Page 204 - Western Civilization A Brief History, Volume I To 1715 9th - Jackson J. Spielvogel

A Byzantine Emperor Gives Military Advice
Both the Byzantine emperors and the ruling elite realized that military forces alone would not suffice, and consequently they fostered the art of diplomacy and military intelligence. This document is from an early- seventh-century work entitled the Strategikon (stra-TEE- jih-kahn), a manual of strategy written by the emperor Maurice (582–602), himself an experienced general who led his troops into battle. The work is based on the assumption that a detailed knowledge of the habits and fighting skills of their enemies would give the Byzantines an advantage if they had to fight.
Maurice, Strategikon
The light-haired races [Germanic peoples] place great value on freedom. They are bold and undaunted in battle. Daring and impetuous as they are, they consider any timidity and even a short retreat as a disgrace. They calmly despise death as they fight violently in hand-to- hand combat either on horseback or on foot. If they are hard pressed in cavalry actions, they dismount at a single prearranged sign and line up on foot. Although only a few against many horsemen, they do not shrink from the fight. They are armed with shields, lances, and short swords slung from their shoulders. They prefer fighting on foot and rapid charges.
Whether on foot or horseback, they draw up for battle, not in any fixed measure and formation, or in regiments or divisions, but according to tribes, their kinship with one another, and common interest. Often, as a result, when things are not going well and their friends have been killed, they will risk their lives fighting to avenge them. In combat they make the front of their battle line even and dense. Either on
horseback or on foot they are impetuous and undisciplined in charging, as if they were the only people in the world who are not cowards. They are disobedient to their leaders. They are not interested in anything that is at all complicated and pay little attention to external security and their own advantage. They despise good order, especially on horseback. They are easily corrupted by money, greedy as they are.
When it comes to a cavalry battle, they are hindered by uneven and wooded terrain. They are easily ambushed along the flanks and to the rear of their battle line, for they do not concern themselves at all with scouts and other security measures. Their ranks are easily broken by a simulated flight and a sudden turning back against them. . . .
Above all, therefore, in warring against them one must avoid engaging in pitched battles, especially in the early stages. Instead, make use of well-planned ambushes, sneak attacks, and stratagems. Delay things and ruin their opportunities. Pretend to come to agreements with them. Aim at reducing their boldness and zeal by shortage of provisions or the discomfort of heat or cold. This can be done when our army has pitched camp on rugged and difficult ground. On such terrain this enemy cannot attack successfully because they are using lances.
Q According to Maurice, what are the strengths and weaknesses of the Germanic peoples? Based on his analysis of their traits, what advice does he give his military forces in the event that they face the Germans in battle?
Source: George T. Dennis, trans., Maurice’s Strategikon: Handbook of Byzantine Military Strategy, Book 11 (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1984), pp. 118–119.
The Rise of Islam
Q FOCUS QUESTION: What was the basic message of Islam, and why was it able to expand so successfully?
The Arabs were a Semitic-speaking people of south- western Asia with a long history. In Roman times, the Arabian peninsula came to be dominated by Bedouin nomads who moved constantly to find water and food for themselves and their animals. In early times, the
Bedouins had supported themselves primarily by sheepherding or by raiding passing caravans, but after the domestication of the camel during the second millennium B.C.E., the Bedouins began to participate in the caravan trade themselves and became major car- riers of goods between the Persian Gulf and the Medi- terranean Sea.
Although these early Arabs were polytheistic, they believed in a supreme God named Allah (AH-lah) (Ara- bic for “God”) who ruled over the other gods. Allah was
166 Chapter 7 Late Antiquity and the Emergence of the Medieval World
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