New Varangian Guard: Byzantine Drill and Imperial Inspection

Members of NVG Garrisons performing a byzantine drill and imperial inspection, for the on lookers at the Victorian State Library 20/04/2008.

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• NVG
• New
• Varangian
• Guard
• Byzantine
• Drill
• Imperial
• Inspection
• Victorian
• State
• Library
• swords
• soilders
• Viking
• events

[lakotadak]

varangian guard looks like vikings

[Jarmolly]

The VG were mercenaries serving for the Biz Empire. They were often Rus and Norsemen. Harold Hardrada King of Norway also served in the VG whilst exiled.

[ForexFrenzy]

@ 2:00 the lady playing the Empress has her her loose, but in those days they would have had their hair tied, loose hair was seen as tarty ;)

[Jarmolly]

There are a number of pics of Empresses wih hair showing. Maybe it didn't apply to them . . .

[ForexFrenzy]

Would the commander, Rus/Anglo-Saxon/Viking, have spoken in Greek to non Greek speakers?

[Jarmolly]

The drill should have been done by Byzantine soldiers, not Norse barbarians. But where were we going to get any at short notice?

[Colts4ever123]

My best to the Varangians, they stood steadfast in Constantinople, May God Bless you !

[conor845]

what's so funny? People watching keep laughing...

[Dagsschiller]

Dude they look very awesome, specially the commander

[gpalmamrw]

@Obasiliasfilosofos They weren't loyal to their master but to the position of emperor, if their emperor was slain, before they could stop the magnicide, and the slayer become the new emperor they will swore loyalty to the new emperor, that was how it works.

[deadsparky]

@Jarmolly Maybe the emperor preferred his empress a bit tarty. ;)

[Obasiliasfilosofos]

@EricMetalGuitarist

also, The Varangian had a traditional honor code that made them bound to their oaths and made them completely faithful to their Lords, Putting their master first and self second.

[Russkyparen1]

Varangians almost all were Russian in Byzantine empire. Greeting from Russia my ortodox Brothers.

[ilgvars2]

not bad but stupid marching was not medieval thing

[EricMetalGuitarist]

@Jarmolly

Actually, that is incorrect. The historical record explicitly states that the Varangian guard was composed of foreign (i.e. non-Greek) soldiery, mostly Nordic peoples. Of course, the Varangian guard was only a small component of the overall Byzantine military, which comprised mostly native Greeks. However, Byzantine emperors felt safer around foreign guard details because, like the Germanic bodyguard of the earlier Western Roman Empire, they relied on the emperor for social status.

[Swartzeagle83]

I wasn't aware of the Praetorian Guard being foreign, but as a practice it does seem to reoccur through history, even up to the French Foreign Legion.

[LordoftheHornets]

@Swartzeagle83 those same events are well documented in roman/praetorian history too, augustus created the praetorian guard from foreigners due to them being more trustworthy than his own roman soldiers for the same reasons of being corruptable through politicking, they were renown for total obedience to the emporer and was mainly derived from germanic warriors, upon the death of any emporer under any circumstances they had the same hes dead we no longer need to be loyal to him attitude, "NEXT"!