I have a question about the Eastern Roman/Byzantine army. How long after the fall of the Western Empire did the comitatensis infantry type remain in use? What replaced it?
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I have a question about the Eastern Roman/Byzantine army. How long after the fall of the Western Empire did the comitatensis infantry type remain in use? What replaced it?
This is an interesting question. I am still doing more online research, but it appears that there was a gradual shift from the time of Diocletion, who instituted the Comitatenses until the time of Justinian and afterwards to using more and more Germanic recruits-Foederati or something like that. They were hired under contract for up to a year at a time, usually under thier own commanders and were similarly armed and equipped as the legionary troops. This practice gradually changed the ethnic make up of the Roman Army to a great degree and also led to futher reliance on mercenary troops. There are some very interesting links one can find with a good Google search, but so far nothing has come up that is definative about exactly when this took place. Eventually, by the late period of the Byzantines, the heavy infantry was eclipsed more and more by heavy cavalry, harbringer of the medieval knights.
Here is a quote from an article I found concerning the use of Foederates in the late Roman Army.
It came from this link:Quote:
The western army increasingly used foederates, foreign troops under their own commanders settled on imperial territory in return for military service, but their loyalty was often dubious. The army was also influenced by weapons and equipment copied from steppe peoples. The percentage of horse archers and heavily armoured cavalry was increased, but it was not enough to stop barbarian incursions and by the end of the 5th century the west was effectively lost.
http://www.answers.com/topic/byzantine-army-1
In the eastern empire, the Theme system developed, organizing the army along geographical administrative lines. This is how they are described in a Wikipedia link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byzantine_army
There is an interesting picture of a typical Byzantine infantryman depicted in this site:Quote:
Within each theme, eligible men were given grants of land to support their families and to equip themselves. Following revolts strengthened by the large size of these divisions, Leo III the Isaurian, Theophilus, and Leo VI the Wise all responded by breaking the themes up into smaller areas and dividing control over the armies within each theme into various tourmai. Further, instead of expanding existing themes, the emperors of the resurgent Macedonian dynasty tended to create new ones in the areas they conquered. By the time of the writing of De Thematibus in the tenth century, Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus listed twenty-eight themata.
http://www.neobyzantine.org/byzantium/army/infantry.php
It doesn't lay claim to any particular period, but seems to me to be a representation of the Skutatoi or perhaps the later Kontarioi. The following is a description of their arms and equipment:
The later Byzantines adopted a much greater combined arms approach with greater reliance on Heavy and light Cavalry. Their infantry formations combined lines of spear or pike armed heavy infantrymen in the front and rear ranks, protecting rows of archers in the center, each such formation of roughly a thousand men. Their flanks were often protected by light armed Psiloi, a mixture of light infantry and archers. The spear-men would protect the archers from attacks by heavy cavalry, while the archers would keep enemy horse/foot archers at a distance giving protection to the heavy infantry.Quote:
Infantry types and equipment
[edit] Skoutatoi
12th century fresco of Joshua from the monastery of Hosios Loukas. It accurately depicts the typical equipment of a heavily armed Byzantine infantryman of the 10th-12th centuries. He wears a lamellar klivanion, splinted rerebraces and pteruges and is armed with a kontarion and a spathion.
12th century fresco of Joshua from the monastery of Hosios Loukas. It accurately depicts the typical equipment of a heavily armed Byzantine infantryman of the 10th-12th centuries. He wears a lamellar klivanion, splinted rerebraces and pteruges and is armed with a kontarion and a spathion.
The bulk of the Byzantine infantry were the skoutatoi, named from the word skouton, for their large oval or kite-shaped shield. Their armor and weapons included:
* kremasmata: A skirt hanging below a soldier's cuirass to protect his legs.
* κlivanion (κλιβάνιον): the characteristic Byzantine lamellar cuirass, usually sleeveless. In addition, pteruges (leather hanging strips) were worn to protect shoulders and hips.
* zaba (ζάβα) or lōrikion (λωρίκιον): mail hauberks, usually reserved for the heavy cavalry cataphracts.
* kavadion (καβάδιον) or vamvakion (βαμβάκιον): A padded leather or cotton under-garment, worn under the cuirass.
* epilōrikion (επιλωρίκιον): A padded leather or cotton over-garment, worn over the cuirass.
* spathion (σπαθίον): The typical Roman spatha, a longsword (about 90 cm), double-edged and very heavy.
* paramērion (παραμήριον): a one-edged scimitar-like sword, girded at the waist.
* kontarion (κοντάριον): a long spear (about 2 to 3 m), the kontarion was used by the first ranks of each chiliarchia (battalion) in order to fend off enemy cavalry.
* Helmet: the helmet varied by region and time but was generally a simple, conical-shaped piece of steel, often with extra neck protection in the form of a mail or leather aventail.
* skouton (σκούτον): a large and oval (later kite-shaped) shield made of wood, covered by leather and reinforced with steel. Each unit had different shield decoration.
There is an interesting description of such formations at:
http://members.ozemail.com.au/~chris...hiliarchy.html
Another great read is from the Strategikon, an actual Byzantine military manual. Here is a link to an article about it:
http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/...trategikon.htm
I hope these are a help.