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Byzantine Imperial Guardsmen 925-1025 - The Taghmata and Imperial Guard

By: Osprey

Type: Softcover

Product Line: Elite - Ancient Period to 1600 A.D

Last Stocked on 10/16/2020

Product Info

Title
Byzantine Imperial Guardsmen 925-1025 - The Taghmata and Imperial Guard
Publisher
Category
Author
Raffaele D'amato
Publish Year
2012
Pages
64
Dimensions
7.25x9.75x.25"
NKG Part #
2147477159
MFG. Part #
OSPELI187
Type
Softcover
Series
ELI187

Description

The hundred-year period ending in 1025, from the reign of the Emperor Constantine VII to that of Basil II ‘the Bulgar-Slayer’, encompassed the last great era of Byzantine aggression and dominance in the Near East and Balkans. During that time, a succession of soldier-emperors hallenged and defeated an array of opponents on land and at sea and reconquered vast swathes of territory. At the heart of the Emperors’ forces were the professional, highly mobile Tagmata or Imperial Guard regiments, originally formed to guard the Emperor¹s person in the capital but invariably deployed as elite combat troops. Joining these heavy cavalry units, were a variety of exotic mercenary units recruited from foreigners, notably the legendary Varangians. Featuring specially commissioned full-colour artwork, this lively study sheds new light on the colourful regiments of the Byzantine Imperial Guard, the formidable warriors who provided the Byzantine emperors with an insurance policy in the capital, and the elite of their field armies when on campaign.