Byzantine Civil Aristocracy in the 10th and 11th Centuries: The Hexa-kionitoi

Abstract

The article is devoted to the history of the Byzantine family of the Hexakionitoi, which belonged to the metropolitan civil aristocracy. Following an analysis of narrative and sigillographic sources, the author identifies ten members of this clan, who served in civil administration and the armed forces of the Byzantine Empire between the mid-10th and the second half of the 11th century. The Hexakionitoi reached the greatest power in the 960s. Magistros Nikephoros Hexakionites actively participated in the rebellion in 963, which culminated in the coming to power of Nikephoros II Phokas (963–969). Subsequently, Nikephoros Hexakionites served as a strategos of Thessaloniki, and a post of katepano of Italy should be considered as the highest point of his career. According to the author, the katepanate of Italy was founded in 965, and Nikephoros Hexakionites was its first ruler. After the year of 969 the Hexakionitoi, as well as many other supporters of the family of Phokas, were deprived of the opportunity to serve in the armed forces. And most Hexakionitoi, known from the sources of the 11th century, served in the civil administration of the capital and the provinces for this reason. An example is the cursus honorum of Leon Hexakionites, who held the positions of a protonotarios in the Armenian theme, in the theme Chaldia and Derxene, as well as in theme Opsikion. Protonotarios Leon’s career is typical of members of the Hexakionitoi family in the 11th century. The last evidence of the Hexakionitoi refers to the 1060s. The author concludes that the story of this family is contrary to the theory of A. P. Kazhdan about the gradual transition of the provincial military families to civil service. Among the Hexakionitoi, who belonged to the metropolitan civil nobility, there were high-ranking military leaders.