Scholae Palatinae

Scholar Palatinae Σχολαί
Emperor Justinian I and his court, from the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna. The soldiers left, with the golden neck-torques typical of Byzantine guardsmen, are scholares.
Active	312 – c. 1068/9
Allegiance	Roman Empire/Byzantine Empire
Branch	Byzantine army Roman army
Type	Imperial guard
Role	Cavalry tactics Charge Executive protection Force protection Hand-to-hand combat Maneuver warfare Raiding Reconnaissance Shock tactics

The Scholae Palatinae (lit. 'Palatine Schools'; Greek: Σχολαί, romanized: Scholai) were an elite military imperial guard unit, usually ascribed to the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great as a replacement for the equites singulares Augusti, the cavalry arm of the Praetorian Guard. The Scholae survived in Roman and later Byzantine service until they disappeared from the historical record in the late 11th century, during the reign of Alexios I Komnenos.