Grand domestic
Name Tenure Appointed by Notes
Galenos 9th century Unknown Known only through his seal , which mentions his titles as imperial primikērios , prōtovestiarios and megas domestikos
John Komnenos 1057-1059 Isaac I Komnenos Younger brother of Isaac I , he was raised to kouropalatēs and Grand Domestic by his brother . The usage of Grand Domestic is apparently an anachronistic usage by later sources , and his real title was probably Domestic of Schools of the West . However , a seal of a John , nōbelissimos , prōtovestiarios and Grand Domestic of the Schools of the East might be attributable to him
Andronikos Doukas c. 1072 Michael VII Doukas Son of the Caesar John Doukas and cousin of Michael VII , he was appointed Domestic of the Schools ( Grand Domestic in a document of 1073 ) to confront the attempt by Romanos IV Diogenes to reclaim his throne
Alexios Komnenos 1078-1081 Nikephoros III Botaneiates Nephew of Isaac I , he was appointed to the Domesticate of the West to combat the revolts of Nikephoros Bryennios and Nikephoros Basilakes . In 1081 , he deposed Nikephoros III and became emperor , ruling until his death in 1118
Gregory Pakourianos 1081-1086 Alexios I Komnenos Was named Grand Domestic of the West after Alexios Komnenos ascended the throne , and was killed in battle in 1086 . R. Guilland qualifies him as the first person to be officially named Grand Domestic as a distinct title
Adrianos Komnenos 1086 - after 1095 Alexios I Komnenos A younger brother of Alexios I , he succeeded Pakourianos as Grand Domestic of the West in 1086
John Axouch 1118-1050/1 John II Komnenos A Turk taken captive as a boy in the Siege of Nicaea and given as a childhood companion to John II . A loyal friend and a capable soldier and administrator , he became Grand Domestic on John II 's accession and held the post into the reign of Manuel I Komnenos , until his death
John Komnenos Vatatzes 1177/80 - 1183 Manuel I Komnenos A nephew of Manuel I , he served against the Seljuk Turks and under Alexios II Komnenos was governor of the Thracesian Theme . He tried to oppose the accession of Andronikos I Komnenos to the throne , and rebelled against him , but fell ill and died
Basil Vatatzes c. 1189 - 1193 Isaac II Angelos Married to a niece of Isaac II , he served as Domestic of the East and later as Grand Domestic of the West . According to R. Guilland , he was probably not a Grand Domestic in the strict sense of the title
Alexios Gidos c. 1185 - 1194 Isaac II Angelos He served as Grand Domestic of the East and later as Domestic of the West alongside Basil Vatatzes . The ambiguity about his title and whether he was a true Grand Domestic is the same as with Vatatzes
Andronikos Palaiologos by 1228 - 1248/52 Theodore I Laskaris or John III Doukas Vatatzes He was named Grand Domestic of the Empire of Nicaea either by Theodore I or by his successor , John III . Replaced as actual commander-in-chief , but not as Grand Domestic , by Theodore Philes , he served as governor of Thessalonica from its conquest in 1246 until his death sometime between 1248 and 1252 . He was the father of the emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos
Nikephoros Tarchaneiotes by 1252 - 1254 John III Doukas Vatatzes Son-in-law of Andronikos Palaiologos , at the death of the latter he was epi tes trapezes and was soon promoted to Grand Domestic to succeed him . He died in 1254
George Mouzalon 1254-1256 Theodore II Laskaris Theodore II 's closest friend and protégé , he was named Grand Domestic in 1254 . However , it was the emperor himself who led the army on campaign , Mouzalon remaining behind as regent . He was further promoted to protosebastos , protovestiarios and megas stratopedarches in 1256
Andronikos Mouzalon 1256-1258 Theodore II Laskaris Brother of George Mouzalon , he succeeded him when he was promoted further up the hierarchy in 1256 . He was killed along with his other brothers in the nobles coup in 1258 , after the death of Theodore II
John Palaiologos 1258-1259 John IV Laskaris ( nominal ) Brother of Michael VIII , he was raised to the Grand Domesticate when the latter became regent of the under-age John IV Laskaris , but was rapidly promoted further to sebastokrator and later Despot . He continued to be active as a general almost to the end of his life , and scored several victories for his brother
Alexios Strategopoulos 1259 Michael VIII Palaiologos An old general , he was disgraced after a defeat in 1255 and punished by the emperor . He became a partisan of Michael Palaiologos , who named him Grand Domestic shortly before he was crowned emperor in 1259 . For his successes against the Despotate of Epirus , he was named Caesar shortly after . His career was chequered by failures and periods of imprisonment , but on 25 July 1261 he led the recapture of Constantinople from the Latin Empire and the restoration of the Byzantine Empire under the Palaiologoi
Alexios Philes 1259-1263/4 Michael VIII Palaiologos Philes had married a niece of Michael VIII . He was sent in the Peloponnese but was defeated and captured by the Principality of Achaea , dying in captivity
William II of Villehardouin 1262 Michael VIII Palaiologos William was the Prince of Achaea in the Peloponnese , and had been taken captive in the 1259 Battle of Pelagonia . In 1262 , he was released after he handed over some fortresses to the Empire , and received the title ( possibly honorific ) of Grand Domestic . Upon his return to the Peloponnese , however , he repudiated his oath and war began with Byzantium
Michael Tarchaneiotes 1272-1284 Michael VIII Palaiologos A son of Michael VIII 's eldest sister , Martha-Maria . He campaigned against the Turks in Asia Minor in 1278 , and scored a major victory against the Angevins at the Siege of Berat in 1281 . He was killed at the siege of Demetrias in 1284
Theodore Komnenos Angelos c. 1286 Andronikos II Palaiologos A gambros ( related by marriage to the imperial family ) of Andronikos II , he is mentioned in a document of the Theotokos of the Lembos monastery in 1286
List of known holders -- Byzantine Empire
Persons who most likely bore in reality only the title of Domestic of the Schools and were termed grand domestics only as a honorific , are marked with light grey
The title of grand domestic ( Greek : μέγας δομέστικος , mégas doméstikos ) was given in the 11th-15th centuries to the commander-in-chief of the Byzantine army , directly below the Byzantine Emperor . It evolved from the earlier office of the domestic of the Schools , and came to rank as one of the senior dignities in the Byzantine state during the last centuries of its existence. From Byzantium, it was also adopted by the breakaway Empire of Trebizond , as well as by the 14th-century Serbian Empire .