Editing Narses (section)

==Early career==
How or when Narses arrived in Constantinople, or exactly how he found a footing in the ''[[Officium (ancient Rome)|officium]]'' of the Grand Chamberlain, remains unknown. When Procopius first mentions Narses, he was serving as Emperor [[Justinian I]]'s steward (''[[cubicularius]]'') in 530.{{sfn|Martindale|1992|p=912}} Narses was also a high treasurer who dealt with the emperor's finances and payments from the imperial treasury, probably holding the post of ''[[Sakellarios|sacellarius]]''.{{sfn|Martindale|1992|p=912}} He rose through the ranks, became the commander of the emperor's eunuch bodyguard (''[[Spatharios|spatharius]]'') c. 532, and eventually became Grand Chamberlain (''[[praepositus sacri cubiculi]]'') around 537/538.{{sfn|Martindale|1992|p=913}}<ref>Fauber. Narses. 17–18.</ref> Despite his later military commands, he is never attested as Master of Soldiers (''[[magister militum]]'') in formal documents.{{sfn|Martindale|1992|p=916}} Narses became a [[Patrician (ancient Rome)|patrician]] in the 550s. Although [[Theodosius II]] was alleged to have, in 422, barred eunuchs from serving as patricians,<ref>John Malalas, ''Chronicle'' 14.361</ref> Justinian overturned this law.{{citation needed|date=February 2025}}