About this video

More about the Byzantine Army:The Byzantine Army was among the most powerful and effective military forces in the world from the 7th to the 12th centuries.

Starting to operate around 395 AD, the army of Byzantium was a continuation of the mighty East Roman army, with the commander in chief being the Byzantine emperor.

Subsequently, the Byzantine army followed the structure of the Roman army, known for its strict discipline, rigid organization and skillful battle strategies.
The Byzantine Empire became one of the most important in history, linking Greece, Christian faith and Western Europe.

From the 7th to mid-9th centuries the Byzantine Army’s role was mostly defensive due to the attacks — and territorial losses — suffered from the Muslim Rashidun Caliphate.

The theme-system
To counter the more powerful Caliphate during that period, the Byzantine Army adapted the “theme”system.

The theme (or thema, from the Greek word θέμα) was an administrative division of the empire in which a general exercised both civilian and military jurisdiction and a judge held the judicial power.

Byzantium had lost almost half of its territory during the Caliphate attacks and between 659 and 662 its Army agreed to a truce with the Caliphate and regrouped.

The five original themata (plural of thema) were all in Asia Minor, comprised of earlier field armies. Specifically, they were:

The Armeniac Theme, the successor of the Army of Armenia that occupied the old areas of the Pontus, Armenia Minor and northern Cappadocia, with its capital at Amasea.

The Anatolic Theme, the successor of the Army of the East (Ανατολή). It covered central Asia Minor, and its capital was Amorium.

The Opsician Theme was where the imperial retinue (in Latin Obsequium), was established. It covered northwestern Asia Minor (Bithynia, Paphlagonia and parts of Galatia), and was based at Nicaea.

The Thracesian Theme, the successor of the Army of Thrace. It covered the central western coast of Asia Minor (Ionia, Lydia and Caria), with the capital being Ephesos.

The Carabisiani Theme, probably formed from the remnants of the Army of the Illyricum or the old quaestura exercitus. It occupied the southern coast of Asia Minor and the Aegean Islands, with its capital at Attaleia.

The latter was the naval force of the empire, replaced with the Cibyrrhaeot Theme in the early 8th century.


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