Names for royal/imperial bodyguard units.

Chaeonian Guard (Epirus).

im not sure but, doesn't the pope have some switz guard or something?

Originally posted by Jorsalfar I wonder what Hardr�de did in the Varangian Guard?

He came to Constantinople on his way home from a pilgrimage to Jerusalem in 1035, stopped over for a few years, served in the guard with distinction and in action and was appointed Akolythos, the commander of the Varangian Guard. During his time, the Mid-Byzantine Empire was in serious decline under a number of incapable rulers, and was fighting on the Balkans against Serbs and Bulgars, and in the East against various Caliphates and Harald Hadrade had enough opportunity to distinguish himself. He left in 1043, much richer than he came. The service in the guard was extremely well paid, even by Byzantine standards.

Originally posted by Jorsalfar I wonder what Hardr�de did in the Varangian Guard?

He led it.

Many Swedes and some other Scandinavians used to serve in the guard (and some of the not so religious ones left their marks in the Hagia Sophia), up until after Hastings, when many Anglo-Saxons sought their fortune there.

Originally posted by Styrbiorn Originally posted by Komnenos Most prominent member of the Varangian guard was Harald Hadrade, later to become King of Norway, who fell in the battle of Stamford Bridge 1066 and who apparently invented skiing. He did not invent skiing - a 5,000 year old ski has been found in central Sweden.

I do apologise, my Old-Norse let me down, the Edda mentions only that he was a very good skier. Bet, he didn't practise much, while he was in Byzantine service. Raises also the question, if he had won the battle of Stamford Bridge, if it had happened in Mid-winter and in good Cross-Country Skiing conditions.

The Frankish kings and then the French kings used the Paladins (knights of the palace). Roland was the most famous.

We can consider the majordome (mayor of the palace, originaly "big man in the palace") were special but above the merovingian kings in many way (the merovigians were always fighting each others, the majordome was de facto the real leader), especially considering Charles Martel (Charles the Hammer grandfather of Charlemagne) virtually founded the carolingian dynasty.

I'll go for paladins and majordomes though.

Originally posted by Jorsalfar i believe Varangians were the Byzantine royal guards

Varangians was originally the collective Byzantine name for Skandinavian settlers in Russia or indigenous Russians themselves. From approx. 900, a large contingent of V. served as mercenaries in the Byzantine army. Under Basil II (976-1025) they became organized as a separate unit in the army, known as the Varangian Guard, but not necessarily as Imperial Body guards. From 1066 onwards the majority of the V. were actually Anglo-Saxons, who had fled England after the Norman conquest, or Vikings from Denmark,Norway or Iceland. Only in the late 11^th. century the Varangian Guard became the bodyguard of the Emperor, although they were also employed as regular units in military campaigns. Most prominent member of the Varangian guard was Harald Hadrade, later to become King of Norway, who fell in the battle of Stamford Bridge 1066 and who apparently invented skiing.

Edited by Komnenos

2.  Ottoman Turkish emperors had  Jannisaries

Janissaries lived in Istanbul and they were near to the palace but they weren't bodyguards.They were infantry units.

And they must have been the last soldiers protecting the sultan!They killed and changed many sultans with lots of rebellations and massacres.

They establieshed their own empire in Ottoman Empire

Here's an obscure one for you. During the Chin/Jurchen Dynasty each emperor (and crown prince) had his own elite guard unit called the Ho-cha. Candidates had to be at least 5'5 tall and pass a military test. The most elite members of the Ho-cha were the "close attendants". They were the only Ho-cha members allowed to carry weapons in the emperor's presence. Close attendants had to be at least 5'6 tall.

Originally posted by Styrbiorn The king doesn't have any special guard unit anymore - nor does he need one, since he isn't actually in battle anymore - only those secret service people, which I believe fill the function of the old guards. All units of the army take turns to guard his castles though (sometimes wearing old & silly uniforms: pic, pic). Back in the days when the kings actually were in battle there was the Livdrabantk�ren, an elite guard unit of 200 handpicked men under his personal command, who were responsible for the safety of the king in the battle.

Actually, I've seen that Spanish Imperial Guard for Rey Juan Carlos... I remember when I was like 9 and I saw one and I asked by uncle if that was a colonel and everyone laughed at me