Byzantine naval power

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At the end of the 7th century, the Byzantines organised and developed their naval fleet after the Arabs had spread throughout the eastern Mediterranean to challenge their control of the sea. Thus a large Byzantine fleet was formed and governed by the strategos (general) of the Kara-bisianoi who often bore the title of imperial spatharios orpatrikios.

The Arabic fleet wages a campaign against Crete.

The forces which made up the fleet were located in the capital, south-west Asia Minor and the islands.

The organisation of the fleet

The organisation of the fleet in the 7th century was part of a gradual restructuring of naval administration. The navy was organised as a part of the themata, the provincial administrative system. The thema of the Kibyrrhaiotai was developed in the 8th century and a little later the themata of the Aegean Sea, Samos, and European Kephalonia (9th century) came into existence, thus creating a provincial fleet governed by strategoi and droungarioi.

Separate from these, however, was the fleet of the capital itself - the imperial ploimon - under the droungarios tou ploimou (high admiral). This officer was a general with the rank of stratarchos and was empowered with the overall command of the ships of the Byzantine fleet.

The ex-droungarios of the fleet Romanos Lekapenos is exiled by the emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogennitos.

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