Tactica of Emperor Leo VI the Wise

The Tactica (Greek: Τακτικά) is a military treatise written by or on behalf of Byzantine Emperor Leo VI the Wise in c. 895–908^[1] and later edited by his son, Constantine VII.^[2] Drawing on earlier authors such as Aelian, Onasander and the Strategikon of emperor Maurice,^[2] it is one of the major works on Byzantine military tactics, written on the eve of Byzantium's "age of reconquest". The original Greek title is τῶν ἐν πολέμοις τακτικῶν σύντομος παράδοσις ("short instruction of the tactics of war"). The Tactica elaborates on a wide variety of issues, such as infantry and cavalry formations, drills, siege and naval warfare etc. It is written in a legislative form of language and comprises 20 Constitutions (Διατάξεις Diataxeis)^[3] and an Epilogue and is concluded by 12 additional chapters, the latter mainly focusing on ancient tactics.

Text

The text of the Tactica is transmitted in several manuscript prototypes, of which the most authoritative date to within a generation of Leo himself. Leo mentions within the Tactica, that Christianity could adopt Islam's doctrine of a "holy war" for its military applications.^[4]

An edition with English translation by G. T. Dennis (ed.), The Taktika of Leo VI. Text, Translation and Commentary ([CFHB 49] Dumbarton Oaks, Washington, D.C. 2010), was translated from a 10th-century Florentine manuscript.^[5]

Preface
Chapter I - On Tactics and On the General
Chapter II -On who the General should be
Chapter III - On how the Decision should be taken
Chapter IV - On the Division of the Host and the Condition of the Officers
Chapter V - On Arms
Chapter VI - On the Equipment of Cavalry and Infantry
Chapter VII - On Drilling Infantry and Cavalry
Chapter VIII - On Military Punishments
Chapter IX - On Marching
Chapter X - On Baggage Trains
Chapter XI - On Camps
Chapter XII - On Military Preparation
Chapter XIII - On the Day before Battle
Chapter XIV - On the Day of Battle
Chapter XV - On Besieging a Town
Chapter XVI - On the Actions after the War is Concluded
Chapter XVII - On Surprise Attacks
Chapter XVIII - On the Studying of Various Heathen and Roman Formations
Chapter XIX - On Naval Warfare
Chapter XX - On Various Maxims
Epilogue

Additions from the Sylloge Tacticorum

Chapter XXXII - Their (Ancient Greek) Infantry Formations
Chapter XXXIII - Their (Ancient Greek) Cavalry Formations
Chapter XXXIV - Their (Ancient Greek) Mixed Formations
Chapter XXXV - How the Romans Name the Officers of the Army and their Units
Chapter XXXVIII - Roman Infantry Arms
Chapter XXXIX - Roman Cavalry Arms
Chapter XLI - Names of Troop Maneuvers
Chapter XLII - Phalanx Formations
Chapter XLIII - On Depth, that is the Depth of Infantry and Cavalry Formations, their Length and the Space Occupied by an Infantryman within the Formation, the Cavalryman and on the Interval between them within the Formations and on the Flight of an Arrow.
Chapter LIII - What the General Should Do When Besieged
Chapter LIV - What Should the General Do When Besieging the Enemy
Chapter LV - How Should the General Speedily Build a Fort close to Enemy Border Without a Pitched Battle

References

^ Religious service for Byzantine soldiers and the possibility of Martyrdom, c.400 - c.1000, Paul Stephenson: "Just Wars, Holy Wars, and Jihads: Christian, Jewish, and Muslim Encounters and Exchanges", ed. Sohail H. Hashmi (Oxford University Press, 2012), 35.
^ ^a ^b Edward N. Luttwak, The Grand Strategy of the Byzantine Empire (Harvard University Press, 2009), 305.
^ Shaun Tougher, The Reign of Leo VI (886-912): Politics and People (Brill, 1997), 169.
^ Bernard Lewis, The Middle East:A brief history of the last 2000 years (Scribner, 1995), 234–235.
^ George Dennis, The Taktika of Leo VI (Dumbarton Oaks, 2010), xiii.

External links

J.P. Migne's Patrologia Graeca, Vol. 107 contains the original Greek text of the Tactica and a Latin translation (coll. 669-1116)
The 1917 edition of Rezső Vári is available at Open Library. (Original Greek text and a preface in Latin)

[1] Religious service for Byzantine soldiers and the possibility of Martyrdom, c.400 - c.1000, Paul Stephenson: "Just Wars, Holy Wars, and Jihads: Christian, Jewish, and Muslim Encounters and Exchanges", ed. Sohail H. Hashmi (Oxford University Press, 2012), 35.

[Edward-2] Edward N. Luttwak, The Grand Strategy of the Byzantine Empire (Harvard University Press, 2009), 305.

[3] Shaun Tougher, The Reign of Leo VI (886-912): Politics and People (Brill, 1997), 169.

[4] Bernard Lewis, The Middle East:A brief history of the last 2000 years (Scribner, 1995), 234–235.

[5] George Dennis, The Taktika of Leo VI (Dumbarton Oaks, 2010), xiii.

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Text

Contents

References

External links