Varangians

The Varangians or Varyags (Russian: Варяги, Varyagi) were Scandinavians who travelled eastwards and southwards, mainly from the present areas of Denmark and Sweden.

Engaging in trade, piracy and mercenary activities, they roamed the river systems and portages of what later became Russia, reaching the Caspian Sea and Constantinople. By the most common opinion, their name came from Old Norse Væringjar, which may have come from the Old Norse plural noun várar = "pledge, troth".

The East Slavs and the Byzantines, however, did not distinguish Scandinavians from other Germanic peoples when they used this term. In the Russian Primary Chronicle, this term also includes the people of Denmark and England (Англяне).

The Varangian Rus

The Varangians (Varyags, in Old East Slavic) are first mentioned by the Russian Primary Chronicle as having exacted tribute from the Slavic and Finnic tribes (cf. the Danegeld) in 859. In 862, the Finnic and Slavic tribes rebelled against the Varangian Rus, but started making war on each other. The disorder led the tribes to invite the Varangian Rus to come and rule them and bring peace to the region. Led by Rurik and his brothers Truvor and Sineus, the invited Varangians (called Rus) settled around the town of Novgorod.

Though many historians view these 9th century Varangians as legendary, the real settlement of Aldeigjuborg (now Staraya Ladoga) was associated with the name of Rurik, and established around Lake Ladoga in the 8th century. Western history has it that these Scandinavians founded Kievan Rus' and gave their name to the land. Many Slavic scholars are opposed to this theory of Northern influence and have suggested alternative theories for this part of Russian history. For an overview, see Rus.

In contrast to the intense Scandinavian influence in Normandy and the British Isles, Varangian culture did not survive to a great extent in the East. Instead, the Varangian ruling classes of the two powerful city-states of Novgorod and Kiev were eventually Slavicized, but Old Norse was spoken in Novgorod until the 13th century, and a Varangian mercenary force continued in the service of the Byzantine Emperors.

The Varangian Guard

Varangians had been trading in the Baltic as far back as the seventh century and in 839 first appear in the Byzantine world as mercenaries hired by the emperor Theophilus. Theophilus negotiated with the Varangians, whom he called Rhos, to provide a few mercenaries for his army. The Varangians began to raid throughout the Baltic, establishing rule over the Slavic populations in Novgorod in 852 and Kiev in 858. It was in 860, from Kiev, that the Varangians launched their first attack on Constantinople. This initial attack was a failure but the Varangians continued their efforts as they sailed down the Dnieper. Although the Varangians often had peaceful trading relations with the Byzantines, aggression against Constantinople came again in 860, 907, 911, 941, 945, 971, and finally 1043. These raids were successful only in causing the Byzantines to re-arrange their trading arrangements; militarily, the Varangians were always defeated by the superior Byzantine forces, especially by the use of Greek fire. The Varangians were hired by the Kievan and Novgorodian princes as mercenaries from the ninth century until the eleventh century. The last mention of Viking or Varangian mercenaries in Russia occurs in 1043. Whether this is because they were no longer needed or because the mercenaries themselves had been assimilated into Russian society and were no longer considered Varangians or Vikings but as other Russians, is open to speculation.

The Varangians served along with Dalmatians as marines in naval expeditions against Crete in 902 and again in 949 under Constantine Porphyrogenitus. As early as 911, Vikings are mentioned as being in the Byzantine army. It is recorded that there were Varangian contingents among the forces that fought the Arabs in Syria in 955. This service elevated their rank from members of the Great Companions (Gr. Μεγάλη Εταιρεία) of mercenaries to the Imperial Guard.

It was this common employ of the Varangians within the Byzantine empire, and the desperation of Basil II that would eventually see even greater numbers of Varangians utilized in Byzantium. In 988 Basil II requested men from Vladimir the prince of Kiev to help defend his throne. Bound by the treaty made by his father, Vladimir sent 6,000 men to Basil. In exchange, Vladimir was given Basil's sister, Anna, to add to his four other wives and his 800 concubines. In 989 the Varangian guard, led by Basil II himself, landed at Chrysopolis to defeat the rebel Phocus. Already upon the field of battle, Phocus died of a stroke in full view of his opponent; upon the death of their leader, Phocus' troops turned and fled. The brutality of the Varangians was noted when they pursued the fleeing army and "cheerfully hacked them to pieces."

It was because of Basil's distrust of the native Byzantine guardsmen, whose loyalties often shifted with fatal consequences, as well as the proven loyalty of the Varangians that led Basil to employ them as personal bodyguards. This new force became known as the Varangian Guard (Gr. Tagma ton Varangion, Τάγμα των Βαραγγίων) Over the years, new recruits from as far abroad as Sweden, Denmark, and Norway gave a predominently Scandinavian cast to the organization until the late 11th century.

Composed of primarily of Scandinavians for the first 150 years, the guard began to see the inclusion of Anglo-Saxons after the successful invasion of England by the Normans. At this time a large number of Anglo-Saxons and Danes immigrated to the Byzantine Empire by way of the Mediterranean. One source has more than 5,000 of them arriving in 235 ships. Those who did not enter imperial service were settled on the Black Sea, but those who did became so vital to the Varangians that it was commonly called the Englinbarrangoi from that point. In this capacity they were able to war against the Normans under Robert Guiscard in Sicily, who unsuccessfully sought to invade the lower Balkans as well.

The duties and purpose of the Varangian Guard was similar to — if not identical — to the services provided by the Kievan druzhina, the Norwegian and Swedish hird, and the Anglo-Saxon and Danish huscarls. The Varangians served as the personal bodyguardIt is neither unusual nor particularly Byzantine that a foreign unit would gain such access and prestige. Augustus himself had a personal guard of Germans, the Collegium Custodum Corporis or Germani Corporis Custodes, to protect himself from the native Praetorians. This guard was revived by Tiberius and continued until Nero. of the emperor, swearing an oath of loyalty to him; they had ceremonial duties as retainers and acclaimers and performed some police duties, especially with regard to cases of treason and conspiracy. Unlike the native Byzantine guards so mistrusted by Basil II, the Varangian guards' loyalties lay with the position of Emperor, not the man that sat in the seat. This is clear when in 969 the guard failed to protect Emperor Nicephorus II from assassins and did not subsequently avenge his death. "Alive they would have defended him to the last breath: dead there was no point in avenging him. They had a new master now."

While the Varangians are represented in Walter Scott's novel "Count Robert of Paris" as being the fiercest and most loyal element of the Byzantine forces, this is probably exaggerated. However, the exaggeration was begun not by English romantics but by Byzantine writers themselves, who applied a "noble savage" identity to the Varangians. Many Byzantine writers referred to them as "axe-bearing barbarians," or pelekuphoroi barbaroi, rather than Varangians. While many writers praised their loyalty to the emperors (and ascribed their loyalty to their race), the Byzantine rule was marred by usurpations, which indicates that the Guard was either less loyal or less effective than the sources would lead us to believe. One notable exception to the legendary Varangian loyalty to the throne occurred in 1071. After having been defeated by Sultan Alp Arslan, Emperor Romanus Diogenes was sent back to rule in Constantinople. His rivals at court had other ideas. Having decided that his failures as emperor were too many, a palace coup was staged before he could return. His stepson, Caesar John Ducas used the Varangian guard to remove the absent emperor. He divided the guard into two factions, one went to the palace to proclaim his brother Michael VII emperor, the other was sent to arrest his mother, Empress Eudocia. Instead of defending their absent emperor, the Varangians were used by the usurpers.

Similar to their distant brethren, the Varangians' main weapon was a long axe, although they were often skilled swordsmen or archers as well. In some sources they are described as mounted. The guard was stationed primarily around Constantinople, and may have been barracked in the Bucoleon palace complex. The guard also accompanied armies into the field, and Byzantine chroniclers (as well as several notable Western European and Arab chroniclers) often note their battlefield prowess, especially in comparison to the local barbarian peoples. They were present under the emperor John II Komnenos at the Battle of Beroia in 1122. Furthermore, they were the only element of the army to successfully defend part of Constantinople during the Fourth Crusade. Although the Guard was apparently disbanded after the city's capture in 1204, there are some indications that it was revived either by the Empire of Nicaea or the Palaeologid emperors themselves.

Other than their fierce loyalty, the most recognizable attributes of the Varangian guard during the 11th century were their large axes and their penchant for drinking. There are countless stories of the Varangian guard either drinking in excess or being drunk. In 1103 during a visit to Constantinople, King Eric of Denmark "exhorted members of the guard to lead a more sober life and not give themselves up to drunkenness." It is not surprising, due to this Varangian vice to find a 12th century description of them as "the Emperor's wine-bags."

Perhaps the most famous member of the Varangian Guard was the future king Harald Sigurdsson III of Norway, known as Harald Hardråde ("Hardreign"), which means ruthless. Having fled his homeland, Harald went first to Russia and then onto Constantinople, where he arrived in 1035. He participated in eighteen battles and during his service fought against Arabs in Anatolia and Sicily under General George Maniakes as well as southern Italy and Bulgaria. During his time in the Varangian guard he earned the title of Akolouthos ("Acolyte," the title of the commander of the guard.) But, his service ended with his imprisonment for misappropriation of imperial plunder taken during his command. He eventually escaped his imprisonment and returned home in 1043. The exiled English prince Edgar Ætheling may also have served with the Guard around 1098. The Varangian Guard is also mentioned in Njal's Saga in reference to Kolskegg. A Dane, Kolskegg is said to have come first to Russia and then onto Constantinople: "and there took service with the Emperor. The last that was heard of him was, that he had wedded a wife there, and was captain over the Varangians, and stayed there till his death day."

Primary sources

Russian Primary Chronicle
The Strategikon by Kekaumenos
The Alexiad by Anna Komnene
The Historia ecclesiatica by Ordericus Vitalis
The Chronicon universale anonymi Laudunensis
The Jatvardar saga
The Heimskringla

Sources

Sigfus Blondal. Varangians of Byzantium: An Aspect of Byzantine Military History. Trans. by Benedikt S. Benedikz, Cambridge: 1978. ISBN 0521217458
H.R. Ellis Davidson. The Viking Road to Byzantium. London: 1976. ISBN 0049400495

External links

Who Were the Varangians?
English Refugees in the Byzantine Armed Forces: The Varangian Guard and Anglo-Saxon Ethnic Consciousness by Nicholas C.J. Pappas for De Re Militari.org
In the 1990’s group of medieval re-enactors in Australia organized an association known as the New Varangian Guard, which works toward recreating elements of Varangian history. It publishes a quarterly journal entitled Varangian Voice, which includes historical information, as well as news regarding the activities of the association and practical information on reproducing armor, costume and weaponry.

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