Romano-Byzantine Armies 4th-9th Centuries

Visually it is a good reference to the gear and costume of the late Roman army. Although there is nothing wrong with the text itself, this is way too little a book to cover the subject in detail.

I did not buy this book for the text but for the illustrations of the change over of the Roman Empire Army to the Eastern Empire. For that alone it was worth the money!

This volume covers the development of Byzantine military power from the fall of the Western Empire through the revival in the 9th century. Dark days these were, yet the Empire survived for several more centuries. The tactics of the army changed as political upheavals and foreign threats shaped failures and successes. By the 4th century, the professionalism of the Roman soldier had eroded. The heavy infantry legion had given way to small tripwire garrisons ( limitanei ) and the larger field armies ( comitatenses ). The emphasis shifted towards more heavy cavalry, and wholesale recruitment of barbarians( foederati ), to deal with the more and more numerous incursions by the nomadic peoples moving into the Roman sphere. Though the western Empire fell, the eastern Byzantium held on.The more mobile enemies in the East influenced Byzantine thinking. Heavier cavalry was fielded, along with a strong line of infantry and an ever increasing number of horse archers. The fifth and sixth centuries saw the reclamation of some territory in the Italian peninsula, as well as islands such as Crete. The fortunes of the empire waned again in the seventh century, with the rapid expansion of the Muslim powers. Byzantium now stood as a Christian bulwark against the Muslim threat. Its influence through trade continued a presence in the Mediterranean after the initial successes of the Muslim Arabs. The Byzantines switched to a system of local armies ( thema ) and central armies based around the capital ( tagmata ). Their presence waned in the West, as locals asserted their independence in the pursuit of their self defence. Military disasters forced the Byzantines to switch tactics again, and by the 9th century the empire was on a roll of counterattacks. They recruited from their neighbors and enemies, especially in terms of light cavalry and infantry. The cautious approach of shadowing enemy forces, and setting up feints and ambushes, foreshadowed the strategies of later Western Medieval armies. Though the Carolingians would rise to power in Western Europe and eventually overshadow the Greeks, to them is owed much in terms of military thinking. David Nicolle's treatment is thorough as always. This Men-at-Arms title is a good introduction into the war machine of Byzantium, a state in perpetually precarious positions. The color plates are beautiful, and the period illustrations good, though often too small to recognize details. As usual, Osprey has failed to deliver a decent map. Nevertheless, a worthwhile addition to the medieval warfare library. I am looking forward to the next two volumes covering Byzantium through the Crusades and final, disastrous fall of Constaninople in 1453.