Domestic, domesticus , was formerly the name of an officer at the court of the emperors of Constantinople.

In his glossary on Theophylact Simocatta, Fabrot defines domestic as a person to whom one confides the handling of important affairs: an advisor, cuius fidei graviores alicuius curae et sollicitudines committuntur . [1]

Others claim that the Greeks called domestici those called comites at Rome and that they began to use the word domesticus when the word count first became a dignified title and stopped being the name of an officer of the prince's house. See Count.

Domestics, domestici , were thus people attached to the service of the prince and aided him the government of affairs, both of his house and of justice or the church, etc.

The great domestic, Megadomesticus , who was also simply called the domestic , served at the emperor's table in the quality that the rest of us westerners call dapifer, or maître d'hôtel. Other say that he corresponded more to what we call majordomo. The domesticus mensae prepared the food of the grand seneschal or intendant.

Domesticus rei domesticae prepared the food of the grand master of the household.

Domesticus scholarum or legionum had the command of the reserve corps called scholae palatinae which was charged with executing the emperor's immediate orders.

Domesticus murorum superintended all fortifications.

Domesticus regionum , that is from one end of the realm to the other, cared for public causes.

Domesticus icanatorum was the head of the military cohorts.

In the army there were different officers bearing the name domesticus which signified nothing other than commander or colonel. Thus the domestic of the legion called optimates was the commander of this legion. See Legion.

The kings and emperors of the race of Charlemagne - who carried grandeur as far as it could reasonably go - had for domestics the most qualified people of the state, and many of the great houses of the kingdom take glory in drawing their origins from being the first domestics of these princes, what one has since named the great officers of the crown. These domestics had great fiefs and the same thing remains in the German empire where electors are always regarded as the emperor's domestic officers. Thus the archbishops of Mainz, Trier, and Cologne are his chancellors, the king of Bohemia his great cup-bearer, the elector of Bavaria his grand master, etc., and in the election of the emperor they perform the functions of their duties. Afterwards they go to table, but not that of the emperor but to other separate tables less elevated than the emperor's.

Domesticus chori , or cantor: there were two in the church of Constantinople, one on the right side and the other on the left. They were also called proto-psalterers.

There were three other distinct domestics in this church: the domestic of the patriarchal clergy; the domestic of the imperial clergy or master of the emperor's chapel; and the domesticus despinicus , or of the empress. There was also another order of domestics , inferior to those just described. They were called patriarchal domestics .

Domestics, domestici , was also the name of a body of troops in the Roman Empire. Pancirolles claims that they were the same as those called protectores who had immediate guard of the emperor's person, even before the praetorians, and who under the Christian emperors had the privilege of carrying the great standard of the cross, or the labarum. They are believed to have numbered 3500 before Justinian, and this emperor increased them by 2000. They were divided into different companies or bands that the Latins called schol and which it is said that some were established by the emperor Gordianus. Of these companies, some were cavalry, the others infantry. Their commander was called comes domesticorum . See Count.

Notes

1. "Someone faithful to whom serious anxieties and troubles are entrusted." Essentially the previous sentence in Latin.