Generalship and Gender in Byzantium: Non Campaigning Emperors and Eunuch Generals in the Age of the Macedonian Dynasty

This chapter explores the ramifications of the prolific production of military manuals and the existence of several non-campaigning emperors of the Macedonian Dynasty (867-1056) for the understanding of generalship in the Byzantine empire in this period, and how this intersects with gender identity. The following questions are addressed: How was a non-campaigning emperor able to pose as an advice giver for his generals if he was not a general himself? Was it problematic for the status of an emperor as a ruler and a man if he did not embrace an active military role? How did this affect the relationship of such emperors with their generals? Another notable aspect of the period discussed is the fact that there were eunuchs who acted as generals, and who could achieve success and fame, such as Peter ‘Phokas’ and Basil Lekapenos. In the case of Basil Lekapenos, this eunuch posed as the giver of military advice too, and the chapter explores what bearing this had on his gender identity as a eunuch. The chapter sheds valuable light on ideas of generalship and gender in Byzantium’s critical age of recovery and reconquest.