Also known as: varar · warar
The term “varar” occurs only in the Vitosha Charter, where it appears in the plural. It was most probably formed from an old Slavic verbal root meaning “to guard” or “to watch,” combined with the agent suffix “-ar,” used to designate people by occupation. In earlier formations this suffix was generally attached to nouns, but terms derived from verbal roots also appeared at a later stage. Interpretations of the varars as cooks or builders are therefore less convincing than the meaning “guards.” The word’s Slavic origin does not allow it to be securely associated with a specific Byzantine office.
It is not known precisely what the varars guarded. A fortress or town is the most likely possibility, although responsibility for particular buildings or persons cannot be excluded. Their position in the Vitosha Charter’s list of officials indicates that they did not belong to the upper administrative hierarchy. They may have been able to demand services or impose other burdens on the population, which would explain their inclusion among the officials whose actions the charter restricted.
Documents from the reign of Ivan Shishman also contain the similar title varnichiy. If the difference is not the result of a scribal error, the varar was probably a guard, whereas the varnichiy may have performed construction or masonry duties. This distinction remains hypothetical. The sole record of the varars names no individual officeholder and provides no information about insignia, official seals, or coins.
An indirect parallel appears in a charter of the Serbian king Stefan Uroš II Milutin from 1300, which mentions an official described as “straži gradom,” meaning a guard of the town. He too stands near the end of the list and is followed by only a few local judicial and administrative officers. If this official was comparable to the Bulgarian varar, the varars may have supervised the guard and organized compulsory security service among the population. Such an obligation was a form of corvée, meaning compulsory and normally unpaid labour or service.
Serbian sources record a duty called “gradokladenie,” associated with guarding settlements and fortifications, while similar obligations also appear in the Virgino Chrysobull, a ruler’s charter authenticated by a gold seal. These parallels support the interpretation of the varar as a local supervisor of guard service, but they do not prove it conclusively. Since the term is not attested elsewhere, neither the office’s later development nor its formal abolition can be traced.
The word “varar” appears only in the Vitosha Charter, and there it is used in the plural. It was most likely built from an old Slavic verb root meaning “to guard” or “to watch,” together with the suffix “-ar,” which was used to name people by their work. In earlier forms this suffix usually came after nouns, but later it could also be added to words made from verbs. For that reason, explanations that make the varars cooks or builders are weaker than the reading “guards.” Because the word is Slavic, it cannot be firmly tied to any particular Byzantine office.
We do not know exactly what the varars were meant to guard. The most likely answer is a fortress or a town, though they may also have been responsible for specific buildings or people. In the Vitosha Charter they are listed among officials who were not part of the top level of government. They may have had the power to demand services or place other burdens on the population, which would explain why the charter includes them among the officials whose actions it limited.
Texts from the reign of Ivan Shishman also mention a similar title, varnichiy. If this is not simply a copying mistake, then the varar was probably a guard, while the varnichiy may have had building or masonry duties. That said, this distinction is only a guess. The only record of the varars does not name any one officeholder, and it says nothing about badges of office, seals, or coins.
A useful comparison comes from a charter of the Serbian king Stefan Uroš II Milutin from 1300. It refers to an official called “straži gradom,” meaning a guard of the town. He too appears near the end of the list and is followed only by a few local judicial and administrative officers. If this official was like the Bulgarian varar, then the varars may have overseen the guard and organized compulsory security service among the people. This kind of duty was a corvée, meaning forced and usually unpaid labour or service.
Serbian sources also mention a duty called “gradokladenie,” connected with guarding settlements and fortifications. Similar obligations also appear in the Virgino Chrysobull, a ruler’s charter sealed with gold. These examples make it more likely that the varar was a local supervisor of guard service, but they do not prove it beyond doubt. Since the term is found nowhere else, we cannot follow the later history of the office or know when it was formally abolished.
The word “varar” appears only once, in the Vitosha Charter. It most likely means “guards,” not cooks or builders. The word is Slavic, so it does not clearly match a known Byzantine office.
We do not know exactly what they guarded. A fortress or a town is the most likely answer. They were probably lower-level officials, not top rulers. The charter may have limited their power because they could make people do extra work or pay duties.
A similar title appears in documents from the time of Ivan Shishman, but it is not clear if it is the same job. Other old charters from Serbia also mention town guards and guard duty. These links make the “guard” meaning more likely.
But this is still not certain. The word is found only once, so we cannot trace how the office changed later or when it ended.