The Nika Riots: A Byzantine Bloodbath
In 532 AD, a riot between rival chariot-racing fans in Constantinople exploded into a political insurrection against Emperor Justinian I. The Nika Riots engulfed the city in flames, nearly toppled…
Tag: mercenaries
The Catalan Company: Mercenary State
Hired by the Byzantine Empire and then savagely betrayed, the fearsome Catalan Company went on a decade-long rampage across the medieval Mediterranean. Their journey of vengeance culminated in the conquest…
The Rise of the Samurai Class
The samurai are iconic figures of historical Japan, but they weren't always the ruling elite. Their story is a dramatic rise from humble origins as provincial bodyguards for the Heian…
The Swiss Mercenaries’ Dominance
For centuries, Swiss pikemen were the most feared mercenaries in Europe, dominating Renaissance battlefields with their revolutionary tactics and brutal discipline. Their "hedgehog" pike formations shattered the dominance of the…
The Fall of the Western Roman Empire
The year 476 CE is often cited as the end of the Roman Empire, but the fall of Rome was not a single event. It was a centuries-long unraveling, a…
The An Lushan Rebellion
The An Lushan Rebellion was the catastrophic 8th-century conflict that brought the golden age of China's Tang Dynasty to a brutal end. Led by the ambitious general An Lushan, the…
The Komnenian Restoration
After the devastating Battle of Manzikert, the Byzantine Empire was on the brink of extinction. This is the story of the Komnenos dynasty, the emperors who engineered a remarkable century-long…
The Medjay: Egypt’s Ancient Police
The Medjay were ancient Egypt’s elite police, but what makes their story so fascinating is that these ultimate insiders began as outsiders. Originally Nubian mercenaries from the desert, they were…
The Polish Winged Hussars
Explore the saga of the Polish Winged Hussars, the fearsome shock cavalry of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. With their iconic feathered wings and devastatingly long lances, they were one of the…
The Varangian Guard: Viking Mercenaries
Discover the legendary Varangian Guard, elite Viking and Anglo-Saxon warriors who left their homelands to become the trusted, axe-wielding bodyguards of the Byzantine Emperors. These formidable mercenaries were famed for…