"Akritoi Question" Topic

The marcher lords of the Byzantine Empire, reputedly a cultural mix of Byzantine and Turkish elements. I'm looking for information on their military capabilities/arms etc…

The "Clisurras" were semi-feudal, semi-independent border holdings, sometimes commanded by foreigners who had proven themselves in mercenary service. By the 11th century some of these may have even been "Franks". So the troops mix might be very interesting.

The troops under a Clissurarch didn't muster with the Thematic troops. And often their role would be to interdict raiders, with the Clisurras infantry holding a pass or river crossing, while the cavalry ran down the raiders to bring them to battle. (It is this classic scenario that I like to call "the battle in the pass", or "at the ford".)

Training would be Byzantine standard tactics and drill, for local or native troops, and standard for the mercenary types led by a foreign Clissurarch.

I have an army list for Clissuras. But I did not create it, ergo the information that went into its construction I have to accept as the work of my late friend. Its accuracy is, of course, as in all things wargaming, arguable….

I'd be happy to see it, I'm trying to recreate a substantial conflict between the akritoi and Danishmend or Seljuqid ghazis.

Have you read Constantine Porphyrogenitus and His World by Arnold Toynbee? Toynbee was interested in the themata and the akritoi, enough so that I considered fielding an akritoi band after reading it years ago.

Grelber

You want to get hold of 'The Days of the Warlords'

Clissuras:
Semi-independent "Byzantine" semi-feudal border
holdings

1000 A. D. to 1200 A. D.
Up to 100% cavalry:
up to 50% light cavalry, sword, lance and bow 4.
Morale: 00-39=C, 40-79=B, 80-99=A.
up to 50% medium cavalry, sword, lance, bow 3 and
4. Morale as above.
up to 20% heavy cavalry, sword, lance and bow 3 OR
darts. Morale as above.
up to 10% cataphract cavalry, sword, lance and bow 3
OR darts. Morale as above.

Up to 75% infantry:
up to 50% light or unarmored bowmen, sword and
bow 3. Morale: 00-59=C, 60-99=B.
up to 50% light spearmen, sword, spear and
3 javelins. Morale as above.
up to 50% medium pikemen, scutati, sword and pike
Morale as above.
up to 25% heavy pikemen, scutati, as above.

Organization:
Infantry: 20mm by 20mm bases; units of 4-8 bases;
bowmen must be paired with scutati, or one bow unit to
every two scutati units.
Cavalry: 25mm by 40mm bases; units of 4-8 bases.

Note: these "baronies" would provide smaller armies of
no more than c. 2,000 cavalry and c. 3,700 infantry. In a
campaign the Clissuras do not add to the strength of any
imperial or thematic field army. The cavalry of the
Clissuras chased down raiders while the infantry held the
fortified places or moved to hold passes and fords across
which the raiders must return. We include this army list
with some interest in completeness, not in expectation
that it will appear often on the gaming table.
In the 11th and 12th centuries, some Clissuras were held
by ex-foreigners. This resulted in the bow 4 types being
former Steppes tribesmen mercenaries. Similarly, after
Manzikert (1071) a Clissurarch could be a Franco-
Norman. Any former mercenary type in fact could
become the lord of such a holding. If so, then substitute
with the appropriate weaponry and equipment.

Tactics:
Infantry: open and close order, column, shield-wall,
square, wedge, checkerboard, pivot, wheel, withdraw post
combat, open and close order missile fire, pre-contact
and double-pre-contact missile fire, screened missile fire,
phalanx (scutati only: locked line, rank bonus, +25%
charge bonus, shieldwall, +50% versus cavalry, moving
bonuses, does not check to receive, trot and run).

Cavalry: open and close order, column, wedge
(Franco-Normans prohibited), checkerboard (Franco-
Normans prohibited), pivot, wheel, half charge
(horsearchers), charge, western charge (Franco-Normans
only), open and close order missile fire, withdraw post
combat, feigned rout.

GWA, thanks that's a great starting point. I'll look into the literature you guys mentioned. Of course one thing leads to another and now I'm considering building a Trapezuntine Byzantine army….

V Useful – I built an Akritoi outfit for SAGA, thats an ideal ruleset for these sorts of forces IMO.

The Byzantine folk hero Digenis Akritas was a border lord:
Digenis (Diogenes) Akritas fights the dragon, 12th century

And other depictions of Diogenes Akritas:
Digenis Akritas slays the dragon with five arrows
Digenis Akritas saves a princess abandoned in the desert

Druzhina
Byzantine Illustrations of Costume & Soldiers