The Late Byzantine Military (1204-1461)

 

 

 

 

 

 

I would also like to know about the famous battles between Byzantium and Avars

 

 

Originally posted by Byzantine Emperor I think it is safe to say that there was an incarnation of the Roman legionnaire in the late Roman/early Byzantine period (4th-5th c.).  That is, the infantry soldier wearing something resembling the segmented armor, etc. (see the picture on the first page).  However, by the time of Justinian to Anastasius there was an influx of barbarian foederati into the Byzantine army.  Even before that too, after the disaster of Adrianople.  I think it was during this time that the old legionnaire was phased out for good.

 

Originally posted by BigL Can you please join my new topic Prince of kiev vs byzantines for discussion     I would also like to know about the famous battles between Byzantium and Avars

 

 

 

 

 

Originally posted by Sikander (...)the only distinctive difference being a brimmed hat like the one portrait by our friend "Byzantine Emperor".

 

 

 

Originally posted by Sikander The Varangian Guard isue is interesting. In the early 13th cent. , both the original Rus and the Anglo-Saxons had abandoned the axe as a weapon. By that time, however, the Varangians were still armed with an axe. The only explanation for this is to assume that Roman State furnished the palatine unit with State-isued axes. Interesting, don't you think?

 

 

Originally posted by Sikander And as for the the armour represented in the Icons, well, I've seen 16th -19th icons and they ALL represent Demetrius, Georgius and all hose "warrior saints" with the same kind of equipment, namely the klibanion. I doubt that the klibanion could have survibed to the 12th century, much less to the 14th/th centuries.

 

 

Yes, I concede that "Byzantine Emperor" may be wright when he says that

"soldiers of Constantinople and the Morea probably had heavier armor like the Latins". Those places were open to Western influence, namely to the Italians and the Catalonians, not to mention the remnants of the "Latins" (the "Latinikon", if I'm not mistaken) so Western armour would be used along with native and Turkish types.

 

In the same line of though I can only suppose (but not confirm) that the klibanion, an allmost 1000 year old piece of equipment would be replaced by simpler mail and cuirases, namely of Western origin, that were avaiable. But I can perfectly be wrong.

 

As for the axes, yes, it is true that this sort of weapon continued to be used in Scandinavia (and even Russia, and so forth) but eventualy it was replaced by "handier", though more expensive, weapons like the sword. The fact is that the big battle axe although being an unexpensive and dreadfull weapon is also unbalanced. Later Varangians were of Saxon-English origin and, as far as I know, there's no sign of a large usage of axes in Britain from the early 13th century onwards.

 

The Trapezuntine army was originaly made of Caucasians (Lazes, Armenians, etc.) because the aunt of the first Trapezuntine Emperor, of the Komnenoi stock, was a Caucasian queen (don't remember her name, sorry).

Their's was a very small army: the cavalry amounted to a few hundred men, at first armed with lances and then with swords and bows, like the Turks. The infantry was mostly light. Later on (early 15th c.) they got some guns. According to some souces (a Castillian or Aragonese diplomat - or perhaps a Papal envoy of "spanish" origin) the Trapezuntines dressed like Turks, fought after the turkish style but were better than the Turks :)  The Trapezuntine cavalry was greatly feared.

 

I know nothing about the "Greek fire" and I'm also looking forward to see anything about the interesting isue of the cataphraktoi/klibanorophoi post 1204.

 

 

 

 

 

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Sokrates Krakras,

Professor of Ancient Greek and Latin Literature,

Private school "Paideia"

e-mail: demofilos1@hotmail.com