Byzantine Varangian Guard
E744703
The Byzantine Varangian Guard was an elite corps of foreign, primarily Norse and later Anglo-Saxon, warriors who served as the personal bodyguards and shock troops of the Byzantine emperors.
Observed surface forms (2)
| Surface form | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Varangian Guard | 2 |
| Byzantine imperial guard | 1 |
Statements (49)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
Byzantine imperial guard
ⓘ
elite military unit ⓘ mercenary corps ⓘ |
| allegiance | Byzantine emperor NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| alsoKnownAs |
Imperial Varangian Guard
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Varangians NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| approximateEnd | 13th century ⓘ |
| composedOf | foreign warriors ⓘ |
| country | Byzantine Empire ⓘ |
| culturalImpact |
appears in Byzantine chronicles
ⓘ
featured in Norse sagas ⓘ |
| declinePeriod | late Byzantine period ⓘ |
| duty |
ceremonial functions at court
ⓘ
guarding the imperial palace ⓘ protecting the emperor in battle ⓘ |
| equipment |
mail armor
ⓘ
shield ⓘ sword ⓘ two-handed Dane axe ⓘ |
| formed | 10th century ⓘ |
| formedUnder | Basil II NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| garrisonLocation | Constantinople NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| languageUsed |
Greek
ⓘ
Old Norse NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| laterRecruitmentRegion |
Anglo-Saxon diaspora
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
England NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| notableEthnicComponent |
Anglo-Saxons
GENERATED
ⓘ
Norse GENERATED ⓘ Rus GENERATED ⓘ Scandinavians GENERATED ⓘ |
| notableFor |
loyalty to the emperor
ⓘ
role in palace coups and successions ⓘ service as heavy infantry ⓘ use of two-handed axes ⓘ |
| originEvent | alliance between Basil II and Vladimir I of Kiev ⓘ |
| participatedIn |
Battle of Beroia
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Battle of Manzikert NERFINISHED ⓘ various Byzantine campaigns in Anatolia ⓘ various Byzantine campaigns in the Balkans ⓘ |
| partOf | Byzantine army NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| peakAngloSaxonRecruitment | after Norman Conquest of England ⓘ |
| primaryRecruitmentRegion |
Kievan Rus
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Scandinavia NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| privilege | right to plunder imperial treasury on emperor's death ⓘ |
| receivedFromAllies | contingent of Rus warriors ⓘ |
| role |
personal bodyguard of the Byzantine emperor
ⓘ
shock troops ⓘ |
| status |
highly paid
ⓘ
privileged ⓘ |
Referenced by (4)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
this entity surface form:
Varangian Guard
this entity surface form:
Byzantine imperial guard
this entity surface form:
Varangian Guard