Despot (from , despot?s; plural ????????, despotes; feminine ????????, despoina; in Bulgarian and Serbian: ??????, despot; feminine ?????????, despotitsa), was a Byzantine court title, also granted in the states under Byzantine influence, such as the Latin Empire, Bulgaria, Serbia, and the Empire of Trebizond.

Origin and Distribution

The original Greek term despot?s meant simply "lord" and was synonymous with kyrios. As the Greek equivalent to the Latin dominus, despot?s became a way of reference to the Roman and Byzantine Emperors, occasionally used in formal settings, for example on coins.

The title despot?s began being used as a specific court title by Manuel I Komnenos, who conferred it in 1163 to the future King Béla III of Hungary, the Emperor's son-in-law and, at the time, heir-apparent. According to Gyula Moravcsik this title was a simple translation of Béla's Hungarian title úr, but other historians believe it comes from the old Roman title dominus. The majority of subsequent despotes were younger sons or sons-in-law of the Byzantine Emperors, who tended to crown their eldest sons as co-emperor (symbasileus). The title despot?s was initially strictly a courtly dignity, without specific military or administrative functions or powers, in spite of enjoying the highest position of honor below the emperor.

The title of despot?s spread to the Byzantine successor states after the Fourth Crusade and was awarded by any sovereign who held the imperial title, including the emperors of the Latin Empire, Bulgaria, Serbia, and Trebizond. The title despot?s could also be awarded by an emperor to a foreign magnate for kinship or services. In the Empire of Trebizond the title was granted to the intended heir to the throne, in marked contrast to practice elsewhere.

In the last two hundred years or so, the term "despot" is perceived negatively, as it is associated with despotism, but the original title had no such connotations.

Insignia

The Byzantine despot?s dressed in a fashion reminiscent of the attire of the Byzantine Emperor, including:

• a mural crown (with four crenelations for imperial sons, or one for imperial sons-in-law)
• a red or purple tunic, usually decorated with imperial eagles
• a pair of red and purple soft boots

The insignia was modified in Bulgaria and Serbia according to local preferences.

"Despotates"

In the period after the Fourth Crusade, certain despotes came to be associated with particular territories, such as Epirus, Morea (the Peloponnese), and Serbia. It is important to stress, however, that the derivative term "Despotate" employed for these territories is technically inaccurate, as the title of despot?s was neither hereditary, nor intrinsic to a particular territorial jurisdiction. Accordingly, proper usage would be "despot?s in Morea", rather than "despot?s of Morea". The virtually uninterrupted succession of despot?s in Morea, for example, is due to the fact that emperors consistently appointed their younger sons, already created despot?s, as governors of that province. Rulers of Epirus and Serbia called despot?s technically bore that title not by hereditary right, but by grant from successive emperors.

With the death of the last Byzantine Emperor Constantine XI on May 29, 1453, the creation of a despot?s became irregular. The title was granted by Pope Paul II to Andrew Palaiologos, heir to the Byzantine throne in 1465, and by the king of Hungary to heirs of Serbian Despotate.

References

• Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium, Oxford University Press, 1991.
• B. Ferjan?i?, Despoti u Vizantiji i ju?noslovenskim zemljama, Belgrade 1960.
• I.A. Biljarski, Instituciite na srednovekovna B?lgarija. Vtoro b?lgarsko carstvo (XII-XIV v.), Sofia, 1998.

See also

• Serbian Despotate

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