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The Varangian Guard 988 1453
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Book Synopsis Byzantine Armies AD 1118–1461 by : Ian Heath
Download or read book Byzantine Armies AD 1118–1461 written by Ian Heath and published by Osprey Publishing. This book was released on 1995-11-13 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Byzantine Empire's disastrous defeat by the Seljuk Turks at Manzikert in 1071 effectively marked the end of what is often described as the 'middle' period of Byzantine history. Thereafter, surrounded on all sides by younger, more vigorous nations, the once all-powerful Empire slipped into a steady decline which, ultimately, was to prove terminal. However, the Empire's demise was anything but peaceful, and, one way or another, for much of the last four centuries of its existence it was to find itself in a state of virtually constant war. This book examines the fascinating history of the Byzantine Empire and its armies from 1118-1461 AD.
Book Synopsis Byzantine Armies 886–1118 by : Ian Heath
Download or read book Byzantine Armies 886–1118 written by Ian Heath and published by Osprey Publishing. This book was released on 1979-07-05 with total page 56 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Byzantines had a remarkably sophisticated approach to politics and military strategy. Unlike most of their contemporaries, they learnt very early in their history that winning a battle did not necessarily win a war, and they frequently bought off their enemies with treaties and bribes rather than squander men and matériel in potentially fruitless campaigns. The Byzantine army of the 10th and early 11th centuries, at the height of its power and efficiency, was the best-organised, best-trained, best-equipped and highest-paid in the known world. This splendid book by Ian Heath examines the Byzantine Armies from 886-1118, including the lusty, hard-fighting, hard-drinking 'barbarian' Varangian guard.
Book Synopsis The Varangian Guard 988–1453 by : Raffaele D’Amato
Download or read book The Varangian Guard 988–1453 written by Raffaele D’Amato and published by Osprey Publishing. This book was released on 2010-06-22 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Varangian Guards were Viking mercenaries who operated far beyond their native shores as an elite force within the Byzantine Armies. Descendants from a legendary line of warriors, the Varangian Guard was formed after a group of Viking mercenaries made a major contribution to the Byzantine Emperor Basil II's victory over rebel forces in 988 AD. These 5,000 men were then retained as Basil's personal guard and would provide loyal service to many successive occupants of the imperial throne. Commonly referred to as 'foreigners' (Etaireia), they were nonetheless absorbed into a new Palatine regiment under command of an officer termed the Akolouthos, who was either a Norsemen or a Rus (Norsemen colonizers of Russia). The Varangians wore mixtures of their native clothing and armor together with a splendid formal Byzantine uniform. But most famously, they always wielded their own traditional battle-axes; this became a sign that the emperor was on the battlefield in person. This is an insightful look of one of the legendary guard units of the medieval world, complete with a dazzling array of artwork plates showing the Varangian Guard in an array of settings from court ceremonies to the battlefield.
Book Synopsis Romano-Byzantine Armies 4th–9th Centuries by : David Nicolle
Download or read book Romano-Byzantine Armies 4th–9th Centuries written by David Nicolle and published by Osprey Publishing. This book was released on 1992-09-25 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Although the Byzantine Empire was a continuation of the Roman Empire and faced similar military problems, its solutions were very different. In North Africa, for example, Rome's large army concentrated on securing main roads and urban centres. Byzantium's smaller army built more fortifications and took a defensive stance. The most striking characteristic of later Byzantine military thinking was, however, the theme or provincial army system, which owed nothing to ancient Roman tradition. With eight superb full colour plates by Angus McBride, and many other illustrations, David Nicolle examines the history of Romano-Byzantine armies from 4th-9th centuries.
Book Synopsis The Varangians of Byzantium by : Sigfús Blöndal
Download or read book The Varangians of Byzantium written by Sigfús Blöndal and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2007-04-16 with total page 264 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book examines how the Norsemen came to be drawn into the Imperial service.
Download or read book Manzikert 1071 written by David Nicolle and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2013-08-20 with total page 206 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Saljuq Turks' defeat of the Byzantines at Manzikert opened the way for their conquest of Anatolia and domination of the Near East. On 26 August 1071 a large Byzantine army under Emperor Romanus IV met the Saljuq Turk forces of Sultan Alp Arslan near the town of Manzikert. The battle ended in a decisive defeat for the Byzantine forces, with the Byzantine emperor captured and much of his fabled Varangian guard killed. This battle is seen as the primary trigger of the Crusades, and as the moment when the power of the East Roman or Byzantine Empire was irreparably broken. The Saljuq victory opened up Anatolia to Turkish-Islamic conquest, which was eventually followed by the establishment of the Ottoman state. Nevertheless the battle itself was the culmination of a Christian Byzantine offensive, intended to strengthen the eastern frontiers of the empire and re-establish Byzantine domination over Armenia and northern Mesopotamia. Turkish Saljuq victory was in no sense inevitable and might, in fact, have come as something of a surprise to those who achieved it. As David Nicolle outlines in this highly illustrated account, it was not only the battle of Manzikert that had such profound and far-reaching consequences, many of these stemmed from the debilitating Byzantine civil war which followed and was a direct consequence of the defeat.
Book Synopsis The Militant Kurds by : Vera Eccarius-Kelly
Download or read book The Militant Kurds written by Vera Eccarius-Kelly and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2010-12-07 with total page 276 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This extensive examination of the Kurdish conflict in Turkey, Iraq, Germany, and the EU focuses on the history and development of the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK) and its impact on transnational security, human rights, and democratization. The Militant Kurds: A Dual Strategy for Freedom explores the complexity of the 30-year guerrilla war of the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK) against the Turkish Republic, identifying longstanding obstacles to peace and probing the new dynamics that may lead to an end to the conflict. In doing so, the book provides fascinating insights into Turkey's national ethos, its dominant military culture, and civil society's struggle for increased democratization. The Militant Kurds offers an extensive analysis of the precarious position of the Kurdish minority, beginning with the establishment of the modern Turkish republic in 1923. Divided into five sections examining current political realities in Turkey, the book investigates the role of Islam and ethnicity, analyzes the rise of the PKK, discusses Turkish military culture, and explains the international dimensions of the Kurdish conflict. Comparative historical, political, and socioeconomic examples contextualize the long struggle for Kurdish self-determination. Each chapter offers an analysis of the underlying dynamics of the conflict and provides up-to-date explanations.
Book Synopsis Mercenary Swedes by : Svante Norrhem
Download or read book Mercenary Swedes written by Svante Norrhem and published by Nordic Academic Press. This book was released on 2020-03-09 with total page 283 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the 1630s, France persuaded Sweden to fight on its side against the Holy Roman Emperor in the vicious, prolonged war between Protestant and Catholic states. Both countries goal was to limit the Empire's expansion, and the Swedes needed funds. Under the 1631 agreement, Sweden received French subsidies of about 400,000 Swedish riksdaler every year for five years a vast sum. This agreement was the first in a long line of deals between France and Sweden until 1796, which meant 166 years of intermittent support. In some years French subsidies amounted to a startling 20 per cent of the Swedish national budget. But how did the two countries manage to remain allies despite their abiding mutual mistrust? The historian Svante Norrhem charts the patterns of relations between the two countries in this wide-ranging study. With his skilful command of the international archival material he examines the reasons for the pact and the mutual dependency it led to. Norrhem discusses the motives and effects of the French subsidies. What about Sweden's honour, for example? To be so dependent on another state could signal that it was less than scrupulous In the end, the collaboration also had a profound impact on the Swedish state and society, and to some extent on France politics, territory and reputation were all at stake.
Book Synopsis Armour Never Wearies by : Timothy Dawson
Download or read book Armour Never Wearies written by Timothy Dawson and published by The History Press. This book was released on 2013-08-05 with total page 182 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Armour Never Wearies is the first volume to bring together all the hitherto scattered evidence – archaeological, literary and artistic – for the forms and uses of scale and lamellar armours in the region west of the Ural Mountains throughout the 3,500 years during which these armours were used. The interpretation of this data is informed by the author’s long practical experience as a maker of arms and armour, martial artist and horseman. It offers systematic definitions and analysis of these often misunderstood forms of armour, along with detailed diagrams and instructions that will be of great use to any who wish to turn their hands to reconstruction. Along the way, this unique synthesis of evidence and interpretation debunks some myths that have arisen in recent years.
Book Synopsis By the Emperor's Hand by : Timothy Dawson
Download or read book By the Emperor's Hand written by Timothy Dawson and published by Frontline Books. This book was released on 2015-09-30 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As absolute as Hitler's control over the German war machine was, it depended on the ability, judgment and unquestioning loyalty of the senior officers charged with putting his ideas, however difficult, into effect.Top military historian James Lucas examines the stories of fourteen of these men: all of different rank, from varied backgrounds, and highly awarded, they exemplify German military prowess at its most dangerous. Among his subjects are Eduard Dietl, the commander of German forces in Norway and Eastern Europe; Werner Kampf, one of the most successful Panzer commanders of the war; and Kurt Meyer, commander of the Hitler Youth Division and one of Germany's youngest general officers.The author, one of the leading experts on all aspects of German military conduct of the Second World War, offers the reader a rare look into the nature of the German Army a curious mix of individual strength, petty officialdom and pragmatic action.
Book Synopsis Fourteen Byzantine Rulers by : Michael Psellus
Download or read book Fourteen Byzantine Rulers written by Michael Psellus and published by Penguin UK. This book was released on 1979-09-27 with total page 623 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This chronicle of the Byzantine Empire, beginning in 1025, shows a profound understanding of the power politics that characterized the empire and led to its decline.
Book Synopsis Armies of Medieval Russia 750–1250 by : David Nicolle
Download or read book Armies of Medieval Russia 750–1250 written by David Nicolle and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 1999-11-15 with total page 49 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the centuries following the first expeditions down the great rivers of northern Russia by Viking traders and adventurers, the foundations for a new state were laid. Many influences combined in this colourful culture which grew up first around the great cities of Kiev and Novgorod – Scandinavian, Finnish, Slav, steppe Turkish, Byzantine. By the time of the Mongol invasions of the 12th century the small enclaves of the old pagan Rus', tolerated by the Khazar Khans for their commercial usefulness, had evolved into a Christian nation. Its story is told here in fascinating detail, and illustrated with striking colour reconstructions of the warriors themselves.
Book Synopsis El Cid and the Reconquista 1050–1492 by : David Nicolle
Download or read book El Cid and the Reconquista 1050–1492 written by David Nicolle and published by Osprey Publishing. This book was released on 1988-07-28 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The very name El Cid sums up much of the special character of medieval Spanish warfare. It comes from the Arabic al sayyid, master or chieftain, and seems to have been given to Rodrigo de Vivar by his Muslim foes. But was it given in recognition of El Cid's victories against Islam in the 'Reconquista' – or because this Castilian nobleman was as content to serve beside the Muslims as to fight them? The story of the Christian conquest of the Iberian peninsula which gave rise to the legend of El Cid, is here examined by David Nicolle, who outlines the history, tactics, arms and armour of the period.
Book Synopsis The Christianization of Ancient Russia by : Unesco
Download or read book The Christianization of Ancient Russia written by Unesco and published by Paris, France : UNESCO. This book was released on 1992 with total page 348 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Book Synopsis Medieval Russian Armies 1250–1500 by : David Nicolle
Download or read book Medieval Russian Armies 1250–1500 written by David Nicolle and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2002-05-25 with total page 49 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: After disastrous defeats at the hands of the Mongols in the 13th century, the Russian principalities became vassals of the Khans of the Golden Horde for more then 200 years; and at the same time the western princes faced the German crusaders of the Teutonic Order. Remarkably, Russia responded with a new surge of military vigour. Eventually, freedom from the 'Mongol yoke' coincided with a degree of unity around a powerful new state - Muscovy. This exciting chapter of history is illustrated with rare early paintings, photos, diagrams, and eight plates reconstructing the mixed influences of East and West in the appearance of Russian warriors.
Book Synopsis Byzantine Imperial Guardsmen 925–1025 by : Raffaele D’Amato
Download or read book Byzantine Imperial Guardsmen 925–1025 written by Raffaele D’Amato and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2012-08-20 with total page 66 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The hundred-year period ending in 1025, from the reign of the Emperor Constantine VII to that of Basil II 'the Bulgar-Slayer', encompassed the last great era of Byzantine aggression and dominance in the Near East and Balkans. During that time, a succession of soldier-emperors hallenged and defeated an array of opponents on land and at sea and reconquered vast swathes of territory. At the heart of the Emperors' forces were the professional, highly mobile Tagmata or Imperial Guard regiments, originally formed to guard the Emperor1s person in the capital but invariably deployed as elite combat troops. Joining these heavy cavalry units, were a variety of exotic mercenary units recruited from foreigners, notably the legendary Varangians. Featuring specially commissioned full-colour artwork, this lively study sheds new light on the colourful regiments of the Byzantine Imperial Guard, the formidable warriors who provided the Byzantine emperors with an insurance policy in the capital, and the elite of their field armies when on campaign.
Book Synopsis God's Viking: Harald Hardrada by : Nic Fields
Download or read book God's Viking: Harald Hardrada written by Nic Fields and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2020-02-19 with total page 549 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An epic historical biography of the Norwegian king who laid claim to the thrones of Denmark and England. Harald Hardrada is perhaps best known as the inheritor of “seven feet of English soil” in that year of fateful change, 1066. But Stamford Bridge was the terminal point of a warring career that spanned decades and continents. Thus, prior to forcibly occupying the Norwegian throne, Harald had an interesting (and lucrative) career in the Varangian Guard, and he remains unquestionably the most notable of all the Varangians who served the Byzantine emperors. In the latter employment he saw active service in the Aegean, Sicily, Italy, Anatolia, Syria, Palestine, and Bulgaria, while in Constantinople he was the hired muscle behind a palace revolution. A man of war, his reign in Norway was to be taken up with a wasteful, vicious, and ultimately futile conflict against Denmark, a kingdom (like England) he believed was his to rule. We follow Harald’s life from Stiklestad, where aged fifteen he fought alongside his half-brother, King Olaf, through his years as a mercenary in Russia and Byzantium, then back to Norway, ending with his death in battle in England. Praise for God’s Viking “A gripping story of the last great Viking who is remembered most for his boast to the Saxons that he had come to conquer their land and ended up with just enough to contain his body . . . . Most highly recommended.” —Firetrench
