Re: Nea Rhomaioi was ...Re: Communication and Travel

John Atkinson wrote:

> Next--how frequently did Varangians take the field?  

Fairly often. Always when the Emperor himself commanded the army IIRC,
but quite often on other occasions too (like the bungled attempt to
conquer Sicily in the middle of the 11th century, when Harald Hardrada
commanded the Varangians).

> I've got 'em translated into a Power Armored Infantry division, which 
> would be most useful as an orbital insertion force--were they used to 
> 'spearhead' amphibious operations on any occasions?

Varangian detachments were successfully used in siege operations and as
marine contingents aboard naval units. I guess spearheading assaults on
city walls and spearheading attacks on colonies can be thought of as
similar in concepts :-)

> 'National flag' (insomuch as there was any such thing) was 
> blue with gold cross? 

Did the Rhomaioi use this? It sounds like the Swedish national flag, but
that didn't come into use until several centuries later so I doubt if
there's any connection there.

> What, if anything, did they name ships after?  

Rhomaioi or Varangians <g>? (Most Varangians never learned Greek, or at
most learned a few words of it - that's one of the reasons why they were
so hard to corrupt... :-) IIRC the Varangians didn't have ships of their
own; they were temporarily assigned as marine detachments.

Later,

Oerjan Ohlson
oerjan.ohlson@nacka.mail.telia.com

"Life is like a sewer.
  What you get out of it, depends on what you put into it."
- Hen3ry