This book review is covering the following: Decker, Michael J. The Byzantine Art of War. Yardley, Pennsylvania: Westholme Publishing, 2013, 276 pages. The author, Michael J. Decker, provides his readers a thesis that can be found within his introduction of the Bysantine Empire. His introduction provides a the reader a brief glimpse of how the Byzantine Empire was developed and states that no other European state in history has sustained such “losses, survived and revived to such prominence” and the center of its revival is its army. The author also established his intended audience for this book was the nonspecialist audience and students of military history. Michael J. Decker utilized one hundred and seven sources throughout his book …show more content…
With each chapter covering a specific topic this allows for the reader to remain focused and understand the relevance of the information Micheal J. Decker is providing. For one example chapter two covers the topic of the Empire’s leadership within the army. He delves into the importance of the commanders to their troops and even how the troops viewed them even on a spiritual level. He even states, “The loss of a general or emperor in command of the host usually meant its defeat and dispersal”. This chapter conveyed the importance of senior leadership, but also displayed a weakness in leadership in the lower ranks if a commander falls in battle. With the book being broken down into topics this allows potential readers to use his book as a reference with ease. It also simplifies the understanding of the books topic that covers a complex Empire that spanned over a …show more content…
Michael J. Decker has condensed a millennium off Byzantine history into only 276 pages. He even admits throughout the book that it is impossible to cover the Byzantine Empire even with a focus of military in only 276 pages. This book provides an excellent foundation or starting point for an understanding of the Byzantine Empire, but if the reader is expecting for an in-depth detailed analysis of the Byzantine Empire they will be disappointed with this book. With the lack of specific in-depth details this book may lose academic audience who are obtaining a Master or PhD level degree. To give credit to Michael J. Decker he did establish his intended target audience so any reader of The Byzantine Art of War should not be taken by surprise with the lack of in-depth
Ogier Ghiselin de Busbecq worked as a diplomat for the Austrian Empire at a time during which they were terrorized with the threat of the Ottoman Empire who wished to expand further into Central Asia. It is helpful for historians to use Ogier Ghiselin’s perspective as a foreigner when looking towards the political and military life of the Ottoman Empire, because he is able to truly calculate and respect the difference between the two places. However his perceptions may also be biased or overemphasized, simply due to his outsider status.
Both the Ottoman and the Mungal empires were not only among the most successful empires but also the greatest empires which have been highly esteemed in the history. The two empires had various military similarities despite the fact that there were many differences which existed. Both of the empires had gone through times of growth as well as prosperity. Despite the fact that Ottoman and Mungal Empire never forced conversions into Islam, the Ottoman Empire was heavily relying on the tough military training. Both of the empires had diverse military strategies that they use to ensure that they ruled throughout Asia, with the Ottoman Empire extending into the European region. My article thus analysis the various military capabilities
Constantinople was the newfound Christian capital of the eastern Roman Empire, otherwise known as the Byzantine Empire. Throughout its long history, there have been many different attacks on the religious capital city. Over a period of 1123 years, Constantinople was a solid city controlled by the Byzantines apart some small upsets. Multiple attacks and sieges were attempted to overthrow the city, however, most failed miserably. It wasn’t until 1453 that the city finally fell to the Ottoman Empire. Some victories of the Byzantines may have been caused by a weapon called Greek fire, believed to be invented around the 650’s AD (Groller). The weapon was similar to today’s weapon, napalm.
In “The Sniper” by Liam O’Flaherty, it explores the idea that in war, people are actually killing their brothers. This theme is portrayed through the use of irony and imagery. Initially, the author uses death imagery to emphasize the scene of the story, “with the machine gunner’s head hanging lifelessly over the turret. The woman’s corpse lay still in the gutter.” This quote gives the reader a visualization of the street in the story where everything is lifeless, silent and depressing.
Many have priorly stated that history repeats itself time and time again. This can be seen throughout history but, especially so during the Crusades. This paper will discuss the parallels between the First and Fourth Crusade. We will also take a brief look at the aftermath of the Fourth Crusade and how it compares to the aftermath of the Second Crusade.
In this essay I will break down and give background on the conflicts between the Ottoman and Habsburg Empires. I will compare and contrast a few of the economical differences between these empires.
The Byzantine Empire, seen as a direct continuation of the Roman Empire, lasted approximately from 500-1450 CE. This empire proved to be a valuable city for both the Greeks as well as the Romans. Throughout history, the Aegean Sea, the Bosphorus Strait, and Constantinople all impacted Roman history through constant trade and achievements. Other than trade, perfecting the oil industry, and the construction of aqueducts, conduits, and tunnels was other main achievements.
The research question for this paper is as follows: To what extent were Attila the Hun’s military tactics effective? The importance of this question stems from the fact that Attila the Hun is one of the greatest military leaders of all time and his military tactics helped to contribute to the fall of the Roman Empire. The Hun’s military practices, important battles between the Huns and other militaries and their outcomes, and Attila’ s importance to their success are issues that will be covered. The paper will focus on Attila’s time as ruler, which stretched from 435-453 CE. It will also be focusing on the area of the Hunnic Empire and both the Eastern and Western Roman Empires. The research will come from primary and secondary sources. It will answer the research question through the research of Attila the Hun’s military strategies and techniques and its effectiveness against opposing militaries.
Viewed through ends, ways, means, the character of the Athens strategy evolved from the defensive from the beginning of the war into the offensive during the Sicilian expedition until the end of the war. Changing the strategy in the war is not unusual because its formulation and implementation are influenced by many factors from the inner and outer surroundings. As always, when it comes to changes, the reason
Current militaries have benefitted from the principles of ancient Greek and Roman warfare by studying the ancient battles, tactics, and use of supplies to develop effective military plans. Current militaries study and debate historical turning points of the ancient battles to understand how the leaders planned and executed battles. The empires’ growth was due in part to the might and successes of their military. The strength of their militaries came from many factors including their use of armor, weapons, and military tactics. The empires’ leaders used these three advantages to create the superior armies of their time.
Playing the Mind like a Puppet They are everywhere, on the tele, in the streets, high up in the air. Words that have the power of persuasion and manipulation. The world lives its life of manipulation, believing anything that is heard and seen. The news, the most powerful social outlet, is one of the main causes of manipulation and is able to persuade, with just words.
In The middle of the Eleventh Century The tranquillity of the eastern Mediterranean seemed assured for many years to come, but little did the people know what was ahead . This, thus embark us on a journey back into the First Crusade. In this paper I will be discussing the events that lead up to the first in a long line of crusades. I will also be mentioning the lives of some of the crusaders through letters that they wrote. The crusades were a time of confusion for most people, yet today we look back at them as a turning point.
Though both had similar roots, they both took these similar bases & formed it into their own way. Both the Byzantine Empire and Ancient Roman have similar aspects, but each one made it unique. To better understand the similarities and differences of the Byzantine Empire and Ancient Romans one must look at each civilization’s cultural ideas, religion, & dependence on lower class.
Since the beginning of time, humans have had vices, many of them psychoactive drugs. Similarly, mankind has always had a history of prejudice and mistreatment of groups with different beliefs or different skin color. In America, legislation of these drugs has often been used as a method to control minority groups. From alcohol in the 1800’s through opium in the mid 1800’s to cocaine in the early 1900’s and marijuana in the 1930’s, drug legislation has largely been driven by groups of people with prejudices against certain minority and ethnic groups. Through gaining support in Congress and often the backing of big industry money, these groups would push to ban or restrict these drugs that were usually associated with a minority group they opposed.
Abstract: In this paper I attempt to admire the spectator’s experience while viewing the Arch of Titus, and bring to the forefront why I find the Arch of Trajan to be underappreciated. I will compare the two by first analyzing the meaning of the Arch of Titus, and then analyzing and summarizing the Arch of Trajan. The source I used for the Arch of Trajan may be among the outliers of most scholars, but I find that I agree with their analysis of the arch in that it was not simply a list of Trajan’s accomplishments, but rather outcomes of his famed policy, unrightfully credited to Nerva, of alimenta.