Bucellarius

Bucellarius (also buccelarius; . Pl bucellarii or buccelarii ) refers to a member of the existing in the late Roman period (usually mounted ) household troops, the individual commanders and partly also maintained individuals.

Name

The word bucellarius derived from the Late Latin bucca ( ​​bite ) or Buccella ( rolls). According to the historian Olympiodorus of Thebes, the soldiers have been since the time of the Emperor Honorius colloquially called ( 400 ) because of their preferred food so, but emerged on the name in the official Notitia Dignitatum. Originally they were only bodyguard and not necessarily limited to the military.

Formation and development

Although the beginnings of these troops may be due partly Germanic followers creature that could be seeping more and more into the Imperial military in late Roman times. However, the older research has since Otto Seeck this aspect well proven exaggerated, as the phenomenon of bucellarii was encountered throughout the empire. In addition, had already privately dug troops there in the Republican period, as is shown by the example of Pompey; and takes the total research recently a much more nuanced position on the problem of " barbarism " of the imperial army and holds many phenomena today for originally Roman, which were previously attributed to Germanic influence.

The strength of the team consisting of bucellarii troops, who also have a solid ranking system could be numerically significant. The Byzantine general Belisarius in the 6th century is said to have has over 7,000 bucellarii, in probably less in scope but also possessed before him Stilicho and Aetius about such household troops. Until the time of Honorius these troops consisted only of Romans, in the subsequent period, however, were often foreign mercenaries in such associations.

With the bucellarii but many problems were linked: To put such a patronage by individual military a significant risk for the state authorities dar. In the wake of the Great Migration in the Western Roman state was increasingly weakened, enabled the bucellarii ambitious army masters, often own to operate policy (see the example of Aetius ). In the internal conflicts in the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century also played for the binding of the bucellarii to their patron and commander of a not insignificant role. How much these organizations pose a real threat of the emperor, is in the newer research but controversial.

Even wealthy landowners, such as the Apionen in Egypt, talked veritable private armies on their extensive landholdings. Apparently presented the estates is a vornehmliche recruitment source, which can be explained that at first not only military, but also private individuals could have bucellarii. The increase in the number of these private forces that actually clear violated any law, prompted by 460 the Eastern Roman Emperor Leo I to forbid private citizens the maintenance of such units explicitly. Exceptions were the bucellarii the high imperial officers. In the Eastern Roman army bucellarii were also excavated yet in the 6th century for campaigns and used there as elite organizations; they were paid up to 580 not from the imperial treasury, but by their respective commander; later than the reign of Emperor Maurikios they were then integrated into the regular army and henceforth paid by the state. From the remains of the Bucellarii the subject Bukellarion was founded in the 8th century.

Also in the Germanic successor states to the west existed after the fall of Western Rome first bucellarii continue. So they were even legally fully recognized in the Visigothic kingdom as a private institution. Immerse yourself among others in Frankish associations, which in the late antique early period (5th / 6th century ) of the Merovingian kingdom also apparently still similarly equipped and organized were as Roman troops. Probably took this bucellarii doing some kind of mediating role between late Roman military institutions and Germanic early medieval " vassalage " one, though many details problems make an accurate classification.