The Varangian Guard 988-1453

The Varangian Guard 988-1453 by Raffaele Damato

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.

Raffaele D'Amato, PhD, is the author of some 40 books and has written numerous articles on the Roman Empire, Byzantium, medieval Europe and the military of Ancient Greece. He is an archaeological consultant and lawyer for Timeline Auctions Ltd of Harwich, and also as an external researcher for the Laboratory of the Danubian Provinces at the University of Ferrara.

Entirely self-taught, Giuseppe Rava is a leading military history artist. He is inspired by the works of the great military artists, such as Detaille, Meissonier, Röchling, Lady Butler, Ottenfeld and Angus McBride. He lives and works in Italy.

SKU	Nicht verfügbar
ISBN 13	9781849081795
ISBN 10	1849081794
Titel	The Varangian Guard 988-1453
Autor	Raffaele Damato
Serie	Men-At-Arms
Buchzustand	Nicht verfügbar
Bindungsart	Paperback
Verlag	Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Erscheinungsjahr	2010-06-20
Seitenanzahl	48
Hinweis auf dem Einband	Die Abbildung des Buches dient nur Illustrationszwecken, die tatsächliche Bindung, das Cover und die Auflage können sich davon unterscheiden.