Armour

The Roman Empire

For more information about the following soldiers see my various articles and books listed on the publications page.

The tenth century onwards: the Taktika of Leo “the Wise” and the Composition on Warfare of Nikêforos Fôkas

Emperor Leo IV, known somewhat debatably as “The Wise”, sat upon the Golden Throne from 886 to 913. It was under his rule that the literary renaissance of the tenth century was launched. A particular feature of this trend was a renewed attention to codifying and recording military practice and technology. Two manuals were compiled during his reign, the Taktika attributed explicitly to him and the Syllogê Taktikôn (Latinised = Sylloge Tacticorum). These works contain amongst other things, the first recorded reference to lamellar armour as a staple of regular troops.
Presently there are no complete English translations of either of these manuals, although Charles Oman includes some of the Taktika in his book on warfare in the middle ages.

The Composition on Warfare (commonly known by the Latinised title Praecepta Militaria), a military manual written about 965 by Nikiphoros Phokas, goes into much detail about the optimal arms and armour for Roman troops of the time. When correctly read in the light of other source material and practical knowledge, it is an invaluable basis for reconstructing Roman arms and armour of the late tenth to twelfth centuries.
The most accessible edition is contained in Eric McGeer, Sowing the Dragon’s Teeth, Washington 1995, however the parallel English translation and notes are not to be relied upon too readily.

It was to take another two centuries or more before Western armour was to approach the quality of the best described in these sources. Some of the most basic forms, such as padded garments, were to become European staples in the wake of contact with Levantine cultures during the Crusades.

Despite the dynastic wars of the later eleventh century and the depredations of the Crusaders, the eleventh and twelfth centuries were a period of economic growth for the empire. This allowed some development of some more heavily armoured troops, although they were not common, and the earlier styles continued through.