Byzantium Knights 拜占庭騎士

The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD, it endured until the fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Empire in 1453. The term 'Byzantine Empire' was coined only after its demise; its citizens used the term 'Roman Empire' and called themselves 'Romans'.

During the early centuries of the Roman Empire, the western provinces were Latinised, but the eastern parts kept their Hellenistic culture. Constantine I (r. 324–337) legalised Christianity and moved the capital to Constantinople. Theodosius I (r. 379–395) made Christianity the state religion and Greek gradually replaced Latin for official use. The empire adopted a defensive strategy and, throughout its remaining history, experienced recurring cycles of decline and recovery.

It reached its greatest extent during the reign of Justinian I (r. 527–565), who briefly reconquered much of Italy and the western Mediterranean coast. A plague began around 541, and a devastating war with Persia drained the empire's resources. The Arab conquests led to the loss of the empire's richest provinces—Egypt and Syria—to the Rashidun Caliphate. In 698, Africa was lost to the Umayyad Caliphate, but the empire stabilised under the Isaurian dynasty. It expanded once more under the Macedonian dynasty, experiencing a two-century-long renaissance. Thereafter, periods of civil war and Seljuk incursion resulted in the loss of most of Asia Minor. The empire recovered during the Komnenian restoration, and Constantinople remained the largest and wealthiest city in Europe until the 13th century.

The empire was largely dismantled in 1204, following the sack of Constantinople during the Fourth Crusade; its former territories were then divided into competing Greek rump states and Latin realms. Despite the eventual recovery of Constantinople in 1261, the reconstituted empire wielded only regional power during its final two centuries. Its remaining territories were progressively annexed by the Ottomans in a series of wars fought in the 14th and 15th centuries. The fall of Constantinople to the Ottomans in 1453 brought the empire to an end, but its history and legacy remain topics of debate to this day.

The Byzantine Empire distinctively blended Roman political traditions, Greek literary heritage, and Christianity, creating the civilisational framework that laid the foundation for medieval Europe. The Empire preserved European civilisation by acting as a shield against forces from Eurasian Steppe people such as the Avars, Bulgars, Cumans, Huns, Pechenegs, and Turks.

The empire's legal codes significantly influenced the civil law traditions of continental Europe, Russia, Latin America, Ethiopia, and even the English-speaking common law countries; and possibly influenced Islamic legal traditions as well. It also preserved and transmitted classical learning and manuscripts, making important contributions to the intellectual revival which fuelled Italian humanism.

The Byzantine Empire played a pivotal role in shaping Christianity by supporting early Church fathers and the decisions of Church councils; developing the institution of monasticism; and fostering the Orthodox tradition which continues to define much of Eastern European identity. It was also instrumental in preserving the Greek language and is credited with developing the Glagolitic alphabet, which later evolved into the Cyrillic script and Old Church Slavonic. These innovations provided the first literary language for the Slavs and formed the educational foundation for all Slavic nations.

In the Byzantine Empire, "knights" primarily refers to the heavy cavalry and elite troops who served as the backbone of the empire's military. These were not necessarily knights in the same sense as Western European chivalry, but rather elite soldiers with various titles and responsibilities. The elite guards, such as the Varangian Guard, were also notable for their role as personal bodyguards of the Byzantine Emperor. 

 The types of Byzantine Knights include:   

• Heavy Cavalry: 

  The Byzantine army relied heavily on mounted troops, and these were the core of their military strength. 

• Elite Guards: 

  The Varangian Guard, composed of foreign mercenaries, was a famous elite guard unit that served as the Emperor's personal protectors. 

• Other Elite Troops: 

  The "Scholai," "Exkoubitoi," "Arithmos," and "Hikanatoi" were also prominent elite units within the Byzantine army. 

  
  

 Notable Features:   

• Equipment: Byzantine knights often used shields, spears, and swords. 

  
  

• Role: They were crucial in both military campaigns and maintaining order within the empire. 

  
  

• Relationship to Western Chivalry: While the term "knight" is used in both the Byzantine and Western European contexts, the concept of knighthood and the role of knights differed significantly. 

  
  

• Byzantine term for knight: The term used for Byzantine knights is "Stratēgos" or "Koinos". 

The terms "Byzantine" and "Byzantium" refer to the same historical entity, but with distinct meanings. "Byzantium" refers to the ancient Greek city that later became the capital of the Byzantine Empire, while "Byzantine" is a broader term that encompasses the civilization, culture, and people of the Eastern Roman Empire, which was centered in Constantinople (formerly Byzantium). 

Byzantium Knights is the title of the costumes my Itallian friends bring to the Venice Carnevale this year. According to them, the Knights of Byzantium is a military order composed by both knights and clerics.

The Venice Carnevale is not solely about masks. Local Italians and an increasing number of foreign costumers now prefer historical costumes or painted faces. During Carnevale, the whole Venice becomes a real life theatrical stage, and many of these historical costumes carry deep perspectives...

And as usual, the portraits are just done on the busy streets of Venice and using natural lighting only...It is not an indoor photo studio, there is no artificial lighting, flash or reflectors...With my costumed friends, we just take our street portraiture to an all new level....