Vestes
Vestēs ( was a Byzantine court title used in the 10th and 11th centuries. The term is etymologically connected to the "vestiarion", the imperial wardrobe, but despite earlier attempts to connect the "vestai" and the related title of "vestarchēs", the head of the class of the "vestai", with the officials of the "vestiarion" (cf. Bréhier), no such relation appears to have existed. The title is first attested for the reign of Emperor John I Tzimiskes (r. 969–976), when it was held by Nikephoros Phokas, son of the "kouropalatēs" Leo Phokas. The title remained high in the Byzantine imperial hierarchy throughout  most of the 11th century, being often combined with the title of "magistros" and awarded to prominent generals, among others Isaac Komnenos (Byzantine emperor in 1057–1059) when he was of the East, Leo Tornikios and Nikephoros Botaneiates (Byzantine emperor in 1078–1081) during his tenure as "doux" of Eddessa and Antioch. The Escorial "Taktikon", a list of offices and court titles and their precedence compiled in the 970s, distinguishes between "bearded" ("barbatoi") "vestai", who also held the titles of "patrikios" or "magistros", and the eunuch ("ektomiai") "vestai", who held the title of "praipositos". As with other titles, the prestige of the  vestēs declined towards the end of the 11th century, when it is attested as being held by lower-ranking officials. To counter this devaluation, the superior title of prōtovestēs (Greek: πρωτοβέστης, "first "vestēs"") appeared at the same time. Both titles, however, do not appear to have survived the reign of Emperor Alexios I Komnenos (r. 1081–1118).