Translation, Annotation and Evaluation of the Chapter About Naval Warfare in The Taktika of Leo VI

Abstract

Although he had probably never set foot on the battlefield, the Byzantine Emperor Leon VI (the Wise, ὁ Σοφός) (886-912) analysed and summarised volumes of scholarly works from antiquity, which contained much technical information on warfare, and prepared a work that instructed his officers on how to prepare soldiers for battle and how to deploy them in campaigns and on the battlefield. This resulted in a work commonly referred to as Taktika (τακτικά). The work which consists of 20 regulations (chapters) starting with an introduction and ending with a conclusion, consists of adaptations and paraphrases of the works of previous periods, except for the chapter devoted to Saracens (Σαρακηνοί) and naval warfare. The years of the reign of the aforementioned emperor, who was also called the Wise, were a period in which many movements took place in the water geography in the context of the struggles with the Saracens. Even though the chapter About Naval Warfare (περὶ ναυμαχίας) [XIX] of it does not simply state what should or should not be done, but rather what consequences there might be if something is done or not done. This study offers a Turkish translation of the chapter About Naval Warfare of the Taktika, annotates the relevant parts requiring further explanation, and evaluates the information provided by Leon VI for those interested in naval history, comparing it with the information provided by other Medieval sources and making use of modern documents.