{{Short description|Byzantine bodyguards}} {{Byzantine Military}} The '''Manglabites''' or '''Manglavites''' ({{langx|el|μαγ[γ]λαβίται}}, ''manglabitai''; sing. μαγ[γ]λαβίτης, ''manglabitēs'') were a corps of bodyguards in the Byzantine Empire.
==Etymology== Their name derives from the term ''manglabion'' (μαγγλάβιον, "cudgel") which was also used to designate the entire corps. The origin of the term itself is debated: one theory regards it as deriving from Arabic ''mijlab'' ("whip"), while another from Latin ''manus'' ("hand") and ''clava'' ("cudgel").<ref name="ODB">{{cite book | editor-first = Alexander | editor-last = Kazhdan | editor-link=Alexander Kazhdan | title = Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium | publisher = Oxford University Press | year = 1991 | isbn = 978-0-19-504652-6 | page=1284}}</ref>
==History== The ''manglabitai'' first appear in the 9th century, when, along with the imperial ''Hetaireia'', they were responsible for the personal safety of the emperor. Armed with swords, the ''manglabitai'' preceded him in ceremonies and were responsible for the unlocking of certain gates of the imperial palace, the Great Palace of Constantinople, every morning.<ref name="ODB"/>
==Structure== An individual ''manglabitēs'' was of relatively lowly origin and status, often even illiterate. However, their commander, known as ''prōtomanglabitēs'' (πρωτομαγγλαβίτης, "first ''manglabitēs''") or ''epi tou manglabiou'' ({{lang|grc|ἐπί τοῦ μαγγλαβίου}}, "in charge of the ''manglabion''"), ranked high in the imperial hierarchy due to his proximity to the emperor.<ref name="ODB"/> The ''manglabitai'' as an imperial bodyguard appear to have disappeared by the late 11th century, but there is sigillographic evidence for "''manglabitai'' of the Great Church" (i.e. the Patriarchate of Constantinople) from the 11th through the 13th centuries.<ref name="ODB"/>
==Notable members== The perhaps most famous ''manglabitēs'' was the Norwegian king Harald Hardrada, who received the title in recognition of his services in the Varangian Guard in the 1030s.
== References == {{reflist}}
{{Byzantine-stub}} Category:Manglabitai Category:Military units and formations established in the 9th century Category:Medieval bodyguards Category:Guards units of the Byzantine Empire Category:Byzantine titles and offices