The Army in Society. The Society of the Army

Abstract

The army was Romania’s largest institution. In this chapter, we see the army from Attaleiates’ perspective. We examine how his view of the Roman political community was shaped by early life exposure to the operation of the navy in Attaleia and then explain how this provincial experience would have been transformed as he arrived in Constantinople, the capital of the polity but also its largest military camp. Attaleiates’ perspective on the medieval Roman army was finally shaped by his experience as a campaigning judge by the side of a martial emperor, Romanos IV Diogenes. The discussion of the army helps us address questions of identity. The chapter will close with a discussion of the army’s role as a “maker of Romans” out of foreign warriors.