User:Lihnidos/Sandbox3
| Spatharioi | |
|---|---|
| σπαθάριος | |
| Active | c. 7th century – present |
| Country |  Lihnidos |
| Allegiance | Stella II of Lihnidos |
| Branch |  Lihnidosi Armed Forces |
| Type | Royal guard, infantry, and cavalry |
| Role | Executive protection, foot guards, honor guard, counter-insurgency |
| Size | 10,000 |
| Part of | Lihnidosi Imperial Household |
| Headquarters | Byllelea Palace, Arcadia |
| Motto(s) | προστατεύω, σερβίρισμα, πρόοδος ("Protect, Serve, Progress") |
| Colors | White Gold |
| March | ύμνος των σπαθάριος ("Hymn of the Spatharios") |
| Commanders | |
| Empress | Stella II |
| Prōtospatharios | STR Adrianos Kakos |
| Chief of Staff | AST Lazaros Rines |
| Spatharokandidatos | LOC Euryalus Glaros |
The Spatharioi (singular: Hellenic: Spatharios, σπαθάριος, literally "spatha-bearer"), also occasionally known as the Guard, are an independent branch of the Lihnidosi Armed Forces. The Spatharioi are dedicated to the protection of the Empress of Lihnidos, the Lihnidosi Imperial Family, and the rest of the Lihnidosi nobility. At times, the Spatharioi can perform additional law enforcement and counter-insurgency duties. While a trained combat unit, the guard also participate in parades and ceremonial events. The Spatharioi have existed in some form since the seventh century when created as a group of palace guards. The Spatharioi, while officially a part of the Lihnidosi Armed Forces, differ from the other branches. The Spatharioi are given limited oversight by the National Assembly and elected government and the monarch has full authority over all Spatharioi functions.
History
Formation
The Spatharioi were formed in the seventh century by Baste I of Thasos as a group of palace guards. The Spatharioi took over the duties from a disorganized collection of Thasan military members who had previously been tasked with the protection of the Royal Palace and the monarch. Individual members of the group of guards were referred to as Spatharios, which translates to "spatha-bearer" in regards to the spatha, the type of sword that the guards carried. Initially only tasked with the protection of the monarch and Royal Palace in Xanthi, the duties of the Spatharioi later expanded to include the protection of the rest of the Royal family in Thasos, other nobility, and military generals. The Spatharioi quickly became the most influential part of the Thasan military due to its access to the monarch. The leadership of the Spatharioi would regularly lobby the monarch for increased funds and authority and over a period of several decades became the best equipped and trained collection of soldiers in the kingdom. The influence of the Spatharioi continued to spread as their role expanded to include being an elite fighting force for the kingdom in battle.
Diminishing influence
The influence of the Spatharioi continued to go unchecked through the reign of Konstantine I and Eustis II of Thasos only to reach the tipping point under the reign of Anastasius VI in 709. The ailing king had stopped public appearances in late 708 and by 709 was believed to be bedridden. The Spatharioi began to restrict nobles and advisors from seeing the king, even going so far as to ban the Kouropalatēs, who was in charge of the running of the Royal Palace, from the palace. Believing that the Spatharioi were usurping the authority and power of the king, the Kouropalatēs, known as Panayiotis, called on the assistance of Thasan General Vissarion to help him reenter the palace. Vissarion and Panayiotis, along with what was estimated to be two hundred soldiers, entered the city unmolested and approached the Royal Palace. The contingent of soldiers were stopped at the palace gates, where Panayiotis and Vissarion were confronted by the Prōtospatharios Paraskevas. Paraskevas insisted that only Panayiotis and Vissarion would be permitted to see the king, and that each would have to be disarmed, as only Spatharioi were permitted to be armed in the palace. Both men refused to hand over their weapons, and in response Paraskevas barred them from entering. Vissarion, refusing to accept Paraskevas's authority, ordered his men to force open the gates and occupy the palace. The fighting that followed saw the death of many from both the Spatharioi and Vissarion's men. Due to Vissarion having a larger force he was victorious in seizing control of the palace. Upon entering the king's bedchamber it was found to be empty. Paraskevas, who had been injured and captured during the fighting, later admitted to the king's death one month earlier, although maintained that it was due to natural causes. Believing that Paraskevas and other Spatharioi leadership had killed the king, Panayiotis ordered Paraskevas's execution, which was carried out by Vissarion. The execution was held the same day in a plaza outside the palace.
Anastasius VI's heir, Alexandra, had been absent from the capital for several months prior to the revelations made by Panayiotis and Vissarion. Suspected to be the work of Paraskevas, she had been sent to the city of Semeum about one day's journey east. Panayiotis, having retaken his place as Kouropalatēs, sent soldiers loyal to Vissarion to Semeum to retrieve her, as she was now known the be the current monarch. Following Alexandra's return, Vissarion was appointed as the leader of the Spatharioi, replacing Paraskevas. Further investigation into Paraskevas's plot found numerous members of the Spatharioi who had known of Anatasius's death. All were ordered to be executed. With several leadership positions open in the Spatharioi, Alexandra and Vissarion moved to fill the positions with crown loyalists. Vissarion, who remained the Prōtospatharios for several years, worked to reduce the influence of the Spatharioi. They were largely removed from active service on the battlefield, relegated back to the Royal Palace in Xanthi, and had their numbers significantly reduced.