| Part of a series on the |
| Byzantine army |
|---|
 |
| Structural history |
| Campaign history |
| Lists ofwars,revolts and civil wars, andbattles (Constantinople) |
| Strategy and tactics |
Theallagion (Greek:ἀλλάγιον) was aByzantine military term designating a military unit of 50-400 soldiers. It first appeared in the mid-to-late 10th century, and by the 13th century had become the most frequent term used for theByzantine army's standing regiments, persisting until the late 14th century.
The term means "rotation of duties"[1][2] and first appears in theTactica ofLeo VI the Wise in the early 10th century for a generic body of troops.[3] In a more technical use it came into use as an alternate term for a cavalrybandon, numbering between 50 and 400 men.[4] In the 10th and 11th centuries, provincialallagia had some 50–150 men, while those of the central imperial army were closer to the upper limit, with circa 320–400 men.[5]
From the late 11th century, as evidenced in the writings ofMichael Attaleiates, the term also began to be used in a more specific sense for the troops of the imperial bodyguard.[3] By the late 13th century, the term had largely replaced the earliertagma in colloquial and technical (although not entirely in literary) usage to designate any standing regiment. Eachallagion was headed by anallagatōr (ἀλλαγάτωρ).[5][6]
The mid-14th century writerPseudo-Kodinos also mentions a court office, that of thearchōn tou allagiou (ἄρχων τοῦ ἀλλαγίου, "master of theallagion"), which apparently appeared in the 1250s underTheodore II Laskaris and in Pseudo-Kodinos's time occupied the 53rd place in the palace hierarchy. He served as the second-in-command of the imperial escort. His uniform comprised askiadion hat decorated with gold wire, a kaftan-likekabbadion in silk "as it is commonly used", a velvet-coveredskaranikon with a red tassel on top, and a baton of office of plain smooth wood.[6] The emperor's ownallagion (i.e. his military retinue) seems to have been replaced by the two divisions of the rather obscureParamonai corps, one on foot and one on horse. These, however, were still commanded, according to Pseudo-Kodinos, by anallagatōr each, while theprotallagatōr (πρωταλλαγάτωρ, "firstallagatōr") probably commanded the corps as a whole.[5][7] According to Pseudo-Kodinos, theprotallagatōr occupied the 54th position in the palace hierarchy. He led the rear of the emperor's escort, forcing any stragglers to hurry up and maintain formation. His uniform was identical to that of his superior, thearchōn tou allagiou, except that instead of a staff he bore a gilded silver mace (matzouka), whose handle was covered in red silk, with a gilded tip on top and a gilded chain in the middle. Both thearchōn tou allagiou and theprotallagatōr were under the supervision of themegas primmikẽrios.[8] Very few holders of any of the offices ofarchōn tou allagiou,protallagatōr orallagatōr are mentioned in the sources.[9]
Theallagia of the provincial army were divided into two distinct groups: the "imperialallagia" (βασιλικά ἀλλάγια,basilika allagia) and the "greatallagia" (μεγάλα ἀλλάγια,megala allagia). The former were found in ByzantineAsia Minor, while the latter in the Empire's European provinces only. With the gradual fall of Asia Minor to the Turks during the late 13th and early 14th centuries, the "imperialallagia" finally disappeared. The "greatallagia", of which three are known by name – theThessalonian (μέγα ἀλλάγιον Θεσσαλονικαῖων), that ofSerres (Σερριωτικόν μέγα ἀλλάγιον), and that ofBizye (Βιζυητεικόν μέγα ἀλλάγιον) – are first attested in 1286 and continue to be mentioned until 1355. Almost certainly, however, they date at least from the reign of EmperorMichael VIII Palaiologos (r. 1259–1282), and perhaps even before him to theLaskarid emperors ofNicaea who conquered these lands. They too disappeared as their provinces fell to theSerbs and theOttoman Turks.[10]
The exact role, nature and structure of the Europeanmegala allagia are not fully clear. As their jurisdiction encompassed the regions around these cities, conforming roughly to the oldthemata ofThessalonica,Strymon, andThrace respectively, they may represent an attempt to centralize control over the provincial military forces, at a time when political control was increasingly devolving from the capital to the periphery.[11] How extensive their reach was is, however, open to question. It is known that their forces comprised both frontier troops providing garrisons for fortresses, as well as cavalrypronoias. In addition, they may have included small land-holders andmercenaries.[12] As Mark Bartusis comments on the various attempts to explain their role, "at the one extreme themegala allagia were the central element in thelate Byzantine army; every soldier who lived in the provinces and who had a military obligation [...] was amegaloallagitēs...", meaning that they represented a universal military organization involved in the recruitment and maintenance of all provincial forces, from which only the imperial guards and the personal retinues of local governors must be excluded. On the other extreme, themegala allagia may have been only a partial aspect of the late Byzantine military system, confined only to some provinces and from which foreign mercenaries were probably excluded.[13] The office oftzaousios also occurs in the early 14th century in the context of themegala allagia of the region of Thessalonica. Its exact functions, however, within these units are unknown.[14]
The size of theallagia was apparently equivalent to the oldbanda at circa 300–500 troops; thus theChronicle of the Morea records thatConstantine Palaiologos had a force of 18allagia or 6,000 cavalry troops at his command in theMorea the early 1260s.[5]
Byzantine Empire topics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
