caliph
The supreme religious and political authority of Muslims, considered successor of Muhammad (Arabic: khalifa = deputy). He was the head of the Caliphate, the religious state of the Arabs.
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Foederati
Late Antiquity: Originally allies of the Roman Empire, of barbaric origin, to whom settlement on imperial territory was allowed in exchange for providing military service; later on, in the 6th C., the term designated distinguished military units.Byzantium: from the 7th C. onwards, Foideratoi (from the lat. foederati) was the name of the oldest tourma of the theme of Anatolikon.
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Greek fire
Incendiary mixture based on crude oil (‘naphtha’), which was launched with the help of a pressure pump. Its used was spread in Byzantium towards the late 7th century and became one of the most powerful weapons of the Byzantine navy until the invention of canons.
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kapnikon
A hearth tax, first attested in the sourses in the early 9th C. as a tax imposed on the dependant peasants. Its name derived from «kapnos» (smoke), as it was levied on each family unit, considered as a hearth.
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khan (Ilkhan), khagan
This title was used in Turkic and Mongolian languages to designate the supreme ruler. The Byzantines used it to refer to the rulers of the Avars, Khazars, Turks and Bulgarians.
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strategos ("general")
During the Roman period his duties were mainly political. Οffice of the Byzantine state´s provincial administration. At first the title was given to the military and political administrator of the themes, namely of the big geographic and administrative unities of the Byzantine empire. Gradually the title lost its power and, already in the 11th century, strategoi were turned to simple commanders of military units, responsible for the defence of a region.
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tagmata (pl.)
Military units stationed in Constantinople and its outskirts during the Middle Byzantine period. The most important tagmata were that of the Scholae, the Excubitors (these originated from respective units of the Early Byzantine period and were organized into an imperial guard and a central strike force by Constantine V), the Vigilia (established by Irene the Athenian) and the Hikanatoi (established by Nicephorus I).
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tourmarch
Civilian and military commander of a tourma, subdivision of a theme.
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