Immortals (Byzantine)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Immortals (Greek: Ἀθάνατοι, Athanatoi) were one of the elite tagmata military units of the Byzantine Empire, first raised during the latter part of the 10th century.

Contents

[edit] History

The Athanatoi were a body of young men of noble status that was originally raised by John I Tzimisces.[1] The unit was revived under the Emperor Michael VII (1071–1081). His general Nikephoros reorganised the central field army/Imperial Guard ("Tagmata") of the Eastern Empire following the disastrous defeat suffered by the Byzantines at the Battle of Manzikert in 1071, when campaigning against the Seljuk Turks. The Seljuks had subsequently over-run most of Asia Minor, which had provided the main recruiting ground for the pre-Manzikert army.

As part of the reorganisation process, the remnants of the provincial troops of the Eastern themata (military provinces) were brought together as the Immortals, providing a new regiment of the Tagmata. The new Immortals may have been cavalry, like the bulk of the old Byzantine field army, but this is not certain.

The Byzantine historian Nicephorus Bryennius records that the Immortals numbered 10,000. He adds that the title of "Immortals" was originally accorded only to officers but was soon applied to the entire corps. In Walter Scott's novel "Count Robert of Paris" the Immortals appear as rivals to the Viking or Anglo-Saxon Varangian Guard for Imperial favour.

It is not known when the Immortals disappeared from the Byzantine order of battle. However the loss of the eastern provinces forced the Empire to depend increasingly on foreign mercenaries to the detriment of indigenous units such as the Immortals. The Tagmata had effectively ceased to exist by the death of Alexius I in 1118 (see Byzantine Armies 1118-1461 listed below), although the Varangians survived until at least 1204.

[edit] See also

[edit] Footnotes

  1. ^ See the Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium, entry Athanatoi.

[edit] References

  • Heath, Ian: "Byzantine Armies 886-1118" ISBN 0-85045-306-2.
  • Runciman, Steven: "Byzantine Civilisation".