Editing Archon (section)

==Byzantine Empire==
[[Byzantine]] historians usually described foreign rulers as ''archontes''.<ref>Aksum: an African civilisation of late antiquity By Stuart C. Munro-Hay  Page 145 {{ISBN|0-7486-0209-7}}</ref> The rulers of the [[Bulgars]] themselves, along with their [[kanasubigi|own titles]], often bear the title ''archon placed by God'' in inscriptions in Greek.

Inside Byzantium, the term could be used to refer to any powerful noble or magnate, but in a technical sense, it was applied to a class of provincial governors. In the 8th and 9th centuries, these were the governors of some of the more peripheral provinces, inferior in status to the ''[[Theme (Byzantine district)|thema]]ta'': [[Dalmatia]], [[Cephalonia]], [[Crete]] and [[Cyprus]]. ''Archontes'' were also placed in charge of various naval bases and trade stations, as well as semi-autonomous [[Slavs|Slavic]]-inhabited areas (''[[sclaviniae]]'') under Byzantine sovereignty. In the 10th–12th centuries, ''archontes'' are also mentioned as the governors of specific cities. The area of an archon's jurisdiction was called an '''''archontia''''' ({{lang|grc|ἀρχοντία}}).<ref name="ODB">{{ODB | page=160}}</ref> The title was also used for the holders of several financial posts, such as the head of the [[mint (facility)|mint]] ({{lang|grc|ἄρχων τῆς χαραγῆς}}), as well as directors of the imperial workshops, arsenals, etc.<ref>{{ODB | pages=160–161}}</ref>

The title of '''''[[megas archon]]''''' ("grand archon") is also attested, as a translation of foreign titles such as "grand prince". In the mid-13th century, it was established as a special court rank, held by the highest-ranking official of the emperor's company. It existed throughout the [[Palaiologan period]], but did not have any specific functions.<ref>{{citation | first = Mark C. | last = Bartusis | title = The Late Byzantine Army: Arms and Society 1204-1453 | publisher = University of Pennsylvania Press | year = 1997 | isbn = 0-8122-1620-2 | page=382}}</ref>