The Varangian Guard 988-1453 (Men-at-Arms) Paperback – Illustrated, June 22, 2010

I'm a visual kind of person, so let's focus on one of the most essential elements of Osprey books first--the plates/illustrations. Guiseppe Rava has been the subject of criticism in previous titles, like Byzantine Cavalryman for his paintings not having enough detail and/or color.While I always thought Mr. Rava's work was superb, I could at least understand where these critics were coming from. But let them remain silent now! In this title, Mr. Rava has crafted a work of art as much as anything else. The details, the colors, and the kinetic energy within the plates all mesh together and create both a striking narrative and an informative view of these Imperial Mercenaries. Indeed, Osprey fans often draw comparisons between other illustrators and the late Angus McBride, and while I am always a fan of Mr. McBride, Rava has clearly carved out his own empire of art. All of his plates looked fantastic and offered a striking image of this very colorful period of European history.As an aside, that is the one gripe I had with Angus McBride. Sometimes, the colors in the plates were dull and were not exciting. Mr. Rava has no such problem, and his plates both capture and inform the imagination.I have bought one of Dr. Amato's imported books from Italy, and the man has clearly earned his doctorate. Although this may be conjecture, I understand Dr. Amato may have access to manuscripts and sources many experts in the Anglo-Sphere may not be too familiar with, so his writing for Osprey is both welcome and refreshing.Overall, a great book for the war gamer, enthusiast, or historian eager to get a very colorful glimpse into the lives of these tough people.

I chose to do a massive project on the Varangians for a medieval art history course and quickly regretted it. At both the colleges and entire city's inventory, I could only find two books which were extremely old and barely touched on the topic. After searching a bit, I came across this Men-At-Arms series, which I figured I might as well try for such a cheap price. It completely saved my project. It's a relatively small book, but densely packed with all sorts of information and pictures on military history, gear, weapons, timelines, and more. Even though it's a ton of information, it's a relatively easy read. I'm very grateful for this series and now know where to look in the future for any more history projects.

Excellent!

I'm generally a fan of the Osprey series. This book is OK, but a tad thin. It's a rare history of a unique historical military group, the mostly Viking Varangians. The author waffles a bit on the etymology of Varangian, which is based on a corruption of the Arabic //Franki//, originally meaning the Germanic tribe in France, but later applied to all northern Europeans. A variant of the term is applied to all "white foreign devils" and other colonial oppressors across south Asia.

I chose this rating because this is an easy to read, enjoyable little book simply packed solid with information about this particular period of time and this particular part of the Byzantine armies. The rule of Basil II is a fascinating period of Byzantine history with a truly interesting ruler. Part of one of the golden ages of Byzantium, my friends and I pool our efforts and enjoy studying this narrow slice of history. Our limit is to force depth and breadth in our study, and it is a truly fun endeavor. This book is one I like to give as a starter book for new persons to our little group.I would happily use this book in home schooling, and even young teens will find the reading level accessible, and the material interesting enough to persevere if it proves slightly harder to read than anticipated. Boys in particular find this book worth the effort to grow in their reading skills. I consider it an entry book for the entire study of the middle ages.

I have been collecting Osprey Military books since I was about 16 years old. I have rarely been disappointed in any of their titles . . . this one is no exception. While there has been some mention and illustrations of the Varangian Guard in other Osprey titles on the Byzantine military system, this is the best. It consolidates all the information I have in over a dozen books plus adds historical and archaeological data that I haven't ever seen before. The illustrations are outstanding and illustrates the colorful and ornamental nature of the Eastern Roman and Byzantine military throughout the period. I love this book.

The Men-at Arms series has traditionally provided a good introduction to,and overview of, a variety of military units throughout history, together with well-illustrated colour plates and, where possible, photos of historical artifacts. This title is representative of the series as a whole, and provides an informative overview of the Varangian Guards from their inception until the fall of Constantinople in 1453. My only serious criticism of this title (and it is a criticism that extends to others in this series that deal particulary with the military history of the "Dark Ages", is a complete absence of maps! It would be valuable to know, for example, what was the extent of the Byzantium Empire over the period covered, and where is (was) Abydos - as in the victory of, in 989 - or Eski Zagra - as in victory at, in 1122!!! Such information would then place the deployment of these Guards into context, and would help to make sense of the general military situation facing the Byzantium Empire at different times in their history.

I lead a group if Viking reenactors known as Draugar Vinlands. The book was a gift for one of our members who is interested in building a Varangian Gaurdsman impression.The book does a good job of giving a general idea of what the Varangian guard was all about.It's loaded with photos and color plates showing costume, clothing, weapons, and armor from the time period.I am very pleased with my purchase.Regards,Jarl Ingvar Schildknacker

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Another Great Osprey Book!

This Osprey booklet on the Varangian Guard of Byzantium draws heavily from Blôndal and Beneditz "The Varangians of Byzantium" which has at last been reprinted and remains the major reference on the subject. To this, it adds a few paragraphs inspired by archaeological findings in Bulgaria, and in particular at Dristra (with the author using the modern Bulgarian name of Drastar) where the emperor Alexios Komnenos suffered one of his worst defeats in 1087 and where Varangians were present.As other reviewers had already commented upon, Rava's plates are rather gorgeous. Some of sections, in particular the one on Guard service and on Equipment, are particularly good summaries. Others, however, are perhaps more questionable. For instance, the discussion on numbers and organization is rather cursory, perhaps because of space limitations. There seems to be no distinction made between Tagmata (professional regiments) of Rus or Varangians, and the Varangian Guard itself. It seems unlikely, for instance, that the Varangian Guard numbered 6000 in 1203.However, mercenary Rus infantry regiments PLUS the Guard could perhaps have made up such a total. In reality, we simply do not know the exact proportions or numbers at all times, neither how they evolved over time. Since the Varangians were not only bodyguards but also very much shock troops, losses tended to be heavy, even when the Varangians won. Since the sources mention that Basil II first received 6000 warriors in 988 and still had the same number with him some 12 years later, despite a number of hard fought victories, an implication, not mentioned in the book, is that losses must have been replenished by a constant stream of recruits attracted by the high pay and encouraged to enlist by their own Prince, too happy to get rid of turbulent warriors.One problem I had with the book is that, with a few exceptions (the battle of Eski Zagra in particular), we do not learn much about the performances of the Varangians. We are told about their great reputation as warriors. We are shown how their alleged rashness supposedly led to the disaster of Dyrrachium, according to Anna Komnene eager to shift responsibility for this military disaster away from her father. We are also told of how they largely got themselves killed at Mantzikert and at Dristra, probably defending the Emperor in both cases. I was expecting to learn more about their decisive role in a number of battles.There are also a number of other issues, which are probably due to poor editing. In the chronology, I was most surprised to learn about "Norman" ships serving in the byzantine fleet in 967-968. Either this is a mistake or this was supposed to mean "Northmen" (that is, from Scandinavia, not from Normandy). Even more surprising is the mention of "Vandals" serving during a Byzantine expedition in Sicily in 1025. This is probably an oversight from the author since the Vandals had simply disappeared as a people after their kingdom had been destroyed and conquered by Belisarios almost five hundred years before. I was also surprised to learn about the battle of Kalouryta in 1077 - it seems to be the battle of Kalavrita, which took place in 1078 and, to my knowledge, no Varangians seem to have been present on either side. Also, it is simply impossible that Alexios Komnenos' army was 50000 strong at Dyrrachium. He probably did not have that many soldiers left in the whole of what remained of the Empire. John Haldon's estimate (20000 to 25000) is much more plausible. The number mentioned by D'Amato may nevertheless represent something like a grand total including both combatants and non-combatants (servants, camp followers etc...).Three stars, but it would have been worth four without the very avoidable typos...

Alles in englisch, aber leicht verständlich. Die Abbildungen scheinen anfangs etwas fantasievoll, aber in der Beschreibung weiter hinten im Buch, wird der Interpretationsansatz deutlich. Vom Aufbau klar strukturiert, sodass man auch Kapitel überspringen kann. Von mir eine klare Kaufempfehlung für den Einblick in die Geschichte der Warägergarde, jedoch kann ich in diesem Fachgebiet nur bis ca. 1070 n. Chr. mitreden, deshalb keine Garantie von meiner Seite für die historische Vollständigkeit danach.

Short and easy to read. I find Osprey books good for an introduction to a topic and as a springboard for further reading - of which The Varangian Guard is no exception, though if you were looking to use this more formally, such as with academic essay writing, I would be wary. The writing can be clunky at times, simply listing event after event in the history section and the impression I get (though this is just an impression) is that they are written by interested semi-professionals rather than top scholars in the field.