Svyatoslav the Brave - Prince and General

The Kiev prince Svyatoslav the Brave rules in 645-672. Most of all, he is known as a bright commander, who in his account had several wars in different regions of Eastern Europe.

Igor's heir

The son of Igor Rurikovich Svyatoslav the Brave was his only offspring. He was born three years before the tragic death of his father. Igor was brutally murdered by the Drevlyans, who refused to pay him an additional tribute.

Svyatoslav was then too small, so his mother Olga became regent. She decided to take revenge on the Drevlyans. With the help of cunning, the princess burned their capital, Iskorosten. This strong-willed woman firmly held power in her hands, while her son was growing up. Most of all, Olga is known for the fact that in 855 she went to Byzantium, where she was baptized. She became the first Russian Christian ruler. The ceremony was performed in the main cathedral of Constantinople , Hagia Sophia.

Svyatoslav and religion

Mother tried to instill in her son Christianity. But Svyatoslav the Brave remained a pagan. He was raised in army conditions and subjected to the influence of his vigilantes, who remained supporters of long Slavic customs.

There is an unconfirmed theory that in Constantinople, Olga tried to find her son from among the Greek priests. The emperor refused the embassy, which, of course, offended Svyatoslav. As time will tell, his relationship with Byzantium became fatal for him.

The war with the Vyatichi

Prince Svyatoslav the Brave was not very interested in the internal and administrative affairs of the country. His life was the army. All his free time he spent with his druzhina. Because of this, the prince was distinguished by his fierce temper and the most simple everyday habits. He could easily lie down to sleep in the field next to his horse, while refusing his own tent and other amenities.

Therefore it is not surprising that as soon as Prince Svyatoslav I. Brave grew up, he began to conduct an active foreign policy. His first trip dates back to 964 year. That summer he attacked Vyatichi, who lived on the Oka River and paid tribute to the Khazars.

The fall of the Khazar Khaganate

The next year the Kaganate had to face a well-organized Slavic army. The Khazars were Turkic-speaking nomads. Their political elite adopted Judaism. Distinctions of the Kaganate from Russia were obvious, which, of course, gave Svyatoslav an additional reason to go to war with his neighbors.

The prince captured several Khazar cities: Sarkel, Itil, Belaya Vezhu. His squad went through fire and sword in all important economic centers of the Kaganate, because of which he fell into decay and soon completely disappeared from the map. Prince Svyatoslav the Brave tried not only to destroy another's power. He ordered to occupy the fortress of Sarkel on the Don River. For a while it became a Slav enclave in the southern steppes.

Intervention in the Greco-Bulgarian conflict

The Khazar campaigns of Svyatoslav the Brave were just a rehearsal of the main military campaign of his life. At this time, the war between the Bulgarians and Byzantium began. Emperor Nicephorus Fock sent an embassy to Kiev, which persuaded Svyatoslav to help the Greeks. In exchange, the Slavs received a generous reward.

So, thanks to his courage and enterprise, Svyatoslav the Brave became famous. The photo of the Novgorod monument, which was opened to the millennium of Russia in 1862, confirms this fact. Svyatoslav takes his place among other great military commanders, alongside Mstislav Udalym. While the Prince of Kiev successfully fought on the banks of the Danube, an important political change took place in Constantinople. Emperor Nikifor Fock was killed during the coup. The new ruler, John Tzimisces, refused to pay Svyatoslav, and then the war took an unexpected turn.

The Slavic prince concluded an alliance with the Bulgarians and now went with his retinue to the emperor. While Svyatoslav was not in Kiev, his mother Olga died there, which actually ruled the country in the absence of her son.

In 970, the prince managed to enlist the support not only of the Bulgarians, but also of the Hungarians and the Pechenegs. His army ravaged Thrace for several months. This offensive was stopped after the Battle of Arcadio. The Byzantines defeated the Pechenegs, who fled from the battlefield and betrayed Svyatoslav.

Now the war has moved to the north - on the banks of the Danube. Here Svyatoslav planned to settle permanently. He even made his capital the local fortress of Pereyaslavets. Perhaps the southern lands liked him more than Kiev.

Peace treaty with the emperor

Emperor John Tzimisces was also a commander. He personally led the troops in the new campaign of 971. In April, his army captured the Bulgarian capital and captivated Tsar Boris II. Thus, Svyatoslav remained alone against the Greeks. Together with his army he moved to the well-fortified fortress of Dorostol.

Soon the Greeks surrounded the last Slavic bastion in the region. Svyatoslav did not want to surrender without a fight and for three months kept the fortress. His troops conducted bold outings. In one of them, the Byzantines lost all their siege weapons. Slavs at least four times went out into the field to break through the blockade.

In these battles, hundreds and thousands of warriors perished on both sides. By the end of July, the prince and emperor had finally agreed on the conclusion of peace. According to the treaty, Svyatoslav, along with his army could calmly return to his homeland. At the same time the Greeks provided him with everything necessary for travel. A few days after the meeting of the rulers, the Slavonic rooks left the Danube basin.

Death

Svyatoslav refused all acquisitions in Bulgaria. But there is no doubt that the young thirty-year-old prince was not going to give up. Returning home and having gained new strength, he could again go to war with the empire. But the prince's plans did not come true.

The way of his troops ran through the delta of the Dnieper and its lower reaches, where there were dangerous rapids for navigation. Because of this, the prince with a small remaining detachment had to go ashore to overcome the natural obstacle. This is how Svyatoslav was ambushed by the Pechenegs. Most likely, the nomads concluded an agreement with the Byzantine emperor, who wanted to deal with the sworn enemy.

In 972 Svyatoslav was killed in an unequal battle. News of this came to Kiev, along with a miracle of the surviving warriors of the prince. In the capital began to rule his son Yaropolk. Eight years later Vladimir Krasnoe Solnyshko, the Baptizer of Russia, will come to replace him.