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by Benedikt Benedikz,Sigfús Blöndal

Benedikt Benedikz Sigfús Blöndal Humanities English

ISBN: 052103552X
Author: Benedikt Benedikz,Sigfús Blöndal
Publisher: Cambridge University Press; 1 revised edition (April 16, 2007)
Language: English
Pages: 260
ePub: 1442 kb
Fb2: 1269 kb
Rating: 4.4
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Category: Different
Subcategory: Humanities

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Benedikt S Benedikz gathered the various notes and compiled them into the book that was published in 1978.

Benedikt S Benedikz gathered the various notes and compiled them into the book that was published in 1978. I stumbled across Henry Treece’s Viking Trilogy in my junior high and high school year in of all places, Sri Lanka. I had also read an excellent novel of the life of Harald Hardrada, who title escapes me.

Sigfus Benedikt Bjarnarson Blondal was born on 2 October 1874 at Hjallaland in Vatnsdalur in Northern Iceland, the son of Bjorn Blondal, the farmer there, a man of a well-connected family, and his wife GuSrun, also born of a family of parsons and officials. In 1883 Bjorn Blondal moved to Reykjavik, and Sigfus entered the Latin School there in 1886.

Varangians of Byzantium: An Aspect of Byzantine Military History. by Benedikt S. Benedikz, Cambridge: 1978.

THE VARANGIANS OF BYZANTIUM Sigfiis Blondal An aspect of Byzantine military history translated, revised and rewritten by Benedikt S. Benediks CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS CAMBRIDGE LONDON NEW YORK NEWROCHELLE MELBOURNE SYDNEY.

The Varangians of Byzantium. Translated, revised, and rewritten by Benedikt S. Benedikz. 23·5 16 cm. Pp. 242+ 1 p. 3 maps.

Blöndal, . translated, revised and rewritten by Benedikz, Benedikt S. (2007).

Benedict Benedikz, The Varangians of Byzantium (Cambridge University Press, 2007). Blöndal, . The Varangians of Byzantium.

The Varangians of Byzantium book. This book examines how the Norsemen came to be drawn into the Imperial service until the greatest of all the Emperors of the East, Basil II, formed them into the regiment of guards which was to give unique service to the Empire. It surveys the history of the regiment down to the collapse of High Byzantium in 1204 and traces the remnant of the Varangians to the very last day of the Empire in May 1453.

Finding books BookSee BookSee - Download books for free. Sigfús Blöndal, Benedikt Benedikz.

An aura of romance has clung about the Varangians for over six centuries. This book examines how the Norsemen came to be drawn into the Imperial service until the greatest of all the Emperors of the East, Basil II, formed them into the regiment of guards which was to give unique service to the Empire. It surveys the history of the regiment down to the collapse of High Byzantium in 1204 and traces the remnant of the Varangians to the very last day of the Empire in May 1453.

Comments: (7)

Urreur

This book was originally written by Sigus Blondal who was worked at the Icelandic Royal Library. Benedikt S Benedikz gathered the various notes and compiled them into the book that was published in 1978.

I stumbled across Henry Treece’s Viking Trilogy in my junior high and high school year in of all places, Sri Lanka. I had also read an excellent novel of the life of Harald Hardrada, who title escapes me. Needless to say, that I have had a long fascination with the Varangians.

This is an excellent book for several reasons. First of all stands the scholarship. Every source is carefully documented, and there are several passages Greek, Russian, and Icelandic. The author describes the foundation of Varangian and Russian cultures. He describes the structure of the Byzantine army and navy, and how the Varangians fit in. Next an entire chapter is devoted to the life of Harald Hardrada, the exiled Norwegian prince turned Viking mercenary who almost conquered England. It then follows the Varangians from essentially 1000 AD forward. An interesting note was that after the Normans conquered England that many of the Saxon nobility and huscarls ( household warriors ) joined the Varangian guard, changing the composition from Scandinavian to more English. Lastly, the ceremonial duties are described, and it ends with the lives of individual Varangians.

Overall an excellent book.

riki

This was an excellent study of the Verangian guard that served the Byzantine emperors for many centuries. Very well researched from countless foreign resources and well,some my say overly, attributed, in foreign language and script. This should not detract from the basic story, which I found very complete and interesting to read. As a financial advisor and numismatist, I found some the financial details of special interest; how they were paid, how much they had to pay to gain a position in the various levels of the guard, etc. I had a specific interest in the time period of when Harald Hardrada, the future king of Norway, spent in Verangian service, of which, the author devotes a separate, long chapter, This was worth the price of the book itself.

Shezokha

Very helpful in my classes.

Goll

Vikings are all the rage at the moment so why not take some time and check out a book about the elite Norse/Russian/Anglo-Saxon mercenaries in Byzantine service known as Varangians.

This book was first published in 1978. It is a revised version of a book put out in Icelandic in 1954. That means this book is old scholarship but like all good scholarship it holds up well. Until someone gets around to writing a new book on the Varangians this one will have to do.

Chapter 4 (pages 54-102) is a substantial article on the career of Harald Hardrada, the most famous Varangian. He spent a decade in Byzantine service before he went off to claim the Norwegian throne. The chapter uses a wide range of sources including skaldic poetry, Russian chronicles, the writing of Kekaumenos, the Harald Saga by Snorri Sturluson and Byzantine Chronicles.

The following chapters take a chronological look at the Varangians covering the years 1042-1081, 1081-1204 and 1204-1453. After the 4th Crusade the Byzantine Empire was poverty stricken so it was less attractive for the Norse but groups lingered on til the end.

I found the list (pages 223-233) of runic inscriptions (with translations) that mention the Byzantine Empire to be very valuable. There are about 30 in all, mostly from Sweden but the inscription on the Lion of Piraeus. Most of the runestones were erected in honour of dead relatives who died in the 'East' in Byzantins service. I really wish that some photos of some of the runestones had been included.

I must admit that the book was a bit dull. Only the section on Harald Hardrada was lively. This has to do with the sources. No Varangian ever wrote their memoirs or talked to a chronicler to record their experiences. Similarly, the Byzantine sources only ever mention the Varangians in passing. They were in this battle or that battle, etc without too much detail. Blondal tries to rectify this by having a chapter on 'Individual Varagians and Travellers' (pages 193-222) but it ends up being mainly about pilgrims.

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