At the time of the Roman Emperor Constantine, the Count was called Spatario, who, as later the captain of the guards, was responsible for the person of the sovereign. It was named for the naked sword he was authorized to wear in the imperial antechamber.
It was also called the soldier of the guard of the Gothic kings who was replaced in the royal house of Castile by the archers and crossbowmen of maza and, later, by the guards of corps and halberdiers.
Espatario was also an important Palatine position Visigoth of military character. In the Kingdom of Leon, during the High Middle Ages, it became synonymous with royal ensign, who was the head of the militia in charge of the monarch. The espatarios were the personal guard of the king, men of confidence, most noble or related to the monarch himself. An example of a real spatario is found in the person of Don Pelayo to whom we find him forming part of the personal guard of the king Rodrigo in the same Battle of Guadalete Don Pelayo King of Asturias
Diccionario militar, J.D.W.M., 1863
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