Comes

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Comes rei militaris
)
This article is about the Roman and feudal title. For other uses, see Comes (disambiguation).

Comes (/ˈkoʊmiːz/ KOH-meez, pl.: comites, /ˈkɒmɪtiːz/ KOM-i-teez) was a Roman title or office, and the origin Latin form of the medieval and modern title "count".

Before becoming a word for various types of title or office, the word originally meant "companion", either individually or as a member of a collective denominated a "comitatus", especially the suite of a magnate, being in some instances sufficiently large and/or formal to justify specific denomination, e.g. a "cohors amicorum". "Comes" derives from "com-" ("with") and "ire" ("go").

Ancient Roman religion

Constantine I SOLI INVICTO COMITI (Comes to Sol Invictus
)

Comes was a common epithet or title that was added to the name of a hero or god in order to denote relation with another god.

The coinage of

Roman Emperor Constantine I declared him "comes" to Sol Invictus
("Unconquered Sun") qua god.

Imperial Roman curial titles and offices styled comites

Historically more significant, "comes" became a secular title granted to trusted officials of the Imperial Curia ("Court"), present or former, and others as sign of Imperial confidence. It developed into a formal, dignitary title, derived from the "

Papal Palatinus
. Thus the title was retained when the titulary was appointed, often promoted, to an office away from court, frequently in the field or a provincial administration. Subsequently, it was thought logical to connect the title to specific offices that demanded an incumbent official of high dignity, and even to include it as part of the official title.

As the Imperial Roman Curia increased in number and assimilated all political power, the

amici principis
. As Imperial administration expanded, however, new offices became necessary and decentralization demanded modifications. The result was the institution of the rank of "comes".

The "comites", often translated as "counts", though they were neither feudal nor hereditary, became principal officials of the later

civil dioceses of the latter so that the comites became permanent fixtures of Imperial government. The comites were fully enumerated as early as the beginning of the AD 5th century in the Notitia Dignitatum
, but as offices were later added, it is not historically exhaustive.

The following sections describe examples of the kinds of comites.

At court or in the Imperial domains

See also: praepositus sacri cubiculi

Several of the major departments of the Imperial Curia ("Court") and household had a principal official who was

officium" ("staff") very similar to that of a Roman governor
. They included:

Exceptionally, a gubernatorial position was styled "comes". For example, the

vicarii, was an official who controlled the large and strategically important Imperial Diocese of the East by supervising the governors of this collection of provinces, but he was in turn supervised by the praefectus praetorio Orientis
.

Further, the principal officials of some less important governmental departments who were under the authority of otherwise styled, high ranking, territorial officials could be titled "comes", e. g. under the praefectus urbi of Rome, himself a vir illustris, was a comes formarum, comes riparum et alvei Tiberis et Cloacarum ("Count of the Coast of the Tiber and the Canalisation"), and comes Portus ("Count of the Port").

The title "

comes consistorianus" or "comes consistorialis" indicated specially appointed members to the consistorium
, the council of the Roman emperor's closest advisors.

Comes rei militaris

The comes rei militaris held martial appointments, and were commanders of

alae (auxiliary equivalents), numeri, and in the Eastern Empire even legions
.

The

vir spectabilis, in the Western Empire: comes Italiae, comes Africae, comes Tingitaniae, comes Tractus Argentoratensis, and comes Britanniarum ad Litoris Saxonici per Britanniam; and 2 in the Eastern Empire: comes (limitis) Aegypti and comes Isauriae
.

As the number of comites increased, that dignity was devalued. This caused the introduction of classes of comites, denominated and ranked the first, second, and third "ordines".

Comites dominorum nostrorum

The comites dominorum nostrorum (plural of comes dominorum nostrorum; lit. 'Companions of Our Lords [Emperors]') were a mounted Imperial bodyguard during the

Emperor Diocletian
in circa 300 AD.

Medieval adaptations of comital offices

Gothic Comites

The Goths that ruled Spain and Italy followed the Roman tradition of granting the title of "comes" to the various principals of the departments of their royal households, including but not limited to the:

  • Comes Cubiculariorum: Count in charge of the chamberlains (L. cubicularii).
  • Comes Scanciorum: the Count who commanded the cup bearers.
  • Comes Stabulorum: the Count who commanded the equerries and stables.
  • Comes Notariorum: the Count who commanded the chancery, i. e., the writing office.
  • Comes Thesaurorum: the Count who commanded the officials of the treasury.

Frankish Gaugraf

The Frankish kings of the Merovingian dynasty retained much of Roman administration, including the office and title of "comes", the original meaning of which they preserved, i. e., a companion of the king and a royal servant of high dignity. Under the early Frankish kings some comites did not have definite functions: they were merely attached to the person of the King and executed his orders. Others filled the highest offices, e. g. the Comes Palatii and Comes Stabuli[2] (from which the contemporary title of "constable" derives).

Yet other comites served as regional officials. For administrative purposes, the Merovingian kingdoms were still divided into small Roman districts denominated "pagi" (hence the French "pays"), or similarly sized new creations "Gaue". These were smaller than the old Roman civitates ("cities", or polities) which became the basis of the new medieval bishoprics. In Carolingian times, the governor of a pagus was a Comes, corresponding to the German Graf. The King appointed the comites to serve at his pleasure. The modern German-derived term sometimes for a count who governed a whole gau is "Gaugraf", and a gau containing several counties is sometimes called a "Grossgau".

The essential competences of the comes were comprehensive in his pagus: martial, judicial, and executive; and in documents he is often described as the "agens publicus" ("public agent") of the King or "judex publicus/fiscalis"

wergeld", but had no definite salary, being remunerated by receipt of specific revenues, which system contained the germs of discord, on account of the confusion of his public and private obligations.[2]

According to philologists, the

Anglo-Saxon word "gerefa", denoting "illustrious chief", however, is not connected to the German "Graf", which originally meant "servant"; compare the etymologies of the words "knight" and "valet". It is the more curious that the "gerefa" should end as a subservient reeve while the "graf" became a noble count.[3]

Feudalism

13th-century inscription in Trento Cathedral, reading Iacobus comes, "Count James"

In the feudal tradition,

burgicomes
" and "burgravio" for "burgrave".

See also

References

  1. ^ A.H.M Jones, The Later Roman Empire, 284–602 II, p. 1090
  2. ^ a b c Chisholm 1911, p. 313.
  3. ^ Chisholm 1911, p. 313 note 2.
  •  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Count". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 7 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 312–314.
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