Byzantine Spania c568-621?

[rodge]

I've been trying (unsuccessfully) to build a view of the Byzantine forces in the province of Spania (just the mainland) as source material is virtually non-existant and what is available lacks detail.

Start date of this exercise is 14 years after Justinian sent an army (I have no idea what this army was comprised of) c552 to 'assist' on the side of Athanagild in a Visigothic rebellion against Agila.
Wiki says that the Byzantines held only cities and towns and that the Goths had a free hand at ravaging the countryside but lacked the wherewithal to siege.
However, the same wiki article says that in the reign of Reccared (586-601) the Byzantines took the offensive; successfully it seems as Reccared attempted to get Pope Gregory to uphold an old treaty that fixed the Byzantine frontier (behind where they had got to allegedly).

After this the province declined under attacks (of varying success) under Leovigild, Witteric, Gundermar and Sisebut and ceased to exit as a Byzantine province c621-4.

It would seem that the Byzantine forces were not heavily reinforced (at least I can find no mention of this) so I'd welcome views on what the make up of the forces could have been 560-621 specifically in the offensive period somewhere between 568-601.

Pure guesswork suggests
1)   A core of good Byzantine heavy Infantry
2)   Some less good Byzantine and Hispano-Romano heavy infantry (perhaps garrison troops)
3)   The Magister Militum's Bucellarii (or suchlike) of good lance/bow cavalry
4)   Some Kavalleri type cavalry
5)   Moorish javelin armed light cavalry
6)   Assorted skirmishers (bow. sling, javelins)
7)   Possibly some Hispano-Romano or Moorish Javelin armed light infantry?

All views gratefully accepted.

[Justin Swanton]

This blog might be of use. During Leovigild's campaigns in the late 570's the Visigoths fought rustici rebellantes on at least two occasions, which suggests Bagaudae auxilia types fighting on the side of the Byzantines, a bit like the Armoriciani et al. who fought at Chalons for Aetius. They would need to have a prominent place in the OBs for this period.

Otherwise I just suppose a regular if somewhat smallish Byzantine army of the late 500's as per Maurice's Strategikon.

[Duncan Head]

I've been trying (unsuccessfully) to build a view of the Byzantine forces in the province of Spania (just the mainland) as source material is virtually non-existant and what is available lacks detail.

Indeed. According to this article, the textual evidence for the initial invasion comes to less than 250 words.

[Imperial Dave]

Thanks Duncan, as ever you are a mine of information and although brief, I really like the article being something of a byzantinophile myself!

[rodge]

Justin, I read that blog this morning but thanks for the reference. I don't know if there is evidence for the rustici rebellantes operating for the Byzantines; the blog suggests they operate in no man's land between the Visigoth and the Byzantines and prey on both.

Duncan, thanks for that article. Yes, 250 words in total for the invasion......still the article suggests that Narses' forces in part were used so thats a start point.

A search on Liberius turned up another bit of information on this wiki page
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberius_(praetorian_prefect)#cite_note-14
but there is no footnote to quality the figure of 2000 Byzantine troops sent under Liberius' command to Spain, just the Jordanes cite that O'Donnell in his biography of Liberius disputes (not that I've read the book) as he reckons Liberius was past it by that date (he was supposedly in his eighties):

'After him Thiudigisclus obtained the kingdom and, ruling but a short time, met his death at the hands of his own followers. He was succeeded by Agil, who holds the kingdom to the present day. Athanagild has rebelled against him and is even now provoking the might of the Roman Empire. So Liberius the Patrician is on the way with an army to oppose him. Now there was not a tribe in the west that did not serve Theodoric while he lived, either in friendship or by conquest.'
Jordanes, History of the Goths, LVIII 303

[rodge]

Following a bit more digging and some off Forum discussion with Roy here is a Byzantine Provincial Army in Spania list for Armati.
We intend to playtest this on 22nd May against the Visigoths.
Armati requires 75 points selected from the bonus.
Whilst I'm aware that Armati is not everyones thing views are gratefully accepted on the forces suggested....

Byzantine Provincial Army of Spania 552-621AD
In 552 a small part of Justinian's forces from the army of Narses in Italy was invited into Spain to assist in a Visigoth dynastic war and then chose not to leave. Taking advantage of Visigoth weakness Justinian formed the small Province of Spania that at first controlled most of the southern coastline of the peninsula and extended some way inland blocking any route into Byzantine North Africa; this small force received some reinforcements from Italy in 555.
After 601 the Byzantine sphere of influenced dwindled to a coastal strip under assaults from the Visigoth kings Leovigild, Witteric, Gundermar and Sisebut and ceased to exist as a Byzantine province c. 621-4 with the exception of the Balearic islands which held on until the Arab incursions.
However between 586-601, in the reign of the Visigoth king Reccared, the Byzantines took the offensive with, it would seem, some success as Reccared attempted to get Pope Gregory to uphold an old treaty that he believed fixed the Byzantine frontier behind where the inland offensive had reached.
Whilst the Byzantine army under a Magister Militum was no doubt a mainly garrison force centred on cities and towns this list offers the opportunity to create an army reinforced from Africa for the period of the offensive.

H4 L3 BP5    Init 5                         35

Core 96
1 K HC (d!) Bucellarii                 5[1]0 +2 Lance/Bow      15
1 K HC (d!) Kavallarii                 4[1]0 +1 Lance/Bow      12
1 K FT     Skutatoi                 5[1]1 +1 Spear/Bow      8
1 K FT     Skutatoi                 4[1]1 +1 Spear/Bow      6
1 K FT         Hispano-Romano Militia   4[0]0 +1 Spear      4
1 K LC     Moors            2[0]0 +1 Javelins      7
1 LI        Moors            3[1]2 +1 Javelins      5
1 SI                          2[0]0 +2 Bow         2
1 SI                           3[1]2 +2 Sling              2
   
Bonus 82
1 K HC (d!) Kavallari                 4[1]2 +1 Lance/Bow        12
1 K HC (d!) Renegade Goths           4[0]0 +1 Spear              10
2 K FT     Skutatoi                 4[1]1 +1 Spear/Bow      6/12   
4 K FT     Hispano-Romano Militia   4[0]0 +1 Spear              4/16   
3 K LC     Moors            2[0]0 +1 Javelins      7/21
1 LI        Moors            3[1]2 +1 Javelins      5
1 SI                          2[0]0 +2 Bow         2   
1 SI                          3[1]2 +2 Javs         2
1 SI                           3[1]2 +2 Sling*      2
   
African Reinforcements 586-601**  34
1 K HC (d!) Kavallari                 4[1]2 +1 Lance/Bow        12
1 K FT     Skutatoi                 5[1]1 +1 Spear/Bow      8
2 K LC     Moors            2[0]0 +1 Javelins      7/14

Core Terrain: 1 GR
Bonus Terrain (3 max): 2 GR, 2 SH, 1 RG

Notes
* If buying the African Reinforcement package this SI Sling is removed from bonus and does not count towards the extra light division.

**If any are bought all must be bought. Light troops in this package do not count towards the extra light division if the package is not used.

[stevenneate]

I hope that this is going to turn into some sort of article for Slingshot Rodger?!

[rodge]

Well Stephen it could do but I'd be pushed to expand it further bar digging out the scanty source stuff and a little from Kulikowski's 'Late Roman Spain and it's Cities'.
But I appreciate the encouragement, thank you.

[stevenneate]

You underestimate yourself.  I've written articles on far less historical source material!  I'm as interested in the wargaming army you constructed and the why's and how's, as well as the historical bit (however slight) and reading more on Armati.  As you go through each of these and add a picture or two you will find it easily turns into a 2-3 page article.  The new editor will bless you for it!

[Jim Webster]

Warren Treadgold in his 'Byzantium and its army' 284-1081 looks at army numbers

In pages 61-63 he comments that formal Byzantine armies seem to have been divisible by 5,000, and suggests that the army in Spain was just 5,000 strong.
(I paraphrase brutally)

Jim

[rodge]

Thanks Jim
Makes sense. Wiki has a number of 2000 but no reference to where this number comes from.
I've knocked out an article....

[Duncan Head]

Have you seen the Gladius article on lamellar armour from Byzantine Spain? Only relevant as an aside, I suppose - gladius.revistas.csic.es/index.php/gladius/article/download/196/198

[rodge]

No I haven't
Thanks for that

[aligern]

Actually very relevant on the basis that the Byzantines are clearly using standard bow armed heavy cavalry in Spain. 
I tend to the presumption that Avar style lamellae and arrowheads are indications of horse bows, though I suppose they could be foot.

Roy

[Duncan Head]

Good point, I'd forgotten the arrowheads.