Byzantium and Its Army, 284-1081 (Paperback)
$27.95 - Save $13.33 32% off - RRP $41.28 Free delivery worldwide (to United States and
all these other countries) Usually dispatched within 48 hours | |Short Description for Byzantium and Its Army, 284-1081 In this first general book on the Byzantine army, the author traces the army's impact on the Byzantine state and society from the army's reorganization under Diocletian until its disintegration in the aftermath of the battle of Manzikert.
Full description- Publisher: Stanford University Press
- Published: 01 May 1999
- Format: Paperback 268 pages
- See: Full bibliographic data
- Categories: Warfare & Defence | Military Engineering | European History | Ancient History: To C 500 CE | Early History: C 500 To C 1450/1500 | Military History
- ISBN 13: 9780804731638 ISBN 10: 0804731632
- Sales rank: 569,972
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Full description for Byzantium and Its Army, 284-1081
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?
