Having read the thread, may I offer some views.
A defeat can be catastrophic, but less so towards a state with the resources to absorb it.
I would define a defeat as one which results in long-term damage to a political entity.
Carrhae and Teutoberg? Bad defeats, but Rome could deal with the losses, and neither destroyed the Empire.
Myriokephalum? A defeat, but the Turks took heavy casaulties, and a large portion of the Byzantine army remained intact, and returned home. In later campaigns Byzantium still secured the Anatolian frontier and defeated several Turkish raids.
How about the battle of Tenochtitlan? A great defeat because it dealt a lethal blow to Empire that was powerful only a few years before, and long-term result was disintergration and submission.
A defeat can be catastrophic, but less so towards a state with the resources to absorb it.
I would define a defeat as one which results in long-term damage to a political entity.
Carrhae and Teutoberg? Bad defeats, but Rome could deal with the losses, and neither destroyed the Empire.
Myriokephalum? A defeat, but the Turks took heavy casaulties, and a large portion of the Byzantine army remained intact, and returned home. In later campaigns Byzantium still secured the Anatolian frontier and defeated several Turkish raids.
How about the battle of Tenochtitlan? A great defeat because it dealt a lethal blow to Empire that was powerful only a few years before, and long-term result was disintergration and submission.
Comment