Byzantium and the early islamic conquests
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·        Were religious divisions decisive in weakening Byzantine authority? No evidence Monophysite disloyalty between 600 and 638

·        Old view Maurice’s policy with Arabs decent – Persian wars expose weaknesses – violent rebellion, virtual collapse Byzantine armies 610 – 15- Persian invasion and occupation of Syria, Palestine and Egypt. – perilous condition empire

·        Slow rate of change between 4^th and 7^th centuries contributed to intensity, violence, acceleration and scope of change hit unprepared Byzantium.  Empire lost equilibrium - rigid world view ands religious confidence shattered - Muslim invasion followed Heraclius victory over Persians too swiftly to permit imperial restabilization. Succession internal and external crisis created insecurity, contradiction and volatility.

·        Institutions out of date – Heraclius restored parts of old administrative structure that existed before hiatus of Persian occupation

·        Problems paying soldiers long wracked Byzantine armies and bureaucracy – hindered coherent and effective defence of provinces Muslims threatened

·        Appointment treasurer – shows shortage of money, but best man for military role?

·        Appointment local people to feed armies and maintain section of defensive walls – sign of weakening central governmental power, privatisation of military and civilian power – inconsistent with other governmental policies – such as prohibition and restrictions private, ownership, sale and production of weapons.

·        Melting of church plate and bronze statues in Egypt show problems with system – beginning 7^th century inconsistent, contradictory practices somehow coexisted

·        Local officials unready to handle unprecedentley large number of Byzantine and allied soldier and supply them with payments in kind in an area – no Byzantine armies had previously held comparable positions in late Roman and early Byzantine eras – under preparedness and lack of cooperation exlain logisitical crisis and breakdown that developed into military unrest o eve of battle Yarmuk 636 – contributed to destruction cohesion of Byzantine soldiers

·        Short term Byzantium able to raise troops – civilian population unhappy and unwilling to assume fiscal burden of supporting these troops or even defend own region.

Other Notes in this Category

1. army – its size and effectiveness for the defense of the eastern borders
2. Birth of the Islamic State
3. Byzantine authority and the nomads – divergent views
4. Byzantine reliance on arab military resistance
5. Byzantium and the early islamic conquests
6. Caliphate of ali – 656 – 661
7. Conquest and division in the time of the rashidun caliphs
8. Difficulty in devising defence for Syria
9. Elements of Failure and Endurance
10. End of the Ancient Economy
11. Foundation of the marwand caliphate and the achievemnet of ‘abd al-malik
12. Islamic conquests
13. Limitations defense-in-depth strategy
14. Military leadership of heraclius
15. relevance of recent war with persia
16. Richard n. frye – arab conquests in iran
17. State of strategy and warfare
18. The matric of the muslim world:
19. The umayyad caliphate
20. Umar and the early islamic conquests – 634 – 644
21. Whittow – making of byzantium

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