941 year. IGOR'S TRIP TO CONSTANTINOPOLE.
Prince Svyatoslav
Constantinople did not comply with agreements with Russia, and most of the Byzantine troops were engaged in the war with the Arabs. Prince Igor led a huge squadron of 10 thousand ships south along the Dnieper and the Black Sea. The Russians devastated the entire southwestern coast of the Black Sea and the shores of the Bosporus. On June 11, Theophanes, who led the Byzantine troops, was able to burn a large number of Russian boats with "Greek fire" and drive them away from Constantinople. Part of Igor's squad landed on the Asia Minor coast of the Black Sea and began to plunder the provinces of Byzantium in small detachments, but by autumn they were driven out to the boats. In September, near the coast of Thrace, the patrician Theophanes again managed to burn and sink the boats of the Ross. Those who escaped on the way home were pursued by a "gastric epidemic." Igor himself returned to Kyiv with a dozen rooks.
A year later, Igor's second campaign against Tsargrad was possible. But the emperor paid off, and the princely squad was glad to receive tribute without a fight. In the following year, 944, peace between the parties was formalized by an agreement, though less profitable than in 911 under Prince Oleg. Among those who concluded the agreement was the ambassador of Svyatoslav, the son of Prince Igor, who reigned in "Nemogard" - Novgorod.
942 year. THE BIRTH OF SVYATOSLAV.
This date appears in the Ipatiev and other chronicles. Prince Svyatoslav was the son of Prince Igor the Old and Princess Olga. The date of birth of Prince Svyatoslav is controversial. Due to the advanced age of his parents - Prince Igor was over 60 years old, and Princess Olga was about 50. It is believed that Svyatoslav was a young man over 20 years old by the mid-40s. But rather, Svyatoslav's parents were much younger than he was a mature husband in the 40s of the 9th century.
943-945. RUSSIAN GROUPS DESTROY THE CITY OF BERDAA IN THE CASPIAN SEA.
Detachments of the Rus appeared in the vicinity of Derbent on the shores of the Caspian Sea. They failed to capture a strong fortress and on ships from the harbor of Derbent, they moved by sea along the coast of the Caspian Sea to the south. Having reached the place where the Kura river flows into the Caspian Sea, the Rus went up the river to the largest trade center of Azerbaijan, the city of Berdaa, and captured it. Azerbaijan has recently been occupied by tribes of daylemites (militant highlanders of the southern Caspian) headed by Marzban Ibn Mohammed. The troops gathered by Marzban incessantly besieged the city, but the Rus tirelessly repelled their attacks. After spending a year in the city, having completely devastated it, the Rus left Berdaa, having exterminated most of its population by that time. After the blow inflicted by the Russians, the city fell into decay. It is assumed that one of the leaders of this campaign was Sveneld.
945 year. DEATH OF PRINCE IGOR.
Igor, entrusted the collection of tribute from the Drevlyans to the governor Sveneld. The princely squad, dissatisfied with the rapidly growing wealthy Sveneld and his people, began to demand that Igor independently collect tribute from the Drevlyans. The Kiev prince took an increased tribute from the Drevlyans, returning back, he released most of the squad, and he himself decided to return and "finish" more. The indignant Drevlyans "having left the city of Iskorosten, they killed him and his squad." Igor was tied to tree trunks and torn in two.
946 year. OLGA'S REVENGE TO THE DREVLYANS.
Duchess Olga
A vivid chronicle story tells about the unsuccessful matchmaking of the Drevlyan prince Mala to Olga, about the revenge of the princess on the Drevlyans for the murder of Igor. Having dealt with the embassy of the Drevlyans and exterminated their “deliberate (i.e., senior, noble) husbands,” Olga and her retinue went to the Drevlyane land. The Drevlyans went to battle against her. “And when both troops converged, Svyatoslav threw a spear towards the Drevlyans, and the spear flew between the ears of the horse and struck in the leg, for Svyatoslav was just a child. And Sveneld and Asmund said: "The prince has already begun, let's follow, squad, for the prince." And they defeated the Drevlyans. Olga's squad besieged the city of Iskorosten, the capital of the Drevlyansk land, but could not take it. Then, having promised the Drevlyans peace, she asked them for tribute "from each yard for three doves and three sparrows." Delighted, the Drevlyans caught birds for Olga. In the evening, Olga's warriors released birds with smoldering tinder tied to them (smoldering tinder fungus). Birds flew into the city and Iskorosten blazed. The inhabitants fled from the burning city, where the besieging warriors were waiting for them. Many people were killed, some were taken into slavery. Princess Olga forced the Drevlyans to pay a heavy tribute.
Around 945-969. OLGA'S PRINCIPLE.
Svyatoslav's mother reigned peacefully until he matured. Having traveled all over her possessions, Olga streamlined the collection of tribute. Creating on the ground "graveyards", which became small centers of princely power, where the tribute collected from the population flowed. She made a trip to Constantinople in 957, where she converted to Christianity, and Emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus himself became her godfather. During the campaigns of Svyatoslav, Olga continued to manage the Russian lands.
964-972 BOARD OF SVYATOSLAV.
964 year. Svyatoslav's campaign against the Vyatichi.
Vyatichi is the only Slavic tribal union that lived in the interfluve of the Oka and the upper Volga, and was not included in the sphere of power of the Kyiv princes. Prince Svyatoslav organized a campaign in the lands of the Vyatichi, in order to force them to pay tribute. Vyatichi did not dare to engage in open battle with Svyatoslav. But they refused to pay tribute, informing the prince of Kyiv that they were tributaries of the Khazars.
965 year. Svyatoslav's campaign against the Khazars.
Svyatoslav took Sarkel by storm
The Khazaria included the Lower Volga region with the capital Itil, the North Caucasus, the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov and Eastern Crimea. Khazaria fed and grew rich at the expense of other peoples, exhausting them with tributes and robber raids. Numerous trade routes passed through Khazaria.
Enlisting the support of the steppe Pechenegs, the Kiev prince led a strong, well-armed, large army trained in military affairs against the Khazars. The Russian army was moving - along the Seversky Donets or Don, they defeated the army of the Khazar Kagan under Belaya Vezha (Sarkel). Having laid siege to the Sarkel fortress, which was located on a cape washed by the waters of the Don, and on the eastern side a moat filled with water was dug. The Russian squad, in a well-prepared, sudden assault, took possession of the city.
966 year. CONQUERING VYATICHI.
The Kiev squad again invaded the lands of the Vyatichi. This time their fate was sealed. Svyatoslav defeated the Vyatichi on the battlefield and laid tribute on them.
966 year. THE VOLGA-CASPIAN CAMPAIGN OF SVYATOSLAV.
Svyatoslav moved to the Volga and defeated the Kama Bolgars. Along the Volga, he reached the Caspian Sea, where the Khazars decided to give Svyatoslav a fight under the walls of Itil, located at the mouth of the river. The Khazar army of Tsar Joseph was defeated, and the capital of the Khazar Kaganate Itil was devastated. The winners got rich booty, which was loaded onto camel caravans. The city was plundered by the Pechenegs, and then set on fire. A similar fate befell the ancient Khazar city of Semender on the Kum in the Caspian Sea (near modern Makhachkala).
966-967 year. SVYATOSLAV HAS GONE ON TAMAN.
The squad of Svyatoslav fought with battles across the North Caucasus and the Kuban, through the lands of the Yases and Kasogs (ancestors of the Ossetians and Adygs). An alliance was concluded with these tribes, which strengthened the military power of Svyatoslav.
The campaign ended with the conquest of Tmutarakan, then it was the possession of the Khazars Tamatarkh on the Taman Peninsula and Kerch. Subsequently, the Russian Tmutarakan principality arose there. The main power on the shores of the Caspian Sea and on the coast of Pontus (Black Sea) was the Old Russian state. Kievan Rus strengthened in the south and east. The Pechenegs kept the peace and did not disturb Rus'. Svyatoslav tried to gain a foothold in the Volga region, but he failed.
967 year. SVYATOSLAV'S MEETING WITH THE BYZANTINE AMBASSADOR KALOKIR.
Vladimir Kireev. "Prince Svyatoslav"
The Emperor of Constantinople, Nicephorus Foka, was busy with the war with the Arabs. Having decided to eliminate the threat to the Byzantine colonies in the Crimea, as well as to get rid of the Bulgarians, to whom the Empire had been paying tribute for 40 years, he decided to push them against the Russians. For this purpose, the ambassador of Emperor Nicephorus, the patrician (Byzantine title) Kalokir, went to the Kyiv prince Svyatoslav. He promised Svyatoslav neutrality and even the support of Byzantium if the prince starts a war with Bulgaria. This proposal came from the emperor; Kalokir himself secretly hoped in the future, with the support of Svyatoslav, to overthrow the emperor and take his place.
August 967. Svyatoslav's ATTACK ON THE DANUBE BULGARIA.
Having gathered an army of 60,000 soldiers on his lands, from young "healthy men", Svyatoslav moved to the Danube along the route of Prince Igor. And this time he attacked the Bulgarians suddenly, without the famous "I'm coming to you." Having passed the Dnieper rapids, part of the Russian troops moved to the Danube Bulgaria, along the coast. And the boats of the Russians entered the Black Sea and along the coast reached the mouth of the Danube. Where did the decisive battle take place? During the landing, the Russians were met by a thirty-thousandth Bulgarian army. But unable to withstand the first onslaught, the Bulgarians fled. Having tried to hide in Dorostol, the Bulgarians were defeated there. According to The Tale of Bygone Years, Svyatoslav captured 80 cities in Dnieper Bulgaria and settled in Pereyaslavets. The Russian prince did not at first seek to go beyond Dobruja, apparently this was agreed with the ambassador of the Byzantine emperor.
968 year. NIKIFOR FOCA IS PREPARING FOR WAR WITH SVYATOSLAV.
The Byzantine emperor Nikephoros Foka, having learned about the captures of Svyatoslav and the plans of Klaokir, realized what a dangerous ally he called on and began preparations for war. He took measures to defend Constantinople, blocked the entrance to the Golden Horn with a chain, installed throwing weapons on the walls, reformed the cavalry - dressed the riders in iron armor, armed and trained the infantry. Diplomatically, he tried to attract the Bulgarians to his side by negotiating a marriage union of royal houses, and the Pechenegs, probably bribed by Nicephorus, attacked Kyiv.
Spring 968. SIEGE OF Kyiv BY THE PECHENEGS.
Pecheneg raid
The Pechenegs surrounded Kyiv and kept it under siege. Among the besieged were three sons of Svyatoslav, princes - Yaropolk, Oleg and Vladimir and their grandmother Princess Olga. For a long time they failed to send a messenger from Kyiv. But thanks to the valor of one youth who was able to pass through the Pecheneg camp, posing as a Pecheneg looking for his horse, the people of Kiev managed to send a message to the governor Petrich, who was standing far beyond the Dnieper. The voivode depicted the arrival of the watchman, who was allegedly followed by a regiment with a prince "without number". The cunning of the governor Pretich saved the people of Kiev. The Pechenegs believed all this and retreated from the city. A messenger was sent to Svyatoslav, who told him: “You, prince, look for and watch a foreign land, and having swindled your own, we are not small for taking cookies, your mother and your children.” With a small retinue, the warrior prince mounted his horses and rushed to the capital. Here he gathered "wars", teamed up with Petrich's squad in hot battles, defeated the Pechenegs and drove them to the steppe and restored peace. Kyiv was saved.
When they began to beg Svyatoslav to stay in Kyiv, he answered: “I don’t like to live in Kyiv, I want to live in Pereyaslavets on the Danube (probably the current Rushchuk). Princess Olga persuaded her son: “You see, I am sick; where do you want to go from me? (“For she has already fallen ill,” adds the chronicler.) When you bury me, go wherever you want.” Svyatoslav stayed in Kyiv until the death of his mother. During this time, he divided the Russian land between his sons. Yaropolk was planted in Kyiv, Oleg in the Drevlyane land. And the “robichich” Vladimir, the son of the housekeeper Malusha, was asked to be the Princes of Novgorod ambassadors. Having completed the partition and buried his mother, Svyatoslav, having replenished the squad, immediately set off on a campaign for the Danube.
969 year. BULGARIAN RESISTANCE IN THE ABSENCE OF SVYATOSLAV.
The Bulgarians did not feel much change with his departure to Rus'. In the autumn of 969, they prayed to Nicephorus Fok for help against the Rus. The Bulgarian Tsar Peter tried to find support in Constantinople by entering into dynastic marriages between Bulgarian princesses and young Byzantine Caesars. But Nikifor Foka apparently continued to adhere to agreements with Svyatoslav and did not provide military assistance. Taking advantage of the absence of Svyatoslav, the Bulgarians rebelled and drove the Rus out of several fortresses.
The invasion of Svyatoslav into the lands of the Bulgarians. Miniature of the Manasian Chronicle
In the "History of the Russian" V. N. Tatishchev tells about the exploits in Bulgaria during the absence of Svyatoslav there, a certain governor Volk (from other unknown sources). The Bulgarians, having learned about the departure of Svyatoslav, laid siege to Pereyaslavets. The wolf, experiencing a lack of food and knowing that many townspeople "had agreement" with the Bulgarians, ordered the boats to be secretly made. He himself announced publicly that he would defend the city to the last man, and pointedly ordered to cut all the horses and salt and dry the meat. At night, the Russians set fire to the city. The Bulgarians rushed to the assault, and the Russians, speaking on the boats, attacked the Bulgarian boats and captured them. The detachment of the Wolf left Pereyaslavets and freely descended down the Danube, and then by sea to the mouth of the Dniester. On the Dniester, Volk met Svyatoslav. Where this story came from and how reliable it is is unknown.
Autumn 969-970. SVYATOSLAV'S SECOND CAMPAIGN TO BULGARIA.
Upon returning to Danube Bulgaria, Svyatoslav again had to overcome the resistance of the Bulgarians, who took refuge, as the chronicle says, in Pereyaslavets. But we must assume that we are talking about Preslav, the capital of Danube Bulgaria, which is still not controlled by the Russians, which is south of Pereyaslavets on the Danube. In December 969, the Bulgarians went to battle against Svyatoslav and "the battle was great." The Bulgarians began to prevail. And Svyatoslav said to his soldiers: “Here we fall! Let's stand up courageously, brothers and squad! And by evening, Svyatoslav's squad won, and the city was taken by storm. The sons of the Bulgarian Tsar Peter, Boris and Roman, were taken prisoner.
Having captured the capital of the Bulgarian kingdom, the Russian prince went beyond the borders of Dobrudja, and reached the Bulgarian-Byzantine border, ruining many cities and drowning the uprising of the Bulgarians in blood. The Russians had to take the city of Philippopolis (modern Plovdiv) with a fight. As a result, the ancient city, founded by King Philip of Macedon in the 4th century BC. e., was devastated, and 20 thousand surviving residents were impaled. The city was depopulated for a long time.
Emperor John Tzimisces
December 969. REVOLUTION OF JOHN TSIMISCES.
The conspiracy was led by his wife, Empress Theophano, and John Tzimiskes, a commander who came from a noble Armenian family and the nephew of Nicephorus (his mother was Phocas' sister). On the night of December 10-11, 969, the conspirators killed Emperor Nicephorus Phocas in their own bedchamber. Moreover, John personally split his skull in two with a sword. John, unlike his predecessor, did not marry Theophano, but exiled her away from Constantinople.
On December 25, the coronation of the new emperor took place. Formally, John Tzimiskes, like his predecessor, was proclaimed co-ruler of the young sons of Roman II: Basil and Constantine. The death of Nicephorus Foki finally changed the situation on the Danube, because. the new emperor considered it important to get rid of the Russian threat.
A new usurper ascended the Byzantine throne - John, nicknamed Tzimiskes (this is a nickname, meaning "shoe" in Armenian, he received for his small stature).
Despite his small stature, John was distinguished by extraordinary physical strength and dexterity. He was brave, resolute, cruel, treacherous and, like his predecessor, possessed the talents of a military leader. At the same time, he was more sophisticated and cunning than Nicephorus. Byzantine chroniclers noted his inherent vices - excessive craving for wine during feasts and greed for bodily pleasures (again, in contrast to the almost ascetic Nicephorus).
The old king of the Bulgarians could not stand the defeats inflicted by Svyatoslav - he fell ill and died. Soon the whole country, as well as Macedonia and Thrace up to Philippopolis, fell under the rule of Svyatoslav. Svyatoslav made an alliance with the new Bulgarian Tsar Boris II.
In essence, Bulgaria broke up into zones controlled by the Rus (northeast - Dobruja), Boris II (the rest of Eastern Bulgaria, subordinate to him only formally, in fact - to the Rus) and not controlled by anyone except the local elite (Western Bulgaria). It is possible that Western Bulgaria outwardly recognized the power of Boris, but the Bulgarian tsar, surrounded in his capital by a Russian garrison, lost all contact with the territories not affected by the war.
Over the course of six months, all three countries involved in the conflict changed their rulers. In Kyiv, Olga, a supporter of an alliance with Byzantium, died; in Constantinople, Nicephorus Foka, who invited the Russians to the Balkans, was killed; in Bulgaria, Peter died, hoping for help from the Empire.
Byzantine emperors during the life of Svyatoslav
In Byzantium, the Macedonian dynasty ruled, which was never forcibly overthrown. And in Constantinople of the 10th century, a descendant of Basil the Macedonian was always emperor. But with the infancy and political weakness of the emperors of a great dynasty, an accompanist who possessed actual power sometimes became at the helm of the empire.
Roman I Lakopin (c. 870 - 948, imp. 920 - 945). The usurper-co-ruler of Constantine VII, who married him to his daughter, but tried to create his own dynasty. Under him, the Russian fleet of Prince Igor was burned under the walls of Constantinople (941).
Constantine VII Porphyrogenetus (Purple-born) (905 - 959, imp. 908 - 959, actual from 945). Emperor scientist, author of edifying works, such as the work "On the management of the empire." He baptized Princess Olga during her visit to Constantinople (967).
Roman II (939 - 963, imp. from 945, actual from 959). The son of Constantine VII, Theophano's husband died young, leaving two minor sons, Basil and Constantine.
Theophano (after 940 -?, empress regent in March - August 963). Rumor attributed to her the poisoning of her father-in-law Konstantin Porphyrogenitus and her husband Roman. She was a participant in the conspiracy and murder of her second husband, Emperor Nicephorus Focas.
Nikephoros II Phocas (912 - 969, imp. from 963). The famous commander who returned Crete under the rule of the empire, then the Byzantine emperor who married Theophano. He continued successful military operations by conquering Cilicia and Cyprus. Killed by John Tzimisces. He was numbered among the saints.
John I Tzimiskes (c. 925 - 976, imp. from 969) The main opponent of Svyatoslav. After the Russians left Bulgaria. He conducted two eastern campaigns, as a result of which Syria and Phoenicia again became provinces of the empire. Supposed to have been poisoned
Vasily Lekapin- the illegitimate son of Roman I, castrated as a child, but who was the first minister of the empire from 945-985.
Basil II Bulgarokton (Bulgarian Slayer) (958 - 1025, cont. from 960, imp. from 963, actual from 976). The greatest emperor of the Macedonian dynasty. He ruled jointly with his brother Constantine. He fought numerous wars, especially with the Bulgarians. Under him, Byzantium reached its highest power. But he could not leave a male heir and the Macedonian dynasty soon fell.
Winter 970. THE BEGINNING OF THE RUSSIAN-BYZANTIAN WAR.
Having learned about the murder of his ally, Svyatoslav, possibly incited by Klaokir, decided to start a fight against the Byzantine usurper. The Rus began to cross the border of Byzantium and devastate the Byzantine provinces of Thrace and Macedonia.
John Tzimiskes tried to persuade Svyatoslav to return the conquered regions through negotiations, otherwise he threatened war. To this Svyatoslav answered: “Let the emperor not work to travel to our land: we will soon set up our tents in front of the Byzantine gates, we will surround the city with a strong rampart, and if he decides to set out on a feat, we will bravely meet him.” At the same time, Svyatoslav advised Tzimiskes to retire to Asia Minor.
Svyatoslav reinforced his army with the Bulgarians, who were dissatisfied with Byzantium, hired units of the Pechenegs and Hungarians. The number of this army was 30,000 soldiers. The commander of the Byzantine army was Master Varda Sklir, it consisted of 12,000 soldiers. Therefore, Skleros had to give most of Thrace to be torn to pieces by the enemy and preferred to sit out in Arcadiopolis. Soon the army of the Kyiv prince approached this city.
970 year. BATTLE UNDER ARKADIOPOLE (ADRIANOPOLE).
In the battle of Arcadiopol (modern-day Luleburgaz in Turkey, about 140 kilometers west of Istanbul), the onslaught of the Rus was stopped. The seeming indecisiveness of Bardas Skleros caused self-confidence and disdain for the Byzantines shut up in the city in the barbarians. They wandered around, drinking, thinking they were safe. Seeing this, Varda set about implementing a plan of action that had long matured in him. The main role in the upcoming battle was assigned to the patrician John Alakas (by origin, by the way, a Pecheneg). Alakas attacked a detachment consisting of Pechenegs. They were carried away by the pursuit of the retreating Romans and soon stumbled upon the main forces commanded personally by Varda Sklir. The Pechenegs stopped, ready for battle, and this destroyed them completely. The fact is that the phalanx of the Romans, passing Alakas and the Pechenegs chasing him, parted to a considerable depth. The Pechenegs were in the "bag". Due to the fact that they did not retreat immediately, time was lost; the phalanxes closed and surrounded the nomads. All of them were killed by the Romans.
The death of the Pechenegs stunned the Hungarians, Russ and Bulgarians. However, they managed to prepare for battle and met the Romans fully armed. Skylitsa reports that the first blow to the advancing army of Varda Sklir was delivered by the cavalry of the "barbarians", probably consisting mainly of Hungarians. The onslaught was repelled, and the riders took refuge among the foot soldiers. When both armies converged, the outcome of the battle was uncertain for a long time.
There is a story about how “a certain Scythian who was proud of the size of his body and the fearlessness of his soul” attacked Varda Sklir himself, “who traveled around and inspired the formation of warriors”, and hit him with a sword on his helmet. “But the sword slipped, the blow was unsuccessful, and the master also hit the enemy on the helmet. The heaviness of the hand and the hardening of the iron gave such force to his blow that the entire Scythian was cut into two parts. Patricius Constantine, brother of the master, hurrying to his rescue, tried to strike another Scythian on the head, who wanted to come to the aid of the first and boldly rushed to Varda; the Scythian, however, dodged to the side, and Constantine, having missed, brought down the sword on the neck of the horse and separated his head from the body; the Scythian fell, and Constantine jumped off his horse and, grabbing the beard of the enemy with his hand, stabbed him to death. This feat aroused the courage of the Romans and increased their courage, while the Scythians were seized with fear and horror.
The battle approached its turning point, then Varda ordered to blow and knock on tambourines. The ambush army immediately, at this sign, ran out of the forest, surrounded the enemy from the rear, and thus instilled such horror in them that they began to retreat. It is possible that the ambush caused temporary confusion in the ranks of the Rus, but the battle order was quickly restored. “And Rus rallied, and the battle was great, and Svyatoslav prevailed, and the Greeks fled; and Svyatoslav went to the city, fighting and smashing the city, even they stand and are empty to this day. So the Russian chronicler speaks of the outcome of the battle. And the Byzantine historian Leo Deacon, writes about the victory of the Romans and reports implausible loss figures: the Rus allegedly lost over 20 thousand people, and the Byzantine army lost only 55 people killed and many wounded.
Apparently the defeat was heavy, and the losses of Svyatoslav's troops were significant. But still he had great strength to continue the war. And John Tzimiskes had to offer tribute and ask for peace. Since the Byzantine usurper was still puzzled by the suppression of the rebellion of Varda Foki. Therefore, trying to gain time and delay the war, he entered into negotiations with Svyatoslav.
970 year. THE REBELLION OF VARDA FOCA.
In the spring of 970, the nephew of the murdered emperor Nicephorus Vardas Fok fled from his place of exile in Amasia to Caesarea in Cappadocia. Having gathered around him a militia capable of resisting government troops, he solemnly and with a crowd of people put on red shoes - which was a sign of imperial dignity. The news of the rebellion greatly agitated Tzimisces. Varda Sklir was immediately called from Thrace, whom John appointed as a stratilate (leader) of the campaign against the rebels. Skleros managed to win over to his side some of the military leaders who were subordinate to his namesake. Foka, abandoned by them, did not dare to fight and preferred to take refuge in a fortress with the symbolic name of the fortress of Tyrants. However, besieged by a stratilate, he was forced to surrender. Emperor John ordered Varda Fok to be tonsured as a monk and sent him, along with his wife and children, to the island of Chios.
970 year. RUS ATTACKS ON MACEDONIA.
The squad of the Russian prince
Having received tribute, Svyatoslav returned to Pereyaslavets, from where he sent his "best husbands" to the Byzantine emperor to conclude an agreement. The reason for this was the small size of the squad, which suffered heavy losses. Therefore, Svyatoslav said: “I’ll go to Rus' and bring more squads (since the Byzantines could use the small number of Russians and surround Svyatoslav’s squad) in the city; and Ruska the land is far away, and the Pechenesi are with us in arms, ie, they turned from allies into enemies. A small replenishment arrived from Kyiv to Svyatoslav.
During the whole year 970, detachments of the Russians periodically devastated the border Byzantine region of Macedonia. The Roman troops here were commanded by Master John Kurkuas (the Younger), a well-known lazy and drunkard who was inactive, making no attempt to protect the local population from the enemy. However, he had an excuse - the lack of troops. But Svyatoslav no longer undertook a large-scale offensive against Byzantium. Probably, the current situation suited him.
Winter 970. THE CLICKNESS OF TSIMISCES.
In order to take decisive action to curb the aggressive attacks of the Rus, significant preparations were required, which could not be completed before the spring of the next year; and besides, in the coming winter time, the passage through the Gemsky ridge (Balkans) was considered impossible. In view of this, Tzimiskes again started negotiations with Svyatoslav, sent him expensive gifts, promising to send gifts in the spring, and, in all likelihood, the matter ended with the conclusion of a preliminary peace treaty. This explains that Svyatoslav did not occupy the mountain passes (klissura) through the Balkans.
Spring 971. INVASION OF JOHN TSIMISCES INTO THE DANUBE VALLEY.
Tzimiskes, taking advantage of the dispersal of Svyatoslav's troops throughout Bulgaria and his confidence in the world, unexpectedly sent a fleet of 300 ships from the Suda with orders to enter the Danube, and he himself moved with the troops to Adrianople. Here the emperor was delighted with the news that the mountain passes were not occupied by the Russians, as a result of which Tzimisces, with 2 thousand cavalry at the head, having behind 15 thousand infantry and 13 thousand cavalry, and only 30 thousand, freely passed the terrible klissura. The Byzantine army fortified itself on a hill near the Tichi River.
Quite unexpectedly for the Russians, Tzimiskes approached Preslav, occupied by the voivode Svyatoslav Sfenkel. The next day, Tzimiskes, having built dense phalanxes, moved towards the city, in front of which the Rus were waiting for him in an open area. A stubborn battle ensued. Tzimisces led the "immortals" into battle. The heavy cavalry, putting forward spears, rushed to the enemy and quickly overturned the Rus, who fought on foot. The Russian soldiers who came to the rescue could not change anything, and the Byzantine cavalry managed to approach the city and cut off those fleeing from the gate. Sfenkel had to close the gates of the city and the winners destroyed 8500 "Scythians" that day. At night, Kalokir fled from the city, whom the Greeks considered the main culprit of their troubles. He informed Svyatoslav about the emperor's attack.
Greeks storm Preslav. Of the siege weapons, a stone thrower is shown. Miniature from the chronicle of John Skylitzes.
The rest of the troops arrived at Tzimiskes with stone-throwing and wall-beating machines. It was necessary to hurry to take Preslav before arriving to the rescue of Svyatoslav. First, the besieged were offered to surrender voluntarily. Having received a refusal, the Romans began to shower Preslav with clouds of arrows and stones. Easily breaking the wooden walls of Preslav. After that, with the support of the shooting of the archers, they went to storm the wall. With the help of ladders, it was possible to climb the fortifications, overcoming the resistance of the city's defenders. The defenders began to leave the walls, hoping to take refuge in the citadel. The Byzantines managed to open the gate in the southeast corner of the fortress, letting the entire army into the city. Bulgarians and Russians who did not have time to hide were destroyed.
It was then that Boris II was brought to Tzimiskes, captured in the city with his family and identified by the signs of royal power on him. John did not punish him for collaborating with the Russians, but, declaring him "the legitimate ruler of the Bulgars", paid him due honors.
Sfenkel retreated behind the walls of the royal palace, from where he continued to defend himself until Tzimisces ordered the palace to be set on fire.
Driven out of the palace by flames, the Rus fought back desperately and almost all were exterminated, only Sfenkel himself with several soldiers managed to break through to Svyatoslav in Dorostol.
On April 16, John Tzimiskes celebrated Easter in Preslav and renamed the city in honor of the victory in his own name - Ioannopol. They also released the captive Bulgarians who fought on the side of Svyatoslav. The Russian prince did the opposite. Blaming the "Bulgarian" traitors for the fall of Preslav, Svyatoslav ordered to gather the most noble and influential representatives of the Bulgarian nobility (about three hundred people) and behead them all. Many Bulgarians were thrown into dungeons. The population of Bulgaria went over to the side of Tzimiskes.
The emperor moved to Dorostol. This well-fortified city, which the Slavs called Dristray (now Silistria), served as Svyatoslav's main military base in the Balkans. Along the way, a number of Bulgarian cities (including Diniya and Pliska - the first capital of Bulgaria) went over to the side of the Greeks. The conquered Bulgarian lands were included in Thrace - the Byzantine theme. In the twentieth of April, the army of Tzimisces approached Dorostol.
Armament of the soldiers of Kievan Rus: helmets, spurs, sword, axe, stirrup, horse fetters
The defense of the city began in full encirclement. The numerical superiority in forces was on the side of the Byzantines - their army consisted of 25-30 thousand infantry and 15 thousand cavalry, while Svyatoslav had only 30 thousand soldiers. With available forces and no cavalry, he could easily be surrounded and cut off from Dorostol by the excellent numerous Greek cavalry. heavy, exhausting battles for the city, which lasted about three months.
The Russians stood in dense rows, closing their long shields and putting their spears forward. Pechenegs and Hungarians were no longer among them.
John Tzimiskes put up infantry against them, placing heavy cavalry (cataphracts) along its edges. Behind the foot soldiers were archers and slingers, whose task it was to shoot without stopping.
The first attack of the Byzantines slightly upset the Russians, but they held their ground and then launched a counterattack. The battle went on with varying success all day, the whole plain was strewn with the bodies of the fallen on both sides. Already closer to sunset, the soldiers of Tzimiskes managed to push the left wing of the enemy. Now the main thing for the Romans was not to let the Russians reorganize and come to the aid of their own. A new trumpet signal sounded, and the cavalry, the emperor's reserve, was brought into battle. Even the “immortals” were moved against the Rus, John Tzimisces himself rode after them with unfolded imperial banners, shaking his spear and encouraging the soldiers with a battle cry. An answering cry of joy resounded among the hitherto restrained Romans. The Russians could not withstand the onslaught of the cavalry and fled. They were pursued, killed and taken prisoner. However, the Byzantine army was tired of the battle and stopped the pursuit. Most of the soldiers of Svyatoslav, led by their leader, returned safely to Dorostol. The outcome of the war was a foregone conclusion.
Having outlined a suitable hill, the emperor ordered to dig a moat around it with a depth of more than two meters. The excavated earth was carried to the side adjacent to the camp, so that a high shaft was obtained as a result. At the top of the embankment, spears were strengthened and interconnected shields were hung on them. An imperial tent was set up in the center, military leaders were placed nearby, “immortals” were around, then ordinary warriors. On the edges of the camp stood the foot soldiers, behind them - the horsemen. In the event of an enemy attack, the infantry took the first blow, which gave the cavalry time to prepare for battle. The approaches to the camp were also protected by skillfully hidden pit traps with wooden stakes at the bottom, metal balls with four points, one of which stuck up, laid out in the right places. Signal ropes with bells were pulled around the camp and pickets were set up (the first began at an arrow's flight distance from the hill where the Romans were located).
Tzimisces attempted, unsuccessfully, to take the city by storm. In the evening, the Russians again undertook a large-scale sortie, and, according to the chronicles of the Byzantines, for the first time they tried to act on horseback, but, having bad horses recruited in the fortress and not accustomed to battle, they were overturned by the Greek cavalry. In repelling this sortie, Varda Sklir commanded.
On the same day, a Greek fleet of 300 ships approached and settled on the Danube opposite the city, as a result of which the Rus were completely overlaid and did not dare to go out on their boats anymore, fearing Greek fire. Svyatoslav, who attached great importance to the preservation of his fleet, for safety ordered to pull the boats ashore and place them near the city wall of Dorostol. Meanwhile, all his boats were in Dorostol, and the Danube was his only way of retreat.
Russian squad attacks
Realizing the doom of their position, the Russians again made a sortie, but with all their might. The valiant defender of Preslava Sfenkel led it, while Svyatoslav remained in the city. With long, human-sized shields, covered with chain mail and armor, the Rus, leaving the fortress at dusk and observing complete silence, approached the enemy camp and unexpectedly attacked the Greeks. The battle lasted with varying success until noon the next day, but after Sfenkel was killed, struck with a spear, and the Byzantine cavalry again threatened with destruction, the Rus retreated.
Svyatoslav, expecting an attack in his turn, ordered to dig a deep ditch around the city walls, and Dorostol now became almost impregnable. By this he showed that he decided to defend himself to the last. Almost daily there were sorties of the Rus, often ending successfully for the besieged.
Tzimiskes at first limited himself to a siege, hoping to force Svyatoslav to surrender by starvation, but soon the Russians, who made constant sorties, all roads and paths were dug up with ditches and occupied, and on the Danube the fleet increased its vigilance. The entire Greek cavalry was sent to watch the roads leading from the west and from the east to the fortress.
There were many wounded in the city and a severe famine ensued. Meanwhile, the Greek wall-beating machines continued to destroy the walls of the city, and stone-throwing tools caused heavy casualties.
Equestrian Warrior X century
Choosing a dark night, when a terrible thunderstorm broke out with thunder, lightning and heavy hail, Svyatoslav personally led about two thousand people out of the city and put them on boats. They safely bypassed the fleet of the Romans (it was impossible to see or even hear them because of the thunderstorm, and the command of the Roman fleet, seeing that the "barbarians" fight only on land, as they say, "relaxed") and moved along the river for food . One can imagine the amazement of the Bulgarians, who lived along the Danube, when the Rus suddenly reappeared in their villages. It was necessary to act quickly, until the news of what had happened reached the Romans. A few days later, having collected grain bread, millet and some other supplies, the Rus embarked on ships and just as imperceptibly moved towards Dorostol. The Romans would not have noticed anything if Svyatoslav had not found out that horses from the Byzantine army were grazing not far from the coast, and nearby were convoy servants who guarded the horses, and at the same time stored firewood for their camp. Having landed on the shore, the Rus silently passed through the forest and attacked the convoys. Almost all the servants were killed, only a few managed to hide in the bushes. Militarily, this action did not give the Russians anything, but its audacity made it possible to remind Tzimiskes that much can still be expected from the "damned Scythians".
But this sortie infuriated John Tzimiskes and soon the Romans dug up all the roads leading to Dorostol, posted guards everywhere, control over the river was established such that even a bird could not fly from the city to the other side without the permission of the besiegers. And soon, for the Russ, exhausted by the siege, and the Bulgarians still remaining in the city, truly “black days” came.
End of June 971. RUSSIANS KILL "EMPEROR".
During one of the sorties, the Russians managed to kill a relative of the emperor Tzimiskes, John Kurkuas, who was in charge of the battering rams. Because of the rich clothes, the Rus mistook him for the emperor himself. Boasting, they planted the severed head of the commander on a spear and put it over the city walls. For some time, the besieged believed that the death of the basileus would force the Greeks to leave.
At noon on July 19, when the Byzantine guards, exhausted by the heat, lost their vigilance, the Russians swiftly attacked and killed them. Then it was the turn of catapults and ballistas. They were cut with axes and burned.
The besieged decided to deliver a new blow to the Greeks, who, like Sfenkel, had his own squad. The Russians revered him as the second leader after Svyatoslav. He was respected for valor, and not for "noble relatives." And initially in battle, he greatly inspired the squad. But he died in a skirmish with Anemas. The death of the leader led to a panic flight of the besieged. The Romans again cut down the fleeing, and their horses trampled the "barbarians". The coming night stopped the slaughter and allowed the survivors to make their way to Dorostol. Howls were heard from the side of the city, there were funerals of the dead, whose comrades were able to carry the bodies from the battlefield. The Byzantine chronicler writes that many male and female captives were slaughtered. "Performing sacrifices for the dead, they drowned babies and roosters in the river Istra." The bodies left lying on the ground went to the winners. To the surprise of those who rushed to rip off armor from the dead "Scythians" and collect weapons, among the defenders of Dorostol killed that day were women dressed in men's clothes. It is difficult to say who they were - Bulgarians who joined the Rus, or desperate Russian maidens - epic "logs" who went on a campaign along with men - it's hard to say.
Military feat. The hero of Byzantium is the Arab Anemas.
One of the last sorties of the Rus against the Greeks was led by Ikmor, a man of great stature and strength. Dragging the Rus with him, Ikmor crushed everyone who got in his way. It seemed that there was no equal to him in the Byzantine army. The emboldened Russ did not lag behind their leader. This continued until one of the bodyguards of Tzimiskes, Anemas, rushed to Ikmor. He was an Arab, the son and co-ruler of the Emir of Crete, ten years earlier, together with his father, was captured by the Romans and transferred to the service of the victors. Jumping up to the mighty Rus, the Arab deftly dodged his blow and struck back - unfortunately for Ikmor, a successful one. An experienced grunt cut off the Russian leader's head, right shoulder and arm. Seeing the death of their leader, the Russians screamed loudly, their ranks trembled, while the Romans, on the contrary, were inspired and intensified the onslaught. Soon the Rus began to retreat, and then, throwing their shields behind their backs, they fled to Dorostol.
During the last battle near Dorostol, among the Romans who rushed to the Rus from the rear, there was Anemas, who had killed Ikmor the day before. He passionately wanted to add to this feat a new, even more striking one - to deal with Svyatoslav himself. When the Romans, who suddenly attacked the Rus, briefly disrupted their formation, a desperate Arab flew up on a horse to the prince and hit him on the head with a sword. Svyatoslav fell to the ground, he was stunned, but survived. The blow of the Arab, sliding on the helmet, only broke the prince's collarbone. The mail shirt protected him. The attacker, along with his horse, was pierced by many arrows, and then Anemas, who fell, was surrounded by a phalanx of enemies, but he still continued to fight, killed many Russians, but finally fell hacked to pieces. This was a man whom none of his contemporaries excelled in heroic deeds.
971, Silistria. Anemas, the bodyguard of Emperor John Tzimiskes, wounded the Russian prince Svyatoslav
Svyatoslav gathered all his military leaders for advice. When some spoke of the need for a retreat, they advised to wait until the dark night, lower the boats that were on the shore into the Danube and, keeping as quiet as possible, sail unnoticed down the Danube. Others suggested asking the Greeks for peace. Svyatoslav said: “We have nothing to choose from. Willingly or not, we must fight. Let us not disgrace the Russian land, but lie down with bones - the dead have no shame. If we run away, we will be shamed. So we will not run, but we will become strong. I will go before you - if my head falls, then take care of yourself. And the soldiers answered Svyatoslav: “Where you are your head, there we will lay down our heads!” Electrified by this heroic speech, the leaders decided to win - or die with glory ...
The last bloody battle near Dorostol ended with the defeat of the Rus. The forces were too unequal.
July 22, 971 The last battle under the walls of Dorostol. The first and second stages of the battle
Svyatoslav personally led the thinned squad to the last battle. He ordered the city gates to be firmly locked so that none of the soldiers would think of seeking salvation outside the walls, but would think only of victory.
The battle began with an unprecedented onslaught of the Rus. It was a hot day, and the Byzantines in heavy armor began to succumb to the indomitable onslaught of the Rus. In order to save the situation, the emperor personally rushed to the rescue, accompanied by a detachment of "immortals". While he was distracting the blow of the enemy, they managed to deliver wineskins filled with wine and water to the battlefield. The emboldened Romans with renewed vigor began to attack the Rus, but to no avail. And it was strange, because the advantage was on their side. Finally Tzimisces understood the reason. Having pressed the Rus, his soldiers got into a cramped place (everything around was in the hills), which is why the "Scythians", inferior to them in numbers, withstood the attacks. The stratigi were ordered to start a feigned retreat in order to lure the "barbarians" onto the plain. Seeing the flight of the Romans, the Russians shouted with joy and rushed after them. Having reached the agreed place, the soldiers of Tzimisces stopped and met the Rus catching up with them. Faced with the unexpected stamina of the Greeks, the Rus not only were not embarrassed, but began to attack them with even greater frenzy. The illusion of success, which the Romans created by their retreat, only inflamed the exhausted Dorostol inmates.
Tzimisces was extremely annoyed by the heavy losses that his army was suffering, and by the fact that the outcome of the battle, despite all efforts, remained unclear. Skylitsa even says that the emperor “planned to solve the matter by combat. And so he sent an embassy to Svendoslav (Svyatoslav), offering him single combat and saying that it was necessary to solve the matter by the death of one husband, without killing or exhausting the strength of the peoples; whoever wins, he will be the ruler of everything. But he did not accept the challenge and added mocking words that he supposedly understands his own benefit better than the enemy, and if the emperor does not want to live anymore, then there are tens of thousands of other ways to death; let him choose what he wants. Having answered so arrogantly, he prepared for battle with increased zeal.
The battle of the soldiers of Svyatoslav with the Byzantines. Miniature from the manuscript of John Skylitzes
The mutual bitterness of the parties characterizes the next episode of the battle. Among the generals who commanded the retreat of the Byzantine cavalry was a certain Theodore of Misphia. The horse under him was killed, Theodore was surrounded by the Rus, who longed for his death. Trying to get up, the strategist, a man of a heroic physique, grabbed one of the Rus by the belt and, turning him in all directions, like a shield, managed to defend himself from the blows of swords and spears flying at him. Then the Roman warriors arrived, and for a few seconds, until Theodore was safe, the whole space around him turned into an arena of battle between those who wanted to kill him at all costs, and those who wanted to save him.
The emperor decided to send master Varda Sklir, the patricians Peter and Roman (the latter was the grandson of the emperor Roman Lekapin) to bypass the enemy. They were supposed to cut off the "Scythians" from Dorostol and hit them in the back. This maneuver was carried out successfully, but it did not lead to a turning point in the battle. During this attack, Svyatoslav was wounded by Anemas. Meanwhile, the Russians, who had beaten off the rear attack, again began to push the Romans. And again the emperor with a spear at the ready had to lead the guards into battle. Seeing Tzimiskes, his soldiers cheered up. The battle was at a decisive moment. And then a miracle happened. First, a strong wind blew from behind the advancing Byzantine army, a real hurricane began, bringing with it clouds of dust that clogged the eyes of the Russians. And then came a terrible downpour. The offensive of the Russians stopped, the soldiers hiding from the sand became easy prey for the enemy. Shocked by the intervention from above, the Romans later assured that they saw a rider galloping in front of them on a white horse. When he approached, the Rus allegedly fell like cut grass. Later, many "recognized" St. Theodore Stratilates in the miraculous helper of Tzimiskes.
From the rear, Varda Sklir pressed on the Rus. The bewildered Russians were surrounded and ran towards the city. They did not have to break through the ranks of the enemy. Apparently, the Byzantines used the idea of the "golden bridge" widely known in their military theory. Its essence boiled down to the fact that for the defeated enemy there was an opportunity for salvation by flight. Understanding this weakened the resistance of the enemy and created the most favorable conditions for its complete defeat. As usual, the Romans drove the Rus to the very city walls, ruthlessly cutting. Among those who managed to escape was Svyatoslav. He was badly wounded - in addition to the blow that Anemas inflicted on him, several arrows hit the prince, he lost a lot of blood and almost got captured. Only the onset of night saved him from this.
Svyatoslav in battle The losses of the Russian troops in the last battle amounted to more than 15,000 people. According to The Tale of Bygone Years, after the conclusion of peace, when asked by the Greeks about the number of his troops, Svyatoslav answered: “We are twenty thousand,” but “he added ten thousand, for there were only ten thousand Russians.” And Svyatoslav brought to the banks of the Danube more than 60 thousand young and strong men. You can call this campaign a demographic catastrophe for Kievan Rus. Calling on the army to fight to the death and die with honor. Svyatoslav himself, although wounded, returned to Dorostol, although he promised to remain among the dead in case of defeat. By this act, he greatly lost authority in his army.
But the Greeks also won at a high price.
A significant numerical superiority of the enemy, lack of food and, probably not wanting to irritate his people, Svyatoslav decided to make peace with the Greeks.
At the dawn of the day following the battle, Svyatoslav sent envoys to Emperor John with a request for peace. The emperor received them very favorably. According to the story of the chronicle, Svyatoslav reasoned as follows: “If we do not make peace with the king, the king will know that we are few - and, having come, they will surround us in the city. But the Russian land is far away, and the Pechenegs are fighting us, and who will help us? And his speech was loved by the squad.
According to the truce, the Russians pledged to cede Dorostol to the Greeks, release the prisoners and leave Bulgaria. In turn, the Byzantines promised to let their recent enemies into their homeland and not attack their ships along the way. (The Russians were very much afraid of the "Greek fire" that destroyed the ships of Prince Igor at one time.) At the request of Svyatoslav, the Byzantines also promised to obtain from the Pechenegs guarantees of the inviolability of the Russian squad when they returned home. The booty captured in Bulgaria, apparently, remained with the defeated. In addition, the Greeks had to supply the Rus with food and indeed they gave out 2 medimnas of bread (about 20 kilograms) for each warrior.
After the conclusion of the agreement, an embassy of John Tzimiskes was sent to the Pechenegs, with a request that they let the Rus, returning home, through their possessions. But it is assumed that Theophilus, Bishop of Evkhait, sent to the nomads, set the Pechenegs against the prince, fulfilling the secret task of his sovereign.
PEACE TREATY.
A peace treaty was concluded between the two states, the text of which is preserved in the Tale of Bygone Years. Due to the fact that this agreement determined the relationship between Rus' and Byzantium for almost twenty years and subsequently formed the basis of the Byzantine policy of Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavich, we will give its text in its entirety translated into modern Russian: “A list from the agreement concluded under Svyatoslav, the Grand Duke of Russia , and under Sveneld. Written under Theophilus Sinkel, and to Ivan, named Tzimiskes, King of Greece, in Derestra, the month of July, the indiction of the 14th, in the summer of 6479. I, Svyatoslav, Prince of Russia, as I swore, I confirm my oath with this agreement: I want to have peace and perfect love with every great king of Greece, with Basil, and Constantine, and with divinely inspired kings, and with all your people until the end of the age; and so are those who are under me, Rus', the boyars and others. I will never begin to plot against your country and gather warriors and I will not bring other people to your country, nor to those that are under Greek rule - nor to the Korsun volost and how many cities there are, nor to the Bulgarian country. And if someone else thinks against your country, then I will be his opponent and I will fight with him. As I swore to the kings of Greece, and the boyars and all Rus' are with me, so we will keep the agreement inviolable; if we do not keep what was said before, let me, and those who are with me, and those who are under me, be cursed from the god in whom we believe - in Perun and in Volos, the cattle god - and let us be pierced like gold, and let us be cut with our weapons. It will be true what we promised you today, and wrote on this charter, and sealed it with our seals.
End of July 971. MEETING OF JOHN TSIMISCHIES WITH SVYATOSLAV.
Meeting of the Kyiv prince Svyatoslav with the Byzantine emperor John Tzimiskes
Finally, the prince wanted to personally meet with the basil of the Romans. Leo the Deacon places a description of this meeting in his “History”: “The sovereign did not evade and, covered with gilded armor, rode on horseback to the banks of the Istra, leading a large detachment of armed horsemen sparkling with gold. Sfendoslav also appeared, sailing along the river on a Scythian boat; he sat at the oars and rowed along with his entourage, no different from them. This was his appearance: of moderate height, neither too tall nor too short, with shaggy eyebrows and light blue eyes, snub-nosed, beardless, with thick, excessively long hair above his upper lip. His head was completely naked, but on one side a tuft of hair hung down - a sign of the nobility of the family; a strong nape, a broad chest and all other parts of the body are quite proportionate, but he looked sullen and wild. He had a gold earring in one ear; it was adorned with a carbuncle framed by two pearls. His attire was white and differed from the clothes of his associates only in cleanliness. Sitting in a boat on a bench for rowers, he talked a little with the sovereign about the conditions of peace and left.
971-976. THE CONTINUATION OF THE REIGN OF TSIMISCES IN BYZANTIA.
After the departure of the Rus, Eastern Bulgaria became part of the Byzantine Empire. The city of Dorostol received a new name Theodoropolis (either in memory of St. Theodore Stratilates, who helped the Romans, or in honor of the wife of John Tzimiskes Theodora) and became the center of a new Byzantine theme. Vasilev of the Romans returned to Constantinople with huge trophies, and at the entrance to the city, the inhabitants arranged an enthusiastic welcome for their emperor. After the triumph, Tsar Boris II was brought to Tzimisces, and he, obeying the will of the new ruler of the Bulgarians, publicly laid down the signs of royal power - a tiara trimmed with purple, embroidered with gold and pearls, purple and red half boots. In return, he received the rank of master and had to begin to get used to the position of the Byzantine nobleman. With regard to his younger brother Roman, the Byzantine emperor was not so merciful - the prince was castrated. Tzimisces never got to Western Bulgaria - it was necessary to resolve the protracted conflict with the Germans, to continue victorious wars against the Arabs, this time in Mesopotamia, Syria and Palestine. From the last campaign, Vasilevs returned quite sick. According to the symptoms, it was typhus, but, as always, the version that Tzimisces was poisoned became very popular among the people. After his death in 976, the son of Roman II, Vasily, finally came to power. Theophano returned from exile, but her eighteen-year-old son no longer needed guardians. There was only one thing left for her - to quietly live out her life.
Summer 971. SVYATOSLAV EXECUTES HIS CHRISTIAN Warriors.
In the later so-called Joachim Chronicle, some additional details are given about the last period of the Balkan war. Svyatoslav, according to this source, blamed all his failures on the Christians who were part of his army. Enraged, he executed, among others, his brother Prince Gleb (whose existence other sources do not know anything about). By order of Svyatoslav, Christian churches in Kyiv were to be destroyed and burned; the prince himself, upon his return to Rus', intended to exterminate all Christians. However, this, in all likelihood, is nothing more than the speculation of the compiler of the chronicle - a later writer or historian.
Autumn 971. SVYATOSLAV IS LEAVING HOMELAND.
In the fall, Svyatoslav set off on his return journey. He moved on boats along the seashore and then up the Dnieper towards the Dnieper rapids. Otherwise, he would not have been able to bring the booty captured in the war to Kiev.
The closest and most experienced of the governor Svyatoslav Sveneld advised the prince: "Go around the rapids on horseback, for the Pechenegs are standing at the thresholds." But Svyatoslav did not listen to him. And Sveneld, of course, was right. The Pechenegs were really waiting for the Russians. According to the story “The Tale of Bygone Years”, “Pereyaslavtsy” (it must be understood, the Bulgarians) informed the Pechenegs about the approach of the Russians: “Here comes Svyatoslav to Rus', taking from the Greeks a lot of booty and captives without number. And he doesn't have a lot of friends."
Winter 971/72. WINTER IN BELOBEREZHIE.
Having reached the island of Khortitsa, which the Greeks called "the island of St. George", Svyatoslav was convinced of the impossibility of further advancement - the Pechenegs stood at the ford of Kraria, which was in front of the first threshold on his way. Winter was coming. The prince decided to retreat and spend the winter in Beloberezhye, where there was a Russian settlement. Perhaps he was hoping for help from Kyiv. But if so, then his hopes were not destined to come true. The people of Kiev could not (or perhaps did not want to?) come to the rescue of their prince. The bread received from the Byzantines was soon eaten.
The local population did not have enough food supplies to feed the rest of Svyatoslav's army. Hunger has begun. “And they paid half a hryvnia for a horse’s head,” the chronicler testifies about the famine in Beloberezhye. This is very big money. But, obviously, the soldiers of Svyatoslav still had enough gold and silver. The Pechenegs did not leave.
End of winter - beginning of spring 972. DEATH OF THE RUSSIAN PRINCE SVYATOSLAV.
The last battle of Prince Svyatoslav
No longer able to remain at the mouth of the Dnieper, the Rus made a desperate attempt to break through the ambush of the Pechenegs. It seems that the exhausted people were put in a hopeless situation - in the spring, even if they wanted to bypass the dangerous place, leaving the boats, they could no longer do this due to the lack of horses (which were eaten). Perhaps the prince was waiting for spring, hoping that during the spring flood the rapids would become passable and he would be able to slip through the ambush, while retaining the booty. The result turned out to be sad - most of the Russian army was killed by nomads, and Svyatoslav himself fell in battle.
“And Kurya, the prince of the Pechenegs, attacked him; and they killed Svyatoslav, and cut off his head, and made a cup out of the skull, encasing the skull, and then they drank from it.
The death of Prince Svyatoslav on the Dnieper rapids
According to the legend of later chroniclers, an inscription was made on the cup: “Seeking strangers, destroy your own” (or: “Wishing for strangers, destroy your own”) - quite in the spirit of the ideas of the people of Kiev about their enterprising prince. “And there is this cup, and it is still kept in the treasuries of the Pecheneg princes; the princes drink from it with the princess in the chamber, when they are caught, saying this: “What was this man, his forehead is, such will be the one born of us.” Also, other warriors searched for his skulls with silver and kept them, drinking from them, ”says another legend.
Thus ended the life of Prince Svyatoslav; so ended the life of many Russian soldiers, that "young generation of Russ" that the prince took to war. Sveneld came to Kyiv to Yaropolk. The sad news was brought by the governor with the "residual people" to Kyiv. We do not know how he managed to avoid death - whether he escaped from the Pecheneg encirclement (“escaping from battle”, in the words of a later chronicler), or moved by another, overland route, leaving the prince even earlier.
According to the beliefs of the ancients, even the remains of a great warrior, and even more so of a ruler, a prince, concealed his supernatural power and strength. And now, after death, the strength and power of Svyatoslav were to serve not Rus', but its enemies, the Pechenegs.
"We have nowhere to go, we have to fight - willingly or not.
We will not shame the Russian land,
but let's lie down here with bones,
for the dead have no shame."
Svyatoslav Igorevich is the great prince of Kiev, who forever entered our history as a warrior prince.
There was no limit to the courage and dedication of the prince. Svyatoslav was the son of Prince Igor and Princess Olga.
When Igor died under the knives of the Drevlyans, Svyatoslav was still a child. He was born in 942.
Olga took revenge on the Drevlyans for the death of her husband, Prince Igor.
Olga's squad ended up in the possessions of the Drevlyans, and a battle was coming, little Svyatoslav was the first to throw a spear towards the enemy. The voivode of the squad, seeing this, said: "The prince has already begun, let's follow, the squad follows the prince."
Not much is known about Svyatoslav Igorevich, for example, historians argue about the date of his birth. However, despite some vagueness and uncertainty, the chronicle brought to us some facts by which we can characterize Svyatoslav.
He is probably the brightest old Russian prince, the prince is a warrior. This is not an epic hero, but a real historical character. He spent most of his life hiking. He was not particularly interested in the internal affairs of the state. Svyatoslav did not like to sit in Kyiv, he was tempted by new conquests, victories, and rich booty.
The prince always participated in the battle with his retinue. He wore simple military armor. On campaigns he did not have a tent, nor did he carry wagons, boilers and meat with him. He ate with everyone, frying some game on a fire.
In Byzantine sources, a description of the appearance of Svyatoslav has been preserved. He was small, slender, broad-shouldered, had blue eyes and thick eyebrows, as well as a long hanging mustache. Svyatoslav fought a lot, and before going on a new military campaign, he sent other words to the lands: "I want to go to you."
In 964, Svyatoslav defeated the Khazar Kaganate. It was a strong Jewish state in the lower reaches of the Volga, which forced the Slavic tribes of Krivich to pay tribute, and also posed a great danger to the young ancient Russian state. Svyatoslav defeated the main troops of the Khazars, occupied the capital of the Khaganate Itil, then took the fortress of Sarkel. Then he walked through the North Caucasus, defeated the Yases (Ossetians) and Kasogs (Circassians). The prince ended the war only in the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov. As a result of the conquests of Svyatoslav, the Russian principality of Tmutarakan was formed on the shores of the Kerch Strait.
Then he fought with Bulgaria. The Byzantine Emperor Nicephorus feared the latest successes of the Russian state. The Byzantines offered Svyatoslav to go on a campaign against Bulgaria, while they themselves promised neutrality. Even before this proposal, Svyatoslav was thinking about going west, so he accepted it with pleasure. In 966, Russian squads appeared on the Danube. Here the prince was expected to win: the enemy was defeated, and he himself, together with his retinue, settled in Pereyaslavets on the Danube.
Svyatoslav even wanted to move the capital from Kiev to Pereyaslavets, arguing that this city is located in the middle of his possessions, and “all the blessings from the Greek Land flow here” (Pereyaslavets was at the crossroads of trade routes to the Balkans and Western Europe). Svyatoslav received disturbing news from Kyiv, the city was besieged by the Pechenegs. “You, prince, are looking for someone else's land and take care of it, but you left your own. And we were almost taken by the Pechenegs, and your mother, and your children. If you don’t come and protect us, then they will take us.”
After that, leaving part of the squad in Pereyaslavets, the prince hurried to Kyiv and defeated the Pechenegs. While he was beating the Pechenegs, an uprising broke out in Pereyaslavets, and the Bulgarians drove the Russian warriors out of the city. The prince could not come to terms with this state of affairs, and again led the troops to the west, again occupied Pereyaslavets. The Russian squad moved to the capital of Bulgaria, and part of the Bulgarian nobility went over to the side of Svyatoslav Igorevich.
Svyatoslav strengthened himself in Bulgaria, but he, as a prince - a warrior, was not satisfied with a quiet and measured life. Russian squads began to make attacks on the Byzantine territories, which led to a new war with Byzantium and its emperor John Tzimiskes. The prince's war with Byzantium went on with varying success. Either Russian Greeks were beaten, or vice versa. However, Svyatoslav manages to win a major victory, and now, it seems, the path to Constantinople is open.
The prince's retinue walked well through the surrounding towns and villages, collecting a lot of booty. Svyatoslav, approaching Constantinople, the Byzantines inflicted a significant defeat, and the prince did not dare to move on. After that, peace was concluded, and Svyatoslav Igorevich returned to Bulgaria with his army and great booty.
He had several options for further developments. The prince obviously did not intend to sit out in Bulgaria, so he probably intended the next campaign. Where? You could go to Europe, but you could again fight with Byzantium. But fate decreed otherwise. Despite the peace treaty, the Byzantine emperor Tzimisces sends troops to the Balkans, where he storms the capital of Bulgaria.
Further besieges the fortress Dorosol. Fierce battles unfold under the walls of this fortress. It seems that the Russians drove the Greeks, but the treacherous wind changes its direction and the dust begins to blind the soldiers of Prince Svyatoslav. The Byzantines return under the walls of the fortress. Svyatoslav offers a peaceful conversation. Emperor Tzimisces does not mind. They met on the banks of the Danube.
The Byzantine Emperor was with a large retinue, all in gold and at the parade, while Svyatoslav sailed with three soldiers, on a small boat, the prince was wearing a simple white shirt. The terms of the peace were simple, Svyatoslav goes to Kyiv, Byzantium recognizes past peace treaties from the time of the Prophetic Oleg and Igor the Old and pays tribute to Rus', returns Rus' to the status of "friend and ally."
Svyatoslav died (972) at the hands of the Pechenegs, returning home to Kyiv. The Pecheneg prince Kurya ordered to make a bowl for feasts from his skull. This is how the life of the Grand Duke Warrior Svyatoslav Igorevich ended. In our memory will forever remain his courageous and immortal: "We have nowhere to go, we have to fight - willingly or not. We will not disgrace the Russian land, but we will lie down here as bones, for the dead have no shame."
Prince Svyatoslav Igorevich is the youngest prince in the history of Rus'. Not only did he officially ascend the throne at the age of 3, he also lived only 30 years. However, these were very important 30 years for our state. Let's deal with this in more detail.
The reign of Prince Svyatoslav
Officially, his reign took place in the 4th year of his life, when his father Igor died. But since the new prince was still too young, his mother, Princess Olga, ascended the throne. Later, when Prince Svyatoslav matured and was able to govern Russia himself, all power was also distributed between him and his mother in the following form:
- Svyatoslav went on campaigns and conquered new lands, and also concluded agreements beneficial for Rus'. We will talk about this a little later.
- Olga was engaged in the internal politics of the state at a time when Svyatoslav was on campaigns.
If we talk about Prince Svyatoslav as a person, then he was remembered throughout his reign as a warrior prince. After all, from the age of 22 he himself took part and led troops on campaigns.
That is why I propose to continue the conversation about Svyatoslav with stories about his most memorable campaigns.
hiking
Khazar campaign
There are many versions of who helped the Pechenegs organize such a successful ambush. According to some sources, it could be the Bulgarians, whose desire to avenge so many losses of soldiers was still great. According to others, Byzantium, for which this battle would be very useful for its foreign policy considerations.
Third sources even claim that Byzantium, on the contrary, asked the Pechenegs to clear the way for Prince Svyatoslav and his army and not kill him.
The years of the reign of Prince Svyatoslav
Different chronicles give the prince's date of birth in different ways. But now it is this one that is generally accepted: 942. If you believe her, then Svyatoslav lived only 30 years, since he died in a battle with the Pechenegs in March 972.
But we remember that officially his reign began at the age of 3. Thus, the years of the reign of Prince Svyatoslav are as follows: 945 - March 972.
Conclusion
We are not given 100% to know everything that happened in those days. Therefore, we can only blindly believe sources like the Tale of Bygone Years and other annals of those times.
Considering that we no longer have other options, I suggest that each of us choose those scenarios that he sees as the most possible and truthful.
P.S. I tried to tell an interesting biography of Prince Svyatoslav Igorevich in simple words with my retelling. I hope I succeeded.
If yes, then I'm waiting for your questions and wishes on the following heroes of the column "Great commanders of Russia" in the comments to the article.
Prince Svyatoslav Igorevich left a bright trace in Russian history. He ruled the Kyiv land for only 8 years, but these few years were well remembered for the long subsequent centuries, and Prince Svyatoslav himself became a model of military prowess and courage for many generations of Russian people. The first time his name thundered in the Russian chronicle in 946.
After the death of the father of Prince Igor in the Drevlyan land, he, then a three-year-old boy, was the first to start a battle with the rebellious Drevlyans, riding out in front of the Kyiv regiments and throwing a military spear towards the enemy. And although, thrown by a weak childish hand, it fell to the ground in front of the feet of his own horse, but even then this act of Svyatoslav meant a lot. Not a prince, but a prince! Not a boy, but a warrior! And the words of the old rubak-voevoda, recorded by the chronicler, do not need to be translated, sound symbolic: “The prince has already begun. Let's pull, retinue, according to the princes!
The teacher and mentor of Svyatoslav was the Varangian Asmud, who taught his young pupil to be the first in battle and hunting, to hold fast in the saddle, to control the boat, to swim, to hide from enemy eyes both in the forest and in the steppe. Everything shows that Princess Olga could not find a better mentor than Uncle Asmud for her son - he raised him to be a real warrior. Svyatoslav was taught military art by the chief Kiev governor Sveneld.
Undoubtedly, this Varangian only cut the prince's extraordinary talent, explaining to him the tricks of military science. Svyatoslav was a bright, original commander who intuitively felt the high symphony of battle, who knew how to instill courage in his army with a decisive word and personal example, foreseeing the actions and deeds of enemies.
And one more lesson Svyatoslav learned from the instructions of his tutors-voivode - to always be at one with his squad. For this reason, he rejected the proposal of his mother, Princess Olga, who in 855 converted to Christianity and wanted to baptize her son as well. The Kyiv warriors, who revered Perun, were opposed to the new faith, and Svyatoslav remained with his knights.
“When Svyatoslav grew up and matured,” it is written in the annals, “he began to gather many brave warriors, and easily, like a pardus (cheetah), moving on campaigns, fought a lot. On campaigns, he did not carry carts or cauldrons with him, he did not boil meat, but, having thinly cut horse meat, or beast, or beef, he roasted on coals and ate it like that. He had no tents; going to bed, he put a sweatshirt from his horse under him, and a saddle under his head.
Svyatoslav made two great campaigns.
The first - against the huge predatory Khazaria - a dark kingdom that owned lands from the Caucasus Mountains to the Volga steppes; the second - against the Danube Bulgaria, and then, in alliance with the Bulgarians, against Byzantium.
Back in 914, in the Khazar possessions on the Volga, the army of Prince Igor, father of Svyatoslav, died, trying to secure the Volga trade route. To take revenge on the enemy and complete the work begun by his father - perhaps this is what threw the young Kyiv prince on a long campaign. In 964, Svyatoslav's squad left Kyiv and, having risen along the Desna River, entered the lands of the Vyatichi, one of the large Slavic tribes who at that time were tributaries of the Khazars. Without touching the Vyatichi and not ruining their lands, only ordering them to pay tribute not to the Khazars, but to Kiev, Svyatoslav went to the Volga and moved his army against the ancient enemies of the Russian land: the Volga Bulgarians, Burtases, and the Khazars themselves.
In the vicinity of Itil, the capital of the Khazar Khaganate, a decisive battle took place, in which the Kyiv regiments defeated and put the Khazars to flight.
Then he moved his squads against other tributaries of the North Caucasian tribes of the Yases and Kasogs, the ancestors of the Ossetians and Circassians. This unparalleled campaign continued for about 4 years. Winning in all battles, the prince crushed all his enemies, captured and destroyed the capital of the Khazar Khaganate, the city of Itil, took the well-fortified fortresses Sarkel (on the Don), Semender (in the North Caucasus). On the shores of the Kerch Strait in the captured Khazar village of Tamatarkh, he founded an outpost of Russian influence in this region - the city of Tmutarakan, the center of the future Tmutarakan principality.
Returning to Kyiv, Svyatoslav spent only about a year in his capital city and already in 968 set off on a new military expedition - against the Bulgarians on the distant blue Danube. Kalokir, the ambassador of the Byzantine emperor Nikephoros Phocas, persistently called him there, hoping to push two peoples dangerous to his empire in a war of extermination. For the help of Byzantium, Kalokir gave Svyatoslav 15 centinaries (455 kilograms) of gold, but it would not be correct to consider the campaign of the Russians against the Bulgarians as a raid of mercenary squads. The prince of Kiev was obliged to come to the rescue of the allied power under an agreement concluded with Byzantium in 944 by Prince Igor. The gold was only a gift accompanying the request for military aid...
Only 10,000 soldiers were taken with him on a campaign by the Russian prince, but the great commanders do not fight in numbers. Having descended along the Dnieper into the Black Sea, Svyatoslav swiftly attacked the thirty-thousandth Bulgarian army sent against him. Having defeated it and driven the remnants of the Bulgarians into the Dorostol fortress, the prince took the city of Malaya Preslav (Svyatoslav himself called this city, which became his new capital Pereyaslavets), forcing both enemies and yesterday's friends to unite against him.
The Bulgarian Tsar Peter, feverishly gathering troops in his capital, Great Preslav, entered into a secret alliance with Nikifor Foka. He, in turn, bribed the Pecheneg leaders, who willingly agreed to attack Kyiv in the absence of the Grand Duke. In a desperate, bloody battle, the people of Kiev were exhausted, but the Pecheneg onslaught did not weaken. Only a night attack by a small army of governor Pretich, taken by the Pechenegs for Svyatoslav's advanced detachment, forced them to lift the siege and move away from Kyiv.
This story is connected with the first in our chronicle description of the heroic deed performed by the remaining nameless Kyiv youth. When “the Pechenegs laid siege to the city with great force, there were countless of them around the city. And it was impossible to leave the city, nor to send a message. And the people were exhausted from hunger and thirst. And the (military) people of that side of the Dnieper gathered in boats, and stood on the other side. And it was impossible to get through to Kyiv either, or from Kyiv to them. And the people in the city began to grieve, and said: “Is there anyone who could cross over to the other side and tell them: if you don’t approach the city in the morning, we will surrender to the Pechenegs.” And one youth said: "I will make my way." And they answered him: "Go." He left the city, holding a bridle, and ran through the Pechenegs' camp, asking them: "Did anyone see a horse?" For he knew the Pecheneg language, and they took him for their own. And when he approached the river, then, throwing off his clothes, he rushed into the Dnieper and swam. Seeing this, the Pechenegs rushed after him, shot at him, but could not do anything with him. On the other side they noticed this, swam up to him in a boat, took him in a boat and brought him to the squad. And the youth said to them: “If you don’t come to the city tomorrow, then people will surrender to the Pechenegs.” Their voivode, named Pretich, said to this: “Let's go tomorrow in boats and, having captured the princess and princes, we will rush to this shore. If we do not do this, then Svyatoslav will destroy us. And the next morning, close to dawn, they got into the boats and blew loudly, and the people in the city shouted. It seemed to the Pechenegs that the prince himself had come, and they fled from the city in all directions.
Far to the Danube flew the call of the Kievans, who hardly fought off the attack of enemies: “You, prince, are looking for someone else’s land and protect it, but you left your own, the Pechenegs almost took us, and your mother, and your children. If you don’t come and protect us and take us again, then don’t you feel sorry for your old mother or your children.”
Svyatoslav could not but hear this call. Returning with a retinue to Kyiv, he overtook and defeated the Pecheneg army and drove its miserable remnants far into the steppe. Silence and peace then reigned in the Russian land, but this was not enough for the prince seeking battle and feat of arms. He could not stand a peaceful life and prayed to his mother: “I don’t like to sit in Kyiv. I want to live in Pereyaslavets on the Danube. There is the middle of my land. Everything good flows there: from the Greeks - gold, fabrics, wines, various vegetables; from Czechs and Hungarians - silver and horses, from Rus' - furs, wax and honey.
Princess Olga listened to the hot, passionate words of her son and only said one thing in response to him: “You see that I am already sick, where do you want to go from me? When you bury me, then go wherever you want ... "
She died 3 days later. After burying his mother, Svyatoslav divided the Russian land between his sons: he put Yaropolk to reign in Kyiv, sent Oleg to the Drevlyansk land, and Vladimir to Novgorod. He himself hurried to his conquered possessions on the Danube by force of arms. The news that came from there made him hurry - the new Bulgarian Tsar Boris, who ascended the throne with the help of the Greeks, attacked the Russian detachment left by Svyatoslav in Pereyaslavets and captured the fortress.
Like a swift leopard, the Russian prince rushed to the enemy, defeated him, captured Tsar Boris and the remnants of his army, took possession of the whole country from the Danube to the Balkan Mountains. Soon he learned about the death of Nicephorus Foki, who was killed by his close associate John Tzimisces, a native of the Armenian thematic nobility, who declared himself the new emperor.
In the spring of 970, Svyatoslav declared war on him, threatening the enemy to set up his tents near the walls of Constantinople and calling himself and his soldiers "men of blood." Then he crossed the snow-covered mountain ranges of the Balkans, took Philippol (Plovdiv) by storm and approached Arcadiopol (Lule-Burgaz). Tsargrad was only 4 days away across the plain. Here the battle of the Russians and their allies, the Bulgarians, Hungarians and Pechenegs, with the hastily assembled army of the Byzantines took place. Having won this battle, Svyatoslav, however, did not go further, but, having taken "many gifts" from the Greeks, he returned back to Pereyaslavets. It was one of the few, but the fatal mistake of the famous Russian warrior.
John Tzimisces proved to be a good student and a capable general. Having recalled the best Byzantine troops from Asia, gathering detachments from other parts of his empire, he taught and drilled them all winter, rallying them into a huge trained army. Tzimiskes also ordered to assemble a new fleet, repairing the old ones and building new warships: fire-bearing triremes, galleys and monerii. Their number exceeded 300. In the spring of 971, Emperor John sent them to the mouth of the Danube, and then up this river in order to cut off Svyatoslav's squad, to prevent it from receiving help from distant Rus'.
From all sides, the Byzantine armies moved to Bulgaria, many times outnumbering the Svyatoslav squads standing there. In the battle near the walls of Preslav, almost all the soldiers of the 8,000-strong Russian garrison were killed. Among the few who escaped and broke through to their main forces were the governor Sfenkel and the patrician Kalokir, who had once called Svyatoslav to Bulgaria. With heavy fighting, fighting off the pressing enemy, the Russians retreated to the Danube. There, in Dorostol (the modern city of Silistria), the last Russian fortress in Bulgaria, Svyatoslav raised his banner, preparing for a decisive battle. The city was well fortified - the thickness of its walls reached 4.7 m.
Approaching Dorostol on April 23, 971 on the day of St. George, the Byzantines saw the Russian army lined up for battle in front of the city. The Russian knights stood in a solid wall, "closing their shields and spears" and did not think to retreat. Over and over again, they repelled 12 enemy attacks in a day. Only at night did they retreat to the fortress. The next morning, the Byzantines began a siege, surrounding their camp with a rampart and a palisade with shields attached to it. It lasted more than two months (65 days) until July 22, 971.
On this day, the Russians began their last battle. Gathering his soldiers in front of him, Svyatoslav uttered his famous: "The dead have no shame." This stubborn battle lasted a long time, despair and courage gave unprecedented strength to the soldiers of Svyatoslav, but as soon as the Russians began to overcome, a strong wind that rose hit them in the face, dusting their eyes with sand and dust. So nature wrested from the hands of Svyatoslav an already almost won victory. The prince was forced to retreat back to Dorostol and begin peace negotiations with John Tzimiskes.
Their historical meeting took place on the banks of the Danube and was described in detail by a Byzantine chronicler who was in the emperor's retinue. Tzimiskes, surrounded by close associates, was waiting for Svyatoslav. The prince arrived on a boat, sitting in which he rowed along with ordinary soldiers. The Greeks could distinguish him only because the shirt he wore was cleaner than that of other warriors and by an earring with two pearls and a ruby, worn in his ear. Here is how eyewitness Leo Deacon described the formidable Russian warrior: “Svyatoslav was of medium height, neither too tall nor too small, with thick eyebrows, blue eyes, a flat nose and a thick long mustache hanging on his upper lip. His head was completely bare, only on one side of it hung a strand of hair, signifying the antiquity of the family. The neck is thick, the shoulders are broad and the whole body is rather slender. He seemed dark and wild."
During the negotiations, the parties made concessions. Svyatoslav promised to leave Bulgaria and go to Rus', Tzimisces - to let the Russian army through and allocate 2 measures of bread for 22 thousand surviving soldiers.
Having made peace with the Byzantines, Svyatoslav went to Kyiv. But on the way, at the Dnieper rapids, his thinned army was already waiting for the Pechenegs, notified by the treacherous Greeks. The cavalry detachment of Sveneld managed to pass unnoticed by the enemy to Rus' by the steppe, Svyatoslav, who was walking on the boats, had to spend the winter at the mouth of the Dnieper in Beloberezhye, but in the spring of 972 he decided to break through to Kiev through the Pecheneg barriers. However, the forces were too unequal. In a heavy battle, Svyatoslav's faithful squad was also killed, and he himself fell in this cruel battle. From the skull of Svyatoslav, the Polovtsian prince Kurya, according to the old steppe custom, ordered to make a bowl bound with gold for feasts.
According to chronicle data (Ipatiev list), Svyatoslav was born in 942 and was the only son of Prince Igor of Kyiv and Princess Olga.
Beginning of the reign
In 945, Prince Igor was killed by the Drevlyans for exorbitant tribute collection. Princess Olga, Svyatoslav's mother, who became regent with her three-year-old son, went to war against the Drevlyans, seeking to avenge her husband's death. The young prince Svyatoslav also took part in this battle. The prince's team defeated the Drevlyans. Olga forced them into submission and later traveled around Rus', building a system of government.
Svyatoslav was with his mother all the time. Princess Olga was baptized, presumably, in the period from 955 to 957 and offered her son to accept Christianity, but he refused, citing the fact that he would not enjoy authority with the squad. Until the end of his life, Svyatoslav remained a pagan.
Svyatoslav received independence in state affairs between 959 and 961.
Politics of Svyatoslav
"The Tale of Bygone Years" reports on the independent steps of Svyatoslav from 964. At this time, Svyatoslav had a large number of soldiers, and he fought a lot. On trips he was unpretentious. He did not carry carts, he ate like an ordinary soldier. It is to him that the phrase is attributed, which has become winged: "I'm going to you." So he warned his enemies, speaking out against them with war.
The chroniclers note that in 965 Svyatoslav opposed the Khazars, took their city of Belaya Vezha, and at the same time defeated the Yasses and Kosogs. According to some reports, Svyatoslav also fought with the Volga Bulgaria, but this is not confirmed by all sources.
Svyatoslav not only defeated the Khazars, but also tried to secure the defeated territories for himself. In 966, the chronicles reported on the imposition of tribute on the Vyatichi tribes.
In 967, a war broke out between Byzantium and Bulgaria. Byzantium, as always, decided to crush the Bulgarian kingdom with the wrong hands, and for this it turned to Rus' for help. In 968, Svyatoslav invaded Bulgaria, defeated their troops and settled at the mouth of the Danube, in Pereyaslavets. It was here that the Greek tribute was delivered.
In 968-969, the Pechenegs became more active and moved to Kyiv. Svyatoslav managed to return and drive the Pechenegs back to the steppe. Suspecting that the Khazars contributed to the attack of the Pechenegs, he made a second campaign against them. As a result, the Khazars were completely defeated.
While Svyatoslav was in Kyiv, Princess Olga, who, in fact, was the ruler of Rus', died. Svyatoslav made changes in the administration of the state: Yaropolk was put on the reign of Kiev, Oleg on Drevlyansk, Vladimir on Novgorod. He himself again went on a military campaign in Bulgaria. His regiments approached the Bulgarian Dorostol on the Danube and captured him. A little later, the capital Bulgarian city of Preslav the Great was also captured, and Tsar Boris himself was captured. All Bulgaria fell under the rule of Svyatoslav.
In 970, the political situation changed, and already with new allies (Bulgarians, Pechenegs and Hungarians), Svyatoslav attacked the possessions of Byzantium in Thrace.
There are several versions of further events. The Byzantines write that Svyatoslav's troops were defeated, and our chroniclers say that Svyatoslav won, reached Constantinople, where he received a large tribute, including for the dead soldiers. Nevertheless, the fighting continued for a long time and with varying success. Russian losses grew, and Svyatoslav began to search for ways to peace. Peace was concluded, the Greeks even confirmed the old trade agreement that allowed the Russians to trade with Constantinople.
On the way back, Russian troops were met by Pecheneg troops. Tragic events took place near the Dnieper rapids. Many soldiers died, including Svyatoslav. This happened in 972.
