Comitatensis

Багерман А.Я.

Comitatensis

Comitatenses, singular comitatensis, were a category of soldiers and units in the field armies of the later Roman Empire. The name derives from comitatus, “retinue”, originally used for the emperor’s entourage and troops accompanying him.

By the fourth and fifth centuries field armies did not necessarily remain beside the emperor. Comitatenses had an administrative status distinct from limitanei, palatine units and pseudocomitatenses. The latter were transferred into field armies from frontier forces.

The late Roman military system developed gradually and varied by region. Comitatenses was not merely an honorary name for any distinguished unit. The Notitia Dignitatum presents lists of field units separately from the troops of frontier commands.

This administrative distinction does not mean that frontier units never campaigned or that field armies never served on a frontier. When studying the late Roman army, a unit’s origins, current status and station must be distinguished.

Related topics

Dominate, Soldiers of the Roman Empire of the Dominate era, Late Roman Empire, Limitanei

Literature and sources

1. Ammianus Marcellinus, Roman History (Res Gestae), XXI, XXXI

2. Codex Theodosius and the Novellas of the Emperors Valentinian III, Majorian, and Libius Severus on coloniae, rural slaves, and freedmen.(translated by A. Koptev from the edition: Theodosiani libri XVI cum constitutionibus sirmonlianis et leges novellae ad Theodosianum pertinentes. Ed. Th. Mommsen et P. Meyer. Berolini,1905. Vol. I-II.)

3. Bannikov A.V., Military reforms of Diocletian/The ancient state. Political relations and State forms in the Ancient world//Collection of scientific articles. Edited by profesor E. D. Frolov. St. Petersburg,2002.

4. Bannikov A.V., Roman army in the IV century (from Constantine to Theodosius) / A.V. Bannikov.

• St. Petersburg: Philological Faculty of St. Petersburg State University; Nestor-Istoriya,2011. - 264 p., ill. - (Historia Militaris).

5. George Baker, Constantine the Great. The First Christian Emperor / Translated from English by L. A. Kalashnikova, Moscow: ZAO Tsentrpoligraf,2004,351 p.

6. Mekhamadiev E. A., Military organization of the Late Roman Empire in 253-353: the Epoch of Constantine I the Great and his Dynasty (306-353), St. Petersburg: Peterburgskoe Vostokovedenie,2019,424 p.

7. Kholmogorov V. I. Roman strategy in the IV century AD by Ammianus Marcellinus //VDI, No. 3,1939. pp. 87-97; On. Field army (Comitatenses)of the Roman Empire of the IV century AD. Issue No. 12. No. 86. P. 81-100.

8. Southern, Pat. Roman Empire from Severus to Constantine. — Routledge,2001.