The Byzantine Emperors’ Viking Bodyguards
In 988, Byzantine Emperor Basil II sought military aid from his ally, Prince Vladimir I of Kiev. The Rus ruler sent 6000 of his most unruly Viking warriors, whom he had been unable to pay anyhow. The emperor put Vladimir’s discards to good use against his enemies, then organized them into what became the nucleus of the Varangian Guard. As foreigners, the Vikings had no local ties, and thus few political links that could enmesh them in the Byzantine court’s intrigues and cabals. That made them suitable as bodyguards.
They were not just palace soldiers, however. They accompanied the emperor on campaign, and formed the Byzantine army’s shock infantry. The Varangians proved themselves in battle time after time, and their unit became an elite outfit whose members received higher pay than the rest of the army. In addition to higher pay, they were often granted the privilege to loot first after victory. Another informal privilege, which fell into their lap as the main armed force in the imperial palace, was the privilege to plunder the emperor’s possessions after his death.
