Allagion
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| This article is part of the series on the military of the Byzantine Empire, 330–1453 AD | |
| Structural history | |
|---|---|
| Byzantine army: East Roman army, Middle Byzantine army (themes • tagmata • Hetaireia), Komnenian-era army (pronoia), Palaiologan-era army (allagia) • Varangian Guard • Generals (Magister militum • Domestic of the Schools • Grand Domestic • Stratopedarches • Protostrator) | |
| Byzantine navy: Greek fire • Dromon • Admirals (Droungarios of the Fleet • Megas doux) | |
| Campaign history | |
| Lists of wars, revolts and civil wars, and battles | |
| Strategy and tactics | |
| Tactics • Siege warfare • Military manuals • Fortifications (Walls of Constantinople) | |
The allagion (Greek: ἀλλάγιον) was a Byzantine military term designating a military unit. It first appeared in the mid-to-late 10th century, and by the 13th century had become the most frequent term used for the Byzantine army's standing regiments, persisting until the late 14th century.
The term means "rotation of duties", and first appears in the Tactica of Leo VI the Wise in the early 10th century for a generic body of troops. In a more technical use it came in use as an alternate term for a cavalry bandon, numbering between 50 and 400 men. In the 10th and 11th centuries, provincial allagia had some 50–150 men, while those of the central imperial army were closer to the upper limit, with circa 320–400 men.
From the late 11th century, as evidenced in the writings of Michael Attaleiates, the term also began to be used in a more specific sense for the troops of the imperial bodyguard. By the late 13th century, the term had largely replaced the earlier tagma in colloquial and technical (although not entirely in literary) usage to designate any standing regiment. Each allagion was headed by an allagatōr (ἀλλαγάτωρ).
The mid-14th century writer Pseudo-Kodinos also mentions a court office, that of the archōn tou allagiou (ἄρχων τοῦ ἀλλαγίου, "master of the allagion"), which apparently appeared in the 1250s under Theodore II Laskaris and in Pseudo-Kodinos's time occupied the 53rd place in the palace hierarchy. He served as the second-in-command of the imperial escort. His uniform comprised a skiadion hat decorated with gold wire, a kaftan-like kabbadion in silk "as it is commonly used", a velvet-covered skaranikon with a red tassel on top, and a baton of office of plain smooth wood. The emperor's own allagion (i.e. his military retinue) seems to have been replaced by the two divisions of the rather obscure Paramonai corps, one on foot and one on horse. These, however, were still commanded, according to Pseudo-Kodinos, by an allagatōr each, while the protallagatōr (πρωταλλαγάτωρ, "first allagatōr") probably commanded the corps as a whole. According to Pseudo-Kodinos, the protallagatōr occupied the 54th position in the palace hierarchy. He led the rear of the emperor's escort, forcing any stragglers to hurry up and maintain formation. His uniform was identical to that of his superior, the archōn tou allagiou, except that instead of a staff he bore a gilded silver mace (matzouka), whose handle was covered in red silk, with a gilded tip on top and a gilded chain in the middle. Both the archōn tou allagiou and the protallagatōr were under the supervision of the megas primmikẽrios. Very few holders of any of the offices of archōn tou allagiou, protallagatōr or allagatōr are mentioned in the sources.
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