The Umayyad Siege of Constantinople (2)

I have outlined the plot of my upcoming article, which will focus on the joint attack on the Byzantine capital by the forces of the Syrian army and the caliphate fleet. The Arab siege of Constantinople lasted approximately 13 months, from July 717 to August 718. The article will be divided into the following sections:

A: The Umayyad Caliphate

B: Pre-war Byzantine

C: Preparations

D: The Grand Invasion

E: Negotiations

F: Leo the Gambler

G: The siege

H: The Bitter Winter

I: Reinforcements

J: Lifting the siege

K: The Aftermath

 

The first two parts will describe the Umayyad Caliphate and Byzantium on the brink of war. The next two sections will discuss the Arab preparations for the invasion and the beginning of military activities. Sections five and six will focus on the negotiations between the main characters: General Maslama of the Syrian army and his Byzantine counterpart, General Leo the Isaurian, who later ascended the throne as Leo III. Sections seven and eight will cover the siege of Constantinople and the implications of a harsh winter. Sections eight and nine will concentrate on the last period of the blockade until the retreat order and the ill fate of the retreating army. The last segment will place the siege into a historical context, foreshadowing the end of the jihad state.

I've started editing the article and hope to upload it to the Academia site within a week. You can view my previous papers at

https://independent.academia.edu/BaizermanMichael

The Umayyad Siege of Constantinople (1)

 I was not satisfied with the previous draft of this chapter, so I decided to conduct new research and found new features.

I started by creating a new database and I am currently in the process of gathering valuable information and developing content for a future narrative.

As I mentioned before, I will not reference "Greek Fire" in this chapter. However, I am considering the possibility that Byzantine sailors could have used less technological methods, such as fire arrows or grenades hurled or launched by catapults, to burn enemy ships. I will be examining Arabic sources for the negotiations between Leo III and the Arabic commanders, although it's worth noting that these late accounts may not be entirely reliable. The same refers to the Byzantine sources.

  Additionally, I have added a new book to my reading list: "A Sailor's Life for Me: the Middle Byzantine Sailor on Board and at Port" by Zeynep Olgun. This book, which is the author's thesis for the Central European University, explores various aspects of sailors' lives during the seventh and twelfth centuries. I may incorporate some of the collected material into the Prelude to my project, particularly the chapters about the sea, the sailor, and the port. You can find out more about this book

https://www.academia.edu/93477259/MA_Thesis_The_Middle_Byzantine_Sailor_on_Board_and_at_Port

I want to merge two chapters discussing early and later galleys. Both describe the technical aspects of oared ships, including dimensions, design, seaworthiness, functions, and other parameters. It would be beneficial to compare them in a single paper. However, I'm concerned that this combined account might be too long and more focused on a technology-oriented audience.

The Umayyad Siege of Constantinople (717-718)

This will be my second article on medieval naval tactics in the Mediterranean. I finished writing this paper many months ago, but I was not ready to release it. Now, I understand why.

The account needs to be revised, not only as a literary narrative but also as a concept. A good example is the presumed application of Greek Fire by Byzantine marines. Almost every chronicle mentions this, and modern explorers also repeat this fact. However, I am doubtful about its accuracy.

We won't argue about the term. The Crusaders called it Greek Fire, although the Byzantines identified themselves as Romans and used artificial fire, liquid fire, or sea fire. It was stored behind the deck in a large boiler, heated on an open fire, channeled through a tube to the nozzle, and sprayed under pressure toward an enemy ship. When I described it to my friend, a retired engineer, it made him laugh. How could this system work on a wooden boat when even a small human error or technological blunder could lead to a disaster? Interestingly, no medieval source reports such disasters, which should have happened now and then. 

How is it possible that such a sophisticated weapon was not used by the enemies during its 500 years of existence? It's been said that it was a well-preserved state secret kept within the imperial family and that of the inventor. Is that possible? Byzantium experienced many instances of coup d'état. Conspirators would assassinate emperors while they were sleeping on a hunting trip. The victors would then eliminate all those associated with the court. The Arab invasion of 717 followed twenty years of anarchy, during which seven emperors ascended the throne. Some of them were killed, others were blinded, and still others were exiled to remote monasteries. No secret could have survived such turbulent times.

Modern experiments have shown that fire can be sprayed for about 15 meters just before impact. Why take such risks? If the commander wanted to set the enemy ship on fire, there were several less intensive means to do it. For instance, they could shoot incendiary arrows, or even several arrows aimed at different parts of a boat. They could also throw ceramic grenades filled with an explosive mixture, or fire these grenade with a catapult.

Upon further consideration, seizing a boat seemed like a more practical option, especially if he had a strong and loyal crew.

I came to the realization that I needed to conduct more research on the subject.

In the meantime, I stopped working on another account of the Battle of Chioggia, where I began jotting down ideas for a future article.

The Battle of Ad Decimum (September 13, 533)

This week, I revised my article on the battle between the Byzantine army, led by General Belisarius, and the Vandal army, commanded by King Gelimer. This paper, which is part of my new project called The Intricacies of Naval Warfare, is 4600 words long.

The abstract of my article states that the Byzantine campaign against Gelimer, who seized the Vandal throne, was a crucial military operation aimed at reclaiming former Roman provinces in the Mediterranean region. Procopius, our sole source on the Vandalic War, attributes the victory to General Flavius Belisarius's skill and leadership. In addition to battling the enemy, Belisarius had to navigate the political intrigues of the East Roman court. In my narrative, I emphasize the naval aspects of the engagement and its historical significance.

You can access this article and join the discussion at

https://www.academia.edu/122683998/The_Battle_of_Ad_Decimum,

or read my other work at independent.academia.edu/BaizermanMichael.

I will be presenting a Zoom lecture on Vettor Fausto's quinquereme (a type of five-vessel galley) on Monday, August 12, at 19:00 Jerusalem time. The lecture will be recorded.

I have also resumed gathering data for a chapter on the War of Chioggia, which is my latest contribution to The Intricacies of Naval Warfare series. I am interested in providing a comprehensive perspective on the Genoese-Venetian conflict, with a focus on the Chioggia episode.

This is the map of the operations of the Vandalic War

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vandalic_War#/media/File:Vandalic_War_campaign_map.png

The Feedback on "Galley Slaves"

Yesterday, I received some great feedback on my recent article "Galley Slaves." Dr. Dwight C Spratley praised my efforts in communicating history to non-specialists, Rien de Meij suggested that my paper summarizes the current level of knowledge, Hans-Heindrich Nolte asked about differences in oarsmen's conditions throughout the Mediterranean, and Peter Krejsa inquired about considerations regarding the cost-benefit situation. I am grateful for these comments as they will help me delve deeper into the topic.

https://www.academia.edu/121984361/_Galley_Slaves_

In the meantime, I have re-edited and published two parts of the prelude to my project on Wattpad. You can access them using the following links:

https://www.wattpad.com/1457143934-a-tale-of-two-brands-part-1-war-galleys-in-the

https://www.wattpad.com/1464879203-a-tale-of-two-brands-part-ii-the-round-ship-part

Additionally, I have prepared a lecture based on my paper "Vettor Fausto's Quinquereme." I will be including illustrations from Joseph Eliav's paper, "The Oar System of the Venetian Quinquereme," which explains a unique rowing system based on 16th-century technology.

https://www.academia.edu/117426402/Vettor_Fausto_s_Quinquereme

I have also been gathering data for my upcoming paper on the War of Chioggia. Ruthy Gertwagen's work "Venice, Genoa and the Fights over the Island of Tenedos" explores the impact of the struggle for domination over Tenedos on the war. Mark R. Filip's "Venetian Foreign Affairs from 1250 to 1381" speculates on the One Hundred Years War between Venice and Genoa and dedicates ample space to the War of Chioggia. Additionally, "Medieval Italy Texts in Translation" provides an extract from the Morosini Codex, which cites the Venetians' first use of naval artillery against the Genoese coastal fortifications.

A lecture on Vettor Fausto's Quinquereme

 I have been preparing another lecture on galleys, which will comprise two parts. The first part is devoted to Vettor Fausto's quinquereme, i.e., a vessel with five oars on each bank. It is based on my article 

https://www.academia.edu/117426402/Vettor_Fausto_s_Quinquereme

The second part embraces several topics: nocturnal voyage, operational range, speed, and crew watering. It is based on yet unpublished parts of the article "The Early Light Galleys." 

In the meantime, I continue familiarizing myself with the events of the War of Chioggia (1378-1380), my next target. I want to check the situation in Tenedos (an island at the entrance to the Dardanelles) and Tana (Azov), the northmost Italian trading station at the mouth of the Don River. These locales are associated with the struggle between Venice and Genoa for domination in the Eastern Mediterranean. They are mentioned in the Treaty of Milan (1380), which sealed the war. I started developing ideas and collecting images. 

During my research, I stumbled upon intriguing data about rare collisions between galleys and sailing ships. While these events are uncommon, they are certainly worth mentioning. I am still deliberating whether this topic belongs to the early or later galleys, but it seems to have been overlooked by scholars. 

I am thrilled to share that my audience on Academia has just reached a new milestone--12,000. The last contribution is gaining significant traction, and I am proud to be part of this engaging community.   

 https://www.academia.edu/121984361/_Galley_Slaves_

The Fall of New Rome (6)

https://www.geschichtsforum.de/thema/die-quinquereme-von-vettor-fausto-die-groesste-galeere-aller-zeiten.24504/ 

It took me about a week after my return to complete the initial draft of "The Fall of New Rome." I collected numerous notes which I will review while going through the paper. I plan to add illustrations and a conclusion. However, the work is now finished and needs to sit for a while. I have started gathering data for the last chapter of Part III, which is about The War of Chioggia. This was the final clash between Venice and Genoa in their struggle to maintain a trade monopoly with the East. Additionally, I have worked on a magazine version of my first article, "Galleys in the Medieval Mediterranean." I have adjusted the style to make it more accessible to the general public and informal.

I recently renewed my membership as a patron of the Scribd online library, which allows me to borrow entire books for my research. Unfortunately, not all books can be borrowed due to a court decision. For instance, Thomas F. Madden's "Venice, A New History" is only available as an extract on Google Books.

I reviewed the version of "Galley Slaves," an article written for a chapter about Later Galleys (16-18 centuries) and uploaded it on the Academia site:

https://www.academia.edu/121984361/_Galley_Slaves_

My research focuses on the diverse individuals who rowed galleys in the Early Modern Mediterranean. I specifically examine the category of rowers known as “galley slaves,” a term that accurately applies to a distinct group of rowers from the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries. Towards the end of the Age of the Galley, the number of rowed warships plummeted, and slave traffic sought other destinations to achieve their nefarious objectives.

I translated to Russian another article, "Vettor Fausto’s Quinquereme,"

https://www.academia.edu/117426402/Vettor_Fausto_s_Quinquereme

as a preparation to a future lecture. It is a very short paper and needs additional materials on other topics to create a meaningful background.

 The article focuses on a sixteenth-century experiment to build a massive galley that was rowed alla sensile, with five oars per bench. Vettor Fausto proposed the idea of a colossal warship armed with a powerful cannon, which later became part of a successful strategy that led to the creation of the galleasses of Lepanto.