58

IntroductionI’m probably somewhat slow off the mark with this article, especially given that the figures from Gripping Beast have been out for sometime now, but I was inspired to write this piece for two reasons:

I’ve been reading Wargames Journal for a long time now and I felt it was a good time for me to try and do my bit with a bit of writing. So I hope you all enjoy it.

The figures from Gripping Beast are superb, and paint up superbly. So I thought I’d try my hand at writing some words for them.

For those of you who might not know, Anna Comnena was the daughter of Emperor Alexius I, and in 1148AD she happened to write about her father and the Byzantine court. Her writing makes for interesting reading offering up many insights into the true role of Varangian Guard.

The Varangian Guard were founded by Emperor Basil II (also known as Bulgaroktonos, or slayer of the Bulgarians) in 988 and came with 6,000

Russian Viking warriors sent by Varangian Tsar Vladimir of Russia. Their name actually comes from Old Norse and is a word relating to ‘sharers of an oath’.

These troops were sent to help overthrow a rebellion by Bardas Phocas.

Vikings actually served in the Byzantine Army and Navy for many years, but the decision by Basil to form the Varangians into a distinct regiment to act as his Imperial bodyguard was an interesting move. They were to become known as the axe-bearing Guard, a title taken from the enormous two-handed axes they carried.

These troops were to serve at the leading edge of many of the Empire’s greatest battles, fighting Turks, Bulgars, Crusaders, Normans and many other enemies.

On a duller note they also

performed garrison duty in the Empire’s cities.

The Varangian Guard were legendary for their loyalty to the Emperors of Byzantine, which in itself is an oddity in Byzantine society. As a result the Guard stayed in Imperial service for over two centuries, through the greatness and decline of the Byzantine Empire.

These troops were amongst, if not the best paid, soldiers in the Empire’s Army. Indeed, so high was their pay that Norsemen would travel from far and wide (from all over Scandinavia and Russia) to spend time in the service of Varangian Guard, to then return home rich.

Harald Sigurdson (also known as the Ruthless, or inn hardradi) is one of the more famous of the Varangian Guard and he was

to become the future king of Norway. Harald was to die at the battle of Stamford Bridge in England, 1066.

“The soldiers who from old were his appointed bodyguard came to the Emperor’s tent first, some wearing swords, others carrying spears or their heavy iron axes on their shoulders, and ranged themselves in the form of a crescent at a certain distance from his throne ...” Anna Comnena

59

His ill fated attempt at seizing the English throne was merely an aperitif, as the main course, William of Normandy, was on his way to take control. The Norman Conquest is thought to have prompted many a Viking to pack his bags and head off to join the Varangian Guard.

The Guard were renowned for their loyalty to the Emperors, an unusual thing in a society as riddled with intrigue as Byzantium. They stayed in Imperial service for over two centuries, seeing the greatness and decline of the Byzantine Empire.

The following is a simple timeline for the Varangian Guard and is supplied to spur ideas as to what you can do with them. Mine adorn the top of my monitor on a vignette I painted and my plan is to now paint up a new set to do battle with.

A Brief roll call of the Varangian Battle Honours

988 AD – The Varangians surprised a rebel force near Chrysopolis (this is locatd across the Bosphorus straits from Constantinople) in what appears to be some sort of large-scale drunken brawl!

They apparently “destroyed not a few of them, scattered the rest in all directions”. If you have a set of skirmish Dark Age rules, such as the Age of Blood rules in the download section of Wargames Journal, you could perhaps play this encounter.

April 989 AD – The Varangians Guard helps Basil in his victory over Bardas Phocas’ lieutenant Delphinas, near Scutari on the Asian side of the Bosphorus.

13th April 989 AD – The Varangians took part in the battle of Abydos, in which Bardas Phocas was finally defeated - apparently Phocas died of a heart attack mid-battle, which is unfortunate!

1000 AD – This is another one of those skirmish moments, but then if you read much of the writing of the times what start as a small fight usually erupt into an inferno of activity. So Basil went to Georgia at hearing of the death of King David, to claim lands David had promised the Byzantine Empire.

His Varangians went with him and apparently a fight broke out between an Iberian and a Varangian over a bale of hay.

So it escalated into a major fight, with claims

of 6,000 Varangians being involved are made, but this could simply be exaggeration egged on by a need to make the story sound good. Many Georgians were killed, including 30 men of rank, amongst them the Iberian Grand Prince.

1009 – A nobleman named Meles of the Italian city of Bari rebelled in an attempt to create an independent republic. The army sent to quell the rising included ‘Dani, Rossi and Gualani’ (Danes, Russians, and the Welsh?

Then in 1011 Bari was recaptured, but Meles rebelled again with Norman aid. There were three inconclusive battles in 1017, and then in 1018 Basil Bioiannes crushed the Normans at the battle of Ofante.

Leo of Ostia wrote “When the Emperor heard that brave knights had invaded his land he sent his finest soldiers against them: in the first three battles they fought the Normans won, but when they were matched against the Russians they were totally defeated, and their army was totally and utterly destroyed . . .”

1022 - On September 11th 1022 at Aghpha near Erzerum against King Keorki. This was a surprise attack on the Byzantine troops, Keorki having first asked for peace and this led to Basil dealing a crushing blow to the Georgians.

It is said that the Varangians distinguished themselves, choosing to attack the enemy before the rest of the army had engaged. Basil paid one gold piece for each head and stacked the heads along the road.

A Numbers GameWe asked Alain Padfield (basically becasue out of all of us he looks the most Dark Age!!) to add some statistics to this article for use with the Warhammer Ancient Battles rules.

This is what he came up with:

As Over Rated Effete Scum911 to 1081ADMax Cost 15

As Elite Scandinavian Mercenaries911 to 988Max Cost 17

As Emperor’s Bodyguard989 to 1033Max Cost 19

As Varangian Guard1034-1040, 1043-1081Max Cost 21

M WS BS S T W I A LD PTS 4 4 3 3 4 1 4 1 8 14

EquipmentHand Weapon, Light Armour, Shield

Special RulesDifferent weapons, Fury of the Norseman (see GW’s rule book for explanation)

Options:Javelins (+1 point), Throwing Spear (+2 points), Double Handed Axe (+2 points),Double Handed Rhomphaiai (+2 points)

+1 Leadership (+2 points)+1 Strength (+5 points)Stubborn (+3 points)

-1 Weapon Skill (-2 points)-1 Toughness (-3 points)-1 Leadership (-1 point)

* It may seem odd to offer ways of making a character inferior, but by doing this you can vary game scenarios. Not all men are made equal! Not even Varangians.

Seing as you are already here please enjoy the stunning figures painted by Gripping Beast’s very own, and extremely talented Darren Harding. If you are reading this Darren - great job as ever, that right-hand banner is fantastic.

59