Was the Byzantine army strong?

From the 7th to the 12th centuries, the Byzantine army was among the most powerful and effective military forces in the world – neither Middle Ages Europe nor (following its early successes) the fracturing Caliphate could match the strategies and the efficiency of the Byzantine army.

How effective was the Roman army?

This training combined with having the most advanced equipment at the time made the Roman army really powerful. The Roman army had many weapons and tactics that other armies hadn’t even heard of before! They would use huge catapults which were able to fling rocks over distances of several hundred meters.

Did Byzantines use guns?

Did the Byzantine Empire use firearms? – Quora. Yes, any nation that existed in East Asia from no later than the 12th century and onwards used firearms.

How big was the army that conquered Constantinople?

The army defending Constantinople was relatively small, totalling about 7,000 men, 2,000 of whom were foreigners. At the onset of the siege, probably fewer than 50,000 people were living within the walls, including the refugees from the surrounding area.

Did Byzantines use scale armor?

During Roman times, scale armour (lorica squamata) was a popular alternative to mail (lorica hamata) as it offered better protection against blunt force trauma. Hellenistic-Attic lamellar armour was also widely used in Middle Eastern empires, such as Persia and Byzantium.

How was the Roman Empire so successful?

Rome became the most powerful state in the world by the first century BCE through a combination of military power, political flexibility, economic expansion, and more than a bit of good luck. This expansion changed the Mediterranean world and also changed Rome itself.

What was Hannibal’s strategy for defeating Rome?

So the strategy was to cross into Italy and declare himself the liberator of Rome’s allies. Hannibal’s tactical genius allowed him to inflict heavy defeats on the Romans right away, most notably at Lake Trasimene in 217 BC.

What type of military did the Byzantine Empire have?

Byzantine army. Jump to navigation Jump to search. The Byzantine army or Eastern Roman army was the primary military body of the Byzantine armed forces, serving alongside the Byzantine navy. A direct continuation of the Roman army, the Eastern Roman army maintained a similar level of discipline, strategic prowess and organization.

How did the Byzantines compare to the Romans?

In comparing the Byzantines to the Romans, you must understand, they are basically the same people, same heritage, same army tradition. That understood, they were roughly equal in effectiveness, as seen in their success in their successes against traditional enemies, the Germanic tribes, and the Sassanid Empire.

How strong was the Byzantine themata Army?

And the overall strength of the Byzantine Themata army possibly numbered between 70,000 to 90,000 men, in circa early 10th century AD.

How did the Byzantine army use the bandons?

Interestingly enough, the Byzantine army did make use of ‘mixed’ divisions of soldiers within each bandon, with ratios of 3:1 to 7:3 when it came to spearmen ( skutatoi) and archers, thus suggesting advanced tactical deployments on the battlefields.