The English Mercenaries of the Byzantine Empire

The English Mercenaries of the Byzantine Empire

The loss of the Battle of Hastings in 1066 brought about a seismic change in English society. As the conquering Normans came to dominate the country, many English noblemen and elite warriors found themselves dispossessed and with enormously diminished prospects. The contemporary English chronicler, Orderic Vitalis, tells us that ‘the English groaned aloud for their lost liberty and plotted ceaselessly to find some way of shaking off that which was so intolerable’. For many, the solution they found was to leave the country and seek their fortune in foreign lands.

Oath Breaker: A Novel

1068

It is two years since King Harold Godwinson was defeated at the Battle of Hastings. His son, Godwin, is in exile in Dublin and amassing an army of mercenaries to invade England and reclaim the English crown. At his side is Cadman, survivor of the battle and leader of a small band of English warriors.
As Cadman watches Godwin lose control of the wild mercenaries - and sees them ravage the land they had come to free - he knows that he can no longer serve Godwin with honour.

Exiled from his homeland, with nothing but his weapon-craft to sell, Cadman and his warriors travel to Byzantium to seek their fortune. On their journey they encounter Pecheneg raiders, and survive a shipwreck on the Black Sea coast, only to be captured by a company of the Varangian Guard. About to be sold into slavery, Cadman proves his ability as a warrior to his captors, and so enters Byzantium with a famous name.

In Constantinople, Emperor Michael is weak. Rivals plot to seize power. Conflict rages across the empire, ally becomes foe as one general betrays another in battles against Seljuk Turks and Norman adventurers. If Cadman is to survive, he must be as ruthless as those who stand against him.

Amidst it all, one good man fights to save the empire from the turmoil. Alexios, cousin to the emperor, needs Cadman’s skills to help him do so. The path to power is bloody and treacherous - and will show Cadman the price of honour and the value of an oath.

Scene 15: The Most Mysterious Scene in the Bayeux Tapestry

Scene 15: The Most Mysterious Scene in the Bayeux Tapestry

The Bayeux Tapestry is one of our key sources for understanding the events around the Norman Conquest but, much though it contains plenty of fascinating detail, it remains a work that is shrouded in mystery. It asks as many questions as it answers.

In the whole tapestry there is perhaps no scene more enigmatic than scene 15. In this scene a woman stands between two spiral pillars facing a man who is dressed as a priest. The man’s hand is outstretched, touching the woman’s face, and his other hand is on his hip. Beneath the woman, in the margin of the tapestry, a naked man with oversized genitals is squatting.

Harold Godwinson’s Rush to Hastings: Rash or Rational?

Harold Godwinson’s Rush to Hastings: Rash or Rational?

Harold Godwinson has spent the last thousand years being widely criticized for being too hasty to get to the battle and arriving at the battle with a fatigued and understrength army. The march to Hastings is often portrayed as an act of great hubris, a critical misjudgment made by a man overconfident after a stunning victory against the legendary Viking king. But Harold was an experienced military commander who had commanded numerous campaigns in his life. So, was the dash to Hastings really just an act of overweening arrogance? Or were there sound tactical reasons for Harold’s rush to fight the Normans?

Modern Counterinsurgency: Lessons from Medieval Warfare

Modern Counterinsurgency: Lessons from Medieval Warfare

When coalition forces invaded Afghanistan in 2001, the Taliban government rapidly collapsed, and the Islamist movement re-established itself as an insurgency. The coalition responded by moving through the country, setting up bases on a hub and spoke model as it went. The biggest of these bases, those such as Camp Bastion in Helmand Province, were as big as towns, holding thousands of soldiers, stores, hospitals, and logistics equipment. These big bases were ringed by progressively smaller bases, the smallest of which might hold just 15 or 20 men.

Blood Debt: A Novel

Blood Debt: A Novel

1064.

Harold Godwinson, Earl of Wessex, sails for Normandy where he seeks the release of his kinsmen from captivity in Duke William’s court. n his company is Cadman, an untested, young warrior who hungers for glory.

The price of freedom for Harold’s relatives is that he join William on his campaign against Brittany. There, amidst the blood and fury of siege and battle, Cadman proves his worth.

Afghanistan 2012: Sniper

Afghanistan 2012: Sniper

There had been little activity for a few days and, personally, I had all but forgotten the sensation of coming under fire as we had climbed The Travellator on 28th May. As I said in part 1 of this story, we simply didn’t expect casualties on routine patrols in our safe bubble; several of them went out each day without mishap.