The Heiðinn Chronicles - Heiðinn History Varangian Guard (CE 875-1204) Varangian Guard: Bodyguards and 'Berserkers' of the Byzantine Empire The tale of the Varangians continues in its prime in the form of the Varangian Guard, a prominent and selective Byzantine army arising in the 10th century. Composed of the Scandinavian marauders in the beginning, the Varangian Guard survived until the 13th or 14th centuries as the Byzantine Emperor's elite sentinel. Dressed in battle armor of blue tunics and

Vikings Became Byzantine Emperor's Bodyguards | The Varangian Guard's 200-Year Legendary Service VIKINGS BECAME THE BYZANTINE EMPEROR'S BODYGUARDS—AND NEVER BETRAYED HIM Year 988 AD. The Byzantine Emperor has a problem. He's the most powerful man in the Christian world. Controls vast wealth. Rules from magnificent Constantinople. But he can't trust ANYONE around him. Palace coups. Assassination plots. Byzantine politics—literally named after this empire because it's so complex and backstabbing.