After the audience ceremony ended, Nils left the palace under the guidance of the eunuch.
Outside the gates, the civil official Titus had already been waiting for a long time.
"Congratulations, my lord. I hope we can cooperate well in the future," Titus said.
He too had just received an appointment—the new financial officer of the Varangian Guard.
The financial officer's responsibilities included:
distributing soldiers' wages
supplying military equipment
collecting the imperial share of war spoils
In certain rare and necessary circumstances, the financial officer could even assume command of the guard.
The eunuch's task ended there.
Titus then led Nils toward the Varangian Guard barracks, explaining various matters along the way.
The Varangian Guard
In simple terms, the Varangian Guard did not belong to the regular military system.
Instead, it served directly as the emperor's personal guard, responsible for:
protecting the palace
defending against external threats
suppressing rebellions
As foreigners, these barbarian mercenaries had no roots within the empire.
They were naturally rejected by local political factions, and therefore their only loyalty could be the emperor himself.
Since they lacked any foundation for rebellion, emperors favored them greatly and paid them far higher wages than Greek soldiers.
A typical mercenary earned two pounds of silver per year, though he had to pay for his own weapons.
Nils, however, would receive three hundred pounds annually—about 80% of the total income he had once earned as a lord.
And that did not even include imperial gifts.
Altogether, his yearly income would exceed that of most imperial officials.
"This… this is far too much," Nils muttered.
Only now did he truly realize the wealth of the Eastern Roman Empire.
No wonder they regarded the people of Eastern, Northern, and Western Europe as mere provincial barbarians.
Of course, Constantinople was extremely expensive.
One miliarision silver coin (2.27 g) could only buy about seventeen liters of wheat.
Using his somewhat clumsy arithmetic, Nils estimated that the same amount of silver could buy two to three times more grain in Britannia than in Constantinople.
Other goods were equally expensive.
If mercenaries spent recklessly, their hard-earned money could disappear very quickly.
Imperial Politics
Suddenly, the carriage stopped.
Nils didn't know why.
Titus lifted the curtain slightly and looked outside.
Lowering his voice, he said:
"That is the procession of Caesar Bardas ahead. Everyone else must make way."
Seeing Nils's puzzled expression, Titus briefly explained the political situation of the empire.
Although Michael III was the supreme ruler, he rarely handled daily affairs himself.
Most governance had been entrusted to his relative Bardas, whom he had granted the title "Caesar"—essentially a co-emperor or deputy emperor.
"Two emperors?" Nils asked.
Titus snorted lightly.
"That's nothing. During the reign of Diocletian, the empire even experimented with the Tetrarchy."
One Augustus (emperor) and one Caesar (junior emperor) ruled the East
Another Augustus and Caesar ruled the West
Suppressing his inner contempt for this astonished barbarian, Titus continued.
Six years earlier, Bardas had staged a coup with Michael III's support.
They overthrew the regency of the empress dowager Theodora and confined her to a monastery.
Afterward, Bardas removed the Patriarch of Constantinople and installed his ally Photius.
Since Photius lacked proper qualifications, the appointment caused major controversy—including opposition from the Papacy in Rome.
Despite the criticism, Bardas gradually seized control of:
administrationfinancechurch affairs
Over time, his influence even began extending into the military sphere.
Listening to this explanation, Nils quietly sensed Titus's political leanings.
But as a newcomer, he did not dare express any opinion.
Instead, he pretended ignorance until the carriage ride ended.
The Guard Barracks
Soon the carriage arrived at the Varangian Guard barracks in southern Constantinople.
As a true imperial guard unit, the barracks were located very close to the palace, in the city's core district.
The compound was not very large, and the layout was compact.
Entering through the northern gate, Nils saw a wide training courtyard:
about 200 paces long
about 100 paces wide
This space was used for daily drills.
On the left side of the courtyard stood:
the mess hall
a small chapel
warehouses
a public bathhouse typical of the empire
On the right side were long barracks buildings.
Each decurion (squad leader) shared a dormitory with his nine soldiers.
Officers such as:
centurions
deputy centurions
standard-bearers (who also handled company finances)
buglers
were given small private rooms.
Following Titus's gesture, Nils saw several separate courtyards in the southeast corner, reserved for senior officers of the guard.
They were modest in size—perhaps intentionally designed to prevent barbarian commanders from becoming too comfortable and neglecting their martial spirit.
South of the courtyard stood the armory and stables.
Although the Varangian Guard fought mainly as heavy infantry, officers and messengers required horses, and campaigns required draft horses to pull supply wagons.
At the southern edge of the compound was a small gate.
When Nils stepped outside, he saw the vast blue Sea of Marmara, dotted with passing merchant ships.
His mood instantly lifted.
"Ah… this place isn't bad," he said.
"I might actually like it here."
The Axe Guard
Returning to the courtyard, Titus began publicly reading the imperial decree appointing the new commander.
Nils observed the assembled soldiers.
The guard consisted of twelve companies of one hundred men each.
Including grooms, servants, and other staff, the total reached about 1,300 people.
Most soldiers wore chainmail or lamellar armor.
Some particularly large warriors even wore two layers of armor—lamellar over chainmail—making them nearly immune to most thrusts and slashes.
Even standing still, they radiated an intimidating presence.
As for weapons, many soldiers disliked the empire-issued rhomphaia swords.
Instead they preferred:
two-handed axes, or
Nordic-style one-handed swords commissioned from local smiths.
Because of this habit, the Varangian Guard was also known as the "Axe Guard."
Taking Command
"My name is Nils," he announced.
"I believe many of you have heard my name and my deeds…"
With years of command experience—and the five hundred reinforcements who had arrived with him—Nils quickly secured control over the unit.
That evening he summoned:
Titus, the financial officer
three veteran centurions
to ask about the previous disaster that had nearly destroyed the guard.
The explanation was simple.
During a campaign in Anatolia, the guard had been deployed on the far left flank.
They were suddenly hit by a heavy cavalry charge, which broke their formation.
Then they were surrounded by infantry several times their number and repeatedly attacked by javelin throwers.
Casualties were severe until allied troops finally arrived to rescue them.
A New Idea
"Javelins can penetrate armor," Nils said thoughtfully.
"Why don't we use them ourselves?"
The Varangian soldiers were tall and powerful—perfect for throwing weapons.
But one veteran centurion objected.
Most weapons had to be purchased by the soldiers themselves.
Javelins were consumable weapons, often damaged or lost after each battle.
The soldiers simply could not afford them.
"That's all?" Nils said.
He turned to Titus.
"If I pay for them myself, can we hire smiths to produce javelins?"
"Of course," Titus replied. "But your salary won't be paid until the end of the month."
Nils shrugged.
"Then borrow the money."
"You said the commander of the guard holds a prestigious position. Surely someone will lend me that much."
—------------------------------
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