Varangian

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by Griff Hosker

Byzantine commander of light cavalry and latterly strategos

  Andros

  Interpreter and Ragnar’s assistant at the farm

  Anna Dalassene

  The mother of Alexios

  Bandon (plural Banda)

  Unit of 200 men

  Boatyard

  Kiev

  Branton

  Osbert’s brother, an archer

  byrnie

  Armoured coat

  Calisthenes

  Spymaster for Nicephorus III

  Canute

  King Sweyn’s son

  conroi

  Knights who follow a leader

  Danegeld

  Bribe paid to Danes by English kings in the 8th -10th centuries

  Dekarchos

  Officer in command of ten men

  Droungos

  A unit, normally 500 men commanded by a Droungarios

  Ealdgyth

  Wife of King Harold

  Eric

  King Sweyn’s son

  gammer

  Old woman or mother

  Gytha

  Relative of the Earl of Hereford and wife of Aelfraed

  Harald

  King Sweyn’s son

  Hedeby

  Denmark’s capital

  Hetaireia

  Imperial bodyguard of the Byzantine Emperor

  Inglinoi

  English troops fighting for Byzantium

  Irene Doukaina

  Granddaughter of Caesar John Doukas- Emperor

  Isaac Constanus

  Aelfraed’s Imperial Aide

  Isaac the Jew

  Jewish money lender

  Jarl Gunnersson

  Captain of The Maiden

  John

  Official at court

  Kentarches

  Officer in charge of 100 men

  Kentarchia

  100 men

  Komes

  Commander of two hundred men in the Byzantine army

  Kontoubernion plural Kontoubernia

  A unit of ten cataphracts or ten soldiers

  Kurya

  Pecheng King

  leat

  An open stretch of water close to a river

  Makios Embolas

  A street in Constantinople

  Malcolm Canmore

  King of Scotland

  Manzikert

  The battle where the Byzantine Emperor was captured

  Medelai

  Middleham North Yorkshire

  Miklagård

  Constantinople

  Nicephorus Botaniantes

  Strategos and Emperor before Alexios

  Nicephorus Bryennios

  Rebel General

  Nikephoros Basilakes

  Rebel General

  Olef

  Commander of the Varangian guard

  Osbert

  Sergeant at arms of Aelfraed

  Pechengs

  Tribe of horsemen near southern Russia

  Ragnar

  Danish Warrior

  Reuben

  Jewish money lender

  Ridley

  Housecarl of the Earl

  Roussel de Bailleul

  Rebel Prince and Norman knight

  Straboromanos

  Head of the Imperial spies under Nicephorus

  Strategos plural Strategoi

  A Byzantine general

  Sweyn

  King of the Danes

  Thema plural Themata

  en thousand man Byzantine army

  Thingman

  Housecarls of the English Royal family until 1051

  Thor

  Sea captain

  Tourmache

  Byzantine commander of 2400 men

  Wight

  Spirit

  Witenagemot

  The council of England wh ich chose the king

  wyrd

  fate

  Historical note

  Edgar the Aetheling did invite Sweyn II of Denmark to invade England; they captured York and then ravaged the countryside. When William came north he bought off Sweyn with the money he had raised through taxes and then punished the people of the north by slaughtering them! Sweyn then returned to Denmark. By 1080 Sweyn’s son Canute was king of the Danes and then he was killed by his brother Harald who then became king. Sweyn had many illegitimate sons. I used Eric as one.

  Alexios was a strategos and he did pursue Roussel who is a really interesting character. He did refuse to fight at Manzikert but was then forgiven and given command which is when he decided to become a ruler himself and rebelled. Alexios pursued him to Amasya where the people loved him and Alexios used a ploy to make them give him up. Aelfraed’s clandestine operation is my version. Amazingly when Roussel was captured and imprisoned he was still allowed to lead men against Nicephorus Botaniantes who rebelled. He joined the enemy again! This time when the Seljuk’s captured him he was executed, having used most of his nine lives.

  The Battle of Kalavrye took place almost as described in the book. Alexios was given command of the army and he tried to ambush Bryennios. The two wings collapsed and Alexios barely escaped with his own retinue. He regrouped his scattered troops and assaulted again. Meanwhile the Pechengs had decided to loot their ally’s camp and the Byzantines defeated the larger army by feigning a retreat. Bryennios was captured and the rebellion quashed. Nikephoros Basilakes did rebel and Alexios defeated him through a night attack.

  The war of Alexios and Robert was fought pretty much as described. The Varangians were massacred in the first battle and it ended the way it was described. As far as I know there were no renegade Varangians with the Normans- this is a story after all. Alexios did bribe the Holy Roman Emperor to invade Italy and when Guiscard was away Alexios did recapture, from Bohemund, all the territory he had lost. When the Normans returned to Corfu they were faced by Alexios. The site of their battle is not known and the consensus of opinion was that it was a draw but Robert and five hundred knights did die of a fever and the Normans did not return until after Alexios was dead at the time of the First Crusade. Alexios was the only enemy Robert did not defeat. Alexios’ daughter wrote a history of this time and most of the events I have used were written by her. History is always written by the victors.

  My story is really about a Briton and in Aelfraed I see the archers of Crecy, Poitiers and Agincourt. The cavalry at Blenheim, the courageous riflemen of the Peninsular and the Guards at Waterloo; the 24th Foot at Rorke’s Drift right up to the Cockleshell heroes who sailed up a river to complete a mission against all odds and who can forget the magnificent Paras at Arnhem. All of these are what I like to think of as the warriors who came from the Housecarls of Harold. Men like Ridley and Osbert, Branton and Edward. Honest men who did their duty without fuss and without complaint and were then forgotten when they returned home. Those men who fought and sacrificed for their country as comrades and long may we honour them.

  Griff Hosker

  January 2013

  Other books by

  Griff Hosker

  If you enjoyed reading this book then why not read another one by the author?

  The Sword of Cartimandua Series (Germania and Britannia 50A.D. – 128 A.D.)

  Ulpius Felix- Roman Warrior

  Book 1 The Sword of Cartimandua

  Book 2 The Horse Warriors

  Book 3 Invasion Caledonia

  Book 4 Roman Retreat

  Book 5 Revolt of the Red Witch

  Book 6 Druid’s Gold

  Book 7 Trajan’s Hunters

  Book 8 The Last Frontier

  Book 9 Hero of Rome

  Book 10 Roman Hawk

  Book 11Roman Treachery

  They are all available in the Kindle format.

  The Aelfraed Series (Britain and Byzantium 1050 A.D.- 1085 A.D.)

  Book 1 Housecarl

  Book 2 Outlaw

  Book 3 Varangian

  These are available in the Kindle format.

  The Wolf Warrior series (Britain
in the late 6th Century)

  Book 1 Saxon Dawn

  Book 2 Saxon Revenge

  Book 3 Saxon England

  Book 4 Saxon Blood

  Book 5 Saxon Slayer

  Also available in paperback and Kindle is the book aimed at 12-15 years olds, Great Granny’s Ghost

  Carnage at Cannes is a modern thriller and is available in the Kindle format.

  Travel

   Adventure at 63-Backpacking to Istanbul

  The Lucky Jack Civil War series

   Book 1 The Rebel Raider

   Book 2 Confederate Raider

  For more information on all of the books then please visit the author’s web site at http://www.griffhosker.com where there is a link to contact him.

  All the books are now published by Sword Books Ltd.

  The End

  Historical note

  Griff Hosker June 2013

  Other books by

  Griff Hosker

  If you enjoyed reading this book then why not read another one by the author?

  The Sword of Cartimandua Series (Germania and Britannia 50A.D. – 128 A.D.)

  Ulpius Felix- Roman Warrior

  Book 1 The Sword of Cartimandua

  Book 2 The Horse Warriors

  Book 3 Invasion Caledonia

  Book 4 Roman Retreat

  Book 5 Revolt of the Red Witch

  Book 6 Druid’s Gold

  Book 7 Trajan’s Hunters

  Book 8 The Last Frontier

  Book 9 Hero of Rome

  Book 10 Roman Hawk

  Book 11 Roman Treachery

  They are all available in the Kindle format.

  The Aelfraed Series (Britain and Byzantium 1050 A.D.- 1085 A.D.)

  Book 1 Housecarl

  Book 2 Outlaw

  Book 3 Varangian

  These are available in the Kindle format.

  The Wolf Warrior series (Britain in the late 6th Century)

  Book 1 Saxon Dawn

  Book 2 Saxon Revenge

  Book 3 Saxon England

  Also available in paperback and Kindle is the book aimed at 12-15 years olds, Great Granny’s Ghost

  Carnage at Cannes is a modern thriller and is available in the Kindle format.

  Travel

   Adventure at 63-Backpacking to Istanbul

  Coming in Autumn 2013

   The Irishman in the grey - a trilogy set in the American Civil War

  For more information on all of the books then please visit the author’s web site at http://www.griffhosker.com where there is a link to contact him.

  Table of Contents

  Dedication

  Copyright

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Epilogue

  C haracters and places in the novel

  Historical note

  Other books by Griff Hosker

 

 

 


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