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Comes (pron.: /ˈkoʊmiːz/ KOH-meez), plural comites (pron.: /ˈkɒmɪtiːz/ KOM-i-teez), is the Latin word for companion, either individually or as a member of a collective known as comitatus, especially the suite of a magnate, in some cases large and/or formal enough to have a specific name, such as a cohors amicorum. The word comes derives from com- "with" + ire "go."

1 Ancient Roman religion
2 Imperially bestowed court titles and various offices of Comites
3 Medieval usages
4 Miscellaneous uses
5 See also
6 Sources and references

Ancient Roman religion [edit]

Constantine I SOLI INVICTO COMITI, Comes to Sol Invictus

Comes was a common epithet or title, added to the name (as Catholicism still does with Jesus and much-venerated saints, such as in Our Lady of Lourdes) for a hero or a divinity, as a way to mark a relationship with another divinity.^{[citation needed]}

On Constantine I's coinage, the emperor is declared comes to Sol Invictus, the "Unconquered Sun" conceived of as a god.

Imperially bestowed court titles and various offices of Comites [edit]

Historically more significant, Comes became a secular title given to trusted (ex-)courtiers and others, as a mark of imperial confidence, developing into a formal rank, deriving from the "Companions" of Alexander the Great and rather equivalent to the Hellenistic Philos (Basilikos) or the paladin title of a Holy Roman Empire knight and a papal official, and therefore the title was retained when one was appointed—often promoted—to a post away from court, often in the field or provincial administration; next, it seemed logical to link it to specific charges calling for an incumbent of high rank, and even to make it part of the official title.

As the imperial court grew in size and assimilated to itself all political influence, the emperors established a casual practice of appointing loyal servants to various posts. This process had already been utilized elsewhere, as with the Prefect of the Praetorian Guard and the Amici Principis. As the imperial system expanded, however, new offices were needed and decentralization demanded change. The result was the creation of the rank of "comes".

The comites (often translated as "counts", though neither feudal nor hereditary) became leading officials of the later Roman Empire. They wielded posts of every description, from the army to the civil service, while never surrendering their direct links and access to the emperors. Constantine took the final step of certifying the posts, as comites provinciarum, "counts of the provinces", who were sent out alongside vicars in their dioceses so that they were permanent fixtures of imperial government.

They are listed in full for the beginning of the fifth century in the Notitia dignitatum, and a schematic map of comital military posts in English translation is available at the Friesian project.^[1] At later dates, additional posts have been created.

The following are examples of the various types of comites

At court or in the imperial domains [edit]

Comes rei militaris [edit]

These comites held military appointments, higher than dux, but under Magister peditum/ Magister equitum; they were the superiors of a series of military posts, each commanded by a praepositus limitis (border commander), and/or unit commanders, such as tribunes of cohorts, alae (auxiliary equivalent), numeri, in the eastern empire even legions : The Notitia Dignitatum (early fifth century) mentions six such positions, of the rank vir spectabilis, in the western empire (Comes Italiae, Comes Africae, Comes Tingitaniae, Comes Tractus Argentoratensis, Comes Britanniarum and Litoris Saxonici per Britanniam) and two in the eastern empire: Comes (limitis) Aegypti, Comes Isauriae = - per Isauria).

Comes Africae -- Count in charge of the defense of Roman Africa.
Comes Argentoratensis -- Count in charge of the defense of part of Gaul (Gallia).
Comes Avernorum -- Count in charge of the defense of part of Gaul (Gallia).
Comes Britanniarum -- Count in charge of defense of Roman Britain (Britannia). This post presumably expired circa AD 410, when the last Roman troops left the isles forever.
- Comes Littoris Saxonici per Britanniam
Comes Hispaniarum -- Count in charge of the defense of Roman Iberia (Hispania).

As the number of comites grew, the rank was devalued, which led to he introduction of the notion of classes of comites; first, second and third ordines

Horse guards corps of Comites [edit]

The Comites dominorum nostrorum (plural of Comes D.N.; literally "Companions of our Lords [Emperors]') were a mounted imperial body guard during Diocletian's tetrarchy (c. 300).

Medieval usages [edit]

Gothic Comites [edit]

The Goths that ruled Spain and Italy followed the tradition of the Romans in giving the title of count to the diverse heads of the departments of the royal household.

Comes Cubiculariorum—Count in charge of the chamberlains (L. cubicularii).
Comes Scanciorum—Count in charge of the cup-bearers
Comes Stabulorum—Count in charge of the equerries and stables
Comes Notariorum—Count in charge of the chancery
Comes Thesaurorum—Count in charge of the officers of the treasury
etc.

Frankish Gaugraf [edit]

The Frankish kings of the Merovingian dynasty retained a good deal of the Roman system of administration, including the title comes preserved its original meaning: a companion of the king, a royal servant of high rank. Under the early Frankish kings some comites did not exercise any definite functions; they were merely attached to the king's person and executed his orders. Others filled the highest offices, e.g. the comes palatii and comes stabuli (survives in the title Constable). The kingdom was divided for administrative purposes into small areas called pagi (hence French pays; German Gaue), corresponding generally to the Roman civitas. At the head of the pagus was the comes, corresponding to the German Graf (in full Gaugraf). The comes was appointed by the king and removable at his pleasure, and was chosen originally from all classes, sometimes from enfranchised serfs. His essential functions were judicial and executive, and in documents he is often described as the kings agent (agens publicus) or royal judge (judex publicus/fiscalis). As the delegate of the executive power he had the right to military command in the king's name, and to take all the measures necessary for the preservation of the peace, i.e. to exercise the royal ban (bannus regis). He was at once public prosecutor and judge, was responsible for the execution of the sentences of the courts, and as the king's representative exercised the royal right of protection (mundium regis) over churches, widows, orphans and the like. He enjoyed a triple wergeld, but had no definite salary, being remunerated by the receipt of certain revenues, a system which contained the germs of discord, on account of the confusion of his public and private duties. The Anglo-Saxon gerefa, however, meaning illustrious, chief, has apparently, according to philologists, no connection with the German Graf, which originally meant servant (compare the origins of the words "knight" or "valet"). It is the more curious that the gerefa should end as a subservient reeve, the Graf as a noble count.

Feudalism [edit]

In the feudal tradition, Latin was often used, especially in legal documents, as (sometimes sole) official language, so the rendering in Latin was no less important than the original in the spoken vernacular. Thus, comes has been used as the Latin equivalent (or part of it) of all titles of comital rank, whether containing Count (or some other word etymologically derived from Comes, or in many other languages from Graf).

Similarly it is part of the rendering (not always exclusive) of derived lower titles containing such term, notably Vicecomes for Viscount and Burgicomes (alongside burgravio) for Burgrave.

Miscellaneous uses [edit]

Name of the Latin chronicler Marcellinus Comes

Astronomy [edit]

The fainter star in a binary (double) star system.

Ecclesiology [edit]

An acolyth
For special feasts and on special occasions suitable lessons were chosen, thus breaking the continuous readings; in the Middle Ages it was believed that St. Jerome (died 420), in obedience to an order of Pope Damasus I, had arranged the lessons of the Roman Liturgy; a spurious letter of his to the Emperor Constantius was quoted as the first comes, or list of lessons, for each day; Victor, Bishop of Capua (541-554), may actually be the author

Music [edit]

An appearance of a fugue subject, the first appearance being dux, the second comes
Comes, the following melody in a canon.

Sources and references [edit]

^ Friesian.com

This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.

Original courtesy of Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comes — Please support Wikipedia.
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