(Latin for "master of soldiers", plural ) was a top-level military command used in the later Roman Empire, dating from the reign of Constantine the Great.
The term referred to the senior military officer (equivalent to a war theatre commander, the emperor remaining the supreme commander) of the empire.
In Greek sources, the term is translated either as strategos or as stratelates.
Establishment and development of the command
The title of magister militum was created in the 4th century, when the emperor Constantine the Great deprived the praetorian prefects of their military functions.
Initially two posts were created, one as head of the infantry, as the magister peditum ("master of foot"), and one for the more prestigious cavalry, the magister equitum ("master of horse").
The latter title had existed since republican times, as the second-in-command to a Roman dictator.
Under Constantine's successors, the title was also established at a territorial level: magistri peditum and magistri equitum were appointed for every praetorian prefecture (per Gallias, per Italiam, per Illyricum, per Orientem), and, in addition, for Thrace and, sometimes, Africa.
On occasion, the offices would be combined under a single person, then styled magister equitum et peditum or magister utriusque militiae ("master of both forces").
As such they were directly in command of the local mobile field army of the comitatenses, composed mostly of cavalry, which acted as a rapid reaction force.
Other magistri remained at the immediate disposal of the emperors, and were termed in praesenti ("in the presence" of the emperor).
By the late 4th century, the regional commanders were termed simply magister militum.
In the Western Roman Empire, a "commander-in-chief" evolved with the title of magister utriusque militiae often abbreviated MVM.
This powerful office was often the power behind the throne and was held by Stilicho, Flavius Aetius, Ricimer, and others.
In the east, there were two senior generals, who were each appointed to the office of magister militum praesentalis.
During the reign of Emperor Justinian I, with increasing military threats and the expansion of the Eastern Empire, three new posts were created: the magister militum per Armeniam in the Armenian and Caucasian provinces, formerly part of the jurisdiction of the magister militum per Orientem, the magister militum per Africam in the reconquered African provinces (534), with a subordinate magister peditum, and the magister militum Spaniae (c. 562).
In the course of the 6th century, internal and external crises in the provinces often necessitated the temporary union of the supreme regional civil authority with the office of the magister militum.
In the establishment of the exarchates of Ravenna and Carthage in 584, this practice found its first permanent expression.
Indeed, after the loss of the eastern provinces to the Muslim conquest in the 640s, the surviving field armies and their commanders formed the first themata.
Supreme military commanders sometimes also took this title in early medieval Italy, for example in the Papal States and in Venice, whose Doge claimed to be the successor to the Exarch of Ravenna.
List of ''magistri militum''
Unspecified commands
383–385/8: Flavius Bauto, magister militum under Valentinian IIPLRE I, p. 1114
385/8–394: Arbogast, magister militum under Valentinian II and EugeniusPLRE I, p. 1114
383–388: AndragathiusPLRE I, p. 62
?
–480: Ovida
''Comes et magister utriusque militiae''
392–408: Flavius Stilicho
411–421: Flavius ConstantiusHughes, Ian: Aetius: Attila's Nemesis, pg.
74
422–425: Castinus
425–430: Flavius Constantius FelixHughes, Ian: Aetius: Attila's Nemesis, pg.
75
431–432: BonifaciusHughes, Ian: Aetius: Attila's Nemesis, pg.
85
432–433: Sebastianus
433–454: Flavius AetiusHughes, Ian: Aetius: Attila's Nemesis, pg.
87, Heather, Peter: The Fall of the Roman Empire, pg.
262, 491
455–456: Avitus and Remistus
456 Messianus
456–472: Ricimer
472–473: Gundobad
475: Ecdicius Avitus
475–476: Orestes
''Per [[Roman Gaul|Gallias]]''
352–355: Claudius Silvanus
362–364: Jovinus, magister equitum under Julian and JovianPLRE I, p. 1113
?
–419: Gaudentius
425–430: Flavius Aetius
435–439: Litorius
452–458: Agrippinus
458–461: Aegidius
461/462: Agrippinus
?
–472: Bilimer
''Per Hispanias''
441–442: AstyriusHydatius, Chronica Hispania, 122
443: MerobaudesHydatius, Chronica Hispania, 128
446: VitusHydatius, Chronica Hispania, 134
''Per [[Praetorian prefecture of Illyricum|Illyricum]]''
?
–350: Vetranio, magister peditum under ConstansPLRE I, p. 1112
361: Iovinus, magister equitum under JulianPLRE I, p. 1113
365–375: Equitius, magister utriusquae militiae under Valentinian IPLRE I, p. 125
395–?
Alaric I
448/9 Agintheus (known from Priscus of Panium to have held office as the latter's embassy proceeded towards the court of Attila).
468–474: Julius Nepos
477–479: Onoulphus
479–481: Sabinianus Magnus
528: Ascum
529–530/1: Mundus (1st time)
532–536: Mundus (2nd time)
c. 538: Justin
c. 544: Vitalius
c. 550: John
568–569/70: Bonus
581–582: Theognis
''Per [[Praetorian prefecture of the East|Orientem]]''
c. 347: Flavius Eusebius, magister utriusquae militiaePLRE I, p. 307
349–359: Ursicinus, magister equitum under ConstantiusPLRE I, p. 1112
359–360: Sabinianus, magister equitum under Constantius IIPLRE I, p. 1112
363–367: Lupicinus, magister equitum under Jovian and ValensPLRE I, p. 1113
371–378: Iulius, magister equitum et Peditum under ValensPLRE I, p. 1113
383: Richomeres, magister equitum et peditumPLRE I, p. 1114
383–388: Ellebichus, magister equitum et peditumPLRE I, p. 1114
392: Eutherius, magister equitum et peditumPLRE I, p. 1114
393–396: Addaeus, magister equitum et peditumPLRE I, p. 1114
395/400: Fravitta
433–446: Anatolius
447–451: Zeno
460s: Flavius Ardabur Aspar
–469: Flavius Iordanes
469–471: Zeno
483–498: Ioannes Scytha
c. 503–505: Areobindus Dagalaiphus Areobindus
505–506: Pharesmanes
?516–?518: Hypatius
?518–529: Diogenianus
520–525/526: Hypatius
527: Libelarius
527–529: Hypatius
529–531: Belisarius
531: Mundus
532–533: Belisarius
540: Buzes
542: Belisarius
543–544: Martinus
549–551: Belisarius
555: Amantius
556: Valerianus
569: Zemarchus
572–573: Marcian
573: Theodorus
574: Eusebius
574/574–577: Justinian
577–582: Maurice
582–583: John Mystacon
584–587/588: Philippicus
588: Priscus
588–589: Philippicus
589–591: Comentiolus
591–603: Narses
603–604 Germanus
604–605 Leontius
605–610 Domentziolus
''Per [[Roman Armenia|Armeniam]]''
Peter, direct predecessor of John Tzibus
John Tzibus (?–541)
Valerian
Dagisthaeus (?–550)
Bessas (550–554)
Martin
Justin
Heraclius the Elder (c. 595)
''Per [[Diocese of Thrace|Thracias]]''
377–378: Saturninus, magister equitum under ValensPLRE I, p. 1113
377–378: Traianus, magister peditum under ValensPLRE I, p. 1114
378: Sebastianus, magister peditum under ValensPLRE I, p. 1114
380–383: Flavius Saturninus, magister peditum under Theodosius IPLRE I, p. 1114
392–393: Stilicho, magister equitum et peditumPLRE I, p. 1114
412–414: Constans
441: Ioannes the Vandal, magister utriusque militiaePLRE II, p. 597
464–467/468: BasiliscusPLRE II, p. 211
468–474: Armatus
474: Heraclius of Edessa
511: Hypatius
512: Cyril
514: Vitalian
525-c.
530: Germanus
530–533: Chilbudius
550–c. 554: Artabanes
588: Priscus (1st time)
593: Priscus (2nd time)
593–594: Peter (1st time)
594–c. 598: Priscus (2nd time)
598–601: Comentiolus
601–602: Peter (2nd time)
''[[Praesentalis]]''
351–361: Arbitio, magister equitum under Constantius IIPLRE I, p. 1112
361–363: Nevitta, magister equitum under JulianPLRE I, p. 1113
363–379: Victor, magister equitum under ValensPLRE I, p. 1113
366–378: Flavius Arinthaeus, magister peditum under ValensPLRE I, p. 1113
364–369: Flavius Iovinus, magister equitum under Valentinian IPLRE I, p. 1113
364–366: Dagalaifus, magister peditum under Valentinian IPLRE I, p. 1113
367–372: Severus, magister peditum under Valentinian IPLRE I, p. 1113
369–373: Flavius Theodosius, magister equitum under Valentinian IPLRE I, p. 1113
375–388: Merobaudes, magister peditum under Valentinian I, Gratian and Magnus MaximusPLRE I, pp.
1113–1114
388–395: Timasius
394–408: Stilicho, magister equitum et peditumPLRE I, p. 1114
399–400: Gainas
400: Fravitta
409: Varanes and ArsaciusPLRE I, p. 152
419–: Plinta
434–449: Areobindus?
443–451: Apollonius
450–451: Anatolius
475–477/478: Armatus
485–: Longinus
492–499: John the Hunchback
518–520: Vitalian John Moorhead, Justinian (London, 1994), p. 16.
520–?
: JustinianJohn Moorhead, Justinian (London, 1994), p. 17.
528: Leontius
528–529: Phocas
520–538/9: Sittas
536: Germanus
536: Maxentianus
546–548: Artabanes
548/9–552: Suartuas
562: Constantinianus (uncertain)
582: Germanus (uncertain)
585–c. 586: Comentiolus
626: Bonus (uncertain)
''Per Africam''
[[Diocese of Africa|Western Empire]]
373–375: Flavius Theodosius, magister equitum PLRE I, p. 1113
386–398: Gildo, magister equitum et peditumPLRE I, p. 395
[[Praetorian prefecture of Africa|Eastern Empire]]
534–536: Solomon
536–539: Germanus
539–544: Solomon
544–546: Sergius
545–546: Areobindus
546: Artabanes
546–552: John Troglita
578–590: Gennadius
''Magister militae'' in Byzantine and medieval Italy
Venice
8th century: Marcellus
737: Domenico Leoni under Leo III the Isaurian
738: Felice Cornicola under Leo III the Isaurian
739: Theodatus Hypatus under Leo III the Isaurian
741: Ioannes Fabriacius under Leo III the Isaurian
764–787: Mauricius Galba
Later, less formal use of the term
By the 12th century, the term was being used to describe a man who organized the military force of a political or feudal leader on his behalf.
In the Gesta Herwardi, the hero is several times described as magister militum by the man who translated the original Old English account into Medieval Latin.
It seems possible that the writer of the original version, now lost, thought of him as the hereward' ( and ) – the supervisor of the military force.
That this later use of these terms was based on the classical concept seems clear.Gesta Herwardi  The term is used in chapters XII, XIV, XXII and XXIII.
See The Name, Hereward for details.
See also
Structural history of the Roman military
References
Citations
Sources
Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire (PLRE), Vols.
I-III
