Byzantines had smaller cannons that were also used as "antiartilery units" for first time in history. According to Halkokondylis Byzantine cannons were shooting balls of around 41 kgs. The biggest of those ripped from either bad material/manufacture or by their inexperienced users. Michael Doukas refers to smaller cannons loaded with 5-10 smaller lead balls in a size of a walnut that could pierce shield and armor of up to 3 enemies. Many other variations existed and were called χωνία, πετροβολιμαίους χώνες (stone thrower funnel) and σκεύες. Kritovoulos name them "ελιπόλους" meaning taking cities. Other names were αφετήρια, μπομπάρδες, πετρόβολα (stone thrower) and τηλέβολα (distance thrower).
The Alexander Narration depicts all the Cataphracts being sleeveless from below the elbow. I believe this implies that cavalry in the 14th century practiced horse archery. Besides, horse archery was a thing in the empire from the 15th century onwards. Regarding the Byzantine armour in general, the Alexander Narration provides a variety of cavalrymen being clad in mail hauberks (albeit short-sleeved), mail chausses, lamellar cuirasses with pauldrons and faulds and mail coifs. The most prominent helms are kettle hats and visorless bascinets (which resemble early types of sallet helms in first glance). In some depictions it looks like the bascinets have an additional nasal guard, but I believe the exclusion of a visor further implies that horse archery was common. Infantrymen seem in the drawings seem to don hauberks, lamellar cuirasses and even brigandines. In general, the Byzantine armament was a perfect mix of European and Eastern armament. I luv it.
Have you thought to do a video on the Imperial Guard Regiments, including the Varangians, I read a book from Osprey and it was really interesting, it would be interesting to hear your opinion.
I wonder if the Byzantine Empire lasted longer if they would have created their own types of Plate Armor. If I recall, they did import some Western Suits of Armor for the wealthy but overall the Byzantine style of warfare didn't really have a use of Plate Armor like Western European Warfare.
I just wanted to say thank you good history channels like this are very hard to fine but this one bloody perfect thank you for making such good contact I already subscribed
Byzantine helmets were like kettle hat but this kettle hat had its brim in shape of flat hexagon (soldier in 9:07)...I think it is presented on fresco of Saint Mercurius and that Greek metal figure company Greek heroes produces this soldier with distinctive helmet...
@@EasternRomanHistory I know you said it's difficult to say due to the sources and the wide use of mercenaries, but as a small question for clarification, are there no references of the Romans using polearms such as the halberd, poleaxe, etc?
@@robertfisher8359 Based on the archaeology and pictoral evidence the Romans don't seem to adopted the halberd or poleaxe but are always shown using the spear which was very common among other eastern armies at the time (Turks, Serbs, Etc.) What is possible is that mercenary companies from the west would have used halberds among the other weapons in their arsenal but these weapons would have been largely supplied by the westerners themselves.
As Greek Fire was only used in the siege of 1453 and is attested by non-Byzantine sources or non-eyewitnesses it is possible they did not know what they were actually describing (could be gunpowder instead) thus it is possible Greek fire was lost before the Palaiologan Period.
@@EasternRomanHistory but this greek fire version it not same as one from 717 ad because the formula was kept secret until it was forgotten and lost after 1204 the new version after that was not same formula as the old one
I believe that spathion and espee are just two different ways of referring to the byzantine straight sword. unless the espee is an evolution and somehow different from the spathion
When i AM playing AOE I never use hand cannoneer. I dont think it would be acurate... then again neither it would be kerboga fighting against theias the goth rsrs Just 500 years in between
I really wonder what wouldve been if after the nicean reforms the empire wouldve made better diplomatic choices and better finances they wouldve started to use theyre own handgun and musketeers. Things couldve been very difficult
Im fine with it either way, unless all historic terms must be used with correct pronunciation of the native languages without anglisisation then I dont see a problem as we are identifying a period and not a people. We all know them to be Roman Empire but to be exact we need to refer to them as Ρωμαϊκή Αυτοκρατορία. Im not going that far when we all know what each other means.
I'm almost inclined to agree, but the term is understood easily by historians (whether professional or amateur) and the people who would be confused by it really don't care, anyway.
I think "late Roman Empire", "the Roman Kingdom" or "Kingdom of the Romans" would be good alternatives. Heck, even "The Greek kingdom" would be more accurate than Byzantium. Since no one called it Byzantium while it existed. But the catholic Latins did stop calling it Rome due to the HRE, and referred to it as the Greek Kingdom.
they did not make use of horsearchers?!? 99% of their native cavalry had bows. "They got the sabre from the turks." But turks didn't have sabres as their predomnant sidearm. Arabs did. "The nobility learned to hunt/practice horsearchery as a past time, which they learned from the turks." Ever since Assyria introduced horsearchers into largescale warfare right until before the first turks showed up, people would just grab a bow, hop on a horse and hope for the best.
A good question, my logic for its pronunciation is By-zan-tine, because Y makes and eye sound whereas I makes a ee sound, I use the sound By like Bye, then zan which is where I put the breathing is simply zer - ah - nuh then the last part is teh eye nuh, the I_E combination usually makes a long I sound rather than a short one. Thus By-zan-tine, to me is the correct way to say it. I find Biz-en-teen wrong because it swaps the Y for an I, fudges the A, the tine can be used like Valentine but also sound like Libertine. By-zan-teen would also be acceptable. Hope that answers your question.
Depends which Magnesia you are talking about. The Magnesia that is near Mt Sipylos in in Asia Minor whereas there is a Magnesia in Greece, this is not the one I am referring to. Magnesia should also not be confused with the Magnesia in the Meander Valley either.
@@EasternRomanHistory Oooh, fair enough, I guess we should have been more creative with naming places, haha. Copy pasting names leads to misunderstandings like this, sorry, my bad.
What if the Byzantine fully adopted the horsemen archery after 1071 ad and turkish tactics they would been able to retake Anatolia back even surviving Mongols they too much from west and the arabs but not much from turks Byzantine had too much potential to develop yet they wasted it on mercenary and useless catalan 😕😔
On a fundamental level, both the Mongols and Seljuk Turks were a nomadic people who were 'born in the saddle' so horse archery came naturally to them. The Romans were not nomads and most of the time their armies consisted of a large infantry force. The key was to use tactics that could counter horse archers and when they did, it could be most effective. However, regardless of the composition of a force, the old tricks of ambushes and the need for a good supply line were often a hinderance regardless of the army.
@@EasternRomanHistory the funny part is there a simple solution too horse archery : nails in fact the old roman legion used it in past it probably the most op idea against horse I ever see since the greek fire For example u could cover them on ground lure the horse archery into the trap by a faint retreat from infantry once they step on it they will easy pray for enemy horse archers and not very strong when horses are down and had the Byzantine even used old tactic they would have crushed them with infantry easily all of this prove that horse archers aren't invincible as they seemed 📌📌🐴
Byzantines had smaller cannons that were also used as "antiartilery units" for first time in history.
According to Halkokondylis Byzantine cannons were shooting balls of around 41 kgs.
The biggest of those ripped from either bad material/manufacture or by their inexperienced users. Michael Doukas refers to smaller cannons loaded with 5-10 smaller lead balls in a size of a walnut that could pierce shield and armor of up to 3 enemies. Many other variations existed and were called χωνία,
πετροβολιμαίους χώνες (stone thrower funnel) and σκεύες. Kritovoulos name them "ελιπόλους" meaning taking cities. Other names were αφετήρια, μπομπάρδες, πετρόβολα (stone thrower) and τηλέβολα (distance thrower).
I wonder if the Byzantines had their own school of swordsmanship like the Italians or Germans and how it differed.
There are some HEMA Groups that try to reconstruct Byzantine Swordsmanship but its a controversial topic.
Yes they had, you can see many of their stances in icons
They definitely did.
I've seen a video on Byzantine sabre. It might be still on YT.
If you search "byzantine sabre" here you will find a very good channel.
The Alexander Narration depicts all the Cataphracts being sleeveless from below the elbow. I believe this implies that cavalry in the 14th century practiced horse archery. Besides, horse archery was a thing in the empire from the 15th century onwards.
Regarding the Byzantine armour in general, the Alexander Narration provides a variety of cavalrymen being clad in mail hauberks (albeit short-sleeved), mail chausses, lamellar cuirasses with pauldrons and faulds and mail coifs. The most prominent helms are kettle hats and visorless bascinets (which resemble early types of sallet helms in first glance). In some depictions it looks like the bascinets have an additional nasal guard, but I believe the exclusion of a visor further implies that horse archery was common. Infantrymen seem in the drawings seem to don hauberks, lamellar cuirasses and even brigandines.
In general, the Byzantine armament was a perfect mix of European and Eastern armament. I luv it.
Sfrantzis calls the cannons "tilevola" meaning far throwers in classic greek. There you go
Have you thought to do a video on the Imperial Guard Regiments, including the Varangians, I read a book from Osprey and it was really interesting, it would be interesting to hear your opinion.
I do intend to do one on the Varangrian Guard and also in depth about the Tagmata
@@EasternRomanHistory That would be much appreciated
Nice to hear someone else has read Bartusis - his book on the army from 1204 onwards is a favourite of mine!
Please for the love of Constantine, keep on making all this content, because it is sorely needed from an educational perspective.
I wonder if the Byzantine Empire lasted longer if they would have created their own types of Plate Armor. If I recall, they did import some Western Suits of Armor for the wealthy but overall the Byzantine style of warfare didn't really have a use of Plate Armor like Western European Warfare.
I could see brigadine becoming extremely popular with common soldiers had the empire been able make a comeback
They would have lasted longer if they closed their fuxking gate
I just wanted to say thank you good history channels like this are very hard to fine but this one bloody perfect thank you for making such good contact I already subscribed
Byzantine helmets were like kettle hat but this kettle hat had its brim in shape of flat hexagon (soldier in 9:07)...I think it is presented on fresco of Saint Mercurius and that Greek metal figure company Greek heroes produces this soldier with distinctive helmet...
Truly an enlightening video. Thanks ERH! This is very intriguing and a highly desired topic on my part.
It was very interesting to research as its a period that does not get that much attention.
@@EasternRomanHistory I know you said it's difficult to say due to the sources and the wide use of mercenaries, but as a small question for clarification, are there no references of the Romans using polearms such as the halberd, poleaxe, etc?
@@robertfisher8359 Based on the archaeology and pictoral evidence the Romans don't seem to adopted the halberd or poleaxe but are always shown using the spear which was very common among other eastern armies at the time (Turks, Serbs, Etc.) What is possible is that mercenary companies from the west would have used halberds among the other weapons in their arsenal but these weapons would have been largely supplied by the westerners themselves.
@@EasternRomanHistory that makes sense. Thanks for the follow-up. You're the best!
Crossbow too barbaric
Greek fire this is fine
Im having ptsd.about age of empire 2 music
I keep hearing Greek Fire was lost before 1453.
As Greek Fire was only used in the siege of 1453 and is attested by non-Byzantine sources or non-eyewitnesses it is possible they did not know what they were actually describing (could be gunpowder instead) thus it is possible Greek fire was lost before the Palaiologan Period.
@@EasternRomanHistory
Or it could be a different kind of Liquid Fire, with different elements in it and different results, designed for land war.
@@paulmayson3129 Then again it could well be Greek Fire. Hard to say for absolutely certain either way.
@@EasternRomanHistory but this greek fire version it not same as one from 717 ad because the formula was kept secret until it was forgotten and lost after 1204 the new version after that was not same formula as the old one
Thanks for a great video.
Love the aoe2 backing track.
Awesome!
Cheers
I think that the Espee was an evolution of the Spatha, would you agree, also I the Sabre was called Paramerion, what says you?
The Spartha was probably the originator of many future swords so in a way, yes. The Paramerion is the name for the Byzantine Sabre.
@@EasternRomanHistory Also doesn't Espee sound hell of a lot like Epee?
I believe that spathion and espee are just two different ways of referring to the byzantine straight sword. unless the espee is an evolution and somehow different from the spathion
Does anyone know how Greek heavy cavalry used their lances prior to the adoption of the couched technique from the west ?
@Academy of HEMA Leontes George E.Georgas any ideas on where I can learn more about the first style ?
When i AM playing AOE I never use hand cannoneer. I dont think it would be acurate... then again neither it would be kerboga fighting against theias the goth rsrs Just 500 years in between
I really wonder what wouldve been if after the nicean reforms the empire wouldve made better diplomatic choices and better finances they wouldve started to use theyre own handgun and musketeers. Things couldve been very difficult
Did anyone ever tell you that your voice sounds a bit like the creator of the channel History buffs?
They have now
@@EasternRomanHistory Is tzangra or tzagra just another term of crossbow for Eastern Romans?
@@jimmyorgenkaccrow4961 Yes, spot on.
@@EasternRomanHistory Ah I see. Thanks for the reply.
Have you thought to cover the Siege of 1389?
The term Byzantine must end!
Im fine with it either way, unless all historic terms must be used with correct pronunciation of the native languages without anglisisation then I dont see a problem as we are identifying a period and not a people. We all know them to be Roman Empire but to be exact we need to refer to them as Ρωμαϊκή Αυτοκρατορία. Im not going that far when we all know what each other means.
I'm almost inclined to agree, but the term is understood easily by historians (whether professional or amateur) and the people who would be confused by it really don't care, anyway.
@@geraldchurchill5576 Yeah the best term should be East Romans, for the time being
I think "late Roman Empire", "the Roman Kingdom" or "Kingdom of the Romans" would be good alternatives. Heck, even "The Greek kingdom" would be more accurate than Byzantium. Since no one called it Byzantium while it existed. But the catholic Latins did stop calling it Rome due to the HRE, and referred to it as the Greek Kingdom.
@@niclas3672trying to legitimize the bustard of HRE
nice
❤❤❤❤❤
Greek horse archers ... oke
Welcome to Golgumbaz
they did not make use of horsearchers?!? 99% of their native cavalry had bows.
"They got the sabre from the turks."
But turks didn't have sabres as their predomnant sidearm.
Arabs did.
"The nobility learned to hunt/practice horsearchery as a past time, which they learned from the turks."
Ever since Assyria introduced horsearchers into largescale warfare right until before the first turks showed up, people would just grab a bow, hop on a horse and hope for the best.
Isn't it pronounced "Biz - en - teen"?
A good question, my logic for its pronunciation is By-zan-tine, because Y makes and eye sound whereas I makes a ee sound, I use the sound By like Bye, then zan which is where I put the breathing is simply zer - ah - nuh then the last part is teh eye nuh, the I_E combination usually makes a long I sound rather than a short one. Thus By-zan-tine, to me is the correct way to say it. I find Biz-en-teen wrong because it swaps the Y for an I, fudges the A, the tine can be used like Valentine but also sound like Libertine. By-zan-teen would also be acceptable.
Hope that answers your question.
That's... not where Magnesia is. Wrong side of the sea.
Depends which Magnesia you are talking about. The Magnesia that is near Mt Sipylos in in Asia Minor whereas there is a Magnesia in Greece, this is not the one I am referring to. Magnesia should also not be confused with the Magnesia in the Meander Valley either.
@@EasternRomanHistory Oooh, fair enough, I guess we should have been more creative with naming places, haha. Copy pasting names leads to misunderstandings like this, sorry, my bad.
@@Barberserk No problem.
15:30 Cheap rip ofs of the real thing!!! Hahaha😄
chinese style
@@emilioduarte7089 Yeah, cheap and recyclable
What if the Byzantine fully adopted the horsemen archery after 1071 ad and turkish tactics they would been able to retake Anatolia back even surviving Mongols they too much from west and the arabs but not much from turks Byzantine had too much potential to develop yet they wasted it on mercenary and useless catalan 😕😔
On a fundamental level, both the Mongols and Seljuk Turks were a nomadic people who were 'born in the saddle' so horse archery came naturally to them. The Romans were not nomads and most of the time their armies consisted of a large infantry force. The key was to use tactics that could counter horse archers and when they did, it could be most effective. However, regardless of the composition of a force, the old tricks of ambushes and the need for a good supply line were often a hinderance regardless of the army.
@@EasternRomanHistory the funny part is there a simple solution too horse archery : nails in fact the old roman legion used it in past it probably the most op idea against horse I ever see since the greek fire
For example u could cover them on ground lure the horse archery into the trap by a faint retreat from infantry once they step on it they will easy pray for enemy horse archers and not very strong when horses are down and had the Byzantine even used old tactic they would have crushed them with infantry easily all of this prove that horse archers aren't invincible as they seemed
📌📌🐴
Please don’t pluralize ”regard” in a sentence!
Var an jee an not vahr angry in
BYE ZANTAYN
ROMAN