Theprotasekretis orprotoasekretis (Greek:πρωτ[ο]ασηκρῆτις),Latinized asprotasecretis orprotoasecretis, was a senior official in theByzantinebureaucracy. The title means "firstasekretis", illustrating his position as the head of the order of theasekretis, the senior class of imperial notaries.

The post evolved gradually. The firstasekretis are attested from the 6th century, and severalEcumenical Patriarchs of Constantinople and one emperor,Anastasios II (r. 713–715), were drawn from their ranks.[1] Aside from possibly anachronistic references toMaximus the Confessor being aprotasekretis under EmperorHeraclius (r. 610–641), the earliest confirmed occurrence (asproto a secreta) comes from theLiber Pontificalis for the year 756.^[2] As head of the imperial chancery (the effective successor of the late Romanprimicerius notariorum), the position was highly influential: in the 899Kletorologion of Philotheos, a list of court precedence of officials, he is placed seventh among thesekretikoi, the financial ministers of the state. From documents andsigillographic evidence, the holders of the office held the dignities ofprotospatharios,patrikios andanthypatos.^[3] Among others, the PatriarchPhotios (858–867 and 877–886) held the post.^[2]

His subordinates included not only theasekretis, but also the inferior class of the imperialnotarioi, under their head, theprotonotarios, as well as the official known asdekanos, placed "in charge of the imperial papers" according to theDe Ceremoniis of EmperorConstantine VII Porphyrogenitus (r. 913–959).[1] Theprotasekretis seems also to have been in charge of preparing the imperialchrysobulls.^[2] After 1106, however, he was moved from the chancery and assumed judicial duties, heading one of the highest courts of the Byzantine Empire, along with theeparchos, themegas droungarios tes viglas, thedikaiodotes, thekoiaistor, theepi ton kriseon, and thekatholikos, who headed the court for fiscal affairs (demosiaka pragmata).^[4] Although the class of theasekretis is not attested after the 12th century, the post ofprotasekretis survived into thePalaiologan period.^[2]

• 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.
• Kazhdan, Alexander (1991). "Protasekretis". InKazhdan, Alexander (ed.).The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press. p. 1742.ISBN 0-19-504652-8.
• Magdalino, Paul (1994). "Justice and Finance in the Byzantine State, Ninth to Twelfth Centuries". InLaiou, Angeliki E.; Simon, Dieter (eds.).Law and Society in Byzantium, 9th-12th Centuries. Washington, District of Columbia: Dumbarton Oaks. pp. 93–116.ISBN 0-88402-222-6.

• Byzantine administrative offices

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