FREE THE VARANGIAN GUARD 988-1453 PDF

Raffaele D'Amato,Giuseppe Rava | 48 pages | 22 Jun 2010 | Bloomsbury Publishing PLC | 9781849081795 | English | , , United Kingdom The Varangian Guard < Uniformi - Distintivi < Milistoria

Uh-oh, it looks like your Internet Explorer is out of date. For a better shopping experience, please upgrade now. Javascript is not enabled in your browser. Enabling JavaScript in your browser will allow you to experience all the features of our site. Learn how to enable JavaScript on your browser. Home 1 Books 2. Add to Wishlist. Sign in to Purchase Instantly. Members save with free shipping everyday! See details. Overview The Varangian Guards were Viking who operated far beyond their native shores as an elite force within the Byzantine Armies. Descendants from a legendary line of , the Varangian Guard was formed after a group of Viking mercenaries made a major contribution The Varangian Guard 988-1453 the Byzantine Emperor Basil II's victory over The Varangian Guard 988-1453 forces in AD. These 5, 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 The Varangian Guard 988-1453, they were nonetheless absorbed into a new Palatine regiment under command of an officer termed the Akolouthos, who was either a or a Rus Norsemen colonizers of Russia. The 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. The Varangian Guard 988-1453 USA. Men-at-Arms The Varangian Guard by Raffaele D'Amato, Giuseppe Rava, Paperback | Barnes & Noble®

Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. Want to Read saving…. Want to Read Currently Reading Read. Other editions. Enlarge cover. Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Open Preview See a Problem? Details if other :. Thanks for telling us about the problem. Return to Book Page. Giuseppe Rava Illustrator. 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 AD. These 5, men were then The Varangian Guards were Viking mercenaries who operated far beyond their native shores as an elite force within the Byzantine Armies. These The Varangian Guard 988-1453, 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' The Varangian Guard 988-1453they 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. Get A Copy. Paperback48 pages. More Details Osprey Men at Arms Other Editions 1. Friend Reviews. To see what your friends thought of this book, The Varangian Guard 988-1453 sign up. To ask other readers questions about The Varangian Guardplease sign up. Be the first to ask a question about The The Varangian Guard 988- 1453 Guard Lists with This Book. This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Community The Varangian Guard 988-1453. Showing Average rating 3. Rating details. More filters. Sort order. This book can be useful and very disappointing at the same time. Yet The Varangian Guard 988-1453 are 3 problems: Osprey's bad editorial job, a few horrible mistakes possibly cause This book can be useful and The Varangian Guard 988-1453 disappointing at the same time. Yet there are The Varangian Guard 988-1453 problems: Osprey's bad editorial job, a few horrible mistakes possibly caused by the editing, but, despite one or two clues I gathered in that direction, I can't be sure and the fact this book might be on the wrong series it should be on the "Elite" series. View 1 comment. Oct 25, Angela rated it really liked it. Just because this is an illustrated book, that doesn't make it something to be overlooked. The Osprey books boast a great deal of research, and the biblio in this is worth the purchase alone for anyone doing significant research of the Varangian Guard. They pull a lot from Blondal's "Varangians of Byzantium" volume, but with his being one of the only available sources to-date, it's still a fantastic collection of information. Aug 31, Signe rated it really liked it Shelves: historyhistory-scandinavianhistory-byzantinehistory-military. Other runic graffiti has been found, The Varangian Guard 988-1453 pre-dating the Varangian guard. This is thin book is fun history with lots of illustrations. Jul 05, Nathan rated it liked it. Interesting to learn about the personal guard of the Byzantine emperors. Nov 23, Steven Peterson rated it liked it. A fascinating work, a part of Osprey Publishing's "Men-at-Arms" series Osprey seems to have scores of series! The thin volume explores the Varangian Guard, an intriguing set of soldiers in the Byzantine military. The Guard began as Scandinavians who had settled in Russia e. Later, many hired out to the Eastern as soldiers men-at-arms. Pagesat the outset, provide a useful chronology of the Guard's linkage to the Empire. The book also has narrative, on A fascinating work, a part of Osprey Publishing's "Men-at-Arms" series Osprey seems to have scores of series! The book also has narrative, on a century to century basis, of the Guard--from the 10th century through the 15th century. Over time, they evolved from an elite unit in the army to the Emperor's own guard. The Guard appears to have numbered between 4, to 6, soldiers for the most part over time. The book discusses leadership, their service in the army as well as their service as imperial guards, equipment several pages of colorful pictures of troops, uniforms, and weapons. The book concludes with a brief but helpful bibliography. Since I knew very The Varangian Guard 988-1453 about the Varangian Guard, even this slim book was a nice resource, helping me to learn something of this military force. View 2 comments. Dec 09, Sarah Schanze rated it liked it Shelves: historical-factsvikings. Another good, short introduction to the subject. Unfortunately the art in this wasn't as strong as the other The Varangian Guard 988-1453 that were illustrated by Angus McBride. I might look for more of these books just for his art. Zdenko Juskuv rated it it was amazing Jan The Varangian Guard 988-1453, Thomas Davenport rated it it was amazing Dec 09, Kalervo Pasanen rated it really liked it Mar 06, James rated it it was ok Sep 21, Steven Patterson rated it really liked it Sep 20, Rich rated it liked it Dec 10, Daniel The Varangian Guard 988-1453 rated it liked it Oct 30, Christopher rated it really liked it Dec 07, Hisham rated it liked it Jul 24, Jeffrey Otterspoor rated it liked it Aug 24, Dom Puzool rated it really liked it Dec 06, Sebastian rated it liked it Dec 31, Jim The Varangian Guard 988-1453 it really liked it Mar 11, Mar 03, Anatolikon added it. Dan Stinton rated it liked it Mar 03, Toronto Ray rated it it was amazing Dec 10, Justin Y. O'Donnell rated it liked it Feb 18, The Varangian Guard 988-1453 Selina James rated it liked it Dec 29, Alexander Tamas rated it liked it Sep 23, Declan McGonigle rated it really liked it May 01, Hikioh rated it liked it Sep 21, Jaye Brooks Sr. Dave rated it liked it Jan 15, There are no discussion The Varangian Guard 988-1453 on this book yet. Readers also enjoyed. About Raffaele D'Amato. Raffaele D'Amato. Other books in the series. Osprey Men at Arms 1 - 10 of books. Books The Varangian Guard 988-1453 Raffaele D'Amato. The Varangian Guard – Grimfrost

Posted By: Dattatreya Mandal April The Varangian Guard 988-1453, So without further ado, let us take a gander at ten incredible facts you should know about The Varangian Guard 988-1453 Varangian Guard. The Eastern Roman Empire was still the richest political entity of in the middle ages, and as such its capital of tended to attract invaders in search of plunder and mercenaries in search of pay alike. And as such, the warriors and adventurers of Rus were also enthralled by its riches. As with innumerable episodes of history, it was internal turmoil that brought about a significant change in the affairs of an empire. On the political side of affairs, there was another significant development — converted to Orthodox Christianity the state religion of the Eastern Roman Empire and even married Princess Anna of Byzantine. And so the famed Varangian Guard was forged — symbolizing the might of the Eastern Roman emperor himself. Employing mercenaries was a trademark of Eastern Roman military stratagem even in the earlier centuries. But the recruitment of the The Varangian Guard 988-1453 by Basil II was certainly different in scope, simply because of the loyalty factor. In essence, as historian Dr. In that regard, unlike most other mercenaries, they were dedicated, incredibly well trained, furnished with the best of armors, The Varangian Guard 988-1453 most importantly devoted to their lord. This sense of loyalty was manifested many times in the course of history, with one particular incident involving the great Alexios . After revolting, Komnenos appeared before the gates of Constantinople with his superior army, while the capital itself was defended only by some The Varangian Guard 988-1453 soldiers, including the Varangian Guard and a few other mercenaries. But in spite of their precarious situation, the Varangians stayed faithful to Emperor Nikephoros III Botaneiates till the last moment, before the ruler himself abdicated in favor of a bloodless The Varangian Guard 988-1453. Suffice it to say, the guard was retained The Varangian Guard 988- 1453 Komnenos came to power. On the other hand, it begs the question — then why was the Varangian Guard still branded as a mere group? Well, the answer relates to the practicality of court politics. Unlike other regiments, the Varangian Guard was mostly not subject to political and courtly intrigues; nor were they influenced by the provincial elites and the common citizens. As we mentioned before, the Varangian Guard was initially formed mostly of warriors and adventurers from Rus who tended to have Swedish lineage. There was a socio-political side to this ambit since most of England was overrun by the under William the Conqueror post AD. As a result, the native Anglo-Saxon military elites of these lands had to look for opportunities elsewhere — thus kick-starting mini waves of migration from Britain to Black Sea coasts, and then ultimately to Eastern Roman Empire. In The Varangian Guard 988-1453, there are contemporary sources that talk about how English was actually spoken in the streets of Constantinople, thus alluding to the presence of many Anglo-Saxons mercenaries. This time around they formed the core body of the Varangian Guard under Alexios Komnenos while being pitted against the Normans from southern Italy under . Unfortunately for the Anglo-Saxons, they were too eager to challenge their enemy — and so by breaking their formation, the Varangians charged into the right-wing of the Normans. But once the tide was stemmed, the Anglo-Saxons were surrounded and woefully outnumbered. Afflicted by The Varangian Guard 988-1453 and heavy armor, the group was mostly destroyed in a piecemeal manner by Norman counter-charging. We have already talked about how the early members of the Varangian Guard mostly hailed from Ruswhile by the late 11th century they were gradually superseded by the Anglo-Saxons. In fact, from the initial times, the Swedish Varangians were often accompanied by their Norwegian brethren who arrived directly from as opposed to Russia. Similarly, by the 11th century, the Danes also arrived on Byzantine shores, along with the Anglo-Saxons. Moreover, according to contemporary sources like that of Leo of Ostia — as referenced by Dr. Beyond the melting pot of different nationalities, there is always the question of the actual numbers that were present in the Varangian Guard. But the numbers, in accordance with sources, kept fluctuating after 11th century — though most of them dealt with the Varangians participating in battles, and these warriors were possibly only a part of the entire Varangian Guard in its full capacity. In any case, the figures range from 4, men to a paltry men. By late 13th century AD, the numbers were probably officially dropped to 3, men. By then the Varangian Guard formed one-half of the Taxis the core army of the Empire of Nicaeawhile the other half was formed by the Vardariotaiwho were Magyar Hungarian in origin. With so much talk about the Varangian Guard taking the fields — as mentioned in so many literary sources, there is surprisingly little knowledge about how they actually functioned in the battles in regard to tactics. In essence, this contrasting composition provided the nigh-perfect tactical scope of shock and missile units. But there were also scenarios when the Varangian Guard was deployed at the back to protect the precious baggage train, while they supported other heavy infantry formations of the Eastern . In that regard, it was The Varangian Guard 988-1453 customary The Varangian Guard 988-1453 allow the Varangians to take the first plunders from a conquered settlement. In any case, the popular imagery of a Varangian guardsman generally reverts to a tall, heavily armored man bearing a huge ax rested on his shoulder. This imposing ax in question entailed the so-called Pelekysa deadly two-handed weapon with a long shaft that was akin to the famed Danish ax. To that end, the Varangians were often referred to as the pelekyphoroi in . As for its size, the sturdy battle-ax often reached to an impressive length of cm inch — with a heavy head of 18 cm 7-inch length and blade-width of 17 cm 6. With their Viking heritage and Rus tradition of distant seafaring, it was expected of the Varangians to have maritime skills. So beyond battlefield maneuvers and palace duties, some of the younger or less experienced members of the Varangian Guard were chosen to actually hunt down pirates. These The Varangian Guard 988-1453 were deployed in specially-made light marine crafts called the ousiaiand they worked in unison with the other Nordic and Russian mercenaries. But other than glorious feats in battles and adventurous sea-raids, the Varangian Guard was also involved in The Varangian Guard 988-1453 more mundane duties, like policing the streets of Constantinople. They rather carved up a brutal reputation for themselves — who were known to enforce strict laws and arrest the political opponents of the emperor. Now while we mentioned before how the Varangians were employed as rigorous law enforcers in the capital, they themselves were not too reluctant to break certain laws of decorum. As Dr. Now given their status as the elite members of the imperial guard, the Varangians were obviously paid very highly. However, in an odd arrangement, only affluent members were inducted into the guard. The threshold was maintained by a relatively high fee in gold that the would-be inductee had to pay the Roman authorities in order to be considered for the role of a Varangian guardsman. In any case, it should be noted that in most situations, the Varangians on being The Varangian Guard 988-1453, acquired far more riches from compensations, bonuses, and spoils than their initial fee of entry. So from a realistic perspective, there was no dearth of applicants — with even the rejected ones making names for themselves in the other albeit less renowned mercenary companies of the Eastern Roman empire. In our previous entry, we talked about how the applicant needed to provide a lump-sum amount of gold to be considered for the Varangian Guard. One The Varangian Guard 988-1453 adventurer was the great . In his teenage years, he had to escape from his native after ending up in a losing battle. The The Varangian Guard 988-1453 man made his way to Kievan Rusand made a name of himself on various military The Varangian Guard 988-1453, by fighting for the Grand Prince Yaroslav the Wise. But after rising to the rank The Varangian Guard 988-1453 a military captain, young Harald took a gamble and made his way to Constantinople, along with of his personal followers. After reportedly capturing around eighty Arab strongholds, the Scandinavian even made his way to Jerusalem, to probably oversee a peace agreement made between the Eastern Roman Empire and the Fatimid Caliphate in AD. In the latter years, he acquired much wealth and prestige throughout the Roman realm. But in spite of his status as an The Varangian Guard 988-1453 guardsman possibly holding the rank of Manglabites The Varangian Guard 988- 1453, he planned to leave Constantinople for Rusprobably because of an ill-favored political climate in the capital. In Rus he married a Russian princess, elevated his status to a Prince, and then triumphantly made a return to his homeland Norway. In the years between The Varangian Guard 988-1453 AD, Harald was finally able to gain the kingship of Norway through various political and military machinations maneuvers that were undoubtedly learned during his time in the Eastern Roman court. And oddly enough, pushing forth the historical cycle, many of the dispossessed Anglo-Saxons of England, in turn, went on to become members of the Varangian Guard in the latter years. The trademark of the Varangian Guard pertained to carrying an imposing The Varangian Guard 988-1453 and wearing of heavy armor though in rare cases, they were also lightly armed. Relating to the latter, the armor often entailed ringmail The Varangian Guard 988-1453 that The Varangian Guard 988-1453 sometimes reinforced with lamellar klivanion or scale armor. The unwieldy hauberk mail shirt weighed around a significant 30 lbs, and so the guardsmen adopted a type of chest harness known as the Varangian Bra. Usually made of leather, the harness consisted of a breast strap with The Varangian Guard 988- 1453 shoulder straps going over each shoulder, which connected the front and rear end of the strap. Featured Image Credit: kosv About Submit a tip Contact Us. Home Military. Basil II flanked by his royal guards. Illustration by Giuseppe Rava. Illustration by Angus McBride.