Immortal Guards (other)
Immortal Guards may refer to: * The Persian Immortals, existing in Persia under the Achaemenean dynasty * Immortals (Byzantine Empire), established under the Byzantine emperor Michael VII * The Immortals, the Iranian Imperial Guard, existing in Persia and Iran in the 20th century under the Pahlavi dynasty * The Immortals, Nihang warriors or Sikh Akalis who have played the pivotal role in Sikh military history See also * Imperial Guard (Napoleon I) The Imperial Guard ( French: ''Garde Impériale'') was the imperial guard formation of the French Imperial Army. Under the direct command of Napoleon, the formation expanded considerably over time and acted as his personal bodyguard and tacti ...

Persian Immortals
Immortals (, ), or Persian Immortals, was the name given by the Greek historian Herodotus to a 10,000-strong unit of elite heavy infantry in the Achaemenid army. They served in a dual capacity, operating as an imperial guard and contributing to the ranks of the standing army. The force mainly consisted of Persians, along with Medes and Elamites. Essential questions regarding the unit's history and organization remain unanswered due to the lack of authoritative sources. Ancient Greek accounts Herodotus Herodotus describes the Immortals as heavy infantry led by the Persian military commander Hydarnes the Younger; they provided the professional corps of the Achaemenid army and numbered exactly 10,000 men. He stated that the unit's name stemmed from the fact that every dead, seriously wounded, or sick Immortal was immediately replaced with a new one, maintaining the corps as a cohesive entity with a constant strength. Xenophon Xenophon () describes the guard of Cyrus the Gr ...
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Immortals (Byzantine Empire)
The Immortals (, ''Athanatoi'') were one of the elite '' tagmata'' military units of the Byzantine Empire, first raised during the late 10th century. The name derives from ''a-'' ("without") + ''thanatos'' ("death"). History The ''Athanatoi'' were a body of young men of noble status that was originally raised by John I Tzimiskes (r. 969-976) in 970 for his war with the Rus', where they played a decisive role in the battles before Preslav and during the Siege of Dorostolon. The unit was commanded by a ''domestikos'', as with most of the other '' tagmata'' (the professional standing regiments), and on campaign camped near the imperial bodyguard, the ''Hetaireia''. The contemporary historian Leo the Deacon describes the ''Athanatoi'' as heavily armoured shock cavalry, "sheathed in armour" or as "armed horsemen adorned with gold". Tzimiskes' unit was probably disbanded shortly after his death, since it does not appear again in the sources. The name of the ''Athanatoi'' was revived u ...
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Iranian Imperial Guard
The Imperial Guard of Iran (), also known as Imperial Guard (), was both the personal guard force of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last Shah of Iran, and an elite combat branch of the Imperial Iranian Army. It was created in 1942 and disbanded in 1979 following the Iranian Revolution. It was named after the Immortals, an elite unit of 10,000 Persian soldiers in the army of the Achaemenid Empire Origins In 1921 a Persian Royal Guard was in existence comprising 20,000 men. A Guard Division was raised in 1925 by Reza Shah, incorporating both cavalry and infantry units. The Imperial Guard was subsequently formed in 1942 from 700 volunteers. It was originally designed and organized by General Jafar Shafaghat. The division was modeled after the French Republican Guard and the British Household Cavalry and foot guards. In 1953 the unit was expanded in size to a division under General Teymur Bakhtiar. In 1972 the Lashkari Guard Division was incorporated in the Imperial Guard together ...
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Nihang
The Nihang (also spelt as Nihung lit. "Crocodiles") or Akali (lit. "Immortals"), also known as '' Dal Khalsa'', is an armed Sikh warrior order originating in the Indian subcontinent. Nihangs are believed to have originated either from Fateh Singh and the attire he wore or from the " Akal Sena" (lit. Army of the Immortal) started by Guru Hargobind. Early Sikh military history was dominated by the Nihang, known for their victories where they were heavily outnumbered. Traditionally known for their bravery and ruthlessness in the battlefield, the Nihang once formed the irregular guerrilla squads of the armed forces of the Sikh Empire, the Sikh Khalsa Army. Etymology The word ''Nihang'' may come from the Persian word for a mythical sea creature (). The term owes its origin to Mughal historians, who compared the ferocity of the Akāli with that of crocodiles. The meaning of Akali in Sikhism however, is the immortal army of Akāl (God). According to Harjinder Singh Dilgeer, trac ...
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