History of the Byzantine Army and Military Art in M.Ja. Sjuzjumov’s Unpublished Works of the 1930–1940s
Abstract
Introduction. November of 2018 is marked by the 125th anniversary of famous Russian Soviet Byzantinist Mikhail Jakovlevich Sjuzjumov (1893-1982). Among his unpublished works, the most interesting one is the writing Byzantine State and Byzantine Culture in the 10th–11th centuries, completed in 1937. In fact, this brilliant essay is an unprecedented text in Soviet historiography. The authors of this article analyze the polemological ideas of M.Ja. Sjuzjumov. Methods. The research methodology is based on the conception of M.Ja. Sjuzjumov about continuity between the state-political organization of the Later Roman Empire and the Byzantine Empire. Comparative-historical method, biographical and bibliography methods are also used in the present research. Analysis. M.Ja. Sjuzjumov characterized the system of military and civil administration of Byzantium in a simple and accessible form, described the main groups of Byzantine society, and examined political ideology, State propaganda, foreign and domestic policy of the Empire during its peak in the reign of the Macedonian dynasty. In the opinion of M.Ja. Sjuzjumov, the armed forces were the most important element of the Byzantine state-political system. Results. According to the authors of the article, even in the early unpublished works of M.Ja. Sjuzjumov, the idea of a system-forming value of the armed forces for the overcoming crisis of the Byzantine Empire was a red thread. The researcher emphasized the commonality of interests of the state-political and military elite with the interests of the free peasantry (strong holders – stratiotes). In this regard, he attached great importance to Byzantine polemological works of the epoch, considering them to be unique sources on the history of the Macedonian dynasty. This set of ideas was developed by the supporter M.Ja. Sjuzjumov, Professor V.V. Kuchma. Contribution of each of the authors to the writing of this article: A.S. Mokhov: working out the concept of the article, selection and analysis of archival documents, description of polemological representations of M.Ja. Sjuzjumov, the general conclusions to the article. K.R. Kapsalykova: selection and analysis of archival documents, drawing up the curriculum vitae about M.Ja. Sjuzjumov, selection of archival documents on scientific activity of V.V. Kuchma, the general conclusions to the article.
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