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Theakritai (Greek:ἀκρίται,sg.akrites,ἀκρίτης) is a term used in theByzantine Empire in the 9th–11th centuries to denote the frontier soldiers guarding the Empire's eastern border, facing the Muslim states of theMiddle East. Their exploits, embellished, inspired the Byzantine "national epic" ofDigenes Akritas and the cycle of theAcritic songs.

The term is derived from theGreek wordakron (ἄκρον, in pluralakra), meaning'border' or'edge'; similar border guards, thelimitanei, were employed in thelate Roman and early Byzantine armies to guard the frontiers (limes). In official Byzantine use, the term is non-technical, and used in a descriptive manner, being generally applied to the defenders as well as the inhabitants of the eastern frontier zone, including their Muslim counterparts. The popular image of theAkritoi has been heavily influenced by their portrayal in the Acritic songs, and refers to the military troops stationed along the Empire's border. In reality, the Byzantine troops stationed along the edges of the Empire were a mixture of professional troops and localthematic militia, as well as irregular units that constituted theAkritai orApelatai proper.

These were light infantry recruited from the native Byzantine population andArmenians. By the late 10th century, the reconquest of much territory in the East meant that the former were often ethnically and religiously mixed, a fact epitomized by the legendary Digenes Akritas: "digenes" means "of two races", i.e. "Roman" (Byzantine/Greek) and "Saracen". TheApelatai, whose role and tactics are described inNikephoros II Phokas'De velitatione bellica, acted as raiders, scouts and border guards in the perennial border warfare between Byzantium and its eastern neighbors, characterized by skirmishes and raids. Aside from light infantry, the border forces were complemented by the light cavalry calledtrapezitai ortasinarioi. In case of a major Arab raid (razzia), they were supposed to raise the alarm, assist in the evacuation of the local population to the various strongholds, and shadow and harass the enemy force until reinforcements could arrive.

Many of the Akritai were members of the separated Armenian church and most of them gave protection to heretics.^[1]Often, they were active as brigands as well – they were known aschonsarioi, from theBulgarian for "thieves", in the Balkans, and in the epic of Digenes, theapelatai are brigands. Whether these men were also given military estates like the otherthematic soldiers to cultivate or lived on rents fromsmallholdings while concentrating on their military duties is still a matter of debate. Their officers however were drawn from the local aristocracy.

TheAkritai declined in importance by the late 10th century, as the Byzantine conquests pushed the border eastwards, and its defense radically restructured, with smallerthemata grouped in five large regional commands headed by adoux and a heavy presence of professional troops (tagmata). During the first half of the 11th century, the Byzantines faced little danger in the East, and allowed their military strength to weaken. As a result, they were unable to halt the quick advance of theSeljuk Turks inAsia Minor.

The institution, in the form of a force raised by local inhabitants in exchange for land and tax exemptions, was re-established underManuel I Komnenos (r. 1143–1180), when he reorganized the themes in the reconquered western portion of Asia Minor. It is also attested during theEmpire of Nicaea, guarding the Anatolian frontier, especially around theMeander valley, against the incursions of Turkish nomads. Their attachment to theLaskarid dynasty however led them to revolt against the usurper emperorMichael VIII Palaiologos in 1262. After the revolt was suppressed, theakritai were then enrolled into the regular army, and their exemptions were annulled. As a result, within a generation, they had effectively ceased to exist, opening the way to the complete loss of the Byzantine possessions in Asia Minor during the first half of the 14th century.

Today, Greeks continue to call the inhabitants of Greece who livenear the borders as "Akrites", as a remnant of the past.

• Acritic songs
• Digenes Akritas
• Song of Armouris
• Romanos IV Diogenes

• Bartusis, Mark C. (1997).The Late Byzantine Army: Arms and Society 1204–1453. University of Pennsylvania Press.ISBN 0-8122-1620-2.
• A. A. Vasiliev,Byzantine feudalism
• Kazhdan, Alexander, ed. (1991).Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium. Oxford University Press. pp. 47–48,127–128.ISBN 978-0-19-504652-6.
• Makrypoulias, Christos (2007-01-25).Ακρίτες (in Greek). Encyclopedia of the Hellenic World – Asia Minor. Archived fromthe original on 2011-07-21. Retrieved2009-07-01.

• Military units and formations of the Byzantine Empire
• Arab–Byzantine wars
• Ancient Greek titles
• Army reconnaissance units and formations
• Border control

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