The Varangian Guard: Military Success Through History

1677 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Some essays about jihad and its interpretation in history

Military success through history can be attributed to a variety of facets;, great men, moral, tactical awareness, and numerous other traits. , However, all of these contributions at their root though are a product of a system’s military culture. Historically many systems saw success in military expeditions because of cultural ties; the Spartans with their Agoge training, the Romans and their evolution of civic militarism, the Jihad of the decentralized Muslim caliphs. One of the finest systems to analyze cultural success in war though is a study of the Varangian Guard, an elite mercenary group that served the Byzantine Empire for about 600 years. The guard’s cultural influence was variable through its history of service and the success in …show more content…

Historically the guard existed longer then Varangian title by the Byzantines existed. Scandinavian countries particularly the noblemen, jarls and kings, would regularly use a smaller, but no less skilled guard called Housecarls. The retainers were hand picked by the ruler and would serve as bodyguards, police and military elite just as they would in the later versions of housecarls (Wheeler 128-130.) The Housecarls perfectly reflect the culture of the northerners and served the old Scandinavian countries in the most efficient form of a guard. As Scandinavians began integrating with the Slavic Rus the elite guards grew larger to compensate for the larger landmasses, this scale would decentralize the guards as more men flocked to the kingdoms for wealth and glory. It is at this time under the Russian banners that all the Northern mercenaries would begin being referred to as Varangian. The early Varangian’s service continued the success seen by the Housecarls. Even though the culture of the guard was heterogeneous, from many northern states, it worked in unity bringing many warrior cultures together and melding the unity of the different military tactics to form a cohesive guard (Cross

Show More
Related

  • Assyrian Warfare

    869 Words  | 2 Pages

    During Mesopotamian times, wars were what divided ruling periods. There were many different peoples that dominated Ancient Mesopotamia and the Assyrians were one of them. The Assyrians prospered mainly because of their divine talent to defensively resist and offensively overwhelm their enemies. At no point of Assyrian rule was there ever a time without conflict of some sort.

    Read More

  • Who Is Nancy Sherman's Stoic Warriors Summary

    996 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the book Stoic Warriors: The Ancient Philosophy Behind The Military Mind, the author Nancy Sherman presents a strong argument of the connection between ancient stoics and the modern military that leaves little room for rebuttal. Being raised by a father who served in WWII, she seldom heard stories about the war but still developed an appreciation and fascination with the military. Most of her career she was “focused on ethics and the emotions, in ancient and modern philosophy,” as she states. Her fascination with both the mind and the military crossed paths in the nineties when she was appointed as a civilian assistant to the military where she served as the inaugural occupant of the distinguished chair of ethics. Throughout the book she utilizes the contemporary military as a lens to study and evaluate Stoic philosophy. She uses examples from wars, ranging from Ancient Greek to Iraq, not only to highlight and confirm the presence of the Stoic philosophy has on the modern military warrior but also why it is such a compelling guiding principle for not only military members but civilians as well.

    Read More

  • Light Infantry of Ancient Greece

    1291 Words  | 3 Pages

    * Xenophon in Seven Volumes, 3. (Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA; William Heinemann, Ltd., London, 1980.)

    Read More

  • “To face the blood and the slaughter” Spartan Society and Values according to Tyrtaeus and Xenophon

    1124 Words  | 3 Pages

    “No man ever proves himself a good man in war unless he can endure to face the blood and the slaughter, go against the enemy and fight with his hands.” The preceding was quoted from “The Spartan creed” by the poet Tyrtaeus. There are two authors in this primary resource reading which include Tyrtaeus as well as Xenophon, whom authored “The laws and customs of the Spartans”. These two works give great detail to the Spartan society. As history has presented it, Sparta was a smaller polis and yet was one of the most, if not most, influential societies in history. What we know of this culture comes to us from excavation of its heritage as well as literary works such as these. But are these “eyes” into history factual and creditable enough to base our own interpretations of such a masterful race? These writings are great resources for Spartan’s war enhanced values and societal customs, but lack in evidence of governmental affairs and religion. This lacking may have been due to both writer’s motives for their work.

    Read More

  • The United States Army as a Profession of Arms

    518 Words  | 2 Pages

    The United States Army, in its current state, is a profession of arms. In order to be considered a profession, the organization must have an ethical code rooted in values, strong trust with its clients, and be comprised of experts within the trade. These experts are constantly developing the trade for the present and the future and hold the same shared view of their trade culture.

    Read More

  • Sparta: Infrastructure, Social Structure, and Superstructure

    1515 Words  | 4 Pages

    Spartan culture is a great example of how a society’s infrastructure will directly affect both, its social structure and superstructure. It also serves as a warning that any society that becomes too rigid in its structure and too static in its values will not last long when confronted with more agile and adaptable cultures. This paper will explore why Sparta became the Hellenic army par excellence, how this worked to create a very specific social structure founded on martial values, and, finally, how that social structure would ultimately be the undoing of the culture.

    Read More

  • Sun Tzu's Impact on Historical Warfare Strategies

    2372 Words  | 5 Pages

    The Art of War is a treatise written in Ancient China that discusses the most and least effective military strategies for successful warfare according to Sun Tzu, a military general whose existence is still debated to this day. While not every military commander in the history of warfare has read it, the strategies provided can be used as a way to assess said commanders and the effectiveness of their campaigns. In Sun Tzu 's own words, “The general that hearkens to my counsel and acts upon it, will conquer: let such a one be retained in command! The general that hearkens not to my counsel nor acts upon it, will suffer defeat:--let such a one be dismissed!”1 This paper will discuss various iconic battles throughout history and how closely the leading commanders of each army followed the advice of Sun Tzu. Despite the fact that Sun Tzu lived hundreds of years before many of these battles took place, the

    Read More

  • Military Leader Development

    2874 Words  | 6 Pages

    Introduction “Leaders have always been generalists”. Tomorrow’s leaders will, very likely, have begun life as specialists, but to mature as leaders they must sooner or later climb out of the trenches of specialization and rise above the boundaries that separate the various segments of society.” (Gardner, 1990, pg. 159). The. In a recent verbal bout with my History of the Military Art professor, I contended that the true might of a nation may be inversely proportional to the size of its military during peacetime.

    Read More

  • The Roman Military

    463 Words  | 1 Pages

    Soldiers were forced to live like turtles, carrying their “homes” (tents and such) along with them in battle. Their equipment was also a hassle, but protected them well in battle. It consisted of mainly helmets and shields. They also carried personal equipment such as shoes, belts, over garments, etc. A soldier had to carry his weapons and artillery with him as well. He had spears, pilums, and pikes to be heaved at enemies. Pilums are spear like weapons that would be thrown at enemies in an attempt to pierce them through their shields. Gladiuses (swords) and Pugios (daggers) were the common hand held weapons. The Gladius was the perfect weapon for the legions because of their light weight and maneuverability. The Pugio was not only a weapon of war, but also had many common purposes.

    Read More

  • American Culture And Cultural Awareness: Iranian Culture

    1226 Words  | 3 Pages

    Individuals from various cultures can easily distinguish differences in traits by making comparisons to their own. These differences make up the fundamentals of a society’s way of life. The rules that most individuals abide by comprise the framework of a culture. Culture is the shared beliefs and social norms of a country or area that are different from other places. In the country of Iran, an abundance of diversity defines their culture. Using the United States Army’s operations variables, this paper will define the culture of Iran by analyzing the environmental, political, religious, and military operational variables, as well as their military conflicts with the United States.

    Read More

  • The Roman Military System

    1674 Words  | 4 Pages

    Brand argues that the Roman military system was successful due to the fact that there was an internal hierarchy, as well as laws and rules that were in place. Based on laws, and ancient Roman historians and leaders, like Polybius, Brand solely argues the Roman army’s power was based off the political leadership and strict organization. He analyzes the oath each soldier was required to take, no matter their rank, and how even the leader of each legion “...swore ‘to be obedient and to execute the orders of his officer to the best of his ability’” (Brand 47). Brand discusses the legions and how each was broken down into four lines of specific troops, while having a set hierarchy and specific code to follow, but only touches on the idea that success of these legions was due to their sheer size. He asserts that discipline, used by the higher ranks such as the commanding general, was strong and a major motivating factor for each soldier. He agrees with Theodor Mommsen and the idea that politics was the main factor to why the Roman army was victorious. Brand shortsightedly focuses solely on the political aspects of why the Roman armies were successful, arguing the leaders were responsible for the empire’s

    Read More

  • Aspects of Spartan Culture

    1595 Words  | 4 Pages

    Ancient Greece: A Political, Social, and Cultural History. New York: Oxford UP, 1999. Print. The. Sekunda, Nick. A. The Spartan Army.

    Read More

  • Book Review Leadership Secrets Of Attila The Hun

    963 Words  | 2 Pages

    Roberts starts the book out with his Author's notes here he describes how he came about the topic of the book and where he got his information. He then moves on the preface where he explains a little about leadership and how it is incorporated throughout the book in relation to Attila the Hun. The next part of the book Roberts calls the introduction. Here he gives you some history about the Huns and how they rose to power. Roberts also tells the reader about the life that Attila the Hun and how he led the Hunnish army through many conquests. This part of the book proved to be very interesting, especially for those who are not al that familiar with the Huns. This part of the book is necessary to read in order to understand how the book was written.

    Read More

  • Sun Tzu's The Art of War

    2159 Words  | 5 Pages

    Samuel B. Griffith’s translation of “Sun Tzu: The Art of War” is an inside look at military practices of today. I did not find one technique that is not or would not be utilized in modern military maneuver, leadership, or training. The most astounding fact is that the Art of War was written well over two thousand years ago, even at the most conservative date. Although most of the techniques in this text are already in practice today, the value of “The Art of War” is a never-ending treasure chest of knowledge, and it deserves a place as a required reading for anyone seeking knowledge about war fighting or the history of war.

    Read More

  • Differences Between Rome And Macedon

    1193 Words  | 3 Pages

    Expansion is a significant element of most ancient cultures. However, not many reach the expansion magnitude of either Alexander the Great of Macedon or Rome. Both cultures are known for some of histories most breath taking expeditions of their times. Though the journey may have been troubling for these societies, both cultures brought great honor and wealth home in their own distinctive ways. While both the culture of Rome and Macedon during the time of Alexander the Great have quite a large number of differences in their dreams of expansion and how to maintain the home front while the soldiers are away, the similarities they share of scare tactics and how to handle their Greek neighbors are undeniable.

    Read More

More about The Varangian Guard: Military Success Through History

Open Document