Thespatharii orspatharioi (singular:Latin:spatharius;Greek:σπαθάριος, literally "spatha-bearer") were a class ofLateRoman imperial bodyguards in the court inConstantinople in the 5th–6th centuries, later becoming a purelyhonorary dignity in theByzantine Empire.
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Originally, the term was probably applied to both private and imperial bodyguards.[1] The original imperialspatharioi were probably or later became also theeunuchcubicularii (Greek:koubikoularioi), members of thesacrum cubiculum (the imperial "sacred chamber") charged with military duties. They are attested from the reign of EmperorTheodosius II (r. 408–450), where the eunuchChrysaphius held the post.[1] The existence of the specific title ofspatharokoubikoularios for eunuchs in 532 probably suggests the existence by then of other, non-eunuch,spatharioi in imperial service. The various generals and provincial governors also maintained military attendants calledspatharioi, whilst those of the emperor were distinguished with the prefixbasilikoi ("imperial ones").[2] The officer leading the imperialspatharioi held the titleprōtospatharios ("firstspatharios"), which became a separate dignity probably in the late 7th century.[3]
By the early 8th century, these titles had lost their original military connotations and become honorific titles. The title ofspatharios ranked initially quite high, being awarded for instance by EmperorJustinian II (r. 685–695) to his friend and future emperorLeo III the Isaurian (r. 717–741).[1] It gradually declined, however, and in theKlētorologion of 899, it occupies the seventh-highest place in the hierarchy of ranks for non-eunuchs, above thehypatos and below thespatharokandidatos.[4] According to theKlētorologion, the insignia of the dignity was a gold-hiltedsword.[5] At the same time, the termoikeiakos spatharios still designated abodyguard of the imperialoikos ("household"), as distinct from thebasilikoi spatharioi who now were the holders of the honorary dignity.[1] The term ceased to be used in these contexts after circa 1075, and by the timeAnna Komnene wrote herAlexiad in the early 12th century, aspatharios was held to be completely insignificant.[1]