Megas doux facts for kids

Alexios Apokaukos, a powerful megas doux, in his official clothes.

The megas doux (pronounced: MEH-gas DOOKS) was a very important job in the later Byzantine Empire. This person was the main leader of the entire Byzantine navy. Think of them as the top admiral! Sometimes, people called them "megaduke" or "megadux." The word doux comes from a Latin word meaning "leader" or "commander."

What the Megas Doux Did

This important role was first created by Emperor Alexios I Komnenos around the year 1081. He wanted to make the Byzantine navy strong again. He brought together all the different small naval groups into one big force, and the megas doux was in charge of it all.

Early Leaders of the Navy

A seal belonging to Alexios Katakourianos, who was also a megas doux.

Emperor Alexios's brother-in-law, John Doukas, is often seen as the first person to hold this title. He became megas doux in 1092. His first big task was to stop a Turkish leader named Tzachas. Before this, there were other naval commanders, like Manuel Boutoumites and Constantine Dalassenos, who had similar jobs.

At first, the megas doux might have been a temporary leader for big military missions that involved both land and sea forces. But soon, it became the permanent head of the emperor's fleet. John Doukas, for example, led both land and sea battles. He helped the Byzantines take back control of the Aegean Sea and islands like Crete and Cyprus around 1092-1093. He also helped secure western Anatolia in 1097.

Controlling Important Regions

Because the navy needed a lot of people and supplies, the megas doux was also given control over certain areas. These included parts of Greece, the Peloponnese, and Crete. These regions provided sailors and resources for the fleet. However, the megas doux was a very high-ranking official, often busy with the central government and big military campaigns. So, local governors usually managed these provinces day-to-day.

During the 1100s, the Kontostephanos family held the megas doux title many times. One famous member, Andronikos Kontostephanos, was a key officer for Emperor Manuel I Komnenos. He helped the emperor win many battles on land and sea.

Changes to the Title

After the Fourth Crusade in 1204, the Byzantine navy almost disappeared. So, the title of megas doux became more of an honorary title, meaning it was given to show respect, not necessarily for leading a fleet. For example, Michael VIII Palaiologos used the title when he became a temporary ruler for the young Emperor John IV Laskaris.

Even the Latin Empire, which took over Constantinople for a while, used the title. Around 1207, a Venetian named Filocalo Navigajoso was given the island of Lemnos and the hereditary title of megadux. His family kept the title and ruled Lemnos until the Byzantines took it back in 1278.

Return to Naval Command

When the Byzantines took back Constantinople in 1261, the megas doux title went back to its original job: commander of the navy. It remained a very high rank in the empire, usually the sixth most important person after the emperor.

Sometimes, foreigners who served the emperor were given this title. Two famous examples are the Italian Licario, who helped the Byzantines take back many Aegean islands, and Roger de Flor, the leader of a group of mercenaries called the Catalan Company.

What the Megas Doux Wore

A book from the mid-1300s, called the Book of Offices, describes what the megas doux wore. They had a special golden-red hat called a skiadion, decorated with fancy embroidery. They could also wear a domed hat called a skaranikon, also red and gold, with pictures of the emperor on it. They wore a rich silk tunic called a kabbadion. Their staff of office, a dikanikion, had carved gold and silver decorations.

The book also says that while other warships flew the usual imperial flag (a cross with four "firesteels"), the flagship of the megas doux had a flag showing the emperor on horseback. The megas doux had several officers working under them, including the megas droungarios tou stolou and the ameralios.

Other Empires Using the Title

The Serbian Empire, started by Tsar Stefan Dushan in 1346, copied many Byzantine titles. They used megas doux as "grand voivode" (a military leader), but it didn't have anything to do with the navy in Serbia. Important noblemen like Jovan Uglješa held this title there.

Some Famous Megas Doukes

Byzantine Empire Leaders

Empire of Trebizond Leaders