The Varangian Guard: The Brutal Special Forces Of Dark Age Byzantium | Ancient Black Ops | Chronicle

[Music] they're the Vikings For Hire ruthless mercenaries who strike fear into the enemy this is dark warer at the most brutal axe sword shield spear they're the elite special forces in service to a foreign ruler conquering unruly territories across the Great Byzantine Empire they're known as the varangian God but it's one particular man who will solidify their place in history heral hrada is the prototypical Viking of the era he will develop tactics which will transform Warfare across the Mediterranean nobody really in their right mind wanted to storm a city wall it was usually doomed to failure hrada string of Victories will show the varangian guard to be one of the most exceptional Special Forces of all [Music] time [Music] nearly a thousand years after the birth of Christ the Byzantine Empire is now the biggest the richest and the best organized state in Europe it stretches from Italy in the west across Greece and the Balkans all the way to Asia Minor in the east at its head is the Emperor basil II the most powerful man in the world but Basil's Empire is under threat like all Empires and I suppose like all politicians you really have to watch your your back there's a series of very important revolts against his legitimacy what basil needs is a crack troop of Warriors who can suppress the internal revolts and guarantee the security of his Empire so he makes a deal he sells his sister to the Grand Prince of Kiev in Ukraine Vladimir the Great Vladimir is descended from Swedish Vikings and rules what are called the Rus Vladimir the Great was a disgusting Warrior he was the prototypical [Music] Viking he epitomized everything that was just nasty and individual he took 800 concubines he had dozens of wives he performed Human Sacrifice just at a whim to intimidate his aggressors I mean there was nothing redeeming about this man in return for his sister basil gets precisely what he needs 6,000 were the most fearsome warriors on the planet [Music] Planet they will become known as the varangian god the finest special forces in late Antiquity originally Vikings from Scandinavia their ancestors had built a reputation that spread right across Europe to the ears of the emperor himself most of them would being the same kind of people who are creating Mayhem around in Western Europe when we talk about the Vikings we almost always think about the attacks on England and the Vikings crossing the North Sea for some 200 years Vikings have been terrorizing northern and western Europe becoming notorious for chasing wealth and their insatiable appetite for [Applause] violence the med Scandinavia are tough you know they are tattooed they're Macho they're red blooded they were ruthless Warriors who would stop at nothing to to slaughter their opponents but not all of them go raiding across northern and western Europe the smart Vikings didn't Head West they headed east [Music] what lures them is the prospect of making vast amounts of money by traveling down the vast rivers of modern day Russia those river systems they're like archeries bringing Talent from Scandinavia down towards Russia looking for service they can sell themselves as Soldiers of Fortune mercenaries to the mighty Warlords of the region like the vik Vikings who've reaped Havoc across much of Europe they come with a fearsome array of [Music] weapons their weapon of choice was a long axe which in reality resembled more of a meat cleaver than an actual axe the famous Dane axe which has a single blade up to a foot long that could sever a man's head in a single [Music] blow this was a Lethal Weapon they also use the viciously effective double-edged Sword and the spear the spear is very easy to carry doesn't weigh much it's very cheap to make and very fast to make so it would be an excellent weapon as a Viking weapons expert Martin Holman knows all about the advantages of using a spear in battle the spear was very useful you could use it behind the shield like holding the shield yourself and you could try and stab after his leg or his head you could have no shield and uh if he was my friend I could stand behind the lines and he was covering me I was having this long spear I could just stab the people and move around step move around step behind the [Music] lines we actually one uh would have like a stopper down here so when you push it into another person you could it wouldn't go all the way through you could easily pull it out again then keep on fighting these Viking Russ become known as the varangians they earn that nickname because they famously stick together verar is a old nose word which means probably some sort of companionship and it's a sort of community of people with common interests they're people who look after each other's backs it's a very brutal male Macho world of of high cheapers these are men who have their eyes set on Prestige and on riches but for these men serving in the cold harsh lands of Ukraine isn't enough to this close-knit set of mercenaries the prospect of serving the wealthiest man in the world basil II is irresistible in Constantinople they have the opportunity to gain riches beyond their wildest imagination so the varangians enter the emperor's Service as his Elite fighting unit and begin by crushing his internal revolts he had the basic problem with a rebellion against him uh led by a man called vardis focas who had claimed the throne set himself up as Emperor and his own Greek bodyguard had gone over onto his side so he needed some troops he could rely on in order to put down this internal rebellion in a matter of months basil is able to knock out his last remaining Rivals for Basil it's a short-term win having helped basil secure the wider Empire the varangian guard are given the next task to deal with the imperial capital today's istambul Constantinople situated on the Bosphorus where the continents of Europe and Asia meet is a mighty Trading [Music] Post but in the 11th century its magnificence is without [Music] equal Constantinople is the most impressive and beautiful and significant City in the Mediterranean it's a sensational it's a jewel of a city it's got these churches of an enormous scale and Beauty from the year 500 until 1500 it's the biggest city in Europe in terms of Christian European cities it's completely unparalleled in terms of its size a population of half a million people if you were thinking in terms of English cities in the same period maybe London might possibly have had 10,000 people in it it's a Melting Pot of people of languages of noises but Constantinople is also a dangerous place particularly for an emperor we don't talk about bantine politics for nothing the Byzantine Empire is legendary for its sort of devious plotting while pleasantly chaotic and colorful on the outside beneath that veneer the city was a Labyrinth of political power shifts and Maneuvers that made everyone suspicious of everyone else those who are finding the emperor favon quickly attract jealousy those who feel that they should be getting more for what they're doing find themselves sitting in dark taverns plotting about what they can do next everyone's doing deals keeping their friends closer their enemies twice as close it is above all to avoid the nasty fate of several of his predecessors that basil needs the varangian guard bantine emper quite often finish up getting murdered and overthrown [Music] so the varangian guard become basil II's close Protection Team they're charged with guarding all the major public buildings and are always stationed at the emperor's Imperial palaces and they accompany him when he attends church and other formal occasions they stand around the emperor they can form a ring around him and sort of move him through the palace like a cordon of special services that would go around our leaders today around the president of America but the varangian guard have another more Sinister task they are the emperor's assassins they're the people that the the emperor will send to deal with suspected traitors they also get to do the nasty [Music] stuff they become basel's secret police in charge of arresting suspected criminals and political enemies those posted at constantinople's Grim numera prison quickly win a reputation for astonishing Sav there's many cases of intimidation and torture common thing was cut off the nose or cut off the [Music] ear there's even cases that them taking human excrement and putting it in the criminals eyes and nose and mouth blindings are a particular varangian favorite it's not thought that they actually physically put eyes out by poking things into them or or hooking eyes out it's it's thought that they actually used acid and they used it to scar the cona so that people were in a sense functionally blinded by it but not not 100% bled they could probably still tell the difference between night and day castration was was quite a popular bantine punishment so no doubt if that had to be done they would probably be the guys who would uh get the old shears out history hit is an award-winning streaming platform built by history fans for history fans enjoy our Rich library of documentaries covering key events and locations of the medieval period history hits medieval offering features leading historians such as Dan Jones Elena yanega and Kat jarm not only that but we have a rich library of audio documentaries covering every period of History through our network of podcasts sign up now for a free trial and Chronicle fans get 50% off their first 3 months just be sure to use the code Chronicle at checkout when they're not doing the emperor's dirty work around Constantinople the varangian guard enjoy the good life there's plenty of things to keep young virile Vikings occupied around town Constantinople itself had plenty of entertainment The Chariot racing was was was the most popular of all of all the activities I suppose a bit like professional footballers women boo for men raised in the cold harsh lands of Scandinavia and Russia it's like paradise I don't think we can really imagine the culture shock that these Norsemen these Vikings from snow covered lands would have experienced when they first set foot in Constantinople keep in mind these people lived in Huts now they come into a lush tropical climate and much to their Delight an endless supply of Fine [Music] Wines to the Byzantine aristocratic Elite the loutish behavior of the Imperial Guard is shocking the varian's hard drinking and debauchery earns them the nickname The Emperor's wine skins the guard were looked at suspiciously by the local common people in Constantinople and you can't blame them they were drunk 24/7 I mean they were Rowdy there's a famous historian and poet who was put in prison and he writes a poem about the fact that he can't sleep at night every night because these guys are screaming and yelling and causing incredible [Music] Ruckus that behavior could explain why even today a bizarre piece of Viking graffiti can still be seen etched on a ballustrade inside the hugest Sophia the greatest Cathedral of its age I suppose we do know that sort of like football Hooligans on tour you know if you had enough enough to drink and you're somewhere that you want to leave your mark chiseling something into the side of a wall you know it's a way of showing your B showing off to your mates that you you've done it the inscription reads half done was here he could have inscribed his Mark any anywhere so why choose to do it in the great Cathedral and I suppose it's showing if I'm going to prove I've been anywhere it's there basil II's varangian guard may be causing Mayhem around Constantinople but he has another task for them now he stabilized the Empire he wants to expand it the varangian guard are incorporated into the main bantine Army they're divided into companies of 500 each company is placed under the command of a regular officer called the aulos it means the varangians unlike the typical Vikings had to learn discipline theang gam have to be very organized very aggressive but still be able to follow orders but there's another key difference in how they're used where most Vikings are used to charging headlong into battle the emperor uses his varangians in a different way he holds them in reserve they would have hoped that by taking a position further back that they would then be able to exercise some sort of control and command during the course of the battle and and come up with tactics which would actually actually respond to the enemy movements only when the fight gets to its fiercest does the emperor commit his shock troops they start by banging their Shields then they charge [Applause] what we do pick up about the varangians consistently is they're incredibly Brave in battle so they never give ground that they always fight for each other and their intensity um is is huge that they just carry on fighting [Music] they let their swords drip with blood and they will keep fighting until the very very end the varangians aren't just Fierce they are tactical key to their success is the use of The Shield Shield wall was essentially Shields interlocked it could be used as an a defensive against Cavalry archers infantry you have to imagine that that several people were standing like this and they were interlocking the shields like this this way it was a very very strong formation and you could actually move forward like this but the varangian guard Shield wall is about more than protection they deploy a unique Viking tactic to pierce enemy defenses the B snout if you were to break a shield wall you would create a formation like a wedge something like that and you would have the strongest people in front by placing one of the their biggest and fiercest Warriors at the Wall's Center and then charging at an opponent's Shield wall sheer weight and momentum not only pierces the Enemy Lines it also spreads Panic through their ranks they were probably bigger they had very heavy weapons so if you ran in with big axes cutting through the Enemy Lines then you could create an [Music] opening [Music] under the banner of Emperor basil II success follows success for the varangian guard it has often been suggested that basil ai's Reign is really the Golden Age and that is in no small part due to the guard he keeps his army busy pushing the Frontiers as sort of like like ripples constantly outwards they fight gallantly and gloriously for their Emperor and are at the Forefront of a string of victories in Syria Georgia Armenia Bulgaria Greece Macedonia and southern Italy not only quashing unruly factions of the Empire but increasing its influence far and wide varangians are described in the north literature as being incredibly important they're the ones who hold the empire together they are achieving all the battles left right and [Music] Center Victory makes the varangian guard bu rich men you would be paid between 177,000 and about £32,000 a year if our varangian had wanted to have a a nice pretty young virgin slave girl all for himself he could have gone down the slave market and bought one for about £360 so even the basic lowest estimate of their pay it's got absolutely enormous purchasing power in Constantinople on top of their monthly wage the varangian guard receive regular bonuses and a third of all battle spoils and there are even more perks your food's all in you've got all your weapons provided and the very best quality weapons because the emperor wants you to look [Music] magnificent and what do they do with these Spoils of War they spend the market of conent sells everything it's beyond imagination there are spices there are metals Gold Silver and so there's no limit of how much money you can spend buying things for yourself it makes the varangian guard the Envy of their family and friends back in Scandinavia and Ukraine so after the guard had completed their service I mean they would go back home and and and when these guards went to the the Northlands with just incredible riches that you could never imagine anyone but an emperor having well you can imagine the the frenzy excitement that would create uh in the Homeland soon every Bright Young Viking wants to be a member of the varangian Guard it's varangians who've been to Constantinople who come back and talk about it and that encourages others to go of course other men would have seen all of that and thought yes please I'd really like a slice of the [Music] action in the early years of the 11th century more and more Viking mercenaries are ready to join the club the success they had proved to be the greatest recruitment vehicle they could ever ask for [Music] the young man of Scandinavia that heading for Constantinople was almost like a sort of quite a glamorous Gap here where you'd go and ear your Spurs You' go and see the world you'd be exposed to sights and sounds that you've never seen before you'd be able to be a military tough type and show off your tattoos and your your prowess the basic idea is if you're loyal if you're good you can you can you can earn your keep and you can ride up through the system amongst those who make their way from Russia is a Viking Warrior who will take the varangian guard to a whole new level towering over 6t tall the muscular young man with his long Fair hair cuts a striking figure his name is Harold hardrada Herold andrada is the prototypical Viking of the era he is a rock star he's the pinup boy of the varangian period hadr has been fighting since the age of 15 when he witnessed the death of his brother King Olaf at the hands of insurgents in Norway Olaf is actually killed in the battle by the rebels and Harold actually sees his it's not just his half brother the king it's also the man who he looks up to this is engrained in his memory that battle changes his life exiled from Norway Harold escapes to Sweden and travels on to the safe haven of Kiev the home of the Viking Russ there he's recruited as a mercenary by kiev's new ruler Prince yaroslav the first the son of Vladimir the Great and he quickly proves himself he finds his skills and his service highly valued by yaroslav who identifies in Harold a brave highly capable well-connected and ambitious man who has a chip on his shoulder he's a man who really feels the Grievances of having been excluded from Power by men who he thinks are less worthy than he is [Music] but eventually he cannot resist the riches on offer in the Byzantine Empire as a man with Royal Blood you had Charisma and people would have followed him just because of that so he would have been able to go down to to Conant with with the the beginnings already of an armed following but Harold's not only going to Constantinople for the money he has never forgotten that he is a viking Prince his plan one day is to return to Norway at the head of a huge Army to win back his crown so around 1033 ad Harold and his men embark on the year-long voyage down the Russian River systems with the aim of entering the emperor's [Music] guard they arrive at just the right time basil II has died and he's been replaced by his niece Empress Zoe and her husband Michael IV the new rulers are under pressure and need to establish their Authority Harold is just what they need he's reliable he is effective he gets things done he's smart and he's a good one to have on your side he's so much better than the rest and he has practice he participated in the most brutal battles so he he learned what was necessary to win which was maming torturing creating alliances and trues and then breaking them [Music] he would do whatever it took to be [Music] Victorious fighting in the varangian guard across the Empire Harold makes his [Music] mark But Zoe and Michael's problem is that they need to do more than hold the empire together compared to Basil II they're just treading water if they are to silence the doubters they need to achieve greatness that means expanding the Empire so Michael sets his sites on the west Sicily the objective of Sicily is to regain the Western provinces for the banan empire for centuries Sicily had been under Byzantine rule Sicily is the wheel on which the Mediterranean turns it's a great meeting point between the Islamic and the Greek and the Latin World it controls the approaches to the East and the west of the Mediterranean and it's a hugely important trading area but now the island is in Arab hands Sicily is very strategically important it must be captured if you want to control shipping in the Western Mediterranean sic is key and for the bantine trade is key and also as well for The Prestige of the empire it's better to be conquering and capturing rather than being defeated and losing Harold lands there and discovers the Arabs are prepared knowing how effective the varangians are on the battlefield they've come up with a plan they've withdrawn behind and strong fortifications from a military point of view this is a very hard place to conquer the cities are well established well fortified big walls ditches in many cases and a citadel that can hold out for for a long time in the Middle Ages people built walls because they worked castles 45 towns actually were rarely taken in terms of battle strategy the Arabs have the upper hand in an age before gunpowder or the cannon all the advantages are for the defender so an attacker has to either sit down and hope for a long drawn out Siege to disease maybe to spread or the city to run out of supplies nobody really in their right mind wanted to storm a city wall with people up there chucking Boulders and pouring boiling water and throwing Spears and things at you it was absolutely fraught with with risks and almost usually doomed to [Music] failure this situation presents Harold with a massive problem classic varangian tactics like the ball snout are no use against a solid wall he has to devise something new it's the kind of test familiar to Special Forces today the ability to improvise and use whatever the surroundings and the circumstances are available to you the abilities again Lal think and think of a plan to be creative is absolutely essential Harold starts to wonder what the Arabs may have overlooked what might their weaknesses be and then as he observes one fortified Town it hits him if he can't get over the walls he can go under them Harold actually develops the idea to dig a tunnel under the walls and into the city out of the view of the town's walls Harold chooses a spot close to a river and his varangian guard get to work rather than having big heaps of soil lying around which would give the game away they scattered it into a stream so the stream washed it away to destroy all the evidence at The crucial moment when how believes that the tunnel is now within the city walls he waits there's a lull what the varangians are waiting for is the perfect moment to catch their enemy unawares in this case it's dinner you have all the the local szin eating and drinking and just doing what they do all the time because they know that these people can never penetrate their Castle according to Harold s nor Saga while the Arabs are enjoying their evening meal he and his men emerge through the Limestone floor of the Great banqueting Hall the varangians go to do their deadly [Applause] [Music] work Defenders are completely shocked these uninvited wolves have now entered their City they just start slaughtering these people it was over and the city was theirs it's one of a string of astonishing victory faced with another fortification Harold's methods are even more cunning this time he borrows an idea from the ancient Greeks one of the tales really resembles the famous Trojan horor story he created the impression that something is not what it seems in other words he created the impression that he was dying Harold faints illness he places his tent further away from the main bantine Camp so the Defenders of the city can see to and fro soldiers going to the tent now this game Harold's plan works quite well the Arab Defenders confused as to why no attacks have been made on their City even send their own spies out to investigate they learn that Harold is dead a delegation of varangians is then sent to the city to make an astonishing request the citizens are told this is important now for us to bury our leader in style and we liking to be buried in your church and will'll pay you handsomely if you do so to the Arabs in the fort the chance to have such a famous Soldier buried within their walls is both an honor and [Music] irresistible [Music] the varangians transport the coffin under a religious ceremony with priests and other people from the [Music] city according to the sagas uh the gates are opened and Paul bearers solemnly come in Walking slowly they put the coffin on the floor and jam the gates open with [Music] it at that crucial moment Harold Springs his trap varangian Guardsmen pull out their weapons from under their ceremonial clothing they sound The Call to Arms all hell breaks loose the Vikings absolutely destroy everyone it turns into a [Music] massacre but it's at another fortified town where Harold comes up with the most ingenious plot of all Harolds laid Siege to the town with no luck once again he faces a heavily defended fort with thick and very high stone walls worse the Arab enemy are well supplied there's no chance of starving them out Harold once again needs to use brains rather than Brawn he just sits for days and observes any intelligence you can Garner to you know Assist any assault is you know it's essential he just watches the village looking for ins Iration as to how he can conquer it now any good surveillance or reconnaissance is always looking for weaknesses or strongly established [Music] routines Harold notices two things the homes within the town's walls have rofes made of thatch second that birds are nesting in the houses Eaves he observes that sparrows every day are flying from the thatched roofs in the village into the fields and back again in the evening he comes up with a plan as creative as it is cruel he orders his men to capture as many birds as possible when they're captured small splinters of wood are attached to the backs of the birds and then smeared with tar I then set to light the splinters of wood and releases the [Music] birds burning the birds fly back inside the walls to their nests in the straw Eaves it's a brilliant strategy and it works before long the homes inside are [Music] Ablaze just as Harold had planned the Arab inhabitants come pouring out and give up without a fight the Defenders obviously Panic stricken with their entire city and the walls on fire and they actually surrender to the [Music] varangians Harold magnanimous in Victory apparently spares the lives of the town's people Sicily is a great Triumph for Harold and his varangians they prove themselves to be more than ax-wielding thugs they have become Master tacticians as well Harold's success is the high point for the varangian guard and places them among the finest Special Forces of their [Music] age but after nine eventful years of service Harold's career doesn't end well he's imprisoned for embezzling Imperial riches Harold eventually escapes Constantinople for Kiev and then Norway where he becomes king in 1046 but winning back Norway is not enough 20 years later in 1066 Harold hrada is killed trying to claim the English Throne at the Battle of Stanford Bridge without Harold hrada the varangian guard continues to fight it never reaches the same Heights they do enjoy many victories in the years to come but the Advent of heavy Cavalry means their tactics will become outmoded by the 14th century the Emperors once crack band of invincibles become nothing more than a ceremonial troop however it's those Glory years under Harold hadr and basil II that have ensured that the varangian guard are remembered as one of the most devastating and successful special forces in history there is something I think that shines out an Enterprise and adventure in these people leaving their home so far away in the north these varangians are pioneers you know they're explorers they're men who open up Horizons the guard will not be remembered as just mere mercenaries but rather a noble tradition of Warriors Who combin brain with Bron and pride and a desire to do whatever it takes to be [Music] victorious [Music]

Channel: Chronicle - Medieval History Documentaries

Views: 202,768

Keywords: history documentary, medieval history documentary, middle ages, medieval history, the middle ages, the dark ages, the varangian guard, varangian guard, dark age Byzantine empire, byzantium, eastern roman empire

Id: vWKq-G8MNHg

Length: 49min 30sec (2970 seconds)

Published: Wed Mar 13 2024