In the late Byzantine period (12th–15th centuries), it denoted the Empire's senior-most financial official, and was also adopted by the medieval Serbian state as protovestiyar (прото-вестијар).
As such, the office was distinct from the public or imperial wardrobe, the basilikon vestiarion, which was entrusted to a state official, the chartoularios tou vestiariou.
[3] The mid-14th century Book of Offices of Pseudo-Kodinos lists the rank in the sixth place in the palace hierarchy, between the panhypersebastos and the megas doux.
[11] Stefan Dušan (r. 1331–55) elevated the nobility and clergy when crowned Emperor; komornik Nikola Buća from Kotor was appointed protovestijar.
Balša II (Lord of Zeta, 1378–85), added the rank into service after taking Durrazzo in spring 1385, appointing Filip Bareli.
[19] The title of protovestiarios was also adopted in the Frankish Principality of Achaea, where it designated an office equivalent to a Western chamberlain and charged with keeping the list of fief-holders.