April
06
/ 2018
The Varangians were an elite guard that once served as the personal bodyguards of Byzantine emperors. When not protecting the emperor, they served at the frontlines in times of war to protect and expand the borders of the Byzantine Empire. But who were these Varangians, where did they come from, and when were they established? The earliest recorders pertaining to presence of Norse warriors at the imperial court at Constantinople, came about during the reign of Emperor Theophilus (829 – 842 AD). The city of Cherson in the North Sea region found itself threatened by Norsemen and implored the Byzantine Empire to send reinforcements to defend it. The Norse chieftains decided to accept peace and to form alliances with the
