Varangians of Byzantium 1 revisedst Edition

by Sigfús Blöndal (Author), Benedikt Benedikz (Author)

21 ratings

Frequently bought together

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1

Raffaele D’Amato
71
Paperback
26 offers from $11.45
Charles River Editors
4
Paperback
3 offers from $9.99
Sverrir Jakobsson
2
Hardcover
12 offers from $90.85
Alfred the Great
153
Paperback
2 offers from $9.99
John Haywood
289
Hardcover
30 offers from $12.11

What other items do customers buy after viewing this item?

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1

Raffaele D’Amato
71
Paperback
26 offers from $11.45
Charles River Editors
4
Paperback
3 offers from $9.99

Editorial Reviews

Book Description

This book examines how the Norsemen came to be drawn into the Imperial service.

Book Description

An aura of romance has clung about the Varangians for over six centuries. This book examines how the Norsemen came to be drawn into the Imperial service until the greatest of all the Emperors of the East, Basil II, formed them into the regiment of guards which was to give unique service to the Empire.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Cambridge University Press; 1st edition (April 16, 2007)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 260 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 052103552X
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0521035521
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 14.3 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.65 x 9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #812,601 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,033 in Military History (Books)
- #2,014 in European History (Books)

Customer Reviews:
21 ratings

Customer reviews

5 star		63%
4 star		12%
3 star		17%
2 star		8%
1 star 0% (0%)		0%

How are ratings calculated?

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

M. Perera

A Rare Find of a Unique Military Unit

Reviewed in the United States on July 1, 2013

Verified Purchase

This book was originally written by Sigus Blondal who was worked at the Icelandic Royal Library. Benedikt S Benedikz gathered the various notes and compiled them into the book that was published in 1978.

I stumbled across Henry Treece’s Viking Trilogy in my junior high and high school year in of all places, Sri Lanka. I had also read an excellent novel of the life of Harald Hardrada, who title escapes me. Needless to say, that I have had a long fascination with the Varangians.

This is an excellent book for several reasons. First of all stands the scholarship. Every source is carefully documented, and there are several passages Greek, Russian, and Icelandic. The author describes the foundation of Varangian and Russian cultures. He describes the structure of the Byzantine army and navy, and how the Varangians fit in. Next an entire chapter is devoted to the life of Harald Hardrada, the exiled Norwegian prince turned Viking mercenary who almost conquered England. It then follows the Varangians from essentially 1000 AD forward. An interesting note was that after the Normans conquered England that many of the Saxon nobility and huscarls ( household warriors ) joined the Varangian guard, changing the composition from Scandinavian to more English. Lastly, the ceremonial duties are described, and it ends with the lives of individual Varangians.

Overall an excellent book.

5 people found this helpful

Helpful

The Old Viking

Scholarly study of the history of the Verangians

Reviewed in the United States on September 9, 2013

Verified Purchase

This was an excellent study of the Verangian guard that served the Byzantine emperors for many centuries. Very well researched from countless foreign resources and well,some my say overly, attributed, in foreign language and script. This should not detract from the basic story, which I found very complete and interesting to read. As a financial advisor and numismatist, I found some the financial details of special interest; how they were paid, how much they had to pay to gain a position in the various levels of the guard, etc. I had a specific interest in the time period of when Harald Hardrada, the future king of Norway, spent in Verangian service, of which, the author devotes a separate, long chapter, This was worth the price of the book itself.

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

sharmalee ales

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United States on December 25, 2016

Verified Purchase

Very helpful in my classes.

Helpful

Stefano NikolaouTop Contributor: Philosophy

Vikings and Byzantines = Awesome

Reviewed in the United States on January 13, 2018

Vikings are all the rage at the moment so why not take some time and check out a book about the elite Norse/Russian/Anglo-Saxon mercenaries in Byzantine service known as Varangians.

This book was first published in 1978. It is a revised version of a book put out in Icelandic in 1954. That means this book is old scholarship but like all good scholarship it holds up well. Until someone gets around to writing a new book on the Varangians this one will have to do.

Chapter 4 (pages 54-102) is a substantial article on the career of Harald Hardrada, the most famous Varangian. He spent a decade in Byzantine service before he went off to claim the Norwegian throne. The chapter uses a wide range of sources including skaldic poetry, Russian chronicles, the writing of Kekaumenos, the Harald Saga by Snorri Sturluson and Byzantine Chronicles.

The following chapters take a chronological look at the Varangians covering the years 1042-1081, 1081-1204 and 1204-1453. After the 4th Crusade the Byzantine Empire was poverty stricken so it was less attractive for the Norse but groups lingered on til the end.

I found the list (pages 223-233) of runic inscriptions (with translations) that mention the Byzantine Empire to be very valuable. There are about 30 in all, mostly from Sweden but the inscription on the Lion of Piraeus. Most of the runestones were erected in honour of dead relatives who died in the 'East' in Byzantins service. I really wish that some photos of some of the runestones had been included.

I must admit that the book was a bit dull. Only the section on Harald Hardrada was lively. This has to do with the sources. No Varangian ever wrote their memoirs or talked to a chronicler to record their experiences. Similarly, the Byzantine sources only ever mention the Varangians in passing. They were in this battle or that battle, etc without too much detail. Blondal tries to rectify this by having a chapter on 'Individual Varagians and Travellers' (pages 193-222) but it ends up being mainly about pilgrims.

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Chris Chamberlain

Hard Work

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 5, 2015

Verified Purchase

Like reading treacle! Gave up after an entire chapter on the origins of the word Varangian! Shame because there's room for a good book on this subject!!

Anthony Coutret

Reference

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 22, 2018

Verified Purchase

Very good book for anyone interested in the Byzantium and varangians history

JPS

THE reference on the Varangians of the Emperors of Byzantium

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 9, 2012

Verified Purchase

As the previous reviewer mentioned, the amount of work underlying this book is quite astonishing, especially when one realizes that it was done well over sixty years ago and updated in the 70s. So, data mining through multiple sources before the age of PCs. Moreover, this is the ONLY book that focuses on the Varangians of Byzantium.

Both Scandinavian and Russ (of mixed Scandinavian and Slavic descent) had served as mercenaries well before the reign of Basil II. Several hundred are recorded to have been marines aboard the fleets that were launched to reconquer Crete in both 911 and 949. However, it is from the time of Basil II that they came to prominence, when 6000 of them were sent by their king to fight for the Byzantine Emperor and help put down a major rebellion that had rallied most of the Eastern themes and regiments. By that time, the rebel army was under the command of Bardas Phokas, one of the best generals of hthe Empire, the nephew of former Emperor (and usurper) Nikephoros II and a warlord who was also the leader of of the Phokas, one of the main families of the military aristocracy in Asia Minor. Together with the armies of the European themes (mostly from the themes of Thrace and Macedonia), they smashed the rebels in a couple of hard fought and rather bloody battles. Impressed by their skills, Basile II kept several thousand of them and hired more.

Over time, the term Varangian covered several different aspects. The most well known is that of the Varangian guard, who acted indeed as one of Emperor's regiments of Lifeguards, who could also be used for any kind of operations within Constantinople as the Emperor's enforcers (including executions or the mutilation of potential rivals seeking to become Emperor. The Varangian guard was made up of the best among the Varangian (or Rus) regiments which were part of the Tagmata and scattered across the Empire. These were used as shock troops and sent out on expeditions when and where they were needed from Basil II up to 1204. For instance, and in addition to Harald Hadrada, who commanded a suqdron of ships crewed by Varangians during the Sicilian expedition (1038 to 1040), George Maniakes seems to also have had with him one or several other Tagmas of Rus with him. Varangians were also opposed to the Normans after these revolted in Italy in 1041 and several times afterwards over the next 30 years. They were among the defenders of Bari, the last port controled by Byzantium in Italy aznd which surrendered after a siege of almost three years. They were killed arounf Romanus IV Diogenes when he was captured by the Turks at Mantzikert and, as shock troops, they formed part of the Byzantine battle line at the battle of Dyrrakhion against the Normans in 1081 when they routed the Norman left wing before falling into dissaray and being almost wiped out after fighting to the last, as usual. It was also some 540 Varangians who, in 1122, stormed the fortified camp of the Petchenègues, breaking their ring of chariots with their axes. And the story of their deeds goes on, and on. By the time of Dyrrakhion, a large portion of the Varangard seems to have been "English" or, to be accurate, made up of Anglo Danes (many coming from the Danelaw) and Saxons, all of which had been dispossessed by the Norman conquerors and had accordingly no future in England.

This book is very valuable because it tells the story of these warriors and the fearsome reputation of courage, loyalty and military skills that they carved out for themselves. It is also fascinating because it paints, through a number of vignettes drawn from the Nordic sagas, the lives of a number of these warriors. The Varangards from Scandinavia seem to have been mostly Swedes and Norse, but they were also Danes and Icelanders among them. Of course, a full chapter is devoted to hte most famous among them all: Haraldr Sigurdarson, better known as Harald Hadrada. For the Varangians themselves, of course, Miklaguard (Constantinople) was perceived as a potential eldorado: those who left for the City were attracted to a place where they could hope to make a forture (or at least earn a rich living and have a good life) doing one of the things they did best: fighting and soldiering. This attraction was reinforced by the beginning of the 11th century, as Scandinavia was little by little christianized and fell under control of a few monarchs. The "good old days" for "going a viking" were coming to an end, but Miklagard still offered huge opportunities, or at least this is what the Sagas have to say.

Interestingly, and this is also a major qtrongpoint of this book, Blöndal and Benedikz show that the Saga's view is largely corroborated by Byzantine sources: the Varangians of the Guard were highly praised, paid more than other Russ troops, and you had to pay a stiff amount to be able to join. They also discuss the somewhat "ritual" looting of the Emperor's palace everytime an Emperor fell from power or died. What seemed to have happened was that the Varangians of the guard had to right to share between themselves at least some of the Emperor's personel belongings and this must have likely been a significant sources of enrichment for the Varangian Guards. They acquired a huge reputation for loyalty largely because of the personal oaths that each of them took to defend the Emperor and be faithful to him, but also because he was their paymaster and, unlike regiments made up of native Byzantines, it made little sense to join the forces of usurpers and "bite the hand that was feeding them".

Anyway, in case you hadn't realised, I love this book (and the Varangians, of course). It is the reference on the Varangians and well worth writing and, anyway, it is the ONLY reference on the subject. Whatever its merits, Osprey's little book on the subject simply cannot be compared. I am delighting to see that this book was at last reprinted in 2007. About time too: it had been out of print for a long, long time.

8 people found this helpful

Theodoros

An excellent study

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 26, 2012

Verified Purchase

I bought this as a secondary source - assistance for my Middle Byzantine era seminar. It has to be the only easy-to-find study on the Varangians and it's pretty solid, with references to all sources, Scandinavian, Russian, Armenian, Greek, Arabic, Latin.

4 people found this helpful

See all reviews

Customers who bought this item also bought

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1

Pages with related products. See and discover other items: byzantine empire history

Varangians of Byzantium 1 revisedst Edition

Buy used: $39.13

Buy new: $44.39

Frequently bought together

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

What other items do customers buy after viewing this item?

Editorial Reviews

Book Description

Book Description

Product details

Customer reviews

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Top reviews from other countries

Customers who bought this item also bought

Buy used:

$39.13

Buy new:

$44.39