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 colonizers of Russia). The Varangians wore mixtures
of their native clothing and armor together with a splendid formal
Byzantine uniform. But most famously, they always wielded their own
traditional battle-axes; 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, complete with a
dazzling array of artwork plates showing the Varangian Guard in an
array of settings from court ceremonies to the battlefield.
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