Aristocracy

   A landed aristocracy existed throughout Byzantine history. However, the basis of landholding changed from the more familiar pattern of Late Roman times, with its large estates and numerous coloni (q.v.), peasants bound to the soil, to the estates of military officials who derived their authority from the theme (q.v.) system. The latter became the military aristocracy, the so-called dynatoi (q.v.), of Asia Minor (q.v.) in the 10th century, powerful families that produced the likes of Bardas Skleros, Andronikos Doukas, and Bardas Phokas (qq.v.). The ability of these families to foment rebellion brought Basil II (q.v.) into armed conflict with them. After Basil II's death in 1025, a struggle ensued between the military aristocracy and the civil aristocracy (which comprised the state bureaucracy). The accession of Alexios I Komnenos (q.v.) as emperor in 1081 was a victory of the military bureaucracy, which triumphed as long as the Komneni remained in power. The Palaiologan (q.v.) dynasts were themselves aristocrats who ruled with the aid of other chief aristocratic families, giving them grants of pronoia, as well as appanages (qq.v.). Thus, beginning in the 10th century the power of the aristocracy was intertwined with imperial power, both as a restraint and a means of access to the imperial office.