The Varangian Guards were Viking mercenaries who operated far beyond their native shores as an elite force within the Byzantine Armies. Descendants from a legendary line of warriors, the Varangian Guard was formed after a group of Viking mercenaries made a major contribution to the Byzantine Emperor Basil II's victory over rebel forces in 988 AD. These 5,000 men were then retained as Basil's personal guard and would provide loyal service to many successive occupants of the imperial throne. Commonly referred to as 'foreigners' (Etaireia), they were nonetheless absorbed into a new Palatine regiment under command of an officer termed the Akolouthos, who was either a Norsemen or a Rus (Norsemen colonisers of Russia). The Varangians wore mixtures of their native clothing and armour together with a splendid formal Byzantine uniform. But most famously, they always wielded their own traditional battle-axes and in fact this became a sign that the emperor was on the battlefield in person. This is an insightful look of one of the legendary guard units of the medieval world.
Product Identifiers
Publisher
Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN-13
9781849081795
eBay Product ID (ePID)
92717552
Product Key Features
Book Title
The Varangian Guard 988-1453
Illustrator
Giuseppe Rava
Author
Raffaele D'amato
Format
Paperback
Language
English
Topic
Government, History
Publication Year
2010
Type
Textbook
Number of Pages
48 Pages
Dimensions
Item Height
248mm
Item Width
184mm
Volume
No. 459
Item Weight
185g
Additional Product Features
Title_Author
Raffaele D'amato
Series Title
Men-At-Arms
Country/Region of Manufacture
United Kingdom
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