During the Battle of Dyrrachium, the Varangian Guard — the cream of Alexios' army, made up largely of exiled Anglo-Saxons who had fled the Norman conquest of England — were left exposed and isolated when the rest of the army broke ranks, and were cut down to a man. Brownworth uses this as the clearest illustration of the fatal flaws of a mercenary-based army.
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Episode 14 (10 mentions)
During the Battle of Dyrrachium, the Varangian Guard — the cream of Alexios' army, made up largely of exiled Anglo-Saxons who had fled the Norman conquest of England — were left exposed and isolated when the rest of the army broke ranks, and were cut down to a man. Brownworth uses this as the clearest illustration of the fatal flaws of a mercenary-based army.
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