The Heruli were a Germanic people who emerged in Northern Europe during the period of the great migrations of peoples, around the 3rd century AD. Originally settled in the region around the Baltic Sea, the Heruli were described by some Roman sources as a seafaring tribe with a strong tradition of navigation and piracy.
In the 4th and 5th centuries AD, the Heruli moved southward and settled in various regions of Central and Eastern Europe. They became famous as mercenaries and fighters for many powers of the time, including the Eastern Roman Empire.
During the reign of the Roman emperor Zeno (474-491 AD), a portion of the Heruli was hired as the emperor's personal guard, known as the "Heruli bucellarii".
After the collapse of the Western Roman Empire, the Heruli were absorbed by other Germanic or Slavic peoples, and their identity as a distinct group was lost over the centuries.
