french military victories

[Az]

Still, it seems that Boschko is right, and the battle of Poitiers is overrated.

by the 700s, I don't think that what you describe is a relatively small contingent of Arab cavalry could be able to capitalize on any victory in the region.

[Ramo]

I don't think Poitiers is overrated, but the effects I think are widely misunderstood. Without a Poitiers, there wouldn't be a Charlemagne (he'd get some crappy honorific ), IMO.

Also the minor and short-lived disagreements that Byzantium had with the Sassanids contributed to this somewhat...

I'm a McNeill whore. I think the conflicts between the Roman and Persian Empires were much less important for the Arab conquests than the bubonic plague.

[Az]

oh don't get me started on the Persian empire.

such a fine civilization, lost.

[Bosh]

I'm a McNeill whore.

Yes, Plagues and Peoples is impressive. However the plauges had a lot more to do with the collapse of the Empire of Justinian and the slav invasions of the Balkans than the Arab invasion, which probably would have been beaten back or at least contained it wasn't for the decades of wars with the Sassanids. And then there's the Monophylitism of the Syrian and Egyptians which didn't make them all that loyal to the Empire...

[Bosh]

such a fine civilization, lost.

Not to mention the cool religion
oh well at least its making a bit of comeback recently in Iran...

[Az]

Yeah, the religion was rather cool as well, or so I heard, my knowledge of it is... lacking. I don't really care about the religion, only in the cultural and philosophical sence, that's the only way they're nice.

What I heard of it is that it is somewhat monotheistic, but in a different way than judaism.

I am sure that a historian can tell me more about it.

[MOBIUS]

Has anyone mentioned the American War of Independence?

You Yanks are sooo ungrateful towards the nation that saved your butts - talk about biting the hand that fed you!

If it wasn't for them you'd be using metric now...

[Drake Tungsten]

You Yanks are sooo ungrateful towards the nation that saved your butts - talk about biting the hand that fed you!

We've more than repaid the favor.

[Sandman]

Let's not forget 1066 and the battle of Hastings.

[Kingof the Apes]

Originally posted by Sandman
Let's not forget 1066 and the battle of Hastings.

Normans aren't the same as French, are they?

[Thud]

Hey, France gets military victories in the NES I play it in.

Oh, all the listed victories in RL must be about Napoleon

[Kramerman]

Originally posted by MOBIUS
Has anyone mentioned the American War of Independence?

You Yanks are sooo ungrateful towards the nation that saved your butts - talk about biting the hand that fed you!

If it wasn't for them you'd be using metric now...

speaking about the Revolutionary War, I saw The Patriot the other night. I saw it along time ago and remember it being a good movie... what the hell was I on!? That was a poor, poor movie. It was just so...cheesey, especially that last battle scene.

Kman

[axi]

In general, medieval armies had been rather small.

I've heard somwhere that in the 8th century, each province (thema) of the Byzantine Empire was obliged to conscript an army of 70.000 if the Empire needed it.

This may be incorrect, but if it is true, THAT's no small army.

[TheStinger]

i think the total number of combatants in the Battle of Hastings was around 20000- 7000 Saxons and 13000 normans.

[CerberusIV]

Originally posted by Kingof the Apes

Normans aren't the same as French, are they?

The Normans were only about a hundred years from being Vikings (who were given Normandy to stop them kicking French butt).

It is a bit ironic that the British have a long history of losing battles yet winning wars and for the French it is the other way round.

axi: Until Manzikert the Byzantines could regularly raise armies of 150-200,000 from central anatolia. After Manzikert they lost the area and their main recruiting ground, and eventually everything.