Parakoimomenos
The position's proximity to the emperors guaranteed its holders influence and power, and many of them, especially in the 9th and 10th centuries, functioned as the Byzantine Empire's chief ministers.
The title was used anachronistically by various Byzantine writers for prominent eunuch court officials of the distant past, including Euphratas under Constantine the Great (reigned 306–337), the notorious Chrysaphius under Theodosius II (r. 408–450), or an unnamed holder of the office under Emperor Maurice (r. 582–602).
As evidenced by seals from the 7th and 8th centuries, it was usually combined with other palace functions, such as the epi tēs trapezēs, and awarded lowly dignities such as ostiarios.
[4] From the mid-9th century, however, the office grew in importance, outstripping its nominal superior, the praipositos, until it came to be regarded as the highest post reserved for eunuchs, with its holders raised to the dignity of patrikios.
The parakoimōmenos tou koitōnos retained the duties of supervising the koitōn (the imperial bedchamber), assisted by the prokathēmenos tou koitōnos (προκαθήμενος τοῡ κοιτῶνος) and commanding the chamberlains (κοιτωνάριοι, koitōnarioi) and pages (παιδόπουλοι, paidopouloi), while the parakoimōmenos tēs sphendonēs who was entrusted with keeping the sphendonē, the ring with the emperor's personal seal, used to seal his private correspondence to his family.
[9] At the same time, their holders ceased to be palace eunuchs, but were important noblemen and administrators; by the 14th century, the title of parakoimōmenos became essentially an honorific dignity.
[14][15] He was replaced by Constantine Barbaros, who held the office until circa 919 with the exception of the reign of Alexander (r. 912–913), who installed the patrikios Barbatos in his stead.
Lekapenos, the bastard son of Emperor Romanos I, would play a dominant role in Byzantine history over the next four decades, toppling emperors and serving as the virtual regent or co-regent (paradynasteuōn) of the Empire for over thirty years, comprising the reigns of Nikephoros II Phokas (r. 963–969) and John I Tzimiskes (r. 969–976), and the early reign of Basil II (r. 976–1025) until his dismissal in 985.
[7] In the Empire of Nicaea, known holders are the pansebastos sebastos Alexios Krateros (attested circa 1227–1231, in tandem with the post of apographeus) under John III Vatatzes (r. 1222–1254),[7] and the prōtovestiaritēs George Zagarommates, who was promoted to parakoimōmenos by Theodore II Laskaris (r. 1254–1258) but was soon disgraced.
[10][27] Apart from Nestongos, the following parakoimōmenoi are known under Andronikos II Palaiologos: Dionysios Drimys, mentioned in a poem of Manuel Philes ca.
[31][36] Finally, the last known holders are Demetrios, "uncle" of the Emperor John V Palaiologos (r. 1341–1391), attested at Constantinople in 1342;[37] Manuel Sergopoulos, named "parakoimōmenos of the great sphendonē" by John VI Kantakouzenos (r. 1347–1354) and given the lordship of Marmara Island for life by the same emperor;[38] the physician Angelos Kalothetos, attested at Mystras in a letter in 1362,[39][40] and the katholikos kritēs Theophylaktos Dermokaites, who was sent as en emissary to Pope Urban V in October 1367.
