Byzantine navy

Literary sources and accounts reveal that there were at least three varieties of dromon. These were, firstly the ousiakooo which took its name from one company or ousia of one hundred men. This was a two-banked galley with the lower rank rowing only, and the upper rank rowing or disengaging to fight when required. Secondly the slightly larger pamphylos with a crew of between 120-160. Thirdly the dromon proper, which had a crew of two hundred, fifty on the lower bank, and one hundred on the upper bank in two files, together with fifty marines. A description of som ...

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Byzantine navy, Byzantine navy - Early period, Byzantine navy - Macedonian Dynasty, Byzantine navy - Late period, Byzantine navy - Ships, Byzantine navy - Greek fire, Byzantine navy - Notable events, Byzantine navy - Reference

Read more here: » Byzantine navy: Encyclopedia II - Byzantine navy - Ships

Βασιλεία Ῥωμαίων Roman (Byzantine) Empire Motto: Βασιλεὺς Βασιλέων Βασιλεύων Βασιλευόντων (Greek: King of Kings Ruling Over Rulers) The Byzantine Empire is the term conventionally used to describe the Greek-speaking Roman Empire during the Middle Ages, centered at its capital in Constantinople. In certain s ...

Including:

• Byzantine Empire - The term Byzantine Empire
• Byzantine Empire - Identity continuity and consciousness
• Byzantine Empire - Origin
• Byzantine Empire - Early history
• Byzantine Empire - The age of Justinian I
• Byzantine Empire - The fight for survival
• Byzantine Empire - Golden era
• Byzantine Empire - The Comneni and the Crusaders
• Byzantine Empire - Underlying reasons for decline
• Byzantine Empire - The Decline and Fall of the Byzantine Empire
• Byzantine Empire - Legacy and importance
• Byzantine Empire - Bibliography

Read more here: » Byzantine Empire: Encyclopedia - Byzantine Empire

The ingredients, process of manufacture and usage were a very carefully guarded military secret, so secret it remains a source of speculation to this day. It may have been a mixture of sulfur, quicklime, and liquid petroleum. It is not clear if it was ignited by a flame as the mixture emerged from the syringe, or if it ignited spontaneously when it came into contact with water. If the latter is the case, it is possible that the active ingredient was calcium phosphide, made by heating lime, bones and charcoal. On contact with water, calcium phosphide releas ...

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Greek fire, Greek fire - Manufacture, Greek fire - Testimony

Read more here: » Greek fire: Encyclopedia II - Greek fire - Manufacture

The reign of Justinian I, which began in 527, saw a period of extensive imperial conquests of former Roman territories (indicated in green on the map below). The 6th century also saw the beginning of a long series of conflicts with the Byzantine Empire's traditional early enemies, such as the Persians, Slavs and Bulgars. Theological crises, such as the question of Monophysitism, also dominated the empire. Justinian I had perhaps already exerted effective control during the reign of his predecessor, Justin I (518–527). Justin I was a ...

See also:

Byzantine Empire, Byzantine Empire - The term Byzantine Empire, Byzantine Empire - Identity continuity and consciousness, Byzantine Empire - Origin, Byzantine Empire - Early history, Byzantine Empire - The age of Justinian I, Byzantine Empire - The fight for survival, Byzantine Empire - Golden era, Byzantine Empire - The Comneni and the Crusaders, Byzantine Empire - Underlying reasons for decline, Byzantine Empire - The Decline and Fall of the Byzantine Empire, Byzantine Empire - Legacy and importance, Byzantine Empire - Bibliography

Read more here: » Byzantine Empire: Encyclopedia II - Byzantine Empire - The age of Justinian I

Mehmed, whose great-grandfather Bayezid I had previously built a fortress on the Asian side of the Bosporus called Anadolu Hisarı, now built a second castle outside the walls of Constantinople on the European side, which would increase Turkish influence on the straits. An especially relevant aspect of this fortress was its ability to prevent help from Genoese colonies on the Black Sea coast from reaching the city. This castle was called Rumeli Hisarı; Rumeli and Anadolu being the names of European and Asian port ...

See also:

Fall of Constantinople, Fall of Constantinople - State of the Byzantine Empire, Fall of Constantinople - Preparations, Fall of Constantinople - Siege and final assault of the city, Fall of Constantinople - Aftermath

Read more here: » Fall of Constantinople: Encyclopedia II - Fall of Constantinople - Preparations

Byzantine army - The Themata. Usually attributed to Heraclius, but actually initiated by his successor Constans II on the model of the Italian and African exarchates, the themes (Gr. θέματα) were administrative divisions of the empire in which a general (Gr. στρατηγός*) exercised both civilian and military jurisdiction. The name is peculiar; Treadgold's closest guess is that thema was being used to denote "emplacements." The five original themata were all in Asia Minor and designed to counte ...

See also:

Byzantine army, Byzantine army - The Armies of the Early Byzantine Empire, Byzantine army - The System of Diocletian and Constantine, Byzantine army - The Armies of Justinian and his successors, Byzantine army - The Armies of the Middle Byzantine Period, Byzantine army - The Themata, Byzantine army - The Imperial Tagmata, Byzantine army - Foreign and Mercenary Soldiers, Byzantine army - The Reforms of Alexius I Comnenus, Byzantine army - The Armies of the Late Byzantine Period, Byzantine army - The Armies of the Realms-in-Exile, Byzantine army - Byzantine Army under the Paleologi, Byzantine army - Byzantine military philosophy

Read more here: » Byzantine army: Encyclopedia II - Byzantine army - The Armies of the Middle Byzantine Period

The reign of Justinian I, which began in 527, saw a period of extensive imperial conquests of former Roman territories (indicated in green on the map below). The 6th century also saw the beginning of a long series of conflicts with the Byzantine Empire's traditional early enemies, such as the Sassanid Persians, Slavs and Bulgars. Theological crises, such as the question of Monophysitism, also dominated the empire. Justinian I had perhaps already exerted effective control during the reign of his predecessor, Justin I (518–527). Justi ...

See also:

Byzantine Empire, Byzantine Empire - The term Byzantine Empire, Byzantine Empire - Identity continuity and consciousness, Byzantine Empire - Origin, Byzantine Empire - Early history, Byzantine Empire - The age of Justinian I, Byzantine Empire - The fight for survival, Byzantine Empire - Golden era, Byzantine Empire - The Comneni and the crusaders, Byzantine Empire - Underlying reasons for decline, Byzantine Empire - Decline and fall of the Byzantine Empire, Byzantine Empire - Legacy and importance, Byzantine Empire - Economy, Byzantine Empire - Science, Byzantine Empire - Religion, Byzantine Empire - Bibliography

Read more here: » Byzantine Empire: Encyclopedia II - Byzantine Empire - The age of Justinian I

Just as the Byzantine Empire (Gr. Βυζαντινή Αυτοκρατορία or, more properly, Βασιλεία Ρωμαίων) was a continuation of the Roman Empire, so the Byzantine army was an outgrowth of the earlier Roman structure. Provinces (provinciae) were originally under civilian ju ...

See also:

Byzantine army, Byzantine army - The Armies of the Early Byzantine Empire, Byzantine army - The System of Diocletian and Constantine, Byzantine army - The Armies of Justinian and his successors, Byzantine army - The Armies of the Middle Byzantine Period, Byzantine army - The Themata, Byzantine army - The Imperial Tagmata, Byzantine army - Foreign and Mercenary Soldiers, Byzantine army - The Reforms of Alexius I Comnenus, Byzantine army - The Armies of the Late Byzantine Period, Byzantine army - The Armies of the Realms-in-Exile, Byzantine army - Byzantine Army under the Paleologi, Byzantine army - Byzantine military philosophy

Read more here: » Byzantine army: Encyclopedia II - Byzantine army - The Armies of the Early Byzantine Empire

Mehmed had promised his troops they could loot the city for three days, in accordance with ancient military tradition. He had also threatened Emperor Constantine XI that if the city resisted, the civilians would not be spared. Although Mehmet II allowed the rape, pillage and looting of the city, as was the custom of all armies during that age, he changed his mind after seeing the great structures of the city being destroyed and stopped the activities after 24 hours; unfortunately at that point a large part ...

See also:

Fall of Constantinople, Fall of Constantinople - State of the Byzantine Empire, Fall of Constantinople - Preparations, Fall of Constantinople - Siege and final assault of the city, Fall of Constantinople - Aftermath

Read more here: » Fall of Constantinople: Encyclopedia II - Fall of Constantinople - Aftermath

The Eastern Roman Empire reached its height under the Macedonian emperors of the late 9th, 10th and early 11th centuries. During these years the Empire held out against pressure from the Roman church to remove Patriarch Photios, and gained control over the Adriatic Sea, parts of Italy, and much of the land held by the Bulgarians. Under the emperor Basil II (reigned 976-1025AD), the Bulgarians, who had conquered much of the Balkans from the Byzantines since their arrival two hundred years previously, became the target of annual campaig ...

See also:

Byzantine Empire, Byzantine Empire - The term Byzantine Empire, Byzantine Empire - Identity continuity and consciousness, Byzantine Empire - Origin, Byzantine Empire - Early history, Byzantine Empire - The age of Justinian I, Byzantine Empire - The fight for survival, Byzantine Empire - Golden era, Byzantine Empire - The Comneni and the Crusaders, Byzantine Empire - Underlying reasons for decline, Byzantine Empire - The Decline and Fall of the Byzantine Empire, Byzantine Empire - Legacy and importance, Byzantine Empire - Bibliography

Read more here: » Byzantine Empire: Encyclopedia II - Byzantine Empire - Golden era

Mehmed planned to attack the Theodosian Walls, the intricate series of walls and ditches protecting Constantinople from an attack from the west, the only part of the city not surrounded by water. His army encamped outside the city on Easter Monday, April 2, 1453. For weeks Mehmed's massive cannon fired on the walls, but it was unable to sufficiently penetrate them, and due to its extremely slow rate of reloading the Byzantines were able to repair most of the damage after each shot. Meanwhile, Mehmed's fleet could not enter the Golden Horn du ...

See also:

Fall of Constantinople, Fall of Constantinople - State of the Byzantine Empire, Fall of Constantinople - Preparations, Fall of Constantinople - Siege and final assault of the city, Fall of Constantinople - Aftermath

Read more here: » Fall of Constantinople: Encyclopedia II - Fall of Constantinople - Siege and final assault of the city

The decline of the 'theme' system, which had supplied large numbers of troops for the empire in earlier centuries, was a major factor in the ultimate failure of the Byzantine armies to defend the empire in this period. Despite the brilliant leadership of the Comneni during the twelfth century, they were unable to restore the empire to it's pre- Manzikert frontiers. The structure of the army in this period gives some clues as to why this was the case. It is thought that the Byzantine army under Manuel Comnenus (reigned 1143-1180) numbered som ...

See also:

Byzantine army, Byzantine army - The Armies of the Early Byzantine Empire, Byzantine army - The System of Diocletian and Constantine, Byzantine army - The Armies of Justinian and his successors, Byzantine army - The Armies of the Middle Byzantine Period, Byzantine army - The Themata, Byzantine army - The Imperial Tagmata, Byzantine army - Foreign and Mercenary Soldiers, Byzantine army - The Reforms of Alexius I Comnenus, Byzantine army - The Armies of the Late Byzantine Period, Byzantine army - The Armies of the Realms-in-Exile, Byzantine army - Byzantine Army under the Paleologi, Byzantine army - Byzantine military philosophy

Read more here: » Byzantine army: Encyclopedia II - Byzantine army - The Armies of the Late Byzantine Period

"Byzantium may be defined as a multi-ethnic empire that emerged as a Christian empire, soon comprised the Hellenized empire of the East and ended its thousand year history, in 1453, as a Greek Orthodox state: An empire that became a nation, almost by the modern meaning of the word".1 In the centuries following the Arab and Lombard conquests in the 7th century, its multi-ethnic (albeit not multi-national) nature remained even though its constituent parts in the Balkans and Asia Minor contained an overwhelmingly large Greek p ...

See also:

Byzantine Empire, Byzantine Empire - The term Byzantine Empire, Byzantine Empire - Identity continuity and consciousness, Byzantine Empire - Origin, Byzantine Empire - Early history, Byzantine Empire - The age of Justinian I, Byzantine Empire - The fight for survival, Byzantine Empire - Golden era, Byzantine Empire - The Comneni and the crusaders, Byzantine Empire - Underlying reasons for decline, Byzantine Empire - Decline and fall of the Byzantine Empire, Byzantine Empire - Legacy and importance, Byzantine Empire - Economy, Byzantine Empire - Science, Byzantine Empire - Religion, Byzantine Empire - Bibliography

Read more here: » Byzantine Empire: Encyclopedia II - Byzantine Empire - Identity continuity and consciousness

After Manzikert, a partial recovery was made possible due to the efforts of the Comnenian dynasty. The first emperor of this royal line, Alexius Comnenus (whose life and policies would be described by his daughter Anna Comnena in the Alexiad) began to reestablish the army on the basis of feudal grants (próniai) and made significant advances against the Seljuk Turks. His plea for western aid against the Seljuk advance brought about the First Crusade, which helped him reclaim Nicaea. However, the emperor soon distanced himself from we ...

See also:

Byzantine Empire, Byzantine Empire - The term Byzantine Empire, Byzantine Empire - Identity continuity and consciousness, Byzantine Empire - Origin, Byzantine Empire - Early history, Byzantine Empire - The age of Justinian I, Byzantine Empire - The fight for survival, Byzantine Empire - Golden era, Byzantine Empire - The Comneni and the crusaders, Byzantine Empire - Underlying reasons for decline, Byzantine Empire - Decline and fall of the Byzantine Empire, Byzantine Empire - Legacy and importance, Byzantine Empire - Economy, Byzantine Empire - Science, Byzantine Empire - Religion, Byzantine Empire - Bibliography

Read more here: » Byzantine Empire: Encyclopedia II - Byzantine Empire - The Comneni and the crusaders

Although the three competent Comnenan emperors, especially Manuel, had the power to expel the outnumbered Seljuks, there were a number of reasons they never did so. Whereas the Byzantines had ultimately prevailed over the Arabs in the eighth century, driving them out of Asia Minor and holding a frontier against them, in the twelfth century the Turks were more successful in establishing themselves in these same lands. This was partially due to their nomadic lifestyle, which made them much better suited to life in Anatolia than the Arabs had b ...

See also:

Byzantine Empire, Byzantine Empire - The term Byzantine Empire, Byzantine Empire - Identity continuity and consciousness, Byzantine Empire - Origin, Byzantine Empire - Early history, Byzantine Empire - The age of Justinian I, Byzantine Empire - The fight for survival, Byzantine Empire - Golden era, Byzantine Empire - The Comneni and the crusaders, Byzantine Empire - Underlying reasons for decline, Byzantine Empire - Decline and fall of the Byzantine Empire, Byzantine Empire - Legacy and importance, Byzantine Empire - Economy, Byzantine Empire - Science, Byzantine Empire - Religion, Byzantine Empire - Bibliography

Read more here: » Byzantine Empire: Encyclopedia II - Byzantine Empire - Underlying reasons for decline

Of all the turbulent events that occurred during its long life, The Fourth Crusade had the most devastating effect on the empire. Although the stated intent of the crusade was to conquer Egypt, the leaders of the Crusade ran in to trouble when they found that considerably fewer men had responded to the call than had been expected. As a result, they could not afford to pay the Venetians for all the ships they had hired. After some time spent arguing over what to do next, the Venetians came up with a new proposal, and under their influence the ...

See also:

Byzantine Empire, Byzantine Empire - The term Byzantine Empire, Byzantine Empire - Identity continuity and consciousness, Byzantine Empire - Origin, Byzantine Empire - Early history, Byzantine Empire - The age of Justinian I, Byzantine Empire - The fight for survival, Byzantine Empire - Golden era, Byzantine Empire - The Comneni and the crusaders, Byzantine Empire - Underlying reasons for decline, Byzantine Empire - Decline and fall of the Byzantine Empire, Byzantine Empire - Legacy and importance, Byzantine Empire - Economy, Byzantine Empire - Science, Byzantine Empire - Religion, Byzantine Empire - Bibliography

Read more here: » Byzantine Empire: Encyclopedia II - Byzantine Empire - Decline and fall of the Byzantine Empire

Byzantium was arguably the only stable state in Europe during the Middle Ages. Its expert military and diplomatic power ensured inadvertently that Western Europe remained safe from many of the more devastating invasions from eastern peoples, at a time when the Western Christian kingdoms might have had difficulty containing it. Constantly under attack during its entire existence, the Byzantines shielded Western Europe from Persians, Arabs, Seljuk Turks, and for a time, the Ottomans. The 20th century has seen an increase ...

See also:

Byzantine Empire, Byzantine Empire - The term Byzantine Empire, Byzantine Empire - Identity continuity and consciousness, Byzantine Empire - Origin, Byzantine Empire - Early history, Byzantine Empire - The age of Justinian I, Byzantine Empire - The fight for survival, Byzantine Empire - Golden era, Byzantine Empire - The Comneni and the crusaders, Byzantine Empire - Underlying reasons for decline, Byzantine Empire - Decline and fall of the Byzantine Empire, Byzantine Empire - Legacy and importance, Byzantine Empire - Economy, Byzantine Empire - Science, Byzantine Empire - Religion, Byzantine Empire - Bibliography

Read more here: » Byzantine Empire: Encyclopedia II - Byzantine Empire - Legacy and importance

The Eastern Roman Empire reached its height under the Macedonian emperors of the late 9th, 10th and early 11th centuries. During these years the Empire held out against pressure from the Roman church to remove Patriarch Photios, and gained control over the Adriatic Sea, southern Italy, and all of the land held by the Bulgarians. The cities of the empire expanded, and prosperity was able to spread across the provinces thanks to the empire's new-found security. The population of the empire rose, and production increased, stimulating new demand ...

See also:

Byzantine Empire, Byzantine Empire - The term Byzantine Empire, Byzantine Empire - Identity continuity and consciousness, Byzantine Empire - Origin, Byzantine Empire - Early history, Byzantine Empire - The age of Justinian I, Byzantine Empire - The fight for survival, Byzantine Empire - Golden era, Byzantine Empire - The Comneni and the crusaders, Byzantine Empire - Underlying reasons for decline, Byzantine Empire - Decline and fall of the Byzantine Empire, Byzantine Empire - Legacy and importance, Byzantine Empire - Economy, Byzantine Empire - Science, Byzantine Empire - Religion, Byzantine Empire - Bibliography

Read more here: » Byzantine Empire: Encyclopedia II - Byzantine Empire - Golden era

The Eastern Roman Empire's loss of territory was offset to a degree by consolidation and an increased uniformity of rule. Emperor Heraclius fully Hellenized the Eastern Roman Empire by making Greek the official language, thus ending the last remnants of Latin and ancient Roman tradition within the empire. The use of Latin in government records, (Latin titles such as Augustus and the concept of the Eastern Roman Empire being one with Rome) fell into abeyance, which allowed the empire to pursue its own identity. Many historians mark the ...

See also:

Byzantine Empire, Byzantine Empire - The term Byzantine Empire, Byzantine Empire - Identity continuity and consciousness, Byzantine Empire - Origin, Byzantine Empire - Early history, Byzantine Empire - The age of Justinian I, Byzantine Empire - The fight for survival, Byzantine Empire - Golden era, Byzantine Empire - The Comneni and the crusaders, Byzantine Empire - Underlying reasons for decline, Byzantine Empire - Decline and fall of the Byzantine Empire, Byzantine Empire - Legacy and importance, Byzantine Empire - Economy, Byzantine Empire - Science, Byzantine Empire - Religion, Byzantine Empire - Bibliography

Read more here: » Byzantine Empire: Encyclopedia II - Byzantine Empire - The fight for survival

After Manzikert, a partial recovery was made possible due to the efforts of the Comnenian dynasty. The first emperor of this royal line, Alexius Comnenus (whose life and policies would be described by his daughter Anna Comnena in the Alexiad) began to reestablish the army on the basis of feudal grants (próniai) and made significant advances against the Seljuk Turks. His plea for western aid against the Seljuk advance brought about the First Crusade, which helped him reclaim Nicaea. However, the emperor soon distanced himself f ...

See also:

Byzantine Empire, Byzantine Empire - The term Byzantine Empire, Byzantine Empire - Identity continuity and consciousness, Byzantine Empire - Origin, Byzantine Empire - Early history, Byzantine Empire - The age of Justinian I, Byzantine Empire - The fight for survival, Byzantine Empire - Golden era, Byzantine Empire - The Comneni and the Crusaders, Byzantine Empire - Underlying reasons for decline, Byzantine Empire - The Decline and Fall of the Byzantine Empire, Byzantine Empire - Legacy and importance, Byzantine Empire - Bibliography

Read more here: » Byzantine Empire: Encyclopedia II - Byzantine Empire - The Comneni and the Crusaders