The Varangian Guard, as the elite of the Byzantine military, had a complex and specialized rank structure. Let’s examine the Varangians’ chain of command, starting with its commander.
The Varangian Guard was commanded by the Akolouthos (Follower). Those who occupied this high office were capable & trustworthy warriors. The Akolouthos commanded some of the finest warriors in the Byzantine military and was entrusted with the personal safety of the Emperor.
The Akolouthos was originally a sub-commander of the Vigla Tagma (Regiment) in the 9th & 10th centuries. The Vigla were responsible for guarding the imperial palace and the army camp. The commander of the Vigla was always in the presence of the Emperor, considering how his responsibilities were critical to the safety of his person. When on campaign the Vigla were responsible for the night watch, relaying the emperor's orders, rear and flank guards during marches, and guarding prisoners of war. The Vigla were sometimes sent on campaigns while the Emperor stayed at home. A portion of the tagma along with its commander would remain at the capital while the rest, under a sub-commander, would join the Scholai Tagma for the campaign. There is some evidence the Vigla contained an element of foreign soldiers, in line with long-standing Byzantine norms for imperial bodyguards. This contingent may have been under the command of the Akolouthos, but this is unproven.
The Akolouthos was generally a seasoned warrior capable of garnering the respect of warriors and capable of ensuring the safety of the Emperor himself. When the Vigla’s duties shifted to judicial & police work in Constantinople in the early 11th century, the Akolouthos found new work among new mercenaries.
In 988, Basil II received 6,000 Rus & Norse warriors from Vladimir, the ruler of the Kievan Rus, in exchange for Vladimir’s marriage to his sister Anna. The Varangians impressed Basil so much that he established a new Tagma just for them. However, he needed a Byzantine commander he could trust. It made sense to have a level of continuity at the highest commands and the Akolouthos, experienced with commanding an imperial bodyguard and possibly with foreign mercenaries as well, was a perfect fit. The status of this new commander was reflected in his corresponding prestige in court ceremonies.
The Akolouthos was the first behind the Emperor in ceremonies & was handed the keys to Constantinople in the Emperor’s absence, superseding the precedence of his former boss, the commander of the Vigla himself. This may suggest that the lines between the Vigla and Varangians were blurred in the early days and the Akolouthos and his formation slowly gained prominence and independence as they outgrew the Vigla. In the later Empire, reflecting the diminished status of the Varangians & Byzantines themselves, the Akolouthos was demoted & 50th behind the Emperor in ceremonies.
We know of more than 10 Akolouthos throughout Byzantine history, almost all of them have names that suggest a Byzantine origin. Since many Byzantine officers did not speak the Norse, Slavic, and English languages of their soldiers, interpreters were needed.
The Grand Interpreter (Megalodihermeneutes) was an officer of considerable standing and had a flashy uniform. His mantle was embroidered in gold and he carried a staff as a sign of his office.
Seal of Michael, Grand Interpreter (Megalodihermeneutes) of the Guard
Below him, a group of lesser interpreters worked to communicate between the Greek-speaking officers and the Varangians.
As the Varangian Guard became more multi-ethnic during the Komnenian Dynasty there is more evidence for the Varangians being subdivided by language. Specific detachments of Englishmen, Russians, and Norsemen are all attested. This was likely an outgrowth of the fact many men joined together within warbands from their respective nations and the need to simplify communication within and without the Guard.
Beyond the unique position of the Akolouthos and the sophisticated parallel structure of interpreters, the rank structure of the Varangian Guard was similar to that of the rest of the army. These commands & subunits somewhat reflect the modern breakdown of battalions, companies, platoons, and squads.
For foreign royals and capable Varangians extra titles could be acquired. These titles came with prestige and an extra salary. Harald Hardrada was elevated with the title of Spatharokandidatos, often given to a Topoteretes, the deputy commander of a Tagma. This suggests Harald may have risen far within the Varangian Guard and explained his turbulent relationship with the suspicious Imperial Court. Other Varangians are attested as Senators of the defunct Roman Senate, demonstrating how these foreign men were not kept apart from the higher institutions of power. This trust, and the longevity of the Guard, is an outgrowth of their loyalty to the imperial throne and preference for integration or returning homeward after making their fortune. Unlike other foreign soldiers, there was never a Varangian-led coup or break-away state.
An exception to Greek-speaking Akolouthos is the Varangian commander Nambites. Nambites, possibly from the Germanic “corpse-biter” or “killer.” Nambites is believed to be the nickname of an Anglo-Saxon warrior named “Wulf.”
Nambites was the commander of the Varangian detachment at Dyrrhachium (1081). Although probably not the Akolouthos at that point, he may have been at the disastrous Battle of Dristra (1087), where he was one of six men entrusted with the personal safety of Emperor Alexios I.
Nambites’s prominent role in these two defeats may have inspired Byzantine officials to later warn against allowing foreigners to hold such important offices.
These officials blamed Nambites’s poor advice & outsized influence for these defeats. However, this advice could also have been a response to earlier Norman commanders.
https://twitter.com/Varangian_Tagma/status/1493962779354488837
Other Varangian commanders will appear in later articles as we work our way through individual Varangians present in extant sources, the ranks of the Guard, and the exciting life of Varangians.
For obvious reasons, it will never happen, but I always thought a movie about the Varangian Guard would be a no brainer for Ridley Scott or Mel Gibson.