question about the byzantines...

[ByzantineCaesar]

Firstly, why aren't they called the constantinians, surely that would better depict a greco-roman remnant?

They should be called Romans, or at least Greeks, as the term "Byzantine" is an invention of 16th century Western European historians. If you still want to go the "Constantinians" route, it should be Constantinopolitans.

Secondly, did any byzantines actually speak latin by the end.

No, not since Heraclius' reign (610-641). Only a few segments of the aristocracy, but not in the day-to-day life, similar to the Italian aristocracies.

Lastly, are their infantry supposed to be so... Weak as in vanilla?
Thank you for your time :-)

The Byzantine infantry isn't weak at all. You have the Latinkon, the Varangians and those units recruited in a city.

[Geoffrey of Villehardouin]

The Byzantine infantry isn't weak at all. You have the Latinkon, the Varangians and those units recruited in a city.

But read the OP in this thread: Most bizarre design choices (*not* bugs) of M2TW

Also, Latinkon (should have obviously been correctly spelled as Latinikon) and the Varangians, Skythikon, Vardariotae, guard archers, etc should have probably been mercenaries. The only historically realistic native Byzantine unit are some very weak militia spearmen, while the Byzantines had written more in their manuals about their spear formations than probably any other subject written about in any of the military texts of the Middle Ages. If these were the spearmen that held the Byzantine Empire together for over 10 centuries, I wonder what their enemies fought with ...

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My three short AARs:
[BC] The Maharajah and the Guild of Thieves – a Chauhan Rajput AAR
[1648] Thirty Years' War
[Kingdoms] Antioch Crusaders Mod campaign
and something not so short - [FKoC] Times full of Distemper
Reviewed by robinzx at the Critic's Quill, Issue 31

[Julio85]

May I join the discussion?

Byzantines name is a modern era name to the reference to Eastern Roman Empire. They call them self Romans, even if the most of them speak Greek in they day-to-day Life. During the conquer of the Roman Empire, most of the lands were already settle by Greeks, so the official languages of the Roman Era was Latin and Greek. than in the Medieval time, the lower population of the empire come back to the usage of Greek in their lifes, and I think some emperoro after Justinian (don't remember the name, sorry) re-introduce the Greek in the burocrats\administration and noble life, what remain about the Latin (even in the medieval period) were the military orders or the battle command, or the diplomatic language when they nead to deal with foreigners especially western europeans.
I think CBUR it's a great mod, SS uses its units. Broken Crescent it's good, Great Conflicts very good.

There is also Basileia Total War (a new project, 1 year life) that is in charge to follow the Byzantine history from the 550 A.D. with Justinian to the 1461 A.D. with the Fall of the last Caste of Trebizond.
It's a very good project, with Unique cities in the start map and several scripts...in few days there will be the First Roster Previews: Roman Roster in Justinian Army...and several others Rosters for the following years are in Skin development.
http://basileiatotalwarteam.freeforumzone.leonardo.it/
or in the Mods in development you will find a discussion

[Kaiser Nonsense]

The Byzantine Empire is pathetically ludicrously weak and therefore should not be called Romans.

[Vissewalde rex de Gerzika]

The Byzantine Empire is pathetically ludicrously weak and therefore should not be called Romans.

But they were called Romans even in middle ages, and if you really want to start a discussion on this which probably wont lead anywhere anyways, start it here

[Maklodes]

Yes, it's true. Byzantines called themselves with the Koine Greek word "Ρωμαίοι"/"Romaioi" not the English word "Byzantine."

Also Germans use the word German word "Deutsch" when referring to themselves and not the English word "German."

Japanese call themselves by the Japanese word "日本人"/"Nihonjin" not the English word "Japanese."

English speakers sometimes use different words for people than what the people themselves use or used.

Also, Also sometimes Japanese refer the U.S. as 米国/Beikoku rather than the United States. Although nowadays I think they mostly say アメリカ/Amerika.

Really, lots of people use lots of words for people other than what those people themselves use.

[Vissewalde rex de Gerzika]

Germany and germans is said differently in many languages.

[Julio85]

Romans culture come from the Greeks culture (Gods, festival, Logic, common views, ecc...)
Don't forget that in the establishment of the Roman Republic\Empire there was a fision between the two, administration languages were Latin\Greek and both are an important root of the western civilazation.

After they were taked over by others new comers in their lands and those new comers want to legitimate them self in order to own the rights to rule the former empire. So they use propaganda and legitimation by show to others populations how the Romans weren't able to rule.
than consider the fact that If you are a winner in the wars, you probably want to be accepted and legitimate, so you wrote the history in a way that favours you and denigrade your enemies, if they loose their power.

The Roman Empire had too much enemies and all of them denigrade the memory of their heirs in the east, because they want to acquire more power, so since there is the heir of a previous great empire, you as a local leader always have to ask to those heirs which title you may use, according to the uses of that period.
Most of the tribes who lived in the western part of the former roman empire...were send there by the ERE emperors and they rule those lands n their name (there were weak at that time), many of them send diplomats to Kostantinopolis for acquire the eagle of the roman power (simbols of the Roman Empire) and several others things...
That those people, increase their power and in order to legitmate their rule and their rights fights the romans, and with their destructions acquire their mandate of a world Empire (Roman Dream since August). When ERE die in 1453 (even if Greek-Romans, still remain in the Ottomans Lands as a small rulers and small kingdoms or rebels), their title...so Romans Emperor were acquired by the French King. So means that even at that time the people still give importance at the name and meaning of being the heirs of the Romans.