Justinian inherited armies organized under commanders near Constantinople and regional magistri militum responsible for broad frontier zones. Reorganization created additional commands in Armenia and other threatened regions, while reconquered territories in Africa, Italy, and Spain received their own structures. Provincial duces supplied another layer of command, and temporary or supernumerary titles could give an individual greater authority for a particular operation. The reading uses the Notitia Dignitatum cautiously to trace this system because that administrative list had been updated unevenly and predated Justinian by about a century.
Notable Point · 2:07:35-2:10:36
Justinian's layered military command system
Court armies, regional magistri militum, provincial duces, and campaign appointments formed a flexible hierarchy across the empire.