scholae palatinae

Emperor Justinian I and his court along with some scholares with typical golden torques on the left side of the picture, mosaic from the Basilica di San Vitale , Ravenna .

The scholae palatinae ( Sg. Scholastic palatine ), Germanized also Scholen (Sg. Schole) were mounted Guard troops of the late Roman emperor who, in recent years Emperor Constantine are detectable. This body of troops was not part of the regular army , but belonged as a bodyguard to the emperor courtiers and thus was the magister officiorum assumed. Even under Emperor Zenon , this guard unit no longer had a protective function and was only used for parade purposes and court ceremonies . The scholae palatinae served in the Eastern Roman Empire until they were dissolved by Emperor Alexios I in the late 11th century.

etymology

In addition to its meaning for school, a schola also often referred to a club building that was mainly used for the general assembly. The name of the schola palatina is presumably derived from its meeting room connected to the imperial palace, which led to the use of the term schola for military troops in the imperial entourage from the 4th century onwards .

History and structure

The insignia of the eastern scholae , from the Notitia Dignitatum .

The insignia of the western scholae , from the Notitia Dignitatum .

The scholae palatinae were established in 312 as a replacement for the Praetorian Guard . In the dispute over the succession to the throne between Constantine I and his rival Maxentius , the Praetorians formed the main part of the opposing army and, after Constantine's victory at the Milvian Bridge, could no longer be carried as a guard.

Each schola was organized into a cavalry unit of around 500 men. Most of the scholars (Latin: scholares , Greek: σχολάριοι scholárioi ) were recruited from Germanic or other barbaric tribes, as they were less influenced by intrigues within Rome and therefore more loyal.

Each schola was commanded by a comes domesticorum , which, unlike other comites, was subordinate to the Magister officiorum. The Comes, in turn, had Domestici as staff officers under them. The Notitia Dignitatum in the 4th century speaks of five scholae in the Western and seven in the Eastern Roman Empire. As guard troops, the scholars received more privileges than soldiers in the regular army, such as extra rations and exemption from certain taxes.

When the emperors stopped going into battle themselves, the scholae lost their importance as bodyguards due to the lack of combat experience. They were replaced by the Excubitores in the east under Emperor Leo I and finally degenerated into a parade troop under Emperor Zenon, while they were completely abandoned in the west by Theodoric the Great . In the Byzantine Empire, however , after the reforms of the military and administration in the 6th and 7th centuries in the so-called Tagma of the Scholai , the scholae were only used for ceremonial purposes.

See also

• List of ranks and branches of service in the Roman army

literature

• Richard I. Frank: Scholae palatinae. The palace guards of the later Roman empire (= Papers and monographs of the American Academy in Rome 23). American Academy , Rome 1969.
• Franz Tinnefeld : Scholae Palatinae. In: The New Pauly (DNP). Volume 11, Metzler, Stuttgart 2001, ISBN 3-476-01481-9 , column 208.

Remarks

1. ↑ Ulrike Egelhaaf-Gaiser: Schola. In: The New Pauly (DNP). Volume 11, Stuttgart 2001, Col. 205.
2. ^ Franz Tinnefeld: Scholae Palatinae. In: The New Pauly (DNP). Volume 11, Stuttgart 2001, Col. 208.
3. ↑ Notitia Dignitatum , Pars Orient. XI. 4-10 & Pars Occid. IX. 4-8
4. ↑ Codex Iustinianus , De privilegiis scholarum XII.30
5. ^ Richard I. Frank: Scholae palatinae. The palace guards of the later Roman empire (= Papers and monographs of the American Academy in Rome 23). American Academy, Rome 1969, pp. 201-219.