This group session delves into the intricate interplay between military conflict, economic exchange and diplomatic relations that shaped Byzantium’s influence in the Balkans and surrounding regions. The session aims to explore how the Empire navigated various external challenges. Key themes will include the impact of warfare on trade routes and economic stability, the role of diplomacy in forging alliances or mitigating conflicts, and the ways in which the Byzantine administration adapted to shifting circumstances. The session will highlight the resilience and ingenuity of the Byzantine Empire in maintaining its authority and influence, revealing insights into crisis management and the lasting effects of Byzantine actions on regional dynamics. Through a multidisciplinary approach, including historical, archaeological, and economic perspectives, this session aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of how war, trade, and diplomacy interconnected in the Byzantine world and beyond.
This contribution focuses on the two surprise attacks by the Avars on the Eastern Roman Empire and their reception in both contemporary and later Greek sources. The Avar ‘surprises’ under consideration are the 618 siege of Thessaloniki and the 623 raid on southern Thrace. Through a close analysis of contemporary sources such as the Miracles…
This presentation examines the economic dynamics surrounding the Slavic siege of Thessaloniki around 676–677, particularly highlighting the significance of trade relations and trade restrictions imposed on the Slavic tribes in the region. By focusing on these economic factors, it is argued that such restrictions played a critical role in motivating the siege, suggesting that the…
The letters of the high Byzantine official Magister Leo Choirosphaktes provide numerous notable and informative accounts. It is no coincidence that his correspondence with the Bulgarian ruler Symeon I the Great holds a distinct and significant place among the primary sources of the early medieval period. This epistolary collection offers valuable insights into the abduction…
Throughout its long history, the Byzantine Empire had many conflicts with other states, nations, and tribes, endured countless incursions and campaigns, and fought numerous battles, many of them in the Balkans. Some of these conflicts, incursions, campaigns and battles ended unfavorably for the Byzantines and led to a crisis regarding the military efficiency of the…