"Byzantines for Manzikert" Topic

I do not know too much (yet) about the Byzantines, but I have been fascinated by the Byzantine army of the Campaign and Battle of Manzikert 1071.

I am no gamer (sorry! :D), I just collect and paint miniatures, and I like making vignettes. This is why I find the V&V Miniatures Byzantines very tasty for my purposes. Can any of the more knowledgeable members here tell me if the V&V Byzantines would suit Manzikert?

Then: I have read the books
Road to Manzikert, Byzantine and Islamic Warfare 527-1071, by Brian Todd Carey (Pen & Sword)
Manzikert 1071, The Breaking of Byzantium, by David Nicolle (Osprey Campaign)

What do you think about these books:
Byzantine Infantryman c. 900-1204, Timothy Dawson (Osprey Warrior)
Byzantine Cavalryman c. 900-1204, Timothy Dawson (Osprey Warrior)
The Varangian Guard 988-1453, Raffaele D'Amato (Osprey MaA)
Byzantine Armies 325 AD-1453 AD, Dimitris Belezos

I understand that the Byzantine Armies 886-1118 book by Ian Heath (Osprey MaA), being a bit of age, is not very satisfying? What else could be suggested if one plans to deepen one's knowledge of the Byzantine Army of the period?

Thank you very much and cheers,
Peter

Peter,

The figures made by V&V Miniatures look right for that period of Byzantine military history.

I have Byzantine Armies by Belezos and think it is a good reference. Although just a little prior to Manzikert, you might want to try Byzantium Triumphant: The Military History of the Byzantines, 959-1025 by Julian Romane, published by Pen & Sword in the UK. In the US you can get it through Amazon or Barnes and Noble.

I have a sizeable Byzantine force in 15mm, primarily for the 1000 AD period although I'm beginning to expand it to cover the 500-600 AD period. You can see some of my latest efforts at link .

Jim

The army of 1071 would include a wide variety of troops from many different parts of the Empire plus mercenaries from all over the place. Normans, Turks, and Armenians to name a few. The Varangian Guard was also present along with all the Tagmata Regiments. I would suggest the new Osprey Roman Heavy Cavalry 500 to 1450 as a pretty good source for cavalry along with the Timothy Dawson books.

Thank you very much, guys! That's very helpful!