What changes occurred in the military during the Byzantine Middle Period?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Answers will vary. In the face of expansion of the Muslim forces and unrest from the Slavs, the Byzantine military made several key reforms. First, to maintain the army as revenues dropped off, Emperor Constans II reorganized the military into administrative units known as themes, placing each under the command of a military governor. Each theme had to provision itself from the command area. This resulted in less administrative burden on the Byzantine government. Secondly, improvements were made in the navy and there was greater employment of cavalry. A significant weapon used by the navy was Greek fire, a substance which would burn on water, thus allowing the Byzantines to utilize it against Arabic coastal expansion. The use of a new heavy cavalry in the eighth century known as cataphracts helped bolster Byzantine land forces. Finally, utilizing military intelligence and subterfuge as a strategy allowed the Byzantines to create dissension and fracture alliances among their enemies.