Varangian Guard – Northern Warriors of the Byzantine
Miklagard – you know this word? And for so many Swedish and Rus (who also had Swedish roots) young men there was probably no word more pleasant than this. Miklagard, Constantinople, capital of the Byzantine Empire – why did it become so desired for warriors from the far north? AsContinue Reading
Knights in the Middle Ages – The Origins
We all know knights as the noble mounted warriors in Medieval Europe, all covered with armor and trained to be the best fighters of their times. But what were the origins of this military and social institution that existed for many centuries? The process of the formation of knights asContinue Reading
Dark Ages Question
When you read about Medieval history, inevitably you hear the term “Dark Ages”. This period is usually defined as the time between the Fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 AD and more arbitrary date somewhere between 800’s and 1000’s. Thus, the Dark Ages is the initial part ofContinue Reading