Download PDF | (Men-at-Arms) David Nicolle, Graham Turner - Armies Of The Caliphates 862-1098-Osprey Publishing (1998).
46 Pages
INTRODUCTION
Some historians divide history into periods dominated by one civilisation. Greece, Rome, India, China, Western Europe and North America have all had their moment in the sun, but from the 8th to 11th centuries the Islamic world led the way. Nevertheless Islamic military power peaked in the 9th century, after which political fragmentation meant that Islam's technological and organisational superiority could not be fully effective. At the start of this Islamic golden age the Sunni Muslim 'Abbasid Caliphate, with its capital at Baghdad, ruled virtually the entire Islamic world.
By the end of it, the spiritual authority of the 'Abbasid Caliphs was still accepted by most Muslims, yet they had little political and virtually no military power. The 'Abbasid collapse was, however, the result of economic bankruptcy rather than military defeat. A sequence of military dictators followed, while distant provinces of the 'Abbasid Caliphate continued to fall away. This pattern of history means that medieval Islamic history is best studied on the basis of ruling dynasties rather than on geographical states.
Another characteristic feature was the 'Iranianisation' of most armies and a more limited "Turkification' of their cavalry élites. Never- theless, many traditional Arab military values were retained by non-bedu armies, such as physical toughness, wily warfare and an avoidance of casualties. Arab ideals of manhood had also been inherited, above all the idea that men should do something to promote what they believed in, rather than accept insult or injustice passively. Similarly, family origins counted for relatively little, and greater respect was given to individual achievements. The Muslim faith remained central to the motivation of soldiers, whether professionals or part-time volunteers. Religious scholars also played an increasingly important role in most armies, for both legal and morale-boosting reasons.
As authority fragmented, armies became smaller and more professional, while part-timers were relegated to urban militias and the frontiers. A fully developed 'theory of warfare also appeared, with books written on all aspects. Arabic translations of Aclian's Greek Tactika had been known since the 8th century, and other Byzantine and Greek military or naval manuals were similarly translated.
Treatises were also taken from Persian, Indian and possibly other languages, in cach case be updated to deal with current conditions. Meanwhile, the sma successor states of the 'Abbasid Caliphate tried to continue exist military systems with limited resources and under differing conditions. Weaker political foundations among such successor st also meant that waging jihậd in defence of Islam became more import as a way of conferring legitimacy to a regime.
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