The Varangian Guard — or the ‘Axe-bearing Guard’ as it was often called, was created by Basil II because of his distrust in native Byzantine guardsmen. He had heard, likely from Arab travellers, of the Vikings, and that they had such loyalty to their own king that they would die for him. These stories of loyalty gave Basil II confidence in their honour. “Viking troops are recorded fighting Arabs in 955 and taking part in a campaign in Sicily in 968. Twenty years later, in 988, Vladimir of Kiev sent as many as 6000 Vikings to the assistance of Emperor Basil II, and it was from these that the celebrated Varangian Guard was subsequently established. (Magnusson & Harris, 2008, 54).” That the Varangians became the bodyguard unit was the result of two things. The first was the sense of loyalty at the core of Viking culture. But more importantly, the Emperor did not have to worry about revolt – the recruits came from faraway lands and had no desire to permanently stay. Thus they were indifferent to the political intrigues that swirled around the throne (Bacon, 2003). As a result, the emperor felt that he had a fierce force of personal protection that would not interfere or threaten his leadership as they had no vested interest in the empire.
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