Imperial army

[History of the Byzantine army]

The organizational infrastructure of the army of Byzantium was every bit as well-organized and efficient as it had been under the old Roman legions. The army had organic supply and logistics trains comprised of carts and pack animals to speed mobility, excellent siegecraft capabilities to include the full range of Roman artillery and siegecraft specialists, a fully articulated staff organization professionally trained in military academies, and a powerful navy to support ground operations. The genius of the Romans for military organization was preserved intact in almost all its earlier aspects.

[Alexi I Comnin]

The Imperial Byzantine army has four major contigents:
1.Imperial Navy
2.Imperial army
3.The Holy grave guard
4.Imperial Emperors guard

Also there are about 1500000 men in reserve.
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Imperial Navy

Three naval fleets are the Byzantine naval force.

First fleet is stationed in Trapezunt on the Black sea coast(Asia minor)
Its comprised of 20 Heavy warships for fleet action and about 40 Dromons which are one of the best ships in the world.
The first fleet is pride of the entire Byzantium and the Empire often sends it on military practices close to the coasts of other nations to show of the might of Byzantine empire's Navy forces.The operational commander of the fleet is admiral Demetrios one of the best naval commanders the Empire ever had.

Second fleet is thee Egean sea fleet and its stationed in Halicarnassus on the Egean coast(Asia minor).Its composed mainly of Heavy Quiquireme warships to figh off pirates.Its not nearly a shadow of the first fleet.The fleet is composed of 16 obsolete warships 13 dromoni and 40 quiquireme(ooc:RTW warships if anyone played).No operational commander because its mainly spread through Greece,Ionia and on the sea chasing pirates and protecting merchant ships.

Third fleet was originaly composed and stationed in Alexanria by Emperor Iustinianus when he took back most of the former Roman empire,but with the lose of those territories the fleet was sent to Constantinople and its stationed the at the moment.Fairly great power of the fleet is cut down by its small numerical weakness,only 30 ships(all dromoni) are in the fleet and the new reorganizing ideas are going to either decomission them or merge them with the Second fleet.
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Imperial army

6 armies of the Orthodox empire and few more indipendent regiments are the Imperial army of the Byzantine empire

4 armies are stationed throughout Asia minor and dont have only one permanent bas but are patroling throughout the border bases.
2 armies are in the mainland Europe
Each is comanded by local Strategos,but every two armies are comanded by the Imperial General
Each army is composed of aproximetly:
50000 infantry (spearmen,swordsman,archers...)
10000 cavalry (Byzantine Stratokoi,Laticons...)
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Also under Emperor's direct command there is

The Holy grave guard


They are the Elite regiment of volunteers from all around the world(christian countries) bound to protect Constantinople from external and internal threats.In their ranks there are almost every nationality soldiers.Their primary mission is to free the Holy land from infidels and to protect Constantinople.
Numbers:arround 15000 thousand all mounted and heavily armoured stationed on the Seljuc border in the Tikidion fortress.
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Imperial guard
The best of the Byzantine soldiers,the royal guard are the succesors of the Roman Preatorians.They are killing mashines and are drawn from the ranks of the best Byzantine units.Their ranks are abot 5000 stationed in Constantinople,and their only commander is the Emperor himself.

[Alexi I Comnin]

Equipment of the Byzantine Imperial army
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Standard weaponry of naval troops

Byzantine sailros are equiped with standard and long distance bows,shortswords and mail armor as they need to be fast and movable when they are boarding enemy ships.
Standard mail gives good protection and does not restrict mobility.The design is taken from early Roman legion standard medium armor and has proven to be very good design,also it has some weak points so that sailors can easily dispose the armor if they get into water.

Standard weaponry of the regular Imperial forces
Regular heavy infantry

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Heavy infantry has full breastplate,kneepads,legpads,armpads,and the join points are covered by light mail armor.Around from that new millitary reforms have issued them with new 1,5 meter square shields who also resemble the old Roman legionaires shields.Their main weapon is the onehanded longsword,but pikemen have 2 meter pikes.
There is no diffference with the armor between pikemen and swordsman but only in the weaponry.
The Empire didnt want to change the winning armor design.
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Light infantry and support
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Light infantry are used as borderguards and are called Limitanei,in a battle they are screening or flanking troops and are mainly spearmen.
Their main bases are in Asia minor as they have proved themselves as very effective millitary asset against the Eastern light cavalry enemies of the empire.
They are equiped with 2,5 meter spears,light chainmail and leather.Their high mobility makes them great border guards and anti-cavalry troops.Shields they have are basicly different from the heavy infantry shields as they are smaller and roundshaped.
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Toxotai(archers)

Equiped with longbows they are the main defending troops from the empire picked from all classes and trained under best marksman Empire has to offer.
Light leather and mail armor,shortswords,daggers make them the best defence of the Imperial cities.Every city must have a unit of Toxotai to defend it.They are mainly stationed in cities,and much lesser in forts as forts are defended by other army units.