Command Structure of Byzantine Army between the 7th and Early 8th Centuries: The Formation and Development Peculiarities of the Office of Strategos

Abstract

This paper considers the duties and formation peculiarities of the office of strategos (commander-in-chief of any regional Byzantine army) during the early stage of its existence, i.е. between the 7 th and first half of the 8 th centuries. The author refers to three special issues related to Byzantine-Arab wars, i.e. 1) the office and functions of Maurianus, who was commander of the Byzantine troops in the Armenian provinces of the Empire (mid-650s); 2) the peculiarities of interaction between the strategos and tourmarchoi in the army of Anatolicoi ; 3) the strategos of Sicily named Bonifatius and his activity according to The Life of Saint Pancratius of Taormina . Having considered these issues, the author concludes that, firstly, the strategoi usually were direct successors of the old command offices, i.e. masters of soldiers of some expeditionary armies ( magistri militum ); such masters had existed since late Antiquity (an instance is Maurianus, who was the master of soldiers of Armenia ( magister militum per Armeniam ), later the office was replaced by the strategos of the Armeniakoi ). Secondly, by 681 AD the central government of the empire established an office of tourmarchos in each regional army, tourmarchos being a subordinate of the strategos . And, finally, the author believes that the way of extension of strategos ’ power, i.е. shifting from a pure military commander to a self-sufficient governor of a theme (military-administrative district) consisted in extended financial duties added to the power of a strategos in the form of taxation and distribution of money and provisions among the troops.