The structure of the court

Eunuchs were very important to the functioning of the court in the first part of the period covered by the Hetaireia Palatiou and were regarded as being a third gender. They are treated as such in the table that follows. Most of the eunuch ranks listed were functional (underlined) and the eunuchs who filled them held an honorific rank as well. In this period, eunuch ranks were considered to be superior to the same ranks held by men. From the second half of the eleventh century eunuch fell rapidly from favour.

The male and eunuch honorific ranks listed all had regalia. Of the women, only the Augousta and the Zôstê Patrikia had designated regalia. There was a functional position for women, Koubikoularia, “Lady in Waiting”, which does not fit into this structure, but which did have designated regalia.

In the latter part of our period the structure of the court became much more complex and the regalia was significantly revised.