Palatini ( Roman military ) The palatini ( Latin for " palace troops " ) were elite units of the Late Roman army mostly attached to the " comitatus praesentales " , or imperial escort armies . In the elaborate hierarchy of troop - grades , the " palatini " ranked below the " scholares " ( members of the elite cavalry regiments called the " scholae " ) , but above the " comitatenses " ( regiments of the regional " comitatus " ) and the " limitanei " ( border troops ) . The term derives from " palatium " ( " palace " ) a reference to the fact that the regiments originally served in the imperial escort armies only . Later they were also found in the regional " comitatus " ( mobile field armies ) . There , however , they continued to enjoy higher status and pay than the rest of the " comitatus " regiments . At the time the " Notitia Dignitatum " was written ( ca . 395 for the Eastern Empire ) , 80 % of the regiments in the eastern " comitatus praesentales " were graded " palatini " and 14 % of those in the regional " comitatus " . The " palatini " were created by Constantine I after he disbanded the Praetorian Guard in AD 312 , and originally comprised former praetorians . As with all " comitatus " regiments , " palatini " cavalry regiments were called " vexillationes " ( from " vexillum " = " military standard " ) and infantry regiments were either " legiones " or " auxilia " . " Vexillationes palatinae " are believed to have contained 400 - 600 men , " legiones palatinae " 800 - 1 , 200 and " auxilia palatina " either 800 - 1 , 000 or 400 - 600 . Origins and History . In the early 3rd century , the Roman military was organized into several provincial armies under the command of the provincial governors , a smaller reserve under the command of the emperor , guard units such as the Praetorian Guard , and the urban cohorts . Field armies were temporary formations , usually composed of the reserve and / or of detachments drawn from the provincial armies . In the later 3rd century , due to the frequent wars , field armies could remain together for several years , under the direct command of the emperor , and would require their own recruitment systems . By the mid 4th century , the Roman military was divided into frontier armies under the command of the provincial duces and permanent field armies under the command of the emperor , the magistri peditum , magistri equitum , or comites . The frontier armies would patrol the borders and oppose small - scale raids . They may have driven off medium - scale attacks without the support of the field armies . The frontier armies would later be known as limitanei or ripenses . The field armies would respond to larger - scale attacks , would fight against rival emperors , and would conduct any large - scale attacks into neighboring countries . The field armies would later be known as comitatenses or palatini . The temporary field armies could be referred to as the " sacer comitatus " , as could the imperial court . The first known written reference to " comitatenses " was in 325 , although there are possibilities from earlier and the first to " palatini " was not until 365 . Historians disagree on whether the emperor Diocletian , or one of his successors , such as Constantine I , split the Roman military into frontier armies and field armies . Theodor Mommsen , H . M . D . Parker , and more recently , Warren Treadgold and David S . Potter attribute the reorganization to Diocletian . E . C . Nischer , D . van Berchem , and more recently , M . C . Bishop and J . C . M . Coulston attribute mainly an expansion to Diocletian , and the reorganization to Constantine I and his successors . Karl Strobel sees the reorganization as the culmination of trends going back well into the 3rd century , with Diocletian strengthening both the frontier and field armies . The Eastern field armies , including the palatini and comitatenses , eventually became the basis of the Eastern themes . The Western field armies , including the palatini and comitatenses , either disintegrated during the collapse of the western Roman Empire , or became part of the armies of the successor states . Higher Command . The field armies of the Tetrarchy were under the command of the emperors , with the assistance of the praetorian prefect s . There were then four emperors , two Augusti , and two Caesares , who routinely commanded the field armies on campaign . The field armies after Constantine I were under the command of the emperor , with the assistance of the magister peditum and magister equitum . The eastern field armies after Theodosius I were under the overall command of the emperor , with one magister militum for each army . There was usually only one eastern emperor , who rarely commanded the field armies on campaign . Organization . The size of the army , and therefore of the palatini and comitatenses , remains controversial . A . H . M . Jones and Warren Treadgold argue that the late Roman army was significantly larger than earlier Roman armies , and Treadgold estimates they had up to 645 , 000 troops . Karl Strobel denies this , and Strobel estimates that the late Roman army had some 435 , 000 troops in the time of Diocletian and 450 , 000 in the time of Constantine I . Equipment . M . C . Bishop and J . C . M . Coulston , in a major work on Roman military equipment , do not distinguish the equipment of the various branches of the Roman military . It is doubtful whether there were any universal differences between the equipment of the palatini and of the other forces . The late Roman empire had centralized fabricae , introduced by Diocletian , to provide arms and armor for the army . The introduction of the centralized fabricae , where earlier armies had relied on legionary workshops , may reflect the needs of the field armies . The 4th century palatini included both light and heavy infantry , as well as light and heavy cavalry .