If we have Romans and Italians, Varangians and Vikings, we might as well have Celt and Norse Celtic so we get can Gallowglass.
Saracens and Arabs, Berbers and Andalusians, Britons and English, Sicilians and Normans, Franks and French.
Or a shared unit with the Byzantines, but the Byz needs to be allied with the Varangians to be able to produce it.
Only Byzantines should have access to Varangian Guards, not the Varangians too.
Even though they lived in the Byzantine Empire their homeland was still in Scandinavia so technically, if they wanted to, they could go back and fight for their homeland at any time. People traveled in those days too. You could probably travel from Greece to Scandinavia in 2-3 months, and many probably did that several times during their lives and especially after retirement.
I like Varangian Guards for Vikings, Danes, Slavs and Byzantines…
No, because then they shouldn’t be called the Varangian Guard. The Varangian Guard were Varangians. If you wanted Danes, Vikings and Slavs to also have Varangian Guards then the Varangian civ should not exist at all. It would be the same thing as allowing Saxons and Bohemians produce Teutonic Knights. What would be the point of the Teuton civ then?
1 Like
I didn’t say that, who are you quoting?
This is just funny. Like the inaccuracies of the old days, just a tale for a good KEKW
Also potential a lot of opportunity for puns. Like
The far angry Guards are coming!
1 Like
From Claude:
The Varangians came from Scandinavia, primarily from the region that is now Sweden, and to a lesser extent Norway and Denmark.
They were Norse (Viking) peoples who traveled eastward and southward through the lands of Eastern Europe, particularly along the great river systems like the Dnieper and Volga, beginning around the 8th–9th centuries until the early 13th century. The meaning of the term “Varangian” (from Old Norse Væringjar) is thought to relate to a word meaning “pledge” or “oath,” possibly referring to companies of men bound by a sworn oath.
These Swedish vikings acted as traders, raiders, settlers, and mercenaries, establishing trade routes connecting Scandinavia to Byzantium and the Islamic world.
Historical Significance
- Kievan Rus’: According to the Primary Chronicle, a Varangian leader named Rurik and his followers were invited (or arrived) to rule over Slavic and Finnic tribes around 862 AD, helping to found the state that became Kievan Rus’—the ancestor of modern Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus. The name “Rus’” itself is linked to these Norse peoples.
- Varangian Guard: In the Byzantine Empire, Varangians famously served as the elite personal bodyguard of the emperors, known as the Varangian Guard, prized for their loyalty and fighting skill.
Movement was often circular rather than one-way, and returning home was a common and important part of the Varangian experience, though not universal.
- A major motivation for going east was to acquire wealth, silver (especially Arabic dirhams), slaves, and luxury goods.
- Returning home with this wealth boosted a man’s social standing. A successful journey could make someone a person of importance in his local community.
- The huge quantities of Arabic silver coins found in Scandinavian hoards (especially on the island of Gotland) are strong physical evidence of wealth flowing back to Scandinavia.
- Men who served in the Varangian Guard in Constantinople often did so for a period of years and then returned home wealthy.
Evidence of Return
- Runestones: Scandinavia (particularly Sweden) is dotted with runestones commemorating men who traveled east. Some celebrate those who came home; many others were raised in memory of those who died abroad and never returned. The famous Ingvar runestones in Upland, Sweden (Ingvar runestones - Wikipedia) commemorate a disastrous expedition east in which many men perished.
- These stones show both outcomes: successful returns and deaths far from home.
Those Who Stayed Abroad
Not everyone returned. Many Varangians:
- Settled permanently in the lands of the Rus’, intermarrying with the local Slavic population and eventually assimilating (the ruling elite of Kievan Rus’ became Slavicized within a few generations).
- Died abroad, whether in battle, from disease, or on the hazardous river and sea journeys.
1 Like
In my concept for Andalusians they can train Genitours but can’t upgrade them to Elite if they don’t have Berbers in the team. Something similar can be done for Byzantines: they’d have access to the regular Varangian Guard but would only be able to upgrade them if allied with Varangians.