The Grand Strategy of the Byzantine Empire

513 Pages·2009·0.3 MB·English

by  Edward N. Luttwak

TheGrandStrategyoftheByzantineEmpire

The Grand Strategy of
the Byzantine Empire
EDWARD N. LUTTWAK
THE BELKNAP PRESS OF
HARVARD UNIVERSITY PRESS
Cambridge,Massachusetts,andLondon,England 2009
Copyright©2009bythePresidentandFellowsofHarvardCollege
Allrightsreserved
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Luttwak,Edward.
ThegrandstrategyoftheByzantineEmpire / EdwardN.Luttwak.
p. cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN978-0-674-03519-5(cloth : alk.paper) 1.ByzantineEmpire—Militarypolicy.
2.Strategy—History—To1500. 3.Militaryartandscience—ByzantineEmpire—
History. 4.Imperialism—History—To1500. 5.ByzantineEmpire—History,Military.
6.ByzantineEmpire—Foreignrelations. I.Title.
U163.L86 2009
355′.033549500902—dc22 2009011799
Contents
ListofMaps vii
Preface ix
I TheInventionofByzantineStrategy 1
1 AttilaandtheCrisisofEmpire 17
2 TheEmergenceoftheNewStrategy 49
II ByzantineDiplomacy:TheMythandtheMethods 95
3 Envoys 97
4 ReligionandStatecraft 113
5 TheUsesofImperialPrestige 124
6 DynasticMarriages 137
7 TheGeographyofPower 145
8 BulgharsandBulgarians 171
9 TheMuslimArabsandTurks 197
vi (cid:129) Contents
III TheByzantineArtofWar 235
10 TheClassicalInheritance 239
11 TheStrategikonofMaurikios 266
12 AftertheStrategikon 304
13 LeoVIandNavalWarfare 322
14 TheTenth-CenturyMilitaryRenaissance 338
15 StrategicManeuver:HerakleiosDefeatsPersia 393
Conclusion:GrandStrategyandtheByzantine
“OperationalCode” 409
Appendix:WasStrategyFeasibleinByzantineTimes? 421
EmperorsfromConstantineItoConstantineXI 423
Glossary 427
Notes 433
WorksCited 473
IndexofNames 491
GeneralIndex 495
Maps
1. Thedivisionoftheempireafter
thedeathofTheodosiusIin395 2
2. TheGreatEurasianSteppe 8
3. ThedefensesofConstantinople 68
4. Theempireattheaccessionand
deathofJustinian,527–565 82
5. Theempirein1025atthedeathofBasilII 194
6. TheMuslimoffensives,662–740 200
7. Theempirein668,aftertheSlav,Lombard,
andMusliminvasions 213
8. Theempirein780,aftertheMuslimconquests
andtheBulgharsettlement 216
9. Theempirein1081attheaccessionof
AlexiosIKomnenos 228
10. Theempirein1143atthedeathofJohnIIKomnenos 230
11. Theempireatthedeathof
MichaelVIIIPalaiologosin1282 233
12. TheSasanianempire,ca.226–ca.651 394
13. Theempirein565,1025,and1360 411

Preface
Oncelargelyneglected,asiftheentireRomanempirehadreallyended
in476,theeasternhalfthatwecallByzantinebymodernhabitnowat-
tractssomuchattentionthatitiseventhesubjectofpopularhistories.
While many are interested in the culture of Byzantium, it is the epic
struggle to defend the empire for century after century against an un-
endingsequenceofenemiesthatseemstoresonateespeciallyinourown
times. This book is devoted to one dimension of Byzantine history: the
application of method and ingenuity in the use of both persuasion and
force—that is to say, strategy in all its aspects, from higher statecraft
downtomilitarytactics.
When I first started to study Byzantine strategy in earnest, I had just
completedabookonthestrategyoftheRomanempireuptothethird
century that continues to attract both inordinate praise and strenuous
criticism.Myoriginalintentionwassimplytowriteasecondvolumeto
coverthesubsequentcenturies.Whatensuedinsteadwasthediscovery
of an altogether richer body of strategy than the earlier Romans had
ever possessed, which called for a vastly greater effort of research and
composition. In the end, this lasted for more than two decades, albeit
withmanyinterruptions—someduetomynotentirelyunrelatedwork
in applying military strategy in the field. There was one compensation
forthisprolongeddelay:severalessentialByzantinetextsonceavailable
onlyasscarcelyaccessiblemanuscripts,orinantiquatededitionsreplete
witherrors,havenowbeenpublishedinreliableform.Also,aconsider-