Varangians

As far back as the Republic era, the Roman army made extensive use of mercenary forces. Reliance on foreign fighters waxed and waned over the centuries, but in the Eastern Roman Empire foreign mercenaries were an integral part of the Byzantine geopolitical game.  Enemies were turned into allies, and potential invaders were turned against each other as part of the Byzantine strategy to survive in its declining years.

The Varangians were Rus or Scandinavian mercenaries recruited first under Emperor Michael III (r. 842-867), and becoming an elite guard by the time of Emperor Basil II (r. 976-1025).  They served as bodyguards for the emperor and fought in Byzantine campaigns in Syria, Sicily and Armenia.

The following figures are all from Crusader Miniatures' Dark Ages line.  The eight in robes and bearing axes are from a Palace Guard pack and the spearman is from the Emperor's retinue pack.

Reading Recommendations

For historical information, Osprey recently released a Men-at-Arms book on the Varangians.  The writing and documentation is solid.  The illustrations are detailed and very useful for the miniature painter, despite some stiffness in posing and action.  

For historical fiction, I really enjoy Poul Anderson's Last Viking series about Harald Hardrada, of which a good chunk is set during his exploits as a leader of the Varangian guard.  Sadly, the trilogy is out of print, nor is it available in any ereader format.

One of my favorite authors of historical fiction is the previously suggested Stephen Lawhead.  With Varangians in mind, his Byzantium is very good.  In some respects, it is a stereotypical epic travelogue.  A young Irish monk is captured by Vikings and through luck and natural talent, Aidan moves from slave to noble, standing beside kings, emperors and emirs.  Much less traditional, and very representative of Lawhead's other historical fiction, is the internal journey of Aidan.  His faith as a young monk is studied and routinized, easily maintained in the controlled environment of a monastery.  But in the outside world, God's seeming obliviousness to man's cruelty and cravenness shakes his faith, even as he kindles a spark among his pagan companions.  At his worst, Lawhead struggles to make Aidan's most mundane activities like eating hot bread feel poetic, but at its best, Byzantium delivers a story that is both panoramic and personal. 

D'Amato, Raffaele. The Varangian Guard 988-1453. Illustrated by Giuseppe Rava. Osprey Publishing, 2010. 

Lawhead, Stephen. Byzantium. Harper Voyager, 1997. 

Welsh Archers

     I finished a unit of Welsh archers by Gripping Beast recently and I had a blast painting them.  The poses are well articulated, the cloaks and robes have the right amount of drape and fold and the faces are expressive.  The only drawback is their size.  For a "heroic 28mm," their eyes are a standard 28mm, but they are fairly bulky.  Posed next to Gripping Beast's plastic Vikings, a Welsh peasant looks like they could overpower the Norse warrior.  But on a game table, from four feet away, it matters little. 

I especially like the figures with the cloak.  Adding a pattern to the fabric was something I debated, but for poor skirmishers, plain red cloth was enough of a luxury.

pictured above, left to right: GB Welsh Archer, GB Viking (plastic) and crouching GB Welsh. Note that the crouching Welsh archer is shoulder high to the standing Viking

Reading Recommendations

     For a non-fiction history of the Wales in the Dark Ages, I recommend The Welsh Kings: Warriors, Warlords and Princes by Kari Maund. Spanning the late Roman era through the late thirteenth century, Maund focuses on political and dynastic change in Medieval Wales.  It is solid political history, so anyone looking for a broader look at Welsh culture might want to look for a social history of the period.  Similarly, Maund gives an accurate and detailed account of what we know and do not know about Welsh battles with each other and against others, but it contains few descriptions of Welsh weaponry, armor or tactics.  Nonetheless, The Welsh Kings is well titled.  It is a story of kings, and I came away from its 240 pages enlightened about the small fractious kingdoms of western Britain.  

    The best historical fiction I read set in Wales remains the previously suggested Hood trilogy by Stephen Lawhead.  It was very surprising to find an author capable of exploring the Robin Hood mythos in a fresh and moving manner, but this series succeeds.  Deserving of repeated readings.  

Recommended Welsh Reading - The King Raven Trilogy

     Duke William's rapid conquest of England ended quickly at the traditional borders of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms.  The Saxon earls, still not fully united behind Harold Godwinson, were not organized and enough to resist the Normans and their innovative use of horse and missile weapons. 
      Shortly after conquering England, the Nornans pushed into the land of the Welsh, or Cymry, as they called themselves.  On the face of it, the Welsh should have been more easily conquered than the Saxons. Political cohesion under a high king was non-existant since the death of Gruffyd ap Llwelyn. Lacking little sense of ethnic or national unity, the eleventh century Welsh also lacked the production and trade centers necessary to acquire heavy armor and weapons.  The Welsh were skirmishers, lightly armored and with bows and javelins.  Duke William and his successor William Rufus left the Welsh problem to the marcher lords, barons intent on acquiring the and developing the pastoral lands of the west. Nonetheless, the Welsh effectively resisted an outright Norman conquest and some Welsh kings were able to deal and submit to the Normans on favorable terms.

     This is the setting of Stephen Lawhead's King Raven Trilogy.  Lawhead places the Robin Hood legends among the Welsh resistance to Norman encroachment in the first volume Hood.  After Norman machinations lead to the death of his father, and more importantly to him, his land, feckless Welsh prince Bran of Elfael finds himself alone and near death in the ancient forests of Wales.  Under tutelage by old crone, Bran heals and begins collecting an assortment of followers including, as later titles indicate, Scarlet and Tuck.  The hero's journey by Bran is not surprising.  The reader knows that he will become the legendary outlaw hero, but Lawhead's gift is in not rushing it.  Throughout the early chapters, Bran grows as a leader and as a brilliant insurgent tactician, yet he remains frustratingly impulsive and short-sighted. The conclusion of the series is unique and it brings together some of the Christian ethos that were a subtle undercurrent throughout the series.
     The Robin Hood/Richard I connection has been played out so much that we take it for fact now, but a Robin Hood enthusiast looking for something fresh, and gracefully written, should buy all three volumes. All three are sold for the single price of $8.99 on the Kindle currently.

King Raven 3-in-1 ebook