Cambridge Ancient Hi.. - Index of

308 11. the army, c. 420,602
attempt a highly unpopular reduction in military pay in 588. 81 It is possible
that the empire’s economic resilience, which in tax-producing terms meant
its agricultural base, was gradually declining towards the end of the century,
as repeated visitations of plague, extensive invasions in the Balkans and
protracted campaigning in the east combined to take their toll. But, if so,
the trend was gradual, since in the seventh century Phocas – and Heraclius,
down to the loss of the major revenue-generating provinces of Syria and
Egypt – had funds to give bribes to the Avars and finance field armies in
the east.
v. eastern survival
Eastern emperors controlled the commanders and officers in their armies,
not just the manpower, and here too the contrast with the west is
significant: the army remained an institution under imperial authority, not
an independent force capable of dictating to its nominal masters. The
eastern counterparts of Ricimer and Odoacer were the magistri militum
Aspar and his sons Ardabur and Patricius, Armatus and his son Basiliscus,
and Illus: these generals dominated emperors and attempted to manipulate
the imperial succession by placing protégés on the throne or by insinuating
their families into the imperial house (both Patricius and Basiliscus were
proclaimed Caesar). But, whereas Ricimer killed Majorian, Leo disposed of
Aspar’s family inside the palace, while Zeno had Armatus killed when
leaving the palace to enter the Hippodrome and overcame Illus in civil
war. 82 Other powerful military families, like that of the Goth Areobindus,
married into the aristocracy: the younger Areobindus fled Constantinople
rather than accede to popular requests that he champion orthodoxy and
supplant the Monophysite Anastasius, perhaps to the disgust of his wife
Anicia Juliana, daughter of the western emperor Olybrius. 83 In the sixth
century, generals were often imperial relatives or members of the palatine
staff. Military unrest tended to be generated from the lower ranks disgruntled
about lack of pay or other specific grievances, and was led by junior or
middle-ranking officers, Stotzas in Africa in the late 530s, Germanus in the
east in 588 or Phocas on the Danube in 602. The salient exception, the
sequence of revolts against Anastasius led by Vitalian, comes and then magister
militum, had a religious motivation and in any case ultimately failed. 84
Another aspect of the survival of the eastern army as a public institution
is the emperors’ ability to keep control of soldiers in private service.
Prominent Romans had always possessed retinues with a capacity to act as
81 Evagr. HE v.14; Michael the Syrian x.21; Theophylact iii.1.2 with Evagr. HE vi.4.
82 83 For career details, see PLRE ii. PLRE ii.143–4 s.v. Areobindus 1; Malalas 406.22–408.11.
84 Career details in PLRE iii; discussion in Kaegi (1981) chs. 3–4, esp. 60–2. Cf.ch.17 (Whitby),
pp. 473,5 below.
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