$37.26 with 28 percent savings
List Price: $51.99

The List Price is the suggested retail price of a new product as provided by a manufacturer, supplier, or seller. Except for books, Amazon will display a List Price if the product was purchased by customers on Amazon or offered by other retailers at or above the List Price in at least the past 90 days. List prices may not necessarily reflect the product's prevailing market price.
Learn more
FREE Returns
In Stock
$$37.26 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$37.26
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Ships from
Amazon.com
Ships from
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Returns
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Returns
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
Payment
Secure transaction
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
Amazon book clubs early access
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Amazon book clubs early access

Join or create book clubs

Choose books together

Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Explore Amazon Book Clubs
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

John F. Haldon
+ Follow
More books from this author
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Warfare, State And Society In The Byzantine World 565-1204 (Warfare and History) 1st Edition

by John Haldon (Author)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 16 ratings
See all formats and editions
{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$37.26","priceAmount":37.26,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"37","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"26","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"w2Ee%2BvixwlyWeI4uhINQj3HLaULBU3Sqnk%2Bgs%2FsspxvCIbKMwKqgPAwCqLmQBWWgDQoQ1ZSd7SnpRT%2FPi%2BRpCD6Gurlm2ubQiUPppLfkbOHkeFxZSOAEib5YZcjGPP7xm1cCKX2q16Y%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

This work examines the nature of zantine warfare and its relationship with society at large. This is the first comprehensive study of warfare and the Byzantine world from the sixth to the twelfth century. The book examines Byzantine attitudes to warfare,
Read more Read less
Previous page
  1. ISBN-10
    185728495X
  2. ISBN-13
    978-1857284959
  3. Edition
    1st
  4. Publication date
    June 24, 1999
  5. Part of series
    Warfare and History
  6. Language
    English
  7. Dimensions
    6.14 x 0.91 x 9.21 inches
  8. Print length
    400 pages
  9. See all details
Next page
Books with Buzz
Books with Buzz
Discover the latest buzz-worthy books, from mysteries and romance to humor and nonfiction. Explore more

Frequently bought together

Warfare, State And Society In The Byzantine World 565-1204 (Warfare and History)
$37.26
Get it as soon as Wednesday, May 15
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
The Byzantine Wars
$22.77
Sold by TheWorldShopUSA and ships from Amazon Fulfillment.
Total price:
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Details
Added to Cart
Some of these items ship sooner than the others.
Show details Hide details
Choose items to buy together.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'Byzantine studies need more works like this ... this is a book of ambitious scope, with a lot to offer readers across a wide range of expertise.' - History

`Haldon has written an excellent compact, balanced, and intelligent broad synthesis of information about the Byzantine army. Within his page limits he has produced an admirable analytical study and comprehensive manual of information. His observations are intelligent and well organized. - Walter E. Kaegi, 2001

About the Author

John Haldon is Professor of History and Director of the Centre for Byzantine, Ottoman and Modern Greek Studies at the University of Birmingham. He is the author of several books, including Byzantium in the 7th Century (Cambridge, 1990) and State, Army and Society (Variorum, 1995).

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Routledge; 1st edition (June 24, 1999)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 400 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 185728495X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1857284959
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.3 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.14 x 0.91 x 9.21 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 16 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
John F. Haldon

John F. Haldon

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
16 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Matthew Brown
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book
Reviewed in the United States on April 17, 2013
Verified Purchase
Read this book for a class at the University of Kentucky. Great read and its not like other history books. It looks at other subjects and not as much on the X's and O's of Military combat but more on logistics and politics within the Byzantine Military.
3 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
JPS
4.0 out of 5 stars The main reference for studying Byzantium at war over the period 565-1204
Reviewed in the United States on March 12, 2012
First posted on Amazon.co.uk on 19 February 2012

I have had this book for over ten years and still believe it is a wonder, although it is perhaps not perfect. It is THE main reference on Byzantine warfare, although it does not cover byzantine warfare during the whole of the Empire's long life. It sgtarts from the death of Justinian (565), so that warfare during the second half of the 5th and most of the 6th century is not covered. In addition, and although it is portrayed as going up to 1204, it is in fact weak on the Komnenian period (1081-1204). John Haldon even gives the impression of having little interest in it and dismisses the imperial armies of this period in a rather off-handed way.

Despite these two shortcomings (which explain why the book gets four stars rather than the five that it would otherwise deserve), what you are left with is a superb book spanning some 500 years (about 500 AD to 1071, more or less). This is the period during which the Empire became "byzantine", had to fight for its survival, often on several fronts, managed to both survive, organize itself for war and expand but ended up by "losing the peace", as another byzantine historian once put it. This book has the same focus (mainly on the military and foreign relations) as "the Making of Byzantium" by Mark Whittow, although both as just as good. Below, I have listed what I believe to be some of its main qualities.

1) Context
The first three chapters present the context of Byzantine warfare, starting by the attitudes to warfare, but also, and very interestingly, the geographical and strategic context. One of the interesting points is that while Constantinople had typically been presented as ideally and strategically located, the rest of the Empire was not that easy to defend and was certainly exposed to attacks on several fronts. It is, contens the author, this situation of relative vulnerability that informed the use of the Empire's armed forces which is told in the third chapter which is very aptly entitled "Protect and Survive".

2) Administration and logistics
This is another of the book's strongpoints and one of Haldon's favorite topics. Through b oth the core text and his annexes, Haldon shows what a major challenge it was at the time to move around and feed large armies. He also shows that the optimal size of a force for a raid tended to be around 1000 cavalry and for major operations something around 10000. Another finding is that Byzantine armies could carry with them food and water for a maximum of three weeks before they had to re-supply. This also imposed major constraints on the range and length of campaigns. One of the reasons for these limitations, which also existed during the Roman Empire but were more accute during the Middle Ages, was that the Roman road system across the Empire had largely fallen into disuse and not been kept up everywhere, both because of the invasions and because of the maintenance costs that could not longer be afforded. As a result, mules tended to replace carts and heavier means of transport for carrying supplies, therefore reducing the amounts that could be moved to supply any given force.

3) Late Roman, thematic and tagmatic systems
The core pieces of the book, and where Haldon is perhaps at his best, are the descriptions of the Late Roman military organization, including deployment and logistics up to the Arab onslaught of the 7th century, the thematic organization based on localized forces backed up by a relatively small but more mobile central army mainly made up of cavalry regiments and the shifting emphasis, during the 10tn century, on having professional full-time soldiers stationed closer to the frontiers for offensive campaigns. The latter corresponds to what is sometimes called the "Byzantine Reconquests" (around 927 to 1025). One possible weakness of this book is that that it does not emphasize or identify what is essentialy the next period (from 1025 to 1071) during which the army evolved and the reasons for further departure from the thematic troops, but also from having large bodies of byzantine professional native troops. One reason was cost. The other was political risks which were well shown by the major rebellions that Basile II had to face in the earlier part of his reign. So, part of these troops were disbanded and some replaced by regiments of mostly foreign mercenaries who only owed their loyalty to their paymaster, the emperor.

4) Campaigns and combat
Thgese sections are also excellent. Haldon explains ib detail what became a key tenent of Byzantine military doctrine, and a departuire from the Roman times: engagements were only to take place if the odds were in favor of the Byzantines. Moreover, and even then, victories that could be gained with a minimum or no bloodshed were preferable. This is perhaps one of the main originalities of Byzantine warfare. While its filiation to Roman times if often mentioned (and over used), the link is rather to the second half of the fourth century and to the fifth century, when the Empire was at bay, rather than to the Imperial first or second centuries, when roman forces and generals aggressively seeked battle to destroy the enemy.

Anyway, this is a "must read" for anyone interested in Byzantium or its military forces, roughly between 565 and 1025, although it is often not an easy read. Note also that there are now some more specialized books dealing with some of the sub periods. One of the very best is Eric McGeer's "Sowing the Dragon's teeth" on warfare during the 10th century. Others are not so good...
10 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
E. Kelly
5.0 out of 5 stars Byzantine Military Details & History
Reviewed in the United States on June 17, 2009
Verified Purchase
After being interested in Byzantine military history since discovering Belisarius and Narses in Liddell Hart's book "Strategy" in the 1950's this is the book !! Anyone interested in this subject must have this outstanding book which is very well written and tremendously informative.
7 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Kirialax
5.0 out of 5 stars Magisterial
Reviewed in the United States on July 14, 2010
Without a doubt, this is the absolute standard military history of Byzantium, and probably will be for many years to come. Although I would consider this to be a military history, it is not one in the traditional sense. It is not a chronological run through of Byzantine history with an emphasis on military events. Rather, each chapter focuses on a particular theme, and then Dr. Haldon goes to show how this changed over time. If you're just looking for a general military history with a focus on tactics, equipment and battles, I recommend this book's companion volume,  The Byzantine Wars .

As the title suggests, this is a study primarily focused on how warfare related to society in East Rome. I'm just going to give a brief summary of each chapter. The first chapter deals with attitudes to warfare in East Rome, and finally puts that debate to bed. It is excellent, and examines the religious issues surrounding warfare, especially in light of the traditional views and Basil of Caesarea, and how we cannot apply the concept of 'holy war' to them, but that the Byzantine attitudes really need their own category. The second chapter deals with geography, and this one is exceptional. Geography and logistics are a specialty of Dr. Haldon's, and it really shows here. It is loaded with great maps, and deals primarily with how geography related to strategy, as well as the difficulties it created in waging any sort of military campaign. The third chapter deals primarily with organizational systems, and how the late Roman army became the thematic army. While the description far surpasses any that I have read to date, it does feel like Dr. Haldon is withholding a lot of information, especially considering his lengthy bibliography on the topic of middle Byzantine military organization. Although this particular topic could occupy several books, it is a shame that this chapter isn't another 50 pages longer or so. However, given its readability and how succinct of a summary that it is, it would be unreasonable to fault Dr. Haldon for not turning that one chapter into a book on its own. The following chapter continues the evolution of the army, but focuses instead on equipment, recruitment and tactical organization, providing a well-rounded and balanced picture of the army's evolution. The fifth and sixth chapters make up the bulk of the middle of the book, and deal with the army at war, the first on campaign, and the second on combat. The campaign section deals with camps, logistics and marching orders, while the combat section discusses the actual experience of battle, something that we do not know a whole lot about. The final chapter deals with the issues surrounding the status of soldiers, and how they behaved in society, and is quite revealing, as it uses often-obscure hagiographical evidence. The book closes with a brief concluding chapter and three appendices that all discuss logistics, and how we can calculate the amounts of food needed for soldiers and pack animals using the Law of Diminishing Returns. Although this system seems largely based upon Engel's study of the supply of Alexander the Great's army, it is nonetheless updated, interesting and useful.

This is an excellent history of how warfare relates to the Byzantine state and society. It is an essential read for any discussion of the Byzantine military, and now that it is in paperback, this important academic work is now affordable. If it has one problem, it is the use of endnotes. Haldon's notes are good, but would have served the text much better as footnotes, as one has to flip back and forth constantly. However, given the quality of work contained within, this is a minor complaint. This book is important for anyone interested in Byzantine warfare, and essential reading for any serious study of the topic.
23 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

a person of good taste
5.0 out of 5 stars just what the empire ordered.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 2, 2017
Verified Purchase
For my son who is at university doing ancient history. He loves it and so, what more can I say!
Report
peter
4.0 out of 5 stars Great
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 1, 2021
Verified Purchase
This is a very interesting and well written book.

Although it covers 650 years, it can be divided into four periods.

Up to the creation of the Thematic Army, which isn't that well served.
The Thematic Army.
The offensive Army.
The Comnenus Army, which, again, isn't that detailed.

Although there are a few facts that are repeated, this is a book that is easy to read. It's also very informative, covering everything you could imagine, short of actual campaign history regarding which force went where and when.

As a scholar of Anglo-Saxon England, learning about the struggles of Byzantium regarding supporting their armed forces, it does add force to the arguments of smaller forces being effectively available to the Anglo-Saxons and the Viking invaders.

It's hard to imagine anyone topping this book for many years to come.
Report
JS
5.0 out of 5 stars Essential to understand Byzantium
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 14, 2013
Verified Purchase
An excellent explaination of the bonds between warfare and society. It alows an in depth understanding of Byzantium. It does not, however, give an insight into the byzantine army.
Report
piero zattoni
4.0 out of 5 stars Review
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 12, 2013
Verified Purchase
Quite a good book: I found particularly interesting the considerations on the logistics of the armies, a subject that is often somewhat neglected by military historians.
One person found this helpful
 Report