The title was created by Emperor
Alexios I Komnenos () to honour his elder brother
Isaac Komnenos. According to
Anna Komnene, Alexios did this to raise Isaac above the rank of
Caesar, which he had already promised to his brother-in-law,
Nikephoros Melissenos. Anna Komnene compares the rank of
sebastokratōr to "a second emperor", and also records that along with the
Caesar a
sebastokratōr was granted the right to wear a crown (but not the imperial diadem). During the
Komnenian dynasty (1081–1185), the title continued to be the highest below that of emperor until 1163, when Emperor
Manuel I created the title of
despotes. During that period, it was given exclusively to members of the imperial family, chiefly younger sons of the emperor. By the time of
pseudo-Kodinos in the mid-14th century, the insignia associated with the rank were a
skiadion hat in red and gold, decorated with gold-wire embroideries, with a veil bearing the wearer's name and
pendants identical to those of the
despotēs. He wore a red tunic (
rouchon) similar to the emperor's, but without the
rizai decorations and the insignia of military power. His mantle (
tamparion) was no longer known, but the stockings were blue; under
John VI Kantakouzenos (), however, when the emperor raised his brothers-in-law Manuel and John Asanes to the rank, he permitted them to wear
tamparia and stockings like those of the
despotēs. The
sebastokratōrs shoes and stockings were blue, with gold-embroidered eagles on red background; and his
horse tack was also of blue, his
saddle blanket featuring furthermore four red-embroidered eagles. His tent was white with blue decorations. The form of the domed
skaranikon, on the other hand, for the
sebastokratōr was unknown to pseudo-Kodinos. The
sebastokratōr also had the prerogative of signing documents with a special blue
ink. ==Bulgaria==