The "Dynatoi"

The emperors of the Macedonian dynasty (867 - 1056) made repeated attempts to curb the power of the major landowners known in Byzantine historiography as the Dynatoi ("the powerful"). The latter sought to absorb small farms by buying up land or intimidating poor farmers.

From the late 11^th century onwards the landowning class strengthened its position, and free smallholders often ended up as dependent farmers (serfs) on large estates. One contributory factor was the high taxation which overburdened smallholders, placing them in an exceedingly precarious position.