Μια ζωντανή στρατιωτική μηχανή: Τα πολεμικά άλογα στη μεσαιωνική Κρήτη, Ο πόλεμος εκτός μάχης. Η προετοιμασία και οι συνέπειες των πολέμων από την Τέταρτη Σταυροφορία έως τον Κρητικό Πόλεμο, επιμ. Κ. Γ. Τσικνάκης, ΙΙΕ/ΕΙΕ, Μελέτες 2, Αθήνα 2025, 79-98 [in Greek with an abstract in English] By Charalambos GASPARIS

https://www.academia.edu/164980547/%CE%9C%CE%B9%CE%B1_%CE%B6%CF%89%CE%BD%CF%84%CE%B1%CE%BD%CE%AE_%CF%83%CF%84%CF%81%CE%B1%CF%84%CE%B9%CF%89%CF%84%CE%B9%CE%BA%CE%AE_%CE%BC%CE%B7%CF%87%CE%B1%CE%BD%CE%AE_%CE%A4%CE%B1_%CF%80%CE%BF%CE%BB%CE%B5%CE%BC%CE%B9%CE%BA%CE%AC_%CE%AC%CE%BB%CE%BF%CE%B3%CE%B1_%CF%83%CF%84%CE%B7_%CE%BC%CE%B5%CF%83%CE%B1%CE%B9%CF%89%CE%BD%CE%B9%CE%BA%CE%AE_%CE%9A%CF%81%CE%AE%CF%84%CE%B7_%CE%9F_%CF%80%CF%8C%CE%BB%CE%B5%CE%BC%CE%BF%CF%82_%CE%B5%CE%BA%CF%84%CF%8C%CF%82_%CE%BC%CE%AC%CF%87%CE%B7%CF%82_%CE%97_%CF%80%CF%81%CE%BF%CE%B5%CF%84%CE%BF%CE%B9%CE%BC%CE%B1%CF%83%CE%AF%CE%B1_%CE%BA%CE%B1%CE%B9_%CE%BF%CE%B9_%CF%83%CF%85%CE%BD%CE%AD%CF%80%CE%B5%CE%B9%CE%B5%CF%82_%CF%84%CF%89%CE%BD_%CF%80%CE%BF%CE%BB%CE%AD%CE%BC%CF%89%CE%BD_%CE%B1%CF%80%CF%8C_%CF%84%CE%B7%CE%BD_%CE%A4%CE%AD%CF%84%CE%B1%CF%81%CF%84%CE%B7_%CE%A3%CF%84%CE%B1%CF%85%CF%81%CE%BF%CF%86%CE%BF%CF%81%CE%AF%CE%B1_%CE%AD%CF%89%CF%82_%CF%84%CE%BF%CE%BD_%CE%9A%CF%81%CE%B7%CF%84%CE%B9%CE%BA%CF%8C_%CE%A0%CF%8C%CE%BB%CE%B5%CE%BC%CE%BF_%CE%B5%CF%80%CE%B9%CE%BC_%CE%9A_%CE%93_%CE%A4%CF%83%CE%B9%CE%BA%CE%BD%CE%AC%CE%BA%CE%B7%CF%82_%CE%99%CE%99%CE%95_%CE%95%CE%99%CE%95_%CE%9C%CE%B5%CE%BB%CE%AD%CF%84%CE%B5%CF%82_2_%CE%91%CE%B8%CE%AE%CE%BD%CE%B1_2025_79_98_in_Greek_with_an_abstract_in_English_?email_work_card=title A living military machine: War horses in medieval Crete In Crete Venice adopted a pseudo-feudal landownership system that linked directly the horse to the upper social class of feudal lords. The local feudal cavalry aimed to defend the new colony against any internal or external enemy. For this reason, both the possession and the commerce of horses were strictly controlled and well organized. In our sources from medieval Crete, we find four types of equine animals: the horse (equus), the ronzinum, the mule (mulum) and the donkey(saumerium). The horse was a first-rate animal and was generally intended for warfare and partly for other activities, while the ronzinum was a lower-quality horse, whose use was generally limited to transport both within the cavalry army and in other areas of work. The horses in Crete at that time were further distinguished according to their use into those that were declared and recorded as belonging to the so-called varnitio, i.e. the military service which the feudal lords were obliged to offer, and which could be regarded as the war horses par excellence (equi ab armis or equi in varnitio), and those that were outside this service and which their owners intended for other uses (equi extra varnitionem). The former were held exclusively by the feudal lords, while the latter were held by both feudal lords and other wealthy inhabitants of the island, such as “merchants and burghers” (mercatores et burgenses). All war horses possessed by the feudal lords with their physical characteristics, in order to be easily identified, were systematically recorded by the responsible officials in a special cadaster. With this registration the local Venetian authorities knew at all times that each feudal lord possessed the horse or horses he was obliged to dispose of for the feudal cavalry. A certain number of horses were also owned by the Venetian high officials on the island, depending on their rank in the local hierarchy, some of which were used for warfare and others for transport. All war horses of both feudal lords and officials had to be suitable for their role and therefore their quality was controlled. This quality was a result of various factors, the main ones being breed and age, but no doubt also the state of their health. ...