lekapenos held this post, and was succeeded by his sonChristopher Lekapenos.^[15] According to the mid-10th centuryDe Ceremoniis, written by EmperorConstantine VII Porphyrogennetos (r. 913–959), themegas hetaireiarches and his unit are charged with the protection of the emperor's tent on campaign, and with the security of the imperial palace, in close association with another palace official, thepapias.^[16]

A 'MiddleHetaireia' (μέση ἑταιρεία,mésē hetaireía) is attested in sources, and the possible existence of a 'LesserHetaireia' (μικρὰ ἑταιρεία,mikrà hetaireía) is implied by the reference toStylianos Zaoutzes asmikros hetaireiarches under EmperorMichael III (r. 842–867).[17] Alternatively, the unit of themikros hetaireiarches may be identical to thebarbarian regiment composed of the two companies of theChazaroi (Χαζάροι,Khazars) and thePharganoi, which is called the 'ThirdHetaireia' (τρίτη ἑταιρεία,trítē hetaireía) in theEscorial Taktikon ofc. 975.[18]^[19][20] The historianWarren Treadgold estimates the total strength of the ImperialHetaireia in the early 10th century at 1,200 men.^[18]

By the early 10th century,^[21] honorary posts in theHetaireia were prestigious appointments that could be purchased by native Byzantine officials, connected to an annualstipend (roga) paid by the imperial treasury to the holder. A post in the 'GreatHetaireia' cost a minimum of 16litrai ofgold and paid aroga of 40nomismata, with one additionallitra for each additional sevennomismata; a post in the 'MiddleHetaireia' a minimum of tenlitrai, with aroga of 20nomismata; and in each of theChazaroi orPharganoi companies, a minimum of seven, with aroga of 12nomismata.^[16][22] According to Haldon, this may be evidence that theHetaireia "was developing already into a show force, and eventually no longer served as a fighting part of the imperial guard".^[23]

As the 10th century progressed, a tendency of amalgamation of the various units into a single command becomes evident, as the 'MiddleHetaireia' seems to have been placed under themegas hetaireiarches.^[17] The importance of theHetaireia as a bodyguard corps declined thereafter, but the unit was one of the few regiments of the middle Byzantine army to survive into theKomnenian-era army, being attested well into the reign of EmperorManuel I Komnenos (r. 1143–1180).[24] By this time, however, its composition had changed: in the late 11th century,Nikephoros Bryennios the Younger reports that theHetaireia was "customarily" made up of young Byzantine nobles rather than foreigners.^[2]

The post of[megas] hetaireiarches also survived, and, detached from its military duties, remained an important court position: it was held by several influential palaceeunuchs in the 11th century, and by second-rank nobles and junior relatives of the Byzantine imperial family, such asGeorge Palaiologos, in theKomnenian period. In thePalaiologan period, it was held by members of prominent noble families.^[15]

• Hetair-, a Greek linguistic root
• Somatophylakes

• 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.
• Haldon, John F. (1984).Byzantine Praetorians: An Administrative, Institutional and Social Survey of the Opsikion and Tagmata, c. 580–900. Bonn: R. Habelt.ISBN 3-7749-2004-4.
• Kazhdan, Alexander, ed. (1991).The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press.ISBN 0-19-504652-8.
• Kühn, Hans-Joachim (1991).Die byzantinische Armee im 10. und 11. Jahrhundert: Studien zur Organisation der Tagmata (in German). Vienna: Fassbaender Verlag.ISBN 3-9005-38-23-9.
• Magdalino, Paul (2002) [1993].The Empire of Manuel I Komnenos, 1143–1180. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.ISBN 0-521-52653-1.
• Oikonomides, Nikos (2001)."Some Byzantine State Annuitants:Epi tes (Megales) Hetaireias andEpi ton Barbaron".Byzantina Symmeikta.14:9–28.ISSN 1105-1639. Archived fromthe original on 2012-02-16. Retrieved2009-07-07.
• Treadgold, Warren T. (1995).Byzantium and Its Army, 284–1081. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press.ISBN 0-8047-3163-2.

• Military units and formations established in the 9th century
• Byzantine mercenaries
• Guards units of the Byzantine Empire

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