Byzantium and Its Army, 284-1081Stanford University Press, 1995 - 250 pages The Byzantine Empire was almost always ready to fight, and often fought for its life. During much of its history its provinces were military districts called themes, and acclamation by the army, not coronation or inheritance, was what made a man emperor. The army overthrew twenty-odd rulers, and tried to oust many more. It was large and expansive but on the whole it served its purpose well. Over eight centuries, despite losing a surprising number of battles, the army succeeded in preserving both itself and Byzantium. In view of its importance in Byzantine history, it is surprising that this volume is the first general book on the Byzantine army in any language. The author traces the army s impact on the Byzantine state and society from the army s reorganization under Diocletian (284-305) until its disintegration in the aftermath of the battle of Manzikert (1071). He suggests solutions to some major unresolved questions of Byzantine military history: how big was the army, how was it organized, how much of it was cavalry, how much was it paid, how was it supplied, when and why did it receive land grants in the themes, and why, after surviving so many disasters, did it fail to survive the not particularly disastrous eleventh century? |
Contents
ONE The Roman Armys Second Millennium | 8 |
TWO Numbers | 43 |
Eastern Army Units in the Notitia Dignitatum | 50 |
Army Units from 773 to 899 | 67 |
Army Units in 559 and 773 | 74 |
THREE Structures | 87 |
Development of Command Structures | 96 |
Development of the Thracesian Theme ΙΟΙ | 101 |
Payroll of Selected Themes and Tagmata in 842 | 129 |
Payroll of the Army in 842 | 134 |
FIVE The Army and Society | 158 |
Estimated Population and Army Size from 284 to 1025 | 162 |
SIX The Army and the State | 187 |
Estimated Budgets ca 300 to ca 1025 | 195 |
Summary of Budgetary Estimates | 198 |
The Eastern Roman Empire about 395 12 | 199 |
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Common terms and phrases
9 nomismata Africa Agathias Anastasius Anatolia Anatolics annonae Antioch Arabs Armeniac Armenian themes arms Army of Illyricum army's Balkans Basil Basil II Bucellarians campaign pay Cappadocia Carabisian cavalry centarchs centurions Cephalonia Chaldia Charsianum chartulary Cibyrrhaeots cleisurae command commerciarii conquests Constans Constans II Constantine VII Constantinople count Diocletian domestic donative draconarii drungaries ducates dukes East eastern emperor empire's estimate evidence Excubitors expedition field armies figures Fleet fodder frontier troops grades Hellas Hendy Heraclius hetaeria Hicanati Ibid Illyricum imperial infantry Italy Jarmi Jones Justinian Khurramites Later Roman Empire legions Mardaïtes marines Mesopotamia military lands Nicephorus Nicephorus II nomisma nomismata Notitia Notitia Dignitatum oarsmen officers Oikonomidès Opsician Theme Optimates paid payroll percent Persians Philotheus pounds of gold probably Procopius protomandator raids rank recruits regiments salaries Scholae seems sixth century spatharii Strategicon Strategus Syria Tacticon Uspensky tagma tagmata tetartera Theophanes Theophilus Thrace Thracesian Treadgold turmarchs vexillations West Zosimus
References to this book
Warfare, State and Society in the Byzantine World, 565-1204 John F. Haldon No preview available - 1999 |