# Pinkernes

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{{Short description|High court position in the Byzantine empire}}
'''''Pinkernes''''' ({{langx|grc|πιγκέρνης|pinkernēs}}), sometimes also '''''epinkernes''''' ({{lang|grc|ἐπιγκέρνης}}, ''epinkernēs''), was a high [Byzantine](/source/Byzantine_Empire) [court position](/source/Byzantine_aristocracy_and_bureaucracy). 

The term derives from the [Greek](/source/Greek_language) verb {{lang|grc|ἐπικεράννυμι}} (''epikeránnymi'', "to mix [wine]"), and was used to denote the [cup-bearer](/source/cup-bearer) of the [Byzantine emperor](/source/Byzantine_emperor).{{sfn|ODB|loc="Pinkernes" (A. Kazhdan), p. 1679}} In addition, descriptive terms such as {{lang|grc|ὁ τοῡ βασιλέως οἰνοχόος}} (''ho tou basileōs oinochoos'', "the emperor's wine-pourer"), {{lang|grc|ἀρχιοινοχόος}} (''archioinochoos'', "chief wine-pourer"), κυλικιφόρος (''kylikiphoros'', "bearer of the ''[kylix](/source/Kylix_(drinking_cup))''"), and, particularly at the court of the [Empire of Nicaea](/source/Empire_of_Nicaea), {{lang|grc|ὁ ἐπὶ τοῡ κεράσματος}} (''ho epi tou kerasmatos'', "the one in charge of the drink") were often used instead.{{sfn|Guilland|1967|p=242}} The position is attested already in the [''Klētorologion''](/source/Kletorologion) of 899, where a ''pinkernēs'' of the emperor ({{lang|grc|πιγκέρνης τοῦ δεσπότου}}, ''pinkernēs tou despotou'') and of the ''[Augusta](/source/Augusta_(honorific))'' ({{lang|grc|πιγκέρνης τῆς Αὐγούστης}}, ''pinkernēs tēs Augoustēs'') are listed among the [eunuchs](/source/Eunuch_(court_official)) of the palace staff.{{sfn|Bury|1911|p=128}} As the name suggests, the principal charge of the ''pinkernēs'' was the pouring of wine for the emperor; he accompanied the emperor, bearing a [goblet](/source/goblet) suspended on a chain, which he gave to the emperor when the latter wanted to drink. His position at court was not very high, but he had an extensive staff, the παροινοχόοι (''paroinochoi'', "assistant wine-pourers").{{sfn|Guilland|1967|p=242}} The post was imitated in the staff of the [Patriarch of Constantinople](/source/Patriarch_of_Constantinople) and in the households of great magnates.{{sfn|ODB|loc="Pinkernes" (A. Kazhdan), p. 1679}} The spouse of a ''pinkernēs'' bore the feminine form of his title: ''pinkernissa'' (πιγκέρνισσα).{{sfn|Guilland|1967|p=250}}

During the early [Komnenian period](/source/Komnenian_period), the post ceased to be restricted to eunuchs, and gradually became a title of distinction, even awarded to the Byzantine emperor's relatives. Several senior generals of the [Palaiologan period](/source/Palaiologan_period), such as [Michael Tarchaneiotes Glabas](/source/Michael_Tarchaneiotes_Glabas), [Alexios Philanthropenos](/source/Alexios_Philanthropenos) and [Syrgiannes Palaiologos](/source/Syrgiannes_Palaiologos), were awarded the title.{{sfn|ODB|loc="Pinkernes" (A. Kazhdan), p. 1679}} According to [pseudo-Kodinos](/source/pseudo-Kodinos), in the 14th century, the ''pinkernēs'' had risen considerably, and occupied the 14th place in the palace hierarchy, between the ''[prōtosebastos](/source/protosebastos)'' and the ''[kouropalatēs](/source/kouropalates)''.{{sfn|Guilland|1967|p=242}} According to [Rodolphe Guilland](/source/Rodolphe_Guilland), this rise to the highest ranks of the emperor's cup-bearer, along with the rise of the masters of the hunt (''[prōtokynēgos](/source/protokynegos)'') and of the falcons (''[prōtoierakarios](/source/protoierakarios)'') is an indication that the Byzantine court of the time resembled more and more the [chivalric](/source/chivalry) mores of the Western feudal courts.{{sfn|Guilland|1967|p=242}} At the same time, the ''pinkernēs'' also had assumed some of the responsibilities of the defunct position of the ''[domestikos epi tēs trapezēs](/source/domestikos_epi_tes_trapezes)'', having under his command some of the ''domestikoi'' of the ''domestikion'', the household service.{{sfn|Guilland|1967|p=242}} By the 15th century, however, it had apparently become a purely honorific charge, since holders of the post are attested being sent on missions to the provinces.{{sfn|Guilland|1967|p=243}}

==References==
{{reflist|20em}}

==Sources==
{{Portal|Byzantine Empire}}
* {{The Imperial Administrative System of the Ninth Century}}
* {{Recherches sur les institutions byzantines | volume = I |chapter=L'Échanson|pp=242–250}}
* {{Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium|ref={{harvid|ODB}}}}

{{Byzantine offices after pseudo-Kodinos}}
Category:Byzantine court titles
Category:Byzantine palace offices
Category:Food service occupations
Category:Ceremonial occupations
Category:Pinkernai
Category:Cup-bearers

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Pinkernes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinkernes) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinkernes?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.