Petros 31 | Prosopography of the Byzantine Empire |
| Sex | M |
| Floruit | M IX |
| PmbZ No. | 6094 |
| Locations | Constantinople (residence); Constantinople |
| Titles | Ptochomagistros (office) |
| Textual Sources | Georgius Monachus Continuatus, in Theophanes Continuatus, ed I Bekker (Bonn, 1839), pp. 761-924 (history); Leo Grammaticus, Chronographia, ed. I. Bekker (Bonn, 1842) (chronicle); Pseudo-Symeon, Chronographia, ed. I. Bekker (Bonn, 1838), pp. 603-760 (history) |
Petros 31 lived in Constantinople during the reign of Michael III (Michael 11), where he was known for his learning and his wit and was referred to as "master of beggars" (λόγιος καὶ σκωπτικός, ὃν καὶ πτωχομάγιστρον ἐκάλουν); invited by Michael 11 to admire the extravagant new stables he had built for his horses, Petros 31 incurred the emperor's anger by his unflattering comments and was beaten and dragged ignominiously away: Leo Gramm. 239-240, Georg. Mon. Cont. 825-826, Ps.-Symeon 666-667 (ὃν καὶ πτωχομάχην ἐκάλουν). His position is not clear; was πτωχομάγιστρος the name of a post or does it mean "lord of the beggars", perhaps meaning "court jester"?
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