Vestitor
Encyclopedia
The vestitor, Hellenized
as vestētōr was a lowly Byzantine
palace position and rank.
As their name suggests, the vestitores were originally officials of the imperial wardrobe (Latin: vestiarium, into Greek as vestiarion), and are first attested as such in the 6th century. By the 9th century, the title had also become an honorary dignity (Greek: δια βραβείου άξια, dia brabeiou axia), marked in the Klētorologion
of 899 as the third-lowest of the imperial hierarchy, coming between the silentiarios and the mandatōr
(both also classes of palace officials). Its distinctive insignia was a fiblatorium, a cloak
fastened by a fibula brooch.
According to the Klētorologion, together with the silentiarioi, the vestētores were under the command of the court official known as the epi tēs katastaseōs. The later De Ceremoniis
of Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogennetos (r. 913–959) indicates that they assisted the praipositos in dressing the Byzantine emperor, while the chronicler Theophanes the Confessor
calls them wardens of the imperial crown. From sigillographic evidence, in the 9th century the rank was held by senior provincial officials, i.e. prōtonotarioi (heads of the civil administration) and kommerkiarioi (customs officials) of the themes. The term last occurs in the 10th century.
Hellenization
Hellenization is a term used to describe the spread of ancient Greek culture, and, to a lesser extent, language. It is mainly used to describe the spread of Hellenistic civilization during the Hellenistic period following the campaigns of Alexander the Great of Macedon...
as vestētōr was a lowly Byzantine
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
palace position and rank.
As their name suggests, the vestitores were originally officials of the imperial wardrobe (Latin: vestiarium, into Greek as vestiarion), and are first attested as such in the 6th century. By the 9th century, the title had also become an honorary dignity (Greek: δια βραβείου άξια, dia brabeiou axia), marked in the Klētorologion
Kletorologion
The Klētorologion of Philotheos , is the longest and most important of the Byzantine lists of offices and court precedence . It was published in September of 899 during the reign of Emperor Leo VI the Wise by the otherwise unknown prōtospatharios and atriklinēs Philotheos...
of 899 as the third-lowest of the imperial hierarchy, coming between the silentiarios and the mandatōr
Mandator
The mandatōr , deriving from the Latin word for "messenger", was a subaltern official in the middle Byzantine Empire.The mandatores were a corps of messengers for special duties attached to the bureau of all senior civil and military officials, such as the thematic stratēgoi, the commanders of the...
(both also classes of palace officials). Its distinctive insignia was a fiblatorium, a cloak
Cloak
A cloak is a type of loose garment that is worn over indoor clothing and serves the same purpose as an overcoat; it protects the wearer from the cold, rain or wind for example, or it may form part of a fashionable outfit or uniform. Cloaks are as old as human history; there has nearly always been...
fastened by a fibula brooch.
According to the Klētorologion, together with the silentiarioi, the vestētores were under the command of the court official known as the epi tēs katastaseōs. The later De Ceremoniis
De Ceremoniis
De Ceremoniis is the Latin title of a description of ceremonial protocol at the court of the Eastern Roman emperor in Constantinople. It is sometimes called De ceremoniis aulae byzantinae...
of Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogennetos (r. 913–959) indicates that they assisted the praipositos in dressing the Byzantine emperor, while the chronicler Theophanes the Confessor
Theophanes the Confessor
Saint Theophanes Confessor was a member of the Byzantine aristocracy, who became a monk and chronicler. He is venerated on March 12 in the Roman Catholic and the Eastern Orthodox Church .-Biography:Theophanes was born in Constantinople of wealthy and noble iconodule parents: Isaac,...
calls them wardens of the imperial crown. From sigillographic evidence, in the 9th century the rank was held by senior provincial officials, i.e. prōtonotarioi (heads of the civil administration) and kommerkiarioi (customs officials) of the themes. The term last occurs in the 10th century.