5.52 FC – Byzantium's Eastern Frontier in the 8th to 10th Centuries

The Byzantine Empire’s handling of prisoners of war reflects its pragmatic military thought and sophisticated diplomatic practices. Unlike the total annihilation often pursued by other states, the Byzantines viewed prisoners as strategic assets. This paper explores how the treatment of captives reflected broader military, diplomatic, and cultural aims. Focusing on key Byzantine texts—including Byzantine chronicles,…

On the frontier between Byzantium and the Caliphate, a remarkable episode occurred during the Abbasid revolution as a group of local Christians organized what was effectively a self-defense militia against remnants of the crumbling Umayyad regime in the years around 750. This group took control of mountain passes in the eastern Taurus mountains, were in…

The Byzantine re-conquest of Tarsus was a singular blow to the prestige of the Abbasid caliphs. Tarsus had been a hub for religious volunteers (muta’tawwia) on the jihad frontier, and its loss saw Muslim refugees flee into Mosul and northern Iraq. Byzantine policy was often to expel Muslims who refused to convert and to transform…