Hetaireiarches

The hetaireiarches (Ancient Greek: ἑταιρειάρχης), sometimes anglicized as Hetaeriarch, was a high-ranking Byzantine officer, in command of the imperial bodyguard, the Hetaireia.

[3] The Imperial Hetaireia of the 9th–10th centuries was divided in several units: three or four according to the sources, distinguished by their epithets and each, at least originally, under is respective hetaireiarches.

He was the senior of the military officials known as stratarchai and as a result of his prominence was often referred to simply as 'the hetaireiarches' (ὁ ἑταιρειάρχης), without further qualification.

[13] The spouse of a megas hetaireiarches was a member of the women's court, and bore the feminine version of her husband's title: megale hetaireiarchissa.

[16] According to Pseudo-Kodinos, the court costume of the megas hetaireiarches consisted of a plain silk kabbadion tunic and a staff (dikanikion) topped with a gilded knob and covered with alternating golden and blue braid.