Did you know the varangian guard changed over time? #shorts

[DrkMttyr]

those mercenaries soundin' like D&D characters

[kurukuru]

Ahh, money and adventures... How I miss the good ol' skyrim days.

[rustomkanishka]

Qualifications needed: be really huge
Have weapons and armour
Sell your loyalty to the highest bidder who is more often than not, the Emperor
How to do job: have no local loyalties, only loyalty to your captain
Swing axe really hard at the Imperial enemies.

[averageexistenceenjoyer]

Wasn't one Roman emperor like 8ft tall and super buff, would love to see something about him

[GoldSpangledBananaBoy]

"There's men of the Cross and the Hammer, a few of the Moon Crescent. Men simply searching for glamour, some concealing their royal descent."

[imperialistbrit]

I’ve always enjoyed the meme about the varengians when of Anglo Saxon ex lord and a Viking staring at each other in Constantinople after the battle of Stamford bridge

[paperbinder]

To all the people saying then just having a good time, there is a carving on the Hagia Sophia dated roughly around the 9th century that says “Halfdan was here”

[edwardwindsor]

Must have been awkward when the Anglo-Saxon Thegn who exiled himself after Hastings bumped into the Norseman he bested at Stamford Bridge applying for the same job as him.

[legateelizabeth]

It’s said that after the capture of England by King William, some Anglo Saxons fled to the Byzantine Empire and signed up as Varangians and regular warriors - which Emperor Alexios was all to happy to accept because of the upcoming war with the Turks.
If you believe one (admittedly dubious) source, members of the House of Godwin, the last anglosaxon rulers of England, were granted a small parcel of land for their service up north, nearer the steppe. Obviously even if this was true and there was a New England, it didn’t survive very long.

[noofconsequence]

One of my favorite things about the Varangian Guard actually has to do about how I found out about them. You see, the Byzantines were fighting in Italy, and they needed an extra punch, so they brought up the Varangian Guard. Their foes brought up Norman mercenaries, so it was Vikings fighting Vikings, and I can only imagine how weird it must have been to see them in the opposing camps. And lastly, they fought in the Second Battle of Cannae, as in the first was fought by Hannibal, but this time, the Roman Empire won. Yeah, I like AoE2's Bari campaign, that's where this is from.

[Flamewarrior]

the march of the varangian guard is one of my favorite songs and it’s about them

[johnsatan]

There is a song called the March of the Varangian Guard. It's fucking amazing

[FuzzyTrekkie]

Now I want to see a show based around this. A group of friends decide to sign up for adventure and wealth. Maybe things get too intense for them or maybe shenanigans happen depending on the genre

[blainegrack]

I had a great history teacher and he reminded me of you a lot he had a great way of explaining things

[KCCOmug]

It is interesting that Harald Hardrada was a Varangian and he died fighting the Anglo Saxons for the crown of England. Then the Anglo Saxons lose to the Normans and all the nohles lose their land. So they go to the Varangian Guard... and fight the Normans of Southern Italy.

[DashiellAnthony]

Sounds like you could make a cool game about a Varangian guard or a prospective Varangian guard

[ahha]

Gotta admit that's some neat armour

[adamwhite]

"From up top" has to be the best way of describing Northern Europeans

[turefarwell]

Ah yes, the Ferengi! I need to watch more DS9.

[atinyraven]

Coming back to stakuyi thanks to for honor. Gotta love it.