Comes Africae
The Comes Africae (also Comes militaris rei per Africam ) was a senior officer in the late Roman army in the West and held one of the highest command posts in the North African provinces from the 4th to 5th centuries AD.
development
When Diocletian separated the military administration from the civil administration, he first appointed a commander from the knightly rank for the entire African dioecese, who carried the title Dux per Africam et Numidiam Maurataniamque . Constantine I supervised the Dioeceses through special commissioners who supervised the governors, received appeals and were supposed to report directly to the emperor on the conditions in the provinces. Leontius, who officiated around 320, and Annius Tiberianus, 326–327, are known as such Comes per Africam . The military comitiva was probably set up around 345, but was probably not permanently manned until 368. In 393 the current official, Gildo, is referred to as comes et magister utriusque militiae per Africam . Before that he had been in command of the Dioecese troops for eight years. Probably he had been promoted for his loyalty to Emperor Theodosius in the fight against the usurpers Magnus Maximus and Eugenius . He rose to vir illustris and was thus equated with the Praefecti praetorio . The result was that the Duces of Mauritania and Tripolitana were also subordinate to him and the Comitatenses did not have to obey the Magister militum in praesenti , but rather him as the highest general in Africa. After his fall (397), the Comitiva Africae was restored to its old form.
Known office holders by name are:
- Leontius (320)
- Gaius Annius Tiberianus? ( Comes (Africae) , 325–327, whether he actually carried the title of Comes rei militaris is unclear)
- Taurinus ( Comes per Africam , 321? -345)
- Romanus (approx. 364–373)
- Flavius Victorianus (375–376)
- Gildo (386-398)
- Bathanarius (401-408)
- Heraclianus (408-412)
- Flavius Gaudentius (5th century)
- Boniface (422-431)
In late antiquity, the Roman official and honorary title Comes usually denoted the highest class of the nobility ( vir spectabilis ) or members of the Privy Council at the imperial court. In the military, this title was usually given to the commanders of the mobile field armies in the provinces or to high officers for temporary special commands. A Comes rei militaris was responsible for the current Magister Peditum praesentalis (OB Infantry) and the Magister Equitum praesentalis (OB Cavalry).
The Comes Africae was along with the
- Comes Tingitaniae , the commander of the Tingitana garrison troops, and the
- Dux et praeses provinciae Mauritaniae et Caesariensis , the commander of the garrison troops in western North Africa , and the
- Dux provinciae Tripolitanae , commander of the garrison troops in Tripolitania ,
one of the three highest-ranking officers and deputies of the provinces of the late Roman Diocesis Africa . His official seat was probably in the city of Carthage . The area of responsibility (tractus) of the Comes extended to the largest part of the area between today's Algeria and Libya, but in particular to the provinces Numidia , Byzacena and Africa (intra Africam) which are important for the grain supply of the city of Rome . As a vir spectabilis , he belonged to the highest class of the imperial nobility.
Administrative staff
The Officium (administrative staff) of the Comes comprised the following offices:
-
Principem ex officiis magistrorum militum praesentalium ,
uno anno a parte peditum, alio a parte equitum
(head of the office, who was appointed for one year by the Magister militum ). - Cornicularium (secretary and steward).
- Adiutorem (assistant).
-
Commentariensem ex officiis magistrorum
militum praesentalium alternis annis
(bookkeeper and legal expert from the ranks of the army). -
Numerarios duos ex utrisque officiis
magistrorum militum praesentalium singulos (two paymasters from the master's staff). - Subadiuvam (subordinate helper).
- Regerendarium (administrator).
- Exceptores (lawyers).
- Singulares et reliquos officiales (bodyguards and other officials).
There is also a cornicularius in its staff . He was usually also responsible for stocking up the units. Such officials can only be found in the Notitia in five other Comes and Duces. In late antiquity this was the responsibility of the civil administration of the province. It is possible that in times of crisis the Comes was able to dispose of the supplies from the public stores without authorization.
troops
The list of troops of the Comes Africae was handed down in the Notitia Dignitatum . The Comes had a total of 12 infantry, 19 cavalry units of the Comitatenses and 16 units of the Limitanei available. 31 regiments of mobile troops are listed, which probably comprised between 15,000 and 22,000 men. The equestrian associations were palatini or comitatenses , which were under the command of the magistri militum. Only one of them, the Legio tertia Augusta , had been stationed in Africa for centuries. The high number of riders is likely to be due to the constant threat to the borders from nomadic tribes. The 22 infantry units were distributed among garrisons from Tripolitania to Mauritania and probably numbered around 10,000 men. The information in the Notitia dignitatum presumably represents a snapshot of the troop strength of the Comes around the year 420. It cannot be answered whether some of the limitane associations are identical to the Comitanses under the command of the Comes , since the Notitia only contains information about their stationing locations . It is noteworthy that no Limitane associations are given by name, but only 16 Limes sections and the rank of the commanding officers ( praepositus limites ) at which they were stationed. It seems that their associations consisted of militiamen who were settled there as farmers and were only called up when the desert tribes invaded.
Distributio Numerorum
According to the ND Occ. the following units were available to the comes :
| Officers / units / forts | comment | Illustration |
|---|---|---|
| infantry | Palace troops (palatini) | |
| Celtae iuniores ( auxilia ) | ||
| Armigeri propugnatores seniores ( legio ) | ||
| Armigeri propugnatores iuniores (legio) | ||
| Cimbriani (legio) | The troupe was still among the comitatenses when the first version of the Western Notitia dignitatum was compiled. They were later promoted to a Palatini unit and incorporated into the guards of the African field army. In the Notitia they appear in the list of troops of the Magister Peditum . After the great barbarian invasion of 406, this was the procedure for over half of the 12 known Palatine legions of the western empire . | |
| infantry | Field army (comitatenses) | |
| Secundani Italiciani | The unit emerged from the Noric house legion, the Legio II Italica , stationed in Lauriacum (today Enns in Upper Austria) since the second century AD . In the ND, the parent troop appears on the list of Dux Pannoniae Primae et Norici Ripensis . Other vexillations of the Legion are likely to be the Lanciarii Lauriacenses , pseudocomitatenses under the Comes Illyrici . The Secundani , they were in the army of the Magister Militum per Illyricum , the Divitenses seniores in the Italian army of the Magister peditum and the Divitenses Gallicani in the field army of the Magister Militum per Thracias . | |
| Primani | The troop emerged from the Legio I Flavia Pacis . A vexillation was probably moved to Britain around 389 . In the ND, under the command of the Dux Britanniarum, a Praefectus numeri Pacensium appears stationed in Magis (?). 407-413 she returned to the continent and transferred as Pacenses to the camp of Saletio ( Seltz in Alsace). There they were commanded by a Praefectus militum under the command of the Dux Mogontiacensis . Furthermore, the Prima Flavia Pacis appears in the ND as comitatenses in the lists of the magister peditum . | |
| Secundani | The unit emerged from the Legio II Flavia Virtutis and appears in the Notitia Dignitatum in the lists of the magister peditum . It is possible that the Legion also produced the secunda Flavia , which was stationed in the civitas Vangionum (near Worms ) and was commanded by a Praefectus militum , under the command of the Dux Mogontiacensis . However, this assignment is considered uncertain. | |
| Tertiani | The unit emerged from the Legio III Flavia Salutis . It appears in the ND in the lists of the magister peditum . | |
| Constantiniani (Legio II Flavia Constantiniana) | ||
| Tertio Augustani (legio) | This troop was the remnant of the Legio III Augusta , one of the old ancestral legions in North Africa, which started in 30 BC. Was stationed in the legionary camp of Lambaesis . In the ND it still appears in the lists of the Magister Peditum Praesentalis and the Magister Equitum per Gallias . It is noteworthy that the shield pattern is very similar to that of the Equites stablesiani Africani, one of the vexillationes comitenses assigned to the Comes Africae . | |
| Fortenses (legio) | The two Fortenses legionary units specified in the Notitia dignitatum belong to the comitatenses and are provided with different shields. They are listed on the Magister Peditum's list of troops , but are still in Hispania . Fortenses were also in the armies of the Magister Militum Praesentalis I , Fortenses auxiliarii ( pseudocomitatenses ) under the Magister Militum per Orientem , the Dalmatae Fortenses ( cuneus ), Dalmatian horsemen in the army of Dux Daciae ripensis , Fortenses ( numerus ) at the Comes litoris Saxonici per Britanniam and the Fortenses (a cuneus rider) in the army of Dux Valeriae ripensis . The African Fortenses are believed to be the same as the Milites Fortenses under the Dux provinciae Tripolitanae . The men under the command of the Praepositus limitis Fortensis among the Dux et praeses provinciae Mauritaniae et Caesariensis could also have been withdrawn from the Fortenses. | |
| Constantiaci ( pseudocomitatenses ) | According to Otto Seeck , this unit was a vexillation from the unit of Flavia victrix Constantina , which also belonged to the comitatenses . Their position on the list would also suit a comitatensic entity better than pseudocomitatenses ; but their exact status has remained unclear to this day. | |
| cavalry | ||
| Equites stablesiani Italiciani ( vexillation ) | ||
| Equites scutarii seniores (vexillation) | ||
| Equites stablesiani seniores (also Equites stablesiani Africani / vexillation ) | This unit probably comes from the cavalry of Legio III Augusta . Her full name could have been Equites stablesiani Africani seniores . | |
| Equites Marcomanni (vexillation) | It could be that this unit was transferred to Africa in 397 to suppress the Gildo uprising . The population of the province was obviously not particularly satisfied with the achievements of the Marcomanni; around 411, the African bishop Augustine of Hippo made them the subject of derisive remarks in his writings. | |
| Equites armigeri seniores (vexillation) | ||
| Equites clibanarii (also Equites sagittarii clibanarii, vexillation ) | ||
| Equites sagittarii Parthi seniores (vexillation) | ||
| Equites cetrati seniores (vexillation) | ||
| Equites primo sagittarii (vexillation) | ||
| Equites secundo sagittarii (vexillation) | ||
| Equites tertio sagittarii (vexillation) | ||
| Equites quarto sagittarii (vexillation) | ||
| Equites Parthi sagittarii iuniores (also Equites sagittarii or Parthi iuniores / vexillation ) | ||
| Equites cetrati iuniores (vexillation) | ||
| Equites promoti iuniores (vexillation) | ||
| Equites sagittarii iuniores (vexillation) | ||
| Equites Honoriani iuniores (vexillation) | ||
| Equites scutarii iuniores scolae secundae (also Equites secundi scutarii iuniores / vexillation ) | ||
| Equites armigeri iuniores (vexillation) | ||
| infantry | Border troops (limitanei) | |
| Praepositus limitis Thamallensis | ||
| Praepositus limitis Montensis in castris Leptitanis | ||
| Praepositus limitis bazensis | ||
| Praepositus limitis Gemellensis | ||
| Praepositus limitis tubuniensis | ||
| Praepositus limitis Zabensis | ||
| Praepositus limitis Tubusubditani | ||
| Praepositus limitis thamallomensis | ||
| Praepositus limitis Balaretensis | ||
| Praepositus limitis columnatensis | ||
| Praepositus limitis tablatensis | ||
| Praepositus limitis Caputcellensis | ||
| Praepositus limitis Secundaeforum in castris Tillibarensibus | ||
| Praepositus limitis Taugensis | ||
| Praepositus limitis Bidensis | ||
| Praepositus limitis Badensis |
Remarks
- ↑ CNG Coins [1]
- ↑ Cod. Theod. IX 7, 9
- ↑ Claud. bell. Guild. 154
- ↑ see p. 631f. and u. Comes Orientis No. 64, Passio SS. Donati et Advocati 2 = Migne L. 8, 753; see. Pallu de Lessert 58, Cod. Theod. XII 1, 15.5, 1, Ephem. epigr. V 301, AHM Jones, Cod. Theod. XII 5, 1, The Later Roman Empire, 284–602 , p. 1424. Konrad Staude 2010, p. 149.
- ↑ Married to the sister Stilichos , can be proven as Comes Africae since 401 (Cod. Theod. IX 42, 18). After the murder of his brother-in-law, he was also killed in 408 and his office was transferred to Heraclianus, Zosim. V 37, 6.
- ↑ Konrad Staude 2010, p. 149, Roger Tomlin 1973, p. 3.
- ^ Officium autem habet idem vir spectabilis comes hoc modo
- ↑ Konrad Staude 2010, pp. 133 and 153.
- ↑ Sub dispositione viri spectabilis comitis rei militaris per Africae
- ↑ a b Peter Heather: 2011, p. 313, Notitia dignitatum, occ. XXV, Konrad Staude 2010, p. 150.
- ↑ sub dispositions
- ↑ Notitia Dignitatum Occ. XL.
- ↑ Notitia Dignitatum Occ. XLI.
- ↑ Notitia Dignitatum Occ. V.
- ↑ Notitia Dignitatum Occ. V.
- ↑ Notitia Dignitatum Occ. XLI.
- ↑ Notitia Dignitatum Occ. V.
- ^ Notitia Dignitatum in partibus Occidentis, V and XXXVI.
- ↑ Philip Rance 2012, pp. 347-360.
- ^ Gustav Strakosch-Grassmann: History of the Germans in Austria-Hungary. From the oldest times to the year 955 . Volume 1, Verlag Carl Koenegen, Vienna 1895, p. 143.
literature
- Peter Heather: The fall of the Roman Empire . 2nd edition, Rowohlt Taschenbuch Verlag, 2011, ISBN 978-3-499-62665-4 .
- Arnold Hugh Martin Jones : The Later Roman Empire, 284-602. A Social, Economic and Administrative Survey . Reprint: 2 vol., Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore 1986, ISBN 0-8018-3285-3 .
- Konrad Stauner: The cornicularius in the offices of the comital and ducal commanders in the Notitia dignitatum. In: Tyche. Contributions to ancient history, papyrology and epigraphy . Volume 25, 2010, pp. 131-171 ( online ).
- Philip Rance: The Third Equites Stablesiani at Cyrrhus . In: Chiron 42, 2012.
- Otto Seeck : Comites 3 . In: Paulys Realencyclopadie der classischen Antiquity Science (RE). Volume IV, 1, Stuttgart 1900, Col. 637 f.
- Roger S. Tomlin: The Emperor Valentinian I. University of Oxford Press, Oxford 1979.
Web links
Comes Britanniarum | Comes litoris Saxonici per Britanniam | Dux Britanniarum | Dux Belgicae secundae | Dux tractus Armoricani et Nervicani | Comes tractus Argentoratensis | Dux Mogontiacensis | Dux Germaniae primae | Dux provinciae Sequanicae | Comes Italiae | Comes Illyrici | Dux Raetiae primae et secundae | Dux Pannoniae Primae et Norici Ripensis | Dux Valeriae ripensis | Dux Pannoniae secundae ripariensis et Saviae | Dux provinciae Tripolitanae | Comes Africae | Dux et praeses provinciae Mauritaniae et Caesariensis | Comes Tingitaniae | Comes Hispaniarum