The original command structure of the Late Roman army, with a separate magister equitum and a magister peditum in place of the later overall magister militum in the command structure of the army of the Western Roman Empire. High command structure of the West Roman army ca. 410–425, based on the Notitia Dignitatum. Magister militum (Latin for "Master of the Soldiers", plural magistri militum) was a top-level military command used in the later Roman Empire, dating from the reign of Constantine. Used alone, 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. Contents 1 Establishment and development of the office 2 List of magistri militum 2.1 Unspecified commands 2.2 per Gallias 2.3 per Illyricum 2.4 per Orientem 2.5 per Thracias 2.6 in praesenti 2.7 per Africam 2.7.1 Western Empire 2.7.2 Eastern Empire 2.8 Magistri militum in Byzantine and medieval Italy 2.8.1 Venice 3 Later, less formal use of the term 4 References 5 Sources // Establishment and development of the office For more details on this topic, see Late Roman army. The title of magister militum was created in the 4th century, when Emperor Constantine the Great deprived the praetorian prefects of their military functions. Initially two posts were created, one as head of the foot troops, as the magister peditum ("Master of the Foot"), and one for the more prestigious horse troops, the magister equitum ("Master of the 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 utriusquae 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 Empire, a "commander-in-chief" was sometimes appointed with the title of magister utriusquae militiae. This powerful office was often the power behind the throne and was held by Stilicho, Ricimer and others. In the East, there were two senior generals, who were 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 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 (ca. 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 This article is part of the series on: Military of ancient Rome (portal) 753 BC – AD 476 Structural history Roman army (unit types and ranks, legions, auxiliaries, generals) Roman navy (fleets, admirals) Campaign history Lists of wars and battles Decorations and punishments Technological history Military engineering (castra, siege engines, arches, roads) Political history Strategy and tactics Infantry tactics Frontiers and fortifications (limes, Hadrian's Wall) This box: view · talk · Unspecified commands 383-385/8: Flavius Bauto, magister militum under Valentinian II1 385/8-394: Arbogast, magister militum under Valentinian II and Eugenius1 421–432: Flavius Gaudentius 383–388: Andragathius2 433–454: Flavius Aetius 455: Avitus 455–472: Ricimer 456: Remistus 472–473: Gundobad 475–476: Flavius Orestes  ? – 480: Ovida per Gallias 352–355: Claudius Silvanus 362–364: Flavius Iovinus, magister equitum under Julian and Jovian3 410s–421: Flavius Constantius 425–433: Flavius Aetius 452–456: Agrippinus 456–465: Aegidius 461/462: Agrippinus 465–486: Syagrius per Illyricum  ?-350: Vetranio, magister peditum under Constans4 361: Flavius Iovinus, magister equitum under Julian3 365–375: Equitius, magister utriusquae militiae under Valentinian I5 457?–468: Marcellinus 468–474: Julius Nepos 477–479: Onoulphus 479–481: Sabinianus Magnus 528: Ascum 530–536: Mundus per Orientem ca. 347: Flavius Eusebius, magister utriusquae militiae6 349–359: Ursicinus, magister equitum under Constantius4 359–360: Sabinianus, magister equitum under Constantius4 363–367: Lupicinus, magister equitum under Jovian and Valens3 371–378: Iulius, magister equitum et Peditum under Valens3 383: Flavius Richomeres, magister equitum et peditum1 383–388: Ellebichus, magister equitum et peditum1 392: Eutherius, magister equitum et peditum1 393–396: Addaeus, magister equitum et peditum1 395/400: Fravitta 433–446: Anatolius 447–451: Zeno 460s: Flavius Ardabur Aspar -469: 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: Marcianus 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 Thracias 377–378: Flavius Saturninus, magister equitum under Valens3 377–378: Traianus, magister peditum under Valens1 378: Sebastianus, magister peditum under Valens1 380–383: Flavius Saturninus, magister peditum under Theodosius I1 392–393: Flavius Stilicho, magister equitum et peditum1 412–414: Constans 441: Ioannes the Vandal, magister utriusque militiae7 468–474: Armatus 474: Heraclius of Edessa 530-533: Chilbudius in praesenti 351–361: Flavius Arbitio, magister equitum under Constantius4 361–363: Flavius Nevitta, magister equitum under Julian3 363–379: Victor, magister equitum under Valens3 366–378: Flavius Arinthaeus, magister peditum under Valens3 364–369: Flavius Iovinus, magister equitum under Valentinian I3 364–366: Dagalaifus, magister peditum under Valentinian I3 367–372: Severus, magister peditum under Valentinian I3 369–373: Flavius Theodosius, magister equitum under Valentinian I3 375–388: Merobaudes, magister peditum under Valentinian I, Gratian and Magnus Maximus8 388-395: Timasius 394–408: Flavius Stilicho, magister equitum et peditum1 400: Fravitta 409: Varanes and Arsacius9 419-: Plinta 443–451: Apollonius 450–451: Anatolius 475-477/478: Armatus 485-: Longinus 492–499: John the Hunchback 546–548: Artabanes 585-?: Comentiolus per Africam Western Empire 373–375: Flavius Theodosius, magister equitum 3 386–398: Gildo, magister equitum et peditum10 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 Magistri militum in Byzantine and medieval Italy Venice 700s: Marcellus 737: Domenico Leoni under Leo III the Isaurian 738: Felice Cornicola under Leo III the Isaurian 739: Theodatus Ursus 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 twelfth 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 Early English account into Latin. It seems possible that the writer of the original version, now lost, thought of him as the 'hereward' – the supervisor of the military force. That this later use of these terms was based on the classical concept seems clear.11 References ^ a b c d e f g h i j k PLRE I, p. 1114 ^ PLRE I, p. 62 ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m PLRE I, p. 1113 ^ a b c d PLRE I, p. 1112 ^ PLRE I, p. 125 ^ PLRE I, p. 307 ^ PLRE II, p. 597 ^ PLRE I, pp. 1113–1114 ^ PLRE I, p. 152 ^ PLRE I, p. 395 ^ Gesta Herwardi The term is used in chapters XII, XIV, XXII and XXIII. See The Name, Hereward for details. Sources Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire (PLRE), Vols. 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