Byzantine military manuals: Difference between revisions

The [[Byzantine Empire|Eastern Roman Empire]] was, for much of its history, one of the major powers of the medieval world. Continuing the institutions of the Roman Empire, throughout its history it was assailed on all sides by various numerically superior enemies. The empire therefore maintained its highly sophisticated military system from antiquity, which relied on discipline, training, knowledge of tactics and a well-organized support system. A crucial element in the maintenance and spreading of this military knowledge, along with traditional histories, were the various treatises and military manuals. These continued a tradition of [[Hellenistic armies|Greek-Hellenistic]] warfare and tacticians that stretched back to [[Xenophon]] and [[Aeneas Tacticus]], late Hellenistic military manuals adapted and applied for the needs and realities of the Byzantine army, most of them deriving from the wide corpus of ancient Greek and late Hellenistic authors, especially [[Aelianus Tacticus|Aelian]],<ref>A. Dain, ”L’Histoire du texte d’Élien le Tacticien des origines à la Fin du Moyen Âge” (Paris 1946); P. Rance, [https://www.academia.edu/35840787/_Maurice_s_Strategicon_and_the_Ancients_the_Late_Antique_Reception_of_Aelian_and_Arrian_in_P._RANCE_and_N.V._SEKUNDA_edd._Greek_Taktika._Ancient_Military_Writing_and_its_Heritage_Gdańsk_2017_217-255 “Maurice’s ”Strategicon” and the Ancients: the Late Antique Reception of Aelian and Arrian”] in P. Rance and N.V. Sekunda (edd.), ”Greek Taktika. Ancient Military Writing and its Heritage” (Gdańsk 2017) 217–255.</ref> [[Onasander]]<ref>A. Dain, ”Les manuscrits d’Onésandros” (Paris 1930) 145–157; P. Rance, [https://doi.org/10.3366/edinburgh/9781474459945.003.0015 “The Ideal of the Roman General in Byzantium: the Reception of Onasander’s ”Strategikos” in Byzantine Military Literature”], in: S. Tougher and R. Evans (eds.), ”Generalship in Ancient Greece, Rome and Byzantium” (Edinburgh 2022) 242–263</ref> and [[Polyaenus]],<ref>F. Schindler, ”Die Überlieferung der Strategemata des Polyainos” (Vienna 1973) 187–225; E.L. Wheeler, “Notes on a Stratagem of Iphicrates in Polyaenus and Leo ”Tactica””, ”Electrum” 19 (2012) 157–163.</ref> and to a lesser extent Aeneas<ref>P. Rance, [https://www.academia.edu/34929322/_The_Reception_of_Aineias_Poliorketika_in_Byzantine_Military_Literature_in_M._PRETZLER_and_N._BARLEY_eds._Brills_Companion_to_Aineias_Tacticus_Leiden_Boston_2017_290–374 “The Reception of Aineias’ ”Poliorketika” in Byzantine Military Literature”] in M. Pretzler and N. Barley (eds.), ”Brill’s Companion to Aineias Tacticus” (Leiden/Boston 2017) 290-374.</ref> and [[Arrian]].<ref>P. Rance, [https://www.academia.edu/35840787/_Maurice_s_Strategicon_and_the_Ancients_the_Late_Antique_Reception_of_Aelian_and_Arrian_in_P._RANCE_and_N.V._SEKUNDA_edd._Greek_Taktika._Ancient_Military_Writing_and_its_Heritage_Gdańsk_2017_217-255 “Maurice’s ”Strategicon” and the Ancients: the Late Antique Reception of Aelian and Arrian”] in P. Rance and N.V. Sekunda (edd.), ”Greek Taktika. Ancient Military Writing and its Heritage” (Gdańsk 2017) 217–255.</ref> Pioneering scholars in the modern study of Byzantine military manuals include [[Friedrich Gottlob Haase|Friedrich Haase]] (1808-67), Karl Konrad Müller (1854-1903), Rezső (Rudolf) Vári (1867-1940) and [[Alphonse Dain]] (1896-1964).<ref>P. Rance, [https://www.academia.edu/35960383/_Introduction_in_Philip_RANCE_and_Nicholas_V_SEKUNDA_edd_Greek_Taktika_Ancient_Military_Writing_and_its_Heritage_2017_9_64 “Introduction”] in P. Rance and N.V. Sekunda (edd.), ”Greek” Taktika. ”Ancient Military Writing and its Heritage” (Gdańsk 2017) 9–64 at 29–32.</ref>

The [[Byzantine Empire|Eastern Roman Empire]] was, for much of its history, one of the major powers of the medieval world. Continuing the institutions of the Roman Empire, throughout its history it was assailed on all sides by various numerically superior enemies. The empire therefore maintained its highly sophisticated military system from antiquity, which relied on discipline, training, knowledge of tactics and a well-organized support system. A crucial element in the maintenance and spreading of this military knowledge, along with traditional histories, were the various treatises and military manuals. These continued a tradition of [[Hellenistic armies|Greek-Hellenistic]] warfare and tacticians that stretched back to [[Xenophon]] and [[Aeneas Tacticus]], late Hellenistic military manuals adapted and applied for the needs and realities of the Byzantine army, most of them deriving from the wide corpus of ancient Greek and late Hellenistic authors, especially [[Aelianus Tacticus|Aelian]],<ref>A. Dain, ”L’Histoire du texte d’Élien le Tacticien des origines à la Fin du Moyen Âge” (Paris 1946); P. Rance, [https://www.academia.edu/35840787/_Maurice_s_Strategicon_and_the_Ancients_the_Late_Antique_Reception_of_Aelian_and_Arrian_in_P._RANCE_and_N.V._SEKUNDA_edd._Greek_Taktika._Ancient_Military_Writing_and_its_Heritage_Gdańsk_2017_217-255 “Maurice’s ”Strategicon” and the Ancients: the Late Antique Reception of Aelian and Arrian”] in P. Rance and N.V. Sekunda (edd.), ”Greek Taktika. Ancient Military Writing and its Heritage” (Gdańsk 2017) 217–255.</ref> [[Onasander]]<ref>A. Dain, ”Les manuscrits d’Onésandros” (Paris 1930) 145–157; P. Rance, [https://doi.org/10.3366/edinburgh/9781474459945.003.0015 “The Ideal of the Roman General in Byzantium: the Reception of Onasander’s ”Strategikos” in Byzantine Military Literature”], in: S. Tougher and R. Evans (eds.), ”Generalship in Ancient Greece, Rome and Byzantium” (Edinburgh 2022) 242–263</ref> and [[Polyaenus]],<ref>F. Schindler, ”Die Überlieferung der Strategemata des Polyainos” (Vienna 1973) 187–225; E.L. Wheeler, “Notes on a Stratagem of Iphicrates in Polyaenus and Leo ”Tactica””, ”Electrum” 19 (2012) 157–163.</ref> and to a lesser extent Aeneas<ref>P. Rance, [https://../ “The Reception of Aineias’ ”Poliorketika” in Byzantine Military Literature”] in M. Pretzler and N. Barley (eds.), ”Brill’s Companion to Aineias Tacticus” (Leiden/Boston 2017) 290-374.</ref> and [[Arrian]].<ref>P. Rance, [https://www.academia.edu/35840787/_Maurice_s_Strategicon_and_the_Ancients_the_Late_Antique_Reception_of_Aelian_and_Arrian_in_P._RANCE_and_N.V._SEKUNDA_edd._Greek_Taktika._Ancient_Military_Writing_and_its_Heritage_Gdańsk_2017_217-255 “Maurice’s ”Strategicon” and the Ancients: the Late Antique Reception of Aelian and Arrian”] in P. Rance and N.V. Sekunda (edd.), ”Greek Taktika. Ancient Military Writing and its Heritage” (Gdańsk 2017) 217–255.</ref> Pioneering scholars in the modern study of Byzantine military manuals include [[Friedrich Gottlob Haase|Friedrich Haase]] (1808-67), Karl Konrad Müller (1854-1903), Rezső (Rudolf) Vári (1867-1940) and [[Alphonse Dain]] (1896-1964).<ref>P. Rance, [https://www.academia.edu/35960383/_Introduction_in_Philip_RANCE_and_Nicholas_V_SEKUNDA_edd_Greek_Taktika_Ancient_Military_Writing_and_its_Heritage_2017_9_64 “Introduction”] in P. Rance and N.V. Sekunda (edd.), ”Greek” Taktika. ”Ancient Military Writing and its Heritage” (Gdańsk 2017) 9–64 at 29–32.</ref>