Warfare in Late Byzantium, 1204-1453

Savvas Kyriakidis, PhD (2007) in Byzantine Studies, University of Birmingham, is a former research fellow at Koç University and at Princeton University. Other publications include "The Division of Booty in Late Byzantium" in Jahrbuch der Österreichischen Byzantinistik (2009).

• Acknowledgments ... ixNote on Transliteration ... xiAbbreviations ... xiiiMaps ... xviiIntroduction ... 1 1. Warfare and Imperial Propaganda ... 13The inevitability of warfare ... 13The militaristic ideology of Nicaea ... 16Changes in the military profile of the emperor after the recovery of Constantinople ... 20Andronikos II and the ideological importance of defensive wars against the Turks ... 25The military profile of the emperor under Andronikos III and John VI Kantakouzenos ... 30Fighting against impious barbarians and natural enemies ... 362. Commanders ... 45The military character of the late Byzantine aristocracy ... 45The role of Western European military ideals and practices ... 51The effectiveness of Byzantine generals on the battlefield ... 60The ideal leadership ... 693. Soldiers ... 75Pronoia holders ... 75The Allagia ... 82The Nicaean frontier troops, the Proselantai and the Thelematarioi ... 93The case of the despotate of the Morea ... 964. Mercenaries ... 101The use of mercenaries ... 101Categories of mercenaries ... 104Byzantine attitudes towards mercenaries ... 1185. Campaigns ... 1376. Fortifications and Sieges ... 157The role of fortifications ... 157Siege warfare: The evidence of the written sources ... 170The impact of gunpowder on Byzantine warfare ... 1877. Tactics ... 197Late Byzantine cavalry and field tactics against Western Europeans ... 197Battlefield Tactics against the Turks ... 203Infantry ... 216Conclusion ... 221Glossary ... 229Bibliography: Primary Sources ... 231Secondary Sources ... 234Index ... 245