Paidagogos

The name derives from the Greek παιδαγωγός and denotes a person entrusted with a child’s guidance and education. Medieval Slavonic texts use both the form “paidagogos” and related terms such as “pěstoun,” “pěstounik,” “nakazatel,” “kazatel,” and “nastavnik.” Since the only evidence concerning the Bulgarian court is written in Greek, the exact name used for the position at Tarnovo cannot be recovered. The Greek designation itself may have been current there, but this remains conjectural.

The evidence occurs in the chronicle of the monk Ephraim and concerns the struggle for power after Kaloyan’s death. The young son of Ivan Asen I—the future emperor Ivan Asen II—was taken to the “Scythians” with his παιδαγωγός in search of protection and support. George Akropolites describes the same political upheaval: Boril seized the throne and married Kaloyan’s widow, while the child Ivan was secretly removed by an unnamed person, described merely as “someone” (τίς). The two accounts are compatible, but Akropolites confirms neither the title nor the formal nature of the post. As the young Asenid was a potential claimant to the throne, his rescue was probably organized by Boril’s opponents. This makes it plausible that the anonymous paidagogos was an influential and trusted member of the court appointed to oversee the royal child’s upbringing and safety.

The officeholder’s name is unknown, and no other documents, seals, coins, or evidence for insignia survive. Its place in the court hierarchy therefore cannot be determined. Byzantine lists of dignities reveal no corresponding permanent palace office; since the court at Tarnovo followed Constantinopolitan models to a considerable extent, this suggests a function created when required rather than a regular title. The conclusion is nevertheless uncertain. The paidagogos is attested only in connection with the events of 1207, and the absence of later evidence cannot be treated as proof that the institution was formally abolished.