The long history of the Byzantine Empire included having to fight many wars against a variety of opponents. It is not surprising, therefore, that the Byzantines also wrote about military matters and how to win at warfare. One of their best-known military treatises is the Taktika of Leo VI. Also known as Leo the Wise, he was the emperor of Byzantium from 886-912, a reign that saw wars with the Bulgarians, Arabs and internal rivals.
We do not know how much of the Taktika was composed by the emperor himself, and how much was left to his officials – many portions were copied from previous military treatises by Byzantine and ancient authors. The book is designed to be a guide for his generals, offering them advice on all military matters – topics covered include infantry and cavalry formations, drills, sieges and naval warfare. The final chapter of the Taktika is a collection of 221 ‘concise sayings’ – meant to reinforce the advice given in previous chapters.
Here are just a few of the maxims found in this chapter, which would be useful for both medieval and modern military commanders:
You can read the full text and translation of this work in The Taktika of Leo VI. Text, Translation and Commentary by George T. Dennis, which was published by Dumbarton Oaks in 2010.
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