Excubitors
Known commanders of the Excubitors

Excubitors

Section Title: Known commanders of the Excubitors
Table Section Text: None

Name	Tenure	Notes	Refs

Justin I	515–518	Count of the Excubitors under Emperor Anastasius I, before becoming emperor. From this post, he took part in the suppression of the rebellion of Vitalian, leading the imperial fleet against the rebel navy

Priscus	529	A former secretary (notarius) of Justinian I, he became Count of the Excubitors but fell foul of Empress Theodora and was banished to Cyzicus and later a monastery

Theodore	535–536	as Count of the Excubitors, he served with Solomon in North Africa, where he played a critical role in the Battle of Mount Bourgaon.

Marcellus	541–552	Count of the Excubitors, he is described by Procopius as an austere and incorruptible man, who took part in the discovery of the conspiracy of Artabanes.

Marinus	561–562	Count of the Excubitors, he was charged with suppressing racing faction violence in Constantinople, and in investigating the conspiracy to assassinate Emperor Justinian in November 562

Tiberius II	565–574	A protégé of Justin II, he was appointed Count of the Excubitors even before the death of Justinian I. In c.

Maurice	574?–582?	A notarius of Tiberius, he was probably appointed Count of the Excubitors as the latter's successor when Tiberius became Caesar. He likely held his post in tandem with the position of magister militum per Orientem against the Sasanian Empire, until he himself became Caesar in 582.

Philippicus	582/584–603	The husband of Maurice's sister Gordia, he was made Count of the Excubitors sometime early in Maurice's reign, and held it until he retired to a monastery in 603.

Priscus	603?–612	A distinguished general and patricius before being appointed as Count of the Excubitors shortly after Phocas came to power. In 607 he married Domentzia, daughter of Emperor Phocas, but conspired with Heraclius for the overthrow of Phocas.

Nicetas	612–613	Cousin of Heraclius, he participated in the overthrow of Phocas and was named a patricius. Named Count of the Excubitors in succession to Priscus, he led Byzantine troops against the Sasanians around Antioch, before going to Egypt as governor.

Valentinus	6th/7th century	Patrikios and "Count of the Imperial Exkoubiton" (komēs tou basilikou exkoubitou), known only from his seal of office

Valentinus	641	An Armenian aristocrat, he enforced the coronation of Constans II as co-emperor alongside Heraklonas, and was given the position of Count of the Excubitors.

Stephen	7th century	"Count of the Divine Exkoubiton" (komēs tou theiou exkoubitou), known only from his seal of office

Paul	early 8th century	Patrikios, magistros, and Domestic of the Excubitors, grandfather of Patriarch Tarasios of Constantinople

Strategios Podopagouros	765	A spatharios (in one text variant patrikios) and Domestic of the Excubitors (domestikos tōn ekskoubitōn [sic](, executed by Constantine V during his purge of iconophiles in 765

Constantine	780	Son of a certain Vikarios. A spatharios and Domestic of the Excubitors (domestikos tōn ekskoubitorōn [sic]), he participated in a conspiracy against Empress-regent Irene of Athens and in favour of the Caesar Nikephoros and was arrested and imprisoned in a monastery

Niketas	750/800	Basilikos prōtospatharios and Domestic of the Excubitors, known only from his seal of office

Arsaber	750/850	Basilikos prōtospatharios and "Domestic of the Exkoubiton" (domestikos tou exkoubitou), known only from his seal of office

Anonymous	811	"Domestic of the Exkoubiton" (domestikos tou ekskoubitou [sic]), killed at the Battle of Pliska

Michael II	813–?	The future Michael II was appointed to the post of exkoubitos by Leo V in 813, and held it for a number of years

Anonymous	829/842	Exkoubitos and simultaneously dēmarchos of the racing faction of the Greens, under Emperor Theophilos

Constantine	c. 842

Leo	869	Patrikios and Domestic of the Excubitors, he is recorded among the attendants at the 869 Church council in Constantinople

Ashot	896	An Armenian nobleman, he was regimental commander (exarchōn) and fell at the Battle of Boulgarophygon in 896

Paul	9th century	Basilikos prōtospatharios and Domestic of the Excubitors, known only from his seal of office

Sergios	9th century	Patrikios, basilikos prōtospatharios and Domestic of the Excubitors, known only from his seal of office

Symbatios	850/900	Patrikios, basilikos prōtospatharios and Domestic of the Excubitors, known only from his seal of office. Possibly to be identified with Symbatios the Armenian (fl.

Theophilos	9th century	Basilikos prōtospatharios and Domestic of the Excubitors, known only from his seal of office

Aetios	late 9th/early 10th century	Basilikos prōtospatharios and Domestic of the Excubitors, known only from his seal of office. Potentially identical with a namesake Domestic of the Scholae, or a Drungary of the Watch of the same name.

John Grapson	917	He commanded the regiment and was killed at the Battle of Acheloos in 917. His father Maroules had been Domestic of the tagma of the Hikanatoi.

Anonymous	949	Referred to simply as "the exkoubitor", he participated with over 700 men and his topotērētēs in the failed expedition to Crete in 949

Pothos Argyros	c. 958/9	He is mentioned as being a patrikios and Domestic of the Excubitors when he defeated a Magyar raid in the Balkans.

Peter	990	Referred to as an excubitus, he was murdered in southern Italy

Makrotheodoros	997	Referred to as an excubitus, he was murdered at Oria in southern Italy

Theodore	998	Mentioned in a deed from southern Italy, possibly identical with the previous

John (?)	950/1050	Basilikos prōtospatharios, epi tou Chrysotriklinou (uncertain) and Domestic of the Excubitors of the West, known only from his seal of office.

Nikolitzes Kekaumenos	turn of 10th/11th century	The grandfather of the military writer Kekaumenos, who records him as Domestic of the Excubitors of Hellas

Leo Patianos	1017	An excubitus who was killed during the revolt of Melus of Bari in southern Italy

Leo Choirosphaktes	1030	Commanded the Excubitors during Romanos III's failed campaign into northern Syria

Constantine Opos	1081	Commanded the Excubitors during the Battle of Dyrrhachium against the Italo-Normans

Martinos (possibly also Marianos or Adrianos)	9th/11th century	Patrikios, basilikos prōtospatharios and "Domestic of the Imperial Excubitors" (domestikos tōn basilikōn exkoubitōn), known only from his seal of office

Sentence(s)

In 958, the Excubitors defeated a Magyar raid.

final_sentence: In 958, the Excubitors defeated a Magyar raid.