Medieval Warfare Vol. VI.3 - Legacy of Ancient Rome

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Medieval Warfare Vol. VI.3 - Legacy of Ancient Rome

The Byzantine-Sassanid Wars

Subject: William E. Welsh, The Byzantine-Sassanian Wars - Bitter Rivals

From the ashes of the Parthian Empire, razed by the Roman legions in 224 AD, arose a more aggressive successor state. The Sassanian kings were as skilled at diplomacy as they were at war. In the late 5th century, the Sassanians began a series of protracted wars with the Byzantines along their heavily fortified common border. After a series of limited border wars, the rivalry exploded into all-out war.

The Source: Murray Dahm, the Strategikon, and the Sassanians - Learning from the Enemy

The Strategikon, a Byzantine military manual supposedly written by Emperor Maurice (r. 582–602), offers remarkable insights into the war between the Sassanian and Byzantine empires. In Book 11.1, the author of the work distills everything he has observed and learned about how the Sassanians waged war. Not only that, but he follows this advice on how a commander could defeat such an enemy.

The Reenactor: Nadeem Ahmad, Sassanian Iran's Arms and Armor - Arming the Knights of the Shahs

The Sassanid dynasty ruled Iran, much of the Near East, and parts of Central Asia between the mid-3rd and mid-7th centuries AD. They followed the Arsacid (Parthian) dynasty and were a conduit for many Central Asian influences on Iran and Europe. Their influence can be felt even today, as they helped shape the way nations, states, and courts functioned throughout Asia.

Subject: Haggai Olshanetsky, Justinian's Army at War - Fields of Byzantium

Some claim that Justinian I (r. 527–565 AD) was indeed the last of the Roman emperors. This argument is based on the nature of Justinian's rule: legislation and a desire to impose his rule on territories lost following the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in 476 AD, when the emperor Romulus Augustulus was deposed by the Gothic leader Odoacre (also known as Odoacer or Odovacar).

Topic: Daan Nijssen, historical background of the war 602-628 - what inspired Khosrau?

The ancient dispute between the Romans and Persians reached a climax in the war of 602–628, which surpassed all previous Roman–Persian wars.
Wars of scale and destructiveness. The main cause of this escalation was Khosrau's fanaticism and his unwillingness to make peace in 610. Instead of accepting Heraclius's peace offer, Khosrau decided to exhaust his reserves of wealth and manpower in a (self-)destructive war to destroy Byzantium. What inspired him to make this decision?

Subject: Sidney E. Dean, Battle of Nineveh, December 12, 627 AD - Pyrrhic victory of Byzantium

After a decade of defending against the seemingly unstoppable Sassanids, the Byzantine emperor Heraclius I launched a counterattack—an offensive—in 622 AD. Between 624 and 626, he defeated five Persian field armies, including one led by Shah Khosrow II himself. Heraclius devastated northern parts of the Sassanid Empire, encouraged his Goktušrk allies to do the same, and campaigned in the Caucasus to capture or neutralize Persian client states. By 627, he felt ready to launch a decisive blow against his weakened enemy.

The Weapon: Owen Rees, Comparing Archers from Japan and Great Britain

An examination of two societies and the archer's position within them can reveal a wealth of insight not only into the archer, but also into the bow's place in the warfare of the period. By comparing two different cultures, a contrast can be created and an exploration of the different roles the archer can play can be explored, something that cannot be fully appreciated using only one example.

Special: Artis Aboltins and Saint Jansone, Crusades in the Eastern Baltic Region

When the Crusades are mentioned, most people immediately think of the events in the Holy Land and tend to overlook the events that took place in northern Europe in the late 12th and much of the 13th centuries. However, these "Northern Crusades" played a very important role in shaping the history of the entire region.

The Battle: Ross Cowan, The Battle of Loch Lochy, 1544 AD - More like lions than men

On July 15, 1544, Hugh Fraser, the third Lord Lovat, marched north along the shore of Lochy. The Fraser chief was
Accompanied by his son and heir, Simon, the Master of Lovat, and his nephew, Ranald Gallda, a claimant to the title of Captain of Clan Ranald, they were followed by 400 warriors, selected from the foremost knights and able men of Clan Fraser. This host was about to fight one of the most famous battles in Highland history.

Knights of the Movie: Murray Dahm, Medieval Warfare in Film - King Arthur II

In our last article on Movie Knights, we briefly examined general depictions of King Arthur in film. This time, we'll delve into the details of several films and examine their depiction of the war: specifically John Boorman's Excalibur (1981), Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975), and Knights of the Round Table (1953).
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