This sense of loyalty was manifested many times in the course of history, with one particular incident involving the great Alexios Komnenos. In that regard, unlike most other mercenaries, they were dedicated, incredibly well trained, furnished with the best of armors, and most importantly devoted to their lord. Raffaele D’Amato mentioned (in his book The Varangian Guard: 988-1453) , the Varangians were specifically employed to be directly loyal to their paymaster – the Emperor. But the recruitment of the Varangians (by Basil II) was certainly different in scope, simply because of the loyalty factor. 3) Contrasting Statuses Of Both Mercenaries And Royal Guards –Įmploying mercenaries was a trademark of Eastern Roman military stratagem even in the earlier centuries. And so the famed Varangian Guard was forged – symbolizing the might of the Eastern Roman emperor himself. These success ratios tempered the ‘foreign’ Rus warriors into a disciplined body of troops who formed the core of the imperial guard. So by the end of the 10th century (and the beginning of the 11th century), Basil II wholeheartedly made use of his ‘Varangians’, and successfully campaigned far and wide, ranging from the Levant to Georgia. This paved the way for further ‘supply’ of warriors from Rus. On the political side of affairs, there was another significant development – Vladimir the Great converted to Orthodox Christianity (the state religion of the Eastern Roman Empire) and even married Princess Anna of Byzantine. However, on entering the service of Basil II, the group proved its mettle in various encounters, thus ultimately allowing the emperor to crush the rebel army and its commanders. According to old sources (like the Russian Primary Chronicle, compiled in 1113 AD), these men were supposedly unruly and unpaid – and hence the Prince was rather happy to ‘ship’ them away to the ‘Greeks’ of the distant realm.
![ck2 english melting pot ck2 english melting pot](https://i.redd.it/81wf3s0075q41.jpg)
Vladimir saw his opportunity in this deal and promptly send away around 6,000 men to the Roman emperor’s aid. Desperate for reinforcements, the emperor called for aid from Vladimir the Great, the Grand Prince of Kievan Rus. This time around, it was brought on by a civil war in the Eastern Roman Empire that pitted Emperor Basil II Porphyrogenitus against the rebel Vardhas Phokas – who audaciously marched on to Constantinople with his army by 987 AD. Illustration by Giuseppe RavaĪs with innumerable episodes of history, it was internal turmoil that brought about a significant change in the affairs of an empire. 2) Forged By The Civil War Of The ‘Greeks’ –īasil II flanked by his royal guards. Simply put, the term Varangian can be roughly translated to ‘sworn companion’ – which proved to be an apt categorization, as later history was witness to their glorious feats. Though most scholars tend to agree that it is derived from Old Norse væringi, which is a compound of vár ‘pledge or vow of fidelity’ and gengi ‘companion or fellowship’. Interestingly, the very term Varangian (Old Norse: Væringjar Greek: Βάραγγοι, or Varangoi) is open for etymological debate. And by the late 9th century AD, the Eastern Roman sources referred to them as the Varangians. In any case, bands of these roving fighters gradually started to gravitate towards Constantinople (the Rus called it Miklagard – ‘The Great City’ or ‘City of Michael’), some for raiding purposes and others for trading. Now Rus in itself pertained to a loose federation of Slavic trading towns and villages spread across Russia and Ukraine, and these settlements were ruled by an originally Swedish elite (Vikings from Scandinavia), who had later mixed with the local populace.
![ck2 english melting pot ck2 english melting pot](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EhgWNbSXYAczpiw.jpg)
![ck2 english melting pot ck2 english melting pot](https://i.imgur.com/og1YjrX.png)
And as such, the warriors and adventurers of Rus were also enthralled by its riches. To review, open the file in an editor that reveals hidden Unicode characters.The Eastern Roman Empire was still the richest political entity of Europe in the middle ages, and as such its capital of Constantinople tended to attract invaders (in search of plunder) and mercenaries (in search of pay) alike. This file contains bidirectional Unicode text that may be interpreted or compiled differently than what appears below.