Editing Patrician (ancient Rome) (section)

==Late Roman and Byzantine period==
Patrician status still carried a degree of prestige at the time of the early [[Roman Empire]], and Roman emperors routinely elevated their supporters to the patrician caste ''en masse''. This prestige gradually declined further, and by the end of the [[Crisis of the Third Century]] patrician status, as it had been known in the Republic, ceased to have meaning in everyday life. The emperor [[Constantine the Great]] (r. 306–337) reintroduced the term as the empire's senior [[honorific]] title, not tied to any specific administrative position, and from the first limited to a very small number of holders.<ref name="ODB">Kazhdan (1991), p. 1600</ref><ref>Paul Stephenson, ''Constantine, Roman Emperor, Christian Victor'', 2010:240.</ref> The historian [[Zosimus (historian)|Zosimus]] states that in Constantine's time, the holders of the title ranked even above the [[praetorian prefect]]s.<ref>Zosimus, ''Historia Nova'', II.40.2</ref>

In the late [[Western Roman Empire]], the title was sparingly used and retained its high prestige, being awarded, especially in the fifth century, to the powerful {{lang|la|[[magister militum|magistri militum]]}} who dominated the state, such as [[Stilicho]], [[Constantius III]], [[Flavius Aetius]], Comes [[Bonifacius]], and [[Ricimer]].<ref name="ODB"/> The patrician title was occasionally used in Western Europe after the end of the Roman Empire; for instance, [[Pope Stephen II]] granted the title "Patricius of the Romans" to the Frankish ruler [[Pepin the Short]].<ref name="ODB"/> The revival of patrician classes in medieval [[Italian city-states]], and also north of the Alps, is covered in [[Patrician (post-Roman Europe)|patricianship]].

The eastern emperor [[Zeno (emperor)|Zeno]] (r. 474–491) granted it to [[Odoacer]] to legitimize the latter's rule in Italy after his overthrow of the rebellious {{lang|la|magister militum}} [[Orestes (father of Romulus Augustulus)|Orestes]] and his son [[Romulus Augustulus]] in 476. In the Eastern Empire, [[Theodosius II]] (r. 408–450) barred [[eunuch]]s from holding it, although this restriction had been overturned by the sixth century. Under [[Justinian I]] (r. 527–565), the title proliferated and was consequently somewhat devalued, as the emperor opened it to all those above {{lang|la|[[vir illustris|illustris]]}} rank, i.e. the majority of the [[Byzantine Senate|Senate]].<ref>Bury (1911), p. 27</ref>

In the eighth century, in the [[Eastern Roman Empire]], the title was further lowered in the court order of precedence, coming after the {{lang|grc-Latn|[[magistros]]}} and the {{lang|grc-Latn|[[anthypatos]]}}. However it remained one of the highest in the imperial hierarchy until the eleventh century, being awarded to the most important {{lang|grc-Latn|[[strategos|strategoi]]}} (provincial governors and generals, allies) of the Empire.<ref name="ODB"/> In the court hierarchy, the eunuch {{lang|grc-Latn|patrikioi}} enjoyed higher precedence, coming before even the {{lang|grc|anthypatoi-Latn}}.<ref>Bury (1911), p. 124</ref> The title was also granted to important allied foreign rulers, as the early [[Old Great Bulgaria|Bulgarian]] ruler [[Kubrat]], whose ring A was inscribed in Greek XOBPATOY and ring C was inscribed XOBPATOY ПATPIKIOY,{{sfn|Kardaras|2018|p=99-100}} indicating the dignity of ''Patrikios'' (Patrician) that he had achieved in the Byzantine world.{{sfn|Vachkova|2008|p=343}}

According to the late ninth-century {{lang|grc-Latn|[[Kletorologion]]}}, the insignia of the dignity were [[ivory]] inscribed tablets.<ref>Bury (1911), p. 22</ref> During the eleventh century, the dignity of {{lang|grc|patrikios}} followed the fate of other titles: extensively awarded, it lost in status, and disappeared during the [[Byzantine Empire under the Komnenos dynasty|Komnenian period]] in the early twelfth century.<ref name="ODB"/> The title of {{lang|grc-Latn|'''prōtopatrikios'''}} ({{lang|grc|πρωτοπατρίκιος}}, "first patrician") is also evidenced in the East from 367 to 711, possibly referring to the senior-most holder of the office and leader of the patrician order ({{lang|grc-Latn|taxis}}).<ref name="ODB"/><ref>Bury (1911), p. 28</ref> The feminine variant {{lang|grc-Latn|'''patrikia'''}} ({{lang|grc|πατρικία}}) denoted the spouses of {{lang|grc-Latn|patrikioi}}; it is not to be confused with the title of {{lang|grc-Latn|[[zoste patrikia|zostē patrikia]]}} ("girded {{lang|grc-Latn|patrikia}}"), which was a unique dignity conferred on the ladies-in-waiting of the empress.<ref name="ODB"/>