Magister militum

The Master of the Soldiers ( Captains ) was in the late ancient Roman army in the period between Constantine and Heraclius the name of the commander of an association of the mobile field army.

Development and function

The result was this new title, as you had the Praetorian Prefect 312 of his military skills delivered, entrusted him with civilian administrative functions, thereby restricting his power. Originally there was one Master of the Soldiers for:

  • The infantry ( magister peditum ) and
  • The cavalry ( magister equitum )

Before these functions were combined for about 400 usually under a single Master of the Soldiers or a magister utriusque militiae; this magistri commanded associations that were composed of cavalry and infantry.

Since Constantius II ( 337-361 ) were used for the respective regional parts of the army separate Masters of the Soldiers used:

  • By Gallian,
  • Per Illyricum,
  • By Italiam et Africam,
  • By orientem and
  • By Thracias,

To two Masters of the Soldiers praesentales as commanders of Hofarmeen ( palatine or obsequium ). Since about that time, the Office of the Army Master belonged to the highest positions in the Roman Empire.

In the Eastern Roman Empire around 550 more military provinces were created with appropriate Masters of the Soldiers under Emperor Justinian:

  • The magister militum per Africam ( in the Eastern Roman North Africa)
  • The magister militum per Armeniam (partly in the field of magister militum per orientem ) and
  • The Master of the Soldiers Spaniae ( in the Eastern Roman southern Spain ).

Under certain circumstances, the eastern army masters special powers ( στρατηγòς αὐτοκράτωρ ) grants with which they could make decisions effectively and directly on behalf of the Emperor. Chance also the control of the civil administration was transferred to the Masters of the Soldiers. With some justification, can be regarded as the precursor of the Exarch therefore the later Masters of the Soldiers, even if the former was transferred only in exceptional cases civil violence.

In addition to or below the actual top army masters existed numerous Masters of the Soldiers vacantes (singular: vacans ), who held no regional command, but only the command of small to medium sized organizations of the Army exercised.

Development in East and West

The most senior Master of the Soldiers was in the 5th century finally regent and commander in the western half of the empire and contributed since Constantius III. the title of patricius. As early as the second half of the 4th century won the Heermeister in Westrom a momentous influence on politics ( see, eg, Arbogast the Elder, Aetius and Ricimer ), even though many of them more loyal behaved the reigning emperor (such as Bauto or Stilicho ). With the dissolution of the Western Roman army around 470 Soldiers came to the disappearance of the regular western magistri. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the Eastern Roman Emperor gave the army championship but also some Germanic military leader and king of the West, about whom the Burgundians, but now rather than honorary title.

In Ostrom succeeded to the rulers and the civil administration at least after the fall Aspar (471 ) whole lot better to keep powerful Heermeister as Belisarius under control. The Office, which was often dressed just to the west of men " barbaric " descent, was in the East still continue throughout the rest of the late antiquity, then disappeared but during the 7th century in the Byzantine army, as the date of the Army masters of Thrace, Armenia and the East commanded associations were subtracted from the borders and in its new Asian small installation spaces were the forces of the new middle Byzantine themes order. The last mention of a certain testified Eastern Roman magister militum refers to the year 662

Masters of the Soldiers ( selection)

See also: List of Roman Heermeister

  • Aegidius
  • Aetius
  • Amalafrid
  • Arbogast the Elder
  • Aspar
  • Avitus
  • Bauto
  • Belisarius
  • Flavius ​​Felix
  • Merobaudes
  • Flavius ​​Saturninus
  • Flavius ​​Theodosius
  • Fravitta
  • Hypatius
  • Germanus
  • Heraclius the Elder
  • Justinian (not to be confused with the Emperor, who was, however, before his accession to the throne also Heermeister )
  • Philippikos
  • Ricimer
  • Sittas
  • Stilicho
  • John Troglita
  • Valentinos
  • Vitalian
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