Tzaousios
The tzaousios (Greek: τζαούσιος) was a late Byzantine military office, whose exact functions and role are somewhat unclear.[1]
The term is derived from the Turkish çavuş, meaning "courier" or "messenger",[1] and was in use by the Byzantines perhaps as early as the late 11th century.[2] In the 13th–15th centuries, it became applied to officers serving in provincial posts. A tzaousios could serve as commander of the garrison of a kastron (a fortified administrative center run by a kephale), possibly combining the military and administrative roles, or as an officer to the megala allagia of the imperial field army.[1][2] Most of the tzaousioi mentioned in the sources came from the Byzantine Morea,[3] where they played an important role in provincial administration. In Macedonia and Thrace by contrast, they seem to have been limited to a purely military role within the megala allagia.[2]
The variant megas tzaousios (μέγας τζαούσιος, "grand tzaousios") is a court title first attested under
See also
- Chiaus
References
- ^ a b c Kazhdan 1991, p. 2135.
- ^ a b c Bartusis 1997, p. 194.
- ^ a b Kazhdan 1991, p. 2136.
- ^ Kazhdan 1991, pp. 2135–2136.
- ^ Guilland 1967, p. 605 (Note #35).
- ^ Bartusis 1997, pp. 370–371.
- ^ Bartusis 1997, p. 382.
Sources
- Bartusis, Mark C. (1997). The Late Byzantine Army: Arms and Society 1204–1453. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: University of Pennsylvania Press. ISBN 0-8122-1620-2.
- OCLC 878894516.
- Kazhdan, Alexander (1991). "Tzaousios". In ISBN 0-19-504652-8.