Varangians, Byzantine imperial guards

In the Viking Age, the Vikings, spreading from Scandinavia to the east and west of Europe, were entitled as Varangians by the indigenous peoples when they arrived to the territory of present-day Russia. The Varangians, establishing the first Russian state in history at the end of the IXth century in Kiev, had entered into some commercial relations with the Byzantine Empire before this process. Therefore, the first known contacts between Byzantium and Varangians began by the agency of these commercial relations. Varangians, after establishing their princedom in Kiev, organized military expeditions to Istanbul. The Byzantine Empire also witnessed the warlike characteristics of the Varangians thanks to these expeditions. In the IXth century, when the Varangians settled in Kiev, the Byzantine empire had lost most of its lands in Armenia, Eastern Anatolia and Mesopotamia, first to the Arabs and then to the Turks. The regions in question were among the most prominent areas where Byzantium recruited its mercenaries. Therefore, these losses resulted in the Byzantine Empire's inability to find enough soldiers when it was needed. Basileios II, who wanted to make up for the shortage of soldiers, requested help from Prince Vladimir of Kyiv in 988, and Vladimir sent 6,000 Varangian warriors to the emperor. Then, Basileios II formed two units from Varangian soldiers. The first unit became the emperor's special guards, while the second unit was sent to the theme areas. Basileios II's successors continued this practice, and the Varangians became the most reliable imperial guards in the empire. The Varangians survived until the Latin invasion in 1204. Skilled and loyal warriors, the Varangians were famous for their loyalty to the emperors. The imperial guards preceding them used to side with the usurpers who were attempting a coup. Being aware of this danger, the emperors were able to secure both the empire and their thrones in accordance with the loyalty of the Varangians. Varangian soldiers serving in the thema armies also helped to increase the striking power of the army. In this way, the imperial army, weakened by the Arabs and Turks, regained its strength and was able to make successful re-conquest movements until the Latin invasion.