Byzantine army, a multi-ethnic fighting force

[guy]

I have little understanding of the late Roman Empire; less of the Byzantine Empire. And I have no understanding of the development of the Byzantine military. 

The Byzantine army was able to absorb foreign influences to become a formidable force.

After the Hunnish Empire defeat of the Fifth century, many barbarian horsemen from the Steppes joined the Byzantine Empire. The Heruli, for example, were among those who joined the Byzantines. Here’s a great video on the early Byzantine military development. It stresses the ability of the Byzantine army to adapt to invaders by adopting foreign weapons, tactics, and troops:

 

As the Byzantine Empire began to falter, it became increasingly reliant on foreign mercenary troops. It became, nevertheless, a very formidable multi-ethnic force. Here’s an interesting article on the development and diversity of the Byzantine army:

Quote

 

“The Byzantine army from the 11th century and on used foreign mercenaries extensively.

The same practice was followed by the Greek states that emerged after the conquest of Constantinople by the Crusaders in 1204, such as the Empire of Nicaea or the Despotate of Epirus.

The Byzantine Army mercenaries came from literally almost all the nations of the then known world.”

 

 

https://greekreporter.com/2021/10/03/byzantine-army/

The Byzantine emperors were also a diverse group:

Quote

”Although Byzantine emperors were ethnically diverse and came from at least ten different ethnic groups, there was a pattern in which ethnicity dominated the throne. The early Byzantine rulers were mostly Illyrians and Thracians from the Balkans, ethnically Armenian emperors dominated the middle Byzantine period, and the final era of Byzantine history was presided over by ethnically Greek emperors. All of these rulers considered themselves Roman, but by examining the ethnic origins of all 90 emperors of Byzantium, we get some insight into the ethnic diversity and power dynamics inside the Byzantine Empire over time.”

https://balkaniumblog.wordpress.com/2017/08/13/the-ethnic-backgrounds-of-byzantine-emperors/

 

Edited February 2 by guy

[caldrail]

The Roman legions had become a multi-ethnic military force before the Byzantine era. Remember that legions were raised in the provinces more often than Rome, who had always employed foreign elements as allies whenever required. The 'foreign-isation' of the Rome's military is sometimes touted as one of the reasons for the decline of the legion, though this had more to do with structure than any ethnic issues.