Byzantine

Mercenaries for the Basileus

Byzantine 22 Min Read

1: Norman heavy miles armatus 2: Varangian guardsman, Byzantine army 3: Norman arbelestier 4: Muslim iklīm local soldier Opportunity came soon, and opportunity for these professional soldiers meant war. This time, however, the war was not to be another of the incessant squabbles between the Lombard states. Their employer was to be the Byzantine emperor, and the objective strategic: control…

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Byzantine 24 Min Read

Roman to Byzantine Army Transition Part I

In 330 ce, Constantine I, Emperor of the Romans, founded a new capital for his empire on the triangular peninsula of land that divided the Bosphorus from the Sea of Marmara, commanding the narrow water passage from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean. He named it Constantinople, and in time…

Byzantine 17 Min Read

Roman to Byzantine Army Transition Part II

RECRUITMENT From the fourth through seventh centuries the Roman state ingested soldiers primarily in four ways: through native volunteers, through enforced hereditary service, by conscription, or by hire of foreign mercenaries. Native volunteers were the mainstay of the army and were generally sufficient to fill the requirements of the state.…

Byzantine Crusades 39 Min Read

The Recovery of Constantinople [1205–61]

In contrast to Doge Dandolo, who now proudly styled himself ‘Lord of a Quarter and Haifa Quarter of the Roman Empire’, the Emperor Baldwin cut a sorry figure. He was left with just a quarter of the territory that had been ruled by his immediate predecessors; and even this was…

Byzantine 20 Min Read

Warfare in the Age of Byzantine Reconquest I

Raids and Razzias As well as being characterized by the sort of larger-scale offensive and defensive strategy exemplified in the campaigns of, for example, 838 or 863 described already, the period up to the middle of the tenth century saw a style of frontier fighting and skirmishing, of guerrilla tactics…

Byzantine 20 Min Read

Warfare in the Age of Byzantine Reconquest II

Offensive Strategy and Tactical Change From the seventh to the 12th centuries, the Byzantine army was among the most powerful and effective military forces – neither Middle Ages Europe nor (following its early successes) the fracturing Caliphate could match the strategies and the efficiency of the Byzantine army. Restricted to…

Byzantine 27 Min Read

The Battles of Dorostolon 971

Varangian Guard 10th Century Plan of the battle of Dorostolon. Immediately following this victory the emperor ordered more units from the Asia Minor forces to cross into Thrace and prepare for the coming campaign. He also began to build up a strong siege train and amass supplies adequate for the…

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The Military of the Byzantines

Dominant military forces of the Middle East between the fourth and fifteenth centuries. At Manzikert…

The Sixth-Century Army of Justinian

The sixth-century army of Justinian’s era, like its earlier counterparts, was an entirely professional force,…

Roman to Byzantine Army Transition Part I

In 330 ce, Constantine I, Emperor of the Romans, founded a new capital for his…

Father and Son Save Byzantium in the 8th Century

Avar and Bulgar warriors, eastern Europe, 8th century AD. Leo III (717–741) Leo III, like…