Svyatoslav is the prince of Kiev. Prince-knight svyatoslav igorevich, son of olga

In character, he was more of a military leader than a politician and ruler of the state. Svyatoslav spent most of his life away from home with his elite squad, performing glorious feats, but useless for Russia.

Source of information: "Rulers of Russia" Valentina Valkova, Olga Valkova p. 8-10

Father - Igor, Prince of Kiev.

Mother - Olga, princess of Kiev.

Svyatoslav, the son of Igor and Olga, was born in 942. In character, he was more of a military leader than a politician and ruler of the state. Svyatoslav spent most of his life away from home with his elite squad, performing glorious feats, but useless for Russia.

In 964-966, Svyatoslav fought with the Khazars for power over the Vyatichi tribe. By the end of the 60s, he defeated the Khazar Kaganate and destroyed its capital Itil, located in the Volga delta, and the city of Sarke on the Don.

On the Volga, Svyatoslav fought with the Volga-Kama Bulgars, took their capital, the city of Bolgar, which literally means.

Svyatoslav also fought in the North Caucasus: he occupied the Khazar fortress Semender there, defeated the Yass and Kasog tribes.

Byzantium, which dreamed of weakening its restless neighbors, Russia and Bulgaria, provoked Svyatoslav's attack on Bulgaria, which he conquered, then settling in the city of Pereyaslavets at the mouth of the Danube.

At this time, Kiev, deprived of protection, was attacked by the Pechenegs. Svyatoslav was forced to hurry home. But, apparently, he could not live in one place for a long time. Having distributed the estates to his sons, he again went on a campaign.

In 971, in alliance with his former opponents, the Bulgarians and Hungarians, Svyatoslav entered the war with Byzantium. On June 21, 971, the famous battle took place near Bolshoy Preslav and Dorostol. The superior forces of the Greeks surrounded the troops of Prince Svyatoslav. Having withstood a three-month siege, Svyatoslav was forced to make peace with the emperor of Byzantium and go home to his Kiev.

On the way home (in 972), his squad was ambushed and killed by the Pechenegs near the Dnieper rapids. Prince Svyatoslav died in this battle. S. M. Soloviev wrote about him:. (Soloviev S. M. Works. History of Russia since ancient times. M., 1988. T. 1. S. 161.)

Svyatoslav!

"BLOOD HUSBAND"
(PRINCE SVYATOSLAV IGOREVICH)

Prince Svyatoslav Igorevich left a bright trace in Russian history. He ruled the Kiev land for only 8 years, but these few years were well remembered for many subsequent centuries, and Prince Svyatoslav himself became an example of military valor and courage for many generations of Russian people. The first time his name thundered in the Russian chronicle in 946. After the death of Prince Igor's father in the Drevlyansky land, he, then a three-year-old boy, was the first to start the battle with the rebellious Drevlyans, leaving in front of the Kiev regiments and throwing a battle spear towards the enemy. And although, thrown by a weak child's 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 gruff-governor, written down by the chronicler, which do not need translation, sound symbolic: "The prince has already retired. Let’s pull, druzhino, for riches!"

The Varangian Asmud was the educator and mentor of Svyatoslav, who taught his young pupil to be the first in battle and on the hunt, 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. It is evident that Princess Olga could not find a better mentor than Uncle Asmud for her son - he raised him as a real warrior. Svyatoslav, the chief Kiev voivode, Sveneld, taught the art of military leadership. Undoubtedly, this Varangian only limited 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 decisively and personal example instill courage in their army, anticipating the actions and deeds of enemies.
And one more lesson Svyatoslav learned from the instructions of his educators-governors - to be always at one with his retinue. For this reason, he rejected the offer of his mother, Princess Olga, who converted to Christianity in 855 and wanted to baptize her son as well. Kiev warriors who venerated 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, he fought a lot. he cooked meat, but, thinly slicing the horse meat, or animal, or beef, he roasted on coals and ate it like that. He did not have tents; when he went to bed, he put a saddle cover from a 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 Trans-Volga steppes; the second - against Danube Bulgaria, and then, in alliance with the Bulgarians, against Byzantium.

Back in 914, the army of Prince Igor, Svyatoslav's father, was killed in the Khazar possessions on the Volga, trying to secure the Volga trade route. To take revenge on the enemy and complete the work started by his father - perhaps this is what threw the young Kiev prince... In 964, Svyatoslav's squad left Kiev and, climbing the Desna River, entered the lands of the Vyatichi, one of the large Slavic tribes who were tributaries of the Khazars at that time. Without touching the Vyatichi and without 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 Kaganate, a decisive battle took place, in which the Kiev regiments defeated and put the Khazars to flight. Then he already moved his squads against other tributaries of the North Caucasian tribes of the Yases and Kasogs, the ancestors of the Ossetians and Circassians. This unprecedented campaign lasted for about 4 years. Victory in all battles, the prince crushed all his enemies, captured and destroyed the capital of the Khazar Kaganate, the city of Itil, took the well-fortified fortresses of 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 Kiev, Svyatoslav spent only about a year in his capital city and already in 968 set off on a new military expedition - against the Bulgarians to the distant blue Danube. Kalokir, the ambassador of the Byzantine emperor Nicephorus Phocas, who hoped to confront two dangerous people for his empire in a war of extermination, persistently called him there. For the help of Byzantium, Kalokir gave Svyatoslav 15 centinarii (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 Kiev prince was obliged to come to the rescue of the allied power under an agreement concluded with Byzantium in 944 by Prince Igor. Gold was only a gift accompanying a request for military assistance ...

The Russian prince took only 10 thousand soldiers with him on the campaign, but the great commanders are not fighting in numbers. Descending along the Dnieper into the Black Sea, Svyatoslav swiftly attacked the thirty thousandth Bulgarian army sent against him. After defeating it and driving the remnants of the Bulgarians into the fortress of Dorostol, the prince took the city of Malaya Preslava (Svyatoslav himself called this city, which became his new capital Pereyaslavets), forcing to unite against him and enemies and yesterday's friends. The Bulgarian Tsar Peter, feverishly gathering troops in his capital, Velikaya Preslav, entered into a secret alliance with Nikifor Foka. He, in turn, bribed the Pechenezh leaders, who willingly agreed to attack Kiev in the absence of the Grand Duke. In a desperate, bloody battle, the Kievites were exhausted, but the Pechenezh onslaught did not weaken. Only a night attack by a small army of the voivode Pretich, taken by the Pechenegs for the advance detachment of Svyatoslav, forced them to lift the siege and withdraw from Kiev. This story is associated with the first description in our chronicle of a heroic deed accomplished by the remaining nameless Kiev youth. When "the Pechenegs besieged the city with a great power - there were countless numbers of them around the city. And it was impossible either to leave the city or send a message. And the people were exhausted from hunger and thirst. And the (military) people of the other side of the Dnieper gathered in boats, and stood on And it was impossible neither to get to Kiev, nor to get to them from Kiev. 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 in the morning to the city - we will surrender to the Pechenegs. "One youth said:" I will make my way. "And they answered him:" Go. " "For he knew Pechenezh, and he was taken for his 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. k: "If you don't come up to the city tomorrow, people will surrender to the Pechenegs." Their voivode, named Pretich, said to this: "We will 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 sat down in the boats and trumpeted loudly, and the people in the city shouted. It seemed to the Pechenegs that the prince himself had come and ran scatteringly from the city. "
The call of the Kievites flew far to the Danube, with difficulty fighting off the attack of enemies: "You, prince, are looking for a foreign land and are taking care of it, but you have left yours, the Pechenegs, and your mother, and your children almost took us away. If you do not come and do not If you protect us and they will take us again, do you really feel sorry for your old mother, or your children. "

Svyatoslav could not fail to hear this call. Returning with his retinue to Kiev, he overtook and defeated the Pechenezh army and drove its pitiful remnants far into the steppe. Silence and peace reigned then in the Russian land, but this was not enough for the prince who was looking for battle and feat of arms. He could not stand the peaceful life and prayed to his mother: "I don’t like to sit in Kiev. 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 the Czechs and Hungarians - silver and horses, from Russia - furs, wax and honey. "

Princess Olga listened to the hot, heated words of her son and only said one thing to him in reply: "You see that I am already sick, where do you want to leave me? When you bury me, then go wherever you want ..."

She died 3 days later. Having buried his mother, Svyatoslav divided the Russian land between his sons: he put Yaropolk to reign in Kiev, Oleg sent to the Drevlyansky land, and Vladimir - to Novgorod. He himself hastened to his own by force of arms the conquered possessions on the Danube. The news that came from there forced him to hurry - the new Bulgarian Tsar Boris, who came to the throne with the help of the Greeks, attacked the Russian detachment left by Svyatoslav in Pereyaslavets and took possession of 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 Phocas, who was killed by his close associate John Tzimiskes, a native of the Armenian femdom 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 at the walls of Constantinople and calling himself and his soldiers "men of blood." Then he crossed the snow-capped mountain steeps of the Balkans, took Filippol (Plovdiv) by storm and approached Arkadiopol (Lyule-Burgaz). There were only 4 days' journey across the plain to Constantinople. Here there was a battle between the Russians and their allies, the Bulgarians, the Hungarians and the Pechenegs, with the hastily assembled army of the Byzantines. Having won this battle too, Svyatoslav, however, did not go further, but, taking "many gifts" from the Greeks, returned back to Pereyaslavets. This was one of the few, but the fatal mistake of the famous Russian warrior.

John Tzimiskes turned out to be a good student and a capable commander. Withdrawing the best Byzantine troops from Asia, collecting troops 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 old and building new warships: fire-carrying triremes, galleys and moneria. Their number exceeded 300. In the spring of 971, Emperor John sent them to the mouth of the Danube, and then up this river to cut off Svyatoslav's squad, to prevent it from receiving help from distant Russia.

From all sides, the Byzantine armies moved to Bulgaria, many times exceeding the number of Svyatoslav's squads standing there. In the battle near the walls of Preslav, almost all the soldiers of the 8-thousandth Russian garrison that was there were killed. Among the few who survived and broke through to their main forces were the governor Sfenkel and the patrician Kalokir, who once called Svyatoslav to Bulgaria. With heavy battles, fighting off the advancing 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 a Russian army in front of the city, lined up for battle. The Russian knights stood like a solid wall, "closing their shields and spears" and did not think to retreat. Time after time they repulsed 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 fixed on 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 said 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, as strong wind hit them in the face, dusting their eyes with sand and dust. So nature snatched the almost won victory from the hands of Svyatoslav. The prince was forced to retreat back to Dorostol and begin negotiations for peace 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 retinue of the emperor. Tzimiskes, surrounded by those close to him, 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 was wearing was cleaner than that of other vigilantes and an earring with two pearls and a ruby ​​threaded into his ear. This is how the eyewitness Lev the Deacon described the formidable Russian warrior: “Svyatoslav was of average height, neither too tall nor too small, with thick eyebrows, with blue eyes, with a flat nose and a thick long mustache hanging on the upper lip. His head was completely naked, only on one side of it hung a lock of hair, signifying the antiquity of the family. The neck is thick, the shoulders are wide and the whole waist is rather slender. He seemed gloomy and wild. "
During the negotiations, the parties made concessions. Svyatoslav promised to leave Bulgaria and go to Russia, Tzimiskes - 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 Kiev. But on the way, at the Dnieper rapids, his thinning army was already waiting for the Pechenegs notified by the treacherous Greeks. Sveneld's cavalry detachment managed to pass unnoticed by the enemy to Russia in the steppe, Svyatoslav, who was sailing on boats, had to spend the winter at the mouth of the Dnieper in the Beloberezhye, but in the spring of 972 he decided to break through to Kiev through the Pechenezh barriers. However, the forces were too unequal. In a heavy battle, the faithful squad of Svyatoslav fell, and he himself fell in this cruel battle. From the skull of Svyatoslav, the Polovtsian prince Smoking, according to the old steppe custom, ordered to make a bowl for feasts bound in gold.

The time of the birth of Igor and Olga's son, Prince Svyatoslav, raises questions. The Tale of Bygone Years does not date this event, noting only that in 945 - 946 Svyatoslav was still a child. When the troops of Olga and the Drevlyans stood opposite each other, ready for battle, a spear thrown by Svyatoslav towards the enemy served as a signal for battle. But since he was still small then, the spear fell in front of his horse. Some ancient Russian chronicles, including the Ipatiev one, mark the birth of Svyatoslav under the year 942. This, however, contradicts other chronicle data: after all, Igor was born in the late 870s, Olga in the 880s - at the latest in the early 890s, and they got married in 903. It turns out that only after 40 years of marriage, two elderly people had a son, which looks unlikely. Therefore, scientists tried to somehow explain these contradictions.

Unfortunately, this was not without nihilism. Thus, the archaeologist SP Tolstov even wrote that “the genealogy of the Rurikovichs before Svyatoslav was sewn with white thread,” and LN Gumilyov believed that Svyatoslav was not Igor's son at all (or was the son of another Igor, not Rurikovich). But the sources do not give an opportunity to doubt the direct relationship of Svyatoslav with Igor and Olga. Not only Russian chronicles, but also foreign authors, such as Leo the Deacon and Konstantin Porphyrogenitus, call Svyatoslav the son of Igor and Olga.

Additional information from some historical works can help to find a way out of a complex chronological situation. According to the "Chronicler of Pereyaslavl-Suzdal", Vladimir, who died in 1015, lived 73 years, that is, he was born in 941 - 942, and he was not the firstborn of Svyatoslav. The German chronicler Titmar of Merseburg also wrote about Vladimir's old age, who died "aggravated by years." And according to VN Tatishchev, who referred in this case to the Rostov and Novgorod chronicles, Svyatoslav was born in 920. And finally, the message of Constantine Porphyrogenitus in his treatise "On the Administration of the Empire" (compiled in 948 - 952) that Ingor's son Sfendoslav was sitting in Nemogard (most researchers see Novgorod in this name). Apparently, Svyatoslav reigned in Novgorod before he officially became the prince of Kiev, that is, until the fall of 944. In this case, it is completely incomprehensible how a two-year-old baby could reign in such a large center of Russia, and even send his representative to the Russian-Byzantine negotiations (at the conclusion of the treaty in 944, Svyatoslav was represented by a separate ambassador). Of course, one can assume that for Svyatoslav his breadwinner Asmud ruled, that is, both the reign and the embassy were simple formalities, but then what sense did they make? The princes in Russia could take part in adult life from seven to eight years old, but so that an infant of two years old was especially represented in foreign policy negotiations and formally was a prince in the second most important Russian city (moreover, Konstantin writes that Svyatoslav was just “sitting”, reigning, and not just owned) - this has never happened either before or after Svyatoslav!

All this allows us to conclude that Svyatoslav was born earlier than 942, possibly in the early 920s, that is, 20 years earlier than the dating of the Ipatiev Chronicle. The error can be explained by assuming that around 942, not Svyatoslav was born, but one of his sons. The great historian S.M.Solovyov drew attention to one more side of this problem in his time. According to the chronicles, the story is known that the mother of Svyatopolk the Accursed was brought to the son of Svyatoslav Yaropolk as a wife by his father, and she was originally a nun. If there is a historical fact behind this legend, then in 970 Yaropolk was already married, which does not agree well with the date of birth of Svyatoslav in 942. Solovyov explained this by the fact that the princes could marry their young children, even if the bride is much older: "The difference in years in polygamy meant nothing." However, the news of the annals itself once again testifies to the complexity of the problem under consideration.

When analyzing the dating of Svyatoslav's birth, an analogy with the same late birth of Igor strikes the eye. According to the chronicle data, Igor was still very young at the time of Rurik's death (according to the Resurrection Chronicle - two years old). Svyatoslav, as it were, repeats this situation: he is about three years old (if we admit that Igor died in the late autumn of 944, then Svyatoslav was also two years old). Under Igor, the educator Oleg, who is actually an independent prince until his death. Under Svyatoslav - Olga, who also holds the reins of government in her hands for a very long time. Perhaps, using the analogy with Igor, the chronicler tried to explain the actual usurpation of power by Olga, presenting Svyatoslav as a child?

If Svyatoslav was born earlier, it turns out that Olga simply removed her son from the supreme power. Perhaps this should be seen as one of the reasons for his unrestrained military activity?

It is interesting that, belonging to a Varangian dynasty in origin, Svyatoslav wore a purely Slavic name... Constantine Porphyrogenitus and Leo the Deacon gave the name of the prince as Sfendoslav, which proves the preservation of nasal vowels in the Slavic language at that time. The fact of the initial reign of Svyatoslav in Novgorod can be considered, in fact, as the earliest manifestation of the dynastic tradition of the Rurikovichs to plant the eldest son, heir or one of the sons of the Grand Duke on the Novgorod table. Thus, the unity of the two most important Old Russian centers and the special position of Novgorod in the system of the Old Russian state were emphasized. Svyatoslav began this tradition, which arose almost immediately after the design of Kiev as the Old Russian capital (Igor is the first Kiev prince from the Rurik family).

Svyatoslav became famous as a brave and valiant warrior who shared all difficulties and hardships with his warriors. He did not carry a tent, bed, dishes and cauldrons with him, did not like expensive clothes, and together with the soldiers slept in the open air, on the ground, with a saddle under his head, ate half-baked meat baked on coals. The appearance of the prince - a mighty hero, hardened in hardships and formidable in appearance - was also matched to the way of life. Svyatoslav was a brave and talented commander - the enemies were afraid of him. “I'm going at you!”, That is, I'm going at you, - this is how he usually warned the enemy before the start of the war.

Svyatoslav spent almost his entire life in wars with neighboring states. In 964, he moved to the lands of the Vyatichi, who paid tribute to the Khazars. This was the first blow to the power of the Khazar Kaganate. The Vyatichi lived in the interfluve of the Oka and the Volga, this remote land was separated from the rest of Russia by dense, impassable forests, and the trip there became the first feat of Svyatoslav (much later Vladimir Monomakh proudly wrote that he had passed through the land of the Vyatichi). Then in 965 Svyatoslav defeated the Khazar Khaganate. He took an important fortress that defended Khazaria from the Don - Belaya Vezha (Sarkel). Sarkel was built for the Khazars by the Byzantines in the late 830s. Now the entire Volga was under the control of Russia, and this could not but disturb the Byzantines. With rich gifts, the envoy of Constantinople, the dignitary Kalokir, appeared in Kiev, who invited Svyatoslav to direct his attack on Danube Bulgaria. At that time, she got out of the control of Byzantium and ceased to comply with the terms of the peace treaty previously concluded between the two countries. Svyatoslav, pursuing his own goals, agreed. The prince found it tempting to conquer the Lower Danube. After all, it was an economically and commercially rich land. If he became part of Russia, then its borders would expand and come close to the borders of the Byzantine Empire itself.

In 967 Svyatoslav began a war with the Bulgarians. Luck accompanied him. According to the chronicles, the Rus took 80 cities along the Danube, and Svyatoslav settled in the Danube town of Pereyaslavets. Here the Byzantines sent him all kinds of gifts, including gold and silver. In 968 Svyatoslav had to leave to save Kiev from the invasion of the Pechenegs, but then he returned to the Danube. The chronicle preserved his words: “I don’t like to sit in Kiev, I want to live in Pereyaslavets on the Danube - because there is the middle of my land, all the benefits flow there: from the Greek land - gold, pavolok, wine, various fruits, from the Czech Republic and from Hungary silver and horses, from Russia - furs and wax, honey and slaves. " This position increased the gap between Svyatoslav and the Kiev elite. The Kievans reproached their prince: "You, prince, are looking for a foreign land and you care about it, but you left yours ..." This is probably why they did not send troops to help him when Svyatoslav returned to Kiev after the war with the Byzantines.

Still, Svyatoslav was drawn to the Danube. Soon he was there again, again took Pereyaslavets, who returned during his absence to the Bulgarians, and then the war with Byzantium broke out. Then the emperor was an Armenian by origin, John Tzimiskes (Tzimiskes in translation into Russian means "shoe"). He was known as an experienced commander, but Svyatoslav was not inferior to him in military skill. The clash between the two heroes became inevitable. The Byzantine historian Leo the Deacon brought to us the true words of the Russian prince: “Sfendoslav (Svyatoslav) I was very proud of my victories over Misyan (residents of the Byzantine province of Misia); he had already firmly seized their country and was imbued with barbaric arrogance and arrogance (here, of course, it must be borne in mind that Svyatoslav was a mortal enemy for the Byzantines)... To the Roman ambassadors Sfendoslav replied arrogantly and boldly: “I will leave this rich country not earlier than I receive a large monetary tribute and ransom for all the cities I captured during the war and for all the prisoners. If the Romans do not want to pay what I demand, let them immediately leave Europe, to which they have no right, and go to Asia, otherwise let them not hope to conclude peace with the Tavroscythians. (as Leo the Deacon calls the inhabitants of Russia). "

Emperor John, having received such an answer from the Scythian, again sent ambassadors to him, instructing them to convey the following: “We believe that providence governs the universe, and we confess all Christian laws; Therefore, we believe that we should not ourselves destroy the unshakable peace that we inherited from our fathers, and thanks to the advancement of God. That is why we strongly urge and advise you, as friends, to immediately, without delay and reservations, leave the country that does not belong to you at all. Know that if you do not follow this good advice, then not we, but you will be the violators of the peace concluded in ancient times. (...) if you do not leave the country yourself, then we will expel you from it against your will. I believe that you have not forgotten about the defeat of your father Ingor (Igor), who, disdaining the oath treaty, sailed to our capital with a huge army on 10 thousand ships, and to the Cimmerian Bosporus (Kerch Strait) arrived with barely only a dozen boats, himself becoming a messenger of his misfortune. I do not mention his further miserable fate, when, having gone on a campaign against the Germans (or rather, to the Drevlyans), he was taken prisoner by them, tied to the trunks of trees and torn in two. I think that you will not return to your homeland, if you force the Roman force to oppose you - you will find destruction here with all your army, and not one torchbearer will arrive in Scythia to announce the terrible fate that has befallen you. " This message angered Sfendoslav, and he, seized by barbaric rage and madness, sent the following answer: “I see no need for the emperor of the Romans to rush to us; let him not exhaust his strength on the journey to this country - we ourselves will soon set up our tents at the gates of Byzantium (Constantinople) and we will erect strong barriers around the city, and if he comes out to us, if he decides to resist such a disaster, we will bravely meet him and show him in practice that we are not some artisans who earn a living by the labor of our hands (the Byzantine army consisted largely of peasants, while Svyatoslav's squad included professional soldiers) but men of blood, who conquer the enemy with weapons. In vain, out of his foolishness, he takes dews for pampered women and tries to intimidate us with such threats, like babies who are frightened by all sorts of scarecrows. Having received news of these crazy speeches, the emperor decided to immediately prepare for war with all zeal in order to prevent the invasion of Sfendoslav and block his access to the capital ... "

The news of the approaching squads of Svyatoslav confused the insidious Greeks. The Rus were advancing towards Constantinople. But Tzimiskes managed to mobilize his forces, and Svyatoslav retreated. The fate of the Balkans was decided in bloody battles. Finally Svyatoslav left the capital of Bulgaria - Preslav the Great and fortified himself in the fortress on the Danube Dorostol (now Silistra). Here in 971 his army was surrounded by a hundred thousandth army of the Byzantine emperor. The governors of Svyatoslav considered further struggle senseless and suggested that the prince surrender. But he resolutely refused and turned to his few soldiers with an appeal: “We will not shame the Russian land, but we will lie down with our bones. The dead have no shame. Let's stand strong, I'll go ahead of you! "

Leo the Deacon tells about the same battle: “While the sovereign (Emperor John) slowly moved towards the army of the dews, several brave men possessed by desperate insolence separated from their phalanx, who, setting up an ambush, made a surprise attack and killed some of the warriors from the advance detachment of the Romans. Seeing their corpses scattered along the road, the emperor lowered the reins and stopped the horse. The death of his compatriots led him into indignation, and he ordered to hunt down those who committed this atrocity. John's bodyguards, having carefully searched the surrounding forests and bushes, seized these robbers and brought them bound to the emperor. He immediately ordered them to be killed, and the bodyguards, without delay drawing their swords, hacked them all to one to pieces. Then the troops approached the space lying in front of Dorostol ... the Tavroscythians tightly closed their shields and spears, giving their ranks the appearance of a wall, and awaited the enemy on the battlefield. The emperor lined up the Romans against them, placing the riders dressed in armor on the sides, and the archers and slingers behind, and, ordering them to fire non-stop, led the phalanx into battle. The warriors met hand-to-hand, a fierce battle ensued, and in the first battles both sides fought for a long time with equal success. The dews, who won the glory of victors in battles among neighboring peoples, believed that a terrible disaster would befall them if they suffered a shameful defeat from the Romans, and fought, straining all their strength. Romeev, on the other hand, was overcome by shame and anger at the thought that they, who had defeated all opponents with weapons and courage, would retreat as newcomers inexperienced in battles and would lose their great glory in a short time, having been defeated by the people fighting on foot and not knowing how to ride on horseback. Motivated by such thoughts, both troops fought with unrivaled courage; the dew, which was guided by their innate brutality and fury, rushed in a furious impulse, roaring like possessed, on the Romans, and the Romans attacked, using their experience and military art. Many soldiers fell on both sides, the battle went on with varying success, and until the evening it was impossible to determine which side the victory was leaning towards. But when the sun began to lean towards the west, the emperor threw all the cavalry at full speed on the Scythians; in a loud voice he called upon the soldiers to show in practice the natural Roman valor and instilled in them good spirits. They rushed with extraordinary strength, the trumpeters sounded for battle, and a mighty cry rang out over the Romans' ranks. The Scythians, unable to withstand such an onslaught, fled and were pushed back behind the walls; they lost many of their warriors in this battle. And the Romans sang victory hymns and glorified the emperor. He gave them awards and held feasts, increasing their zeal in battle. "

But, despite the "victorious hymns", John understood that Svyatoslav was to die. Seeing that he would not be able to break the resistance of the Russians, the Byzantine emperor went to peace. Leo the Deacon described Svyatoslav's meeting with Tzimiskes in the following way: “Sfendoslav also appeared, sailing along the river on a Scythian boat; he sat on the oars and rowed with his entourage, no different from them. This is what his appearance was: of moderate stature, not too tall and not very short, with shaggy eyebrows and light blue eyes, snub-nosed, beardless, with thick, excessive long hair above the 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 back of the head, wide chest and all other parts of the body are quite proportionate, but he looked sullen and wild. He had a gold earring inserted into one ear; it was adorned with a carbuncle framed by two pearls. His attire was white and differed from the clothing of his entourage only in cleanliness. Sitting in the boat on the rowers' bench, he talked a little with the sovereign about the conditions of peace and left. This is how the war between the Romans and the Scythians ended. "

As a result, Russia and Byzantium concluded a new peace treaty - not in the palace or in the office, but right on the battlefield. The Rus pledged not to attack Bulgaria and the Byzantine lands in the future, and the Greeks promised to freely let Svyatoslav's army home, providing him with a small supply of food. Trade relations between the two powers were also restored. The text of the agreement, as usual, was drawn up in duplicate and sealed with seals. It should be thought that on the seal of the Russian prince there was an image of a bident - the patrimonial sign of the Rurikovich.

Returning to their homeland, the Russian army was divided. One of its units, led by the voivode Sveneld, headed overland, while Svyatoslav and his squad sailed along the Danube to the Black Sea. Then they entered the Dnieper and moved north. But in the spring of 972, on the Dnieper rapids, where the ships had to be dragged, the Pechenegs attacked the Russian squad. Svyatoslav died in battle. And the Pechenezh khan Kurya made a cup from the prince's skull, having bound him with gold. From this cup he drank wine, hoping that the mind and courage of the glorious commander would pass to him.

Prince Svyatoslav Igorevich remained forever in Russian history as a brave warrior and great commander, which covered Russian weapons with glory and strengthened the international prestige of Russia.

Svyatoslav had three sons. During his lifetime, he made the eldest son of Yaropolk his heir in Kiev, the second son of Oleg - the prince of the Drevlyansky, and the younger Vladimir, born from the concubine Malusha, at the request of the Novgorodians themselves, the prince of Novgorod.

Malusha's origin is unknown. The annals only dimly say that she was the daughter of a certain Malk Lyubechanin. Malusha's sister was Dobrynya, a distant prototype of the epic hero Dobrynya Nikitich. Malusha herself was a slave of Princess Olga, and therefore Princess Rogneda called Vladimir "robichich", that is, the son of a slave (but more on that below). An interesting hypothesis about Malusha's pedigree has arisen in historiography. It was suggested that she was in fact the daughter of the Drevlyan prince Mal, who, after the death of her father, became a slave to the victor, Princess Olga. But this version runs up against such insoluble contradictions that it cannot be recognized as worthy of attention.

It is curious that the Scandinavian "Saga of Olav Tryggvason" also speaks about Vladimir's mother, although without mentioning the name. King Gardariki Valdamar had an old, decrepit mother. She was considered a pagan prophetess, and many of her predictions came true. In Gardariki there was a custom: on the first day of yule (a pagan winter holiday, later identified with Christmas), in the evening, Vladimir's mother was carried in an armchair into the ward, put in front of the prince's place, and the old prophetess predicted the future. Vladimir treated his mother with great respect and reverence, asked her if there was any danger in Gardariki. One evening, the princess predicted the birth in Norway of Olav Tryggvason, who later visited Russia.

The motive of prophecy is common in medieval literature. But for all the legendary nature of this story (researchers believe that the features of the wise princess Olga could be reflected in the image of Vladimir's mother), it adds new colors to the initial Russian history.

After the death of Svyatoslav, Yaropolk became a full-fledged prince of Kiev. But his reign was short-lived. The governor under Yaropolk, as well as under his father and grandfather, remained Sveneld. "The Tale of Bygone Years" tells how once Sveneld's son, Lut, hunted in the forests near Kiev. At the same time, Prince Oleg Svyatoslavich went hunting. "Who dared to hunt on the princely lands?" - Oleg asked his commander, seeing in the distance several horsemen. “Lyut Sveneldich,” they answered. Then the prince decided to punish the disobedient. Having caught up with Lyut, Oleg killed him in anger. Since then, Sveneld harbored a grudge against Oleg and began to persuade Yaropolk to go to war with his brother.

In 977, strife began between the Svyatoslavichs. Yaropolk set off on a campaign against the Drevlyanskoe principality. In the first battle, Oleg was defeated and fled to the city of Ovruch. Like many Russian cities, Ovruch was surrounded by a moat, through which a bridge was thrown to the city gates. Oleg's warriors and the surrounding residents from all sides flocked under the walls of the city, hoping to hide from the approaching squads of Yaropolk. On the bridge leading to the fortress, many people crowded, they pressed and repelled each other. Oleg himself got into this crush. He struggled to make his way among the people mad with fear and, finally, was thrown from his horse straight into the ditch. From above, the bodies of crushed soldiers and the corpses of horses fell on him ... When Yaropolk captured Ovruch, he found the lifeless body of his brother in the city ditch. The prince lamented that he had started a war, but it was already impossible to stop it.

Vladimir, reigning in Novgorod, found out about what had happened and fled to his relatives in Scandinavia. In 980 he returned to Russia with a large Varangian retinue and moved south to Kiev. On the way, the young prince decided to capture the large and rich city of Polotsk, where Rogvolod reigned. Rogvolod had two sons and a beautiful daughter named Rogneda. Vladimir woo Rogneda, but the proud princess refused him (“I don’t want a rozuti robichich,” she said, since, as usual, the wife took off her husband’s shoes after the wedding), especially since Yaropolk was going to marry her. Then Vladimir suddenly attacked Polotsk, captured the city and burned it down. Rogvolod and his sons died, and Rogneda involuntarily had to become the wife of the winner. She gave birth to four sons to Vladimir, one of whom was Yaroslav the Wise.

Now the turn has come for Yaropolk. On the advice of the governor Blud, whom Vladimir bribed, Yaropolk fled from Kiev, leaving the city to the mercy of fate. The Kievites, deprived of their leader, did not even resist the advancing army. The gates of Kiev opened, and Vladimir solemnly sat down on the princely throne of his father. Yaropolk meanwhile took refuge in the small town of Roden, but his strength was exhausted. When Vladimir approached the city, Yaropolk's associates advised their prince to surrender without a fight. With a heavy heart, Yaropolk went to his brother's headquarters. And as soon as he entered the canopy of Vladimir's house, two Varangians guarding the door lifted him with swords in their bosoms. The prince's bloody body hung lifeless on sharp swords ...

This is how the Kiev reign of Vladimir began.

Svyatoslav Igorevich was only three years old when he inherited the princely throne after the death of his father, Grand Duke Igor Rurikovich. Until Svyatoslav came of age, his mother, Princess Olga, took over the reins of the country.

From an early age, Svyatoslav became akin to fighting life. Princess Olga, deciding to take revenge on the Drevlyans for the murder of her husband, went to the Drevlyansky land and took with her four-year-old Svyatoslav, since according to the old Russian tradition, the campaign should be led by the prince himself. He was the first to throw the spear, although the child's hand was still weak, but this was his first combat command to the squad.

Prince Svyatoslav Igorevich spent most of his life on campaigns. The war for profit and glory was the meaning of his life, state affairs did not interest him. Therefore, the prince Svyatoslav laid domestic policy on the shoulders of Princess Olga.

Prince Svyatoslav made his campaigns unusually quickly, did not carry any carts or tents with him, ate and slept like a simple warrior. The squad treated him with great respect. Svyatoslav greatly valued the opinion of the warriors and, apparently, for this reason, he refused to be baptized. The soul of the warrior prince did not lie to Christianity with its meekness and mercy.

Svyatoslav did not like cunning and did not attack unexpectedly, but warned the enemy, giving him the opportunity to prepare for a combat meeting.

In 964 Svyatoslav decided to make a campaign in Khazaria. His path passed through the Vyatichi, who paid tribute to the Khazars. The Russian prince Svyatoslav made them pay themselves and continued the campaign, reaching the Volga. The Bulgarians who lived along the Volga had a bad time: Svyatoslav's campaign against the Volga Bulgaria ended with the devastation and plundering of cities and villages.

A large Khazar army with the kagan himself came out to meet the Russians. The Khazars were completely defeated (965). Svyatoslav took their city Belaya Vezha, ravaged their land. After that, he won a victory over the Yases and Skewers, the inhabitants of the Caucasus.

Svyatoslav had a short rest in Kiev after a series of victories, when an embassy from the Greek emperor Nicephorus II Phocas arrived to him to ask for help against the Danube Bulgarians. In 967 the Kiev prince Svyatoslav went to the Danube. The Bulgarians were defeated, many cities were captured. Svyatoslav really liked the rich Bulgarian lands, occupying an advantageous position in the vicinity of Byzantium, and he even wanted to move the capital to Pereyaslavets.

The Khazar Kaganate for a long time was like a barrier from the raid of Asian nomads. The defeat of the Khazars by Prince Svyatoslav opened the way for a new horde, the Pechenegs quickly occupied the steppe zone.

In 968, the Pechenegs, bribed by the Byzantine emperor, took advantage of the absence of the Kiev prince Svyatoslav and surrounded Kiev. Princess Olga managed to call for help the voivode Pretich, who was at that time on the opposite bank of the Dnieper. The Pechenegs thought that Svyatoslav himself with the army was going to the rescue of the city, and retreated. And when Prince Svyatoslav returned to Kiev, he drove the Pechenegs far into the steppe.

Svyatoslav could not sit still for a long time, but Princess Olga persuaded him to stay, because felt that she would soon die.

After the death of his mother in 969, Svyatoslav did not restrain his hatred of the new faith. He killed Christians, incl. dignitaries and relatives, destroyed several temples and churches.

In the same year, Prince Svyatoslav went on a second campaign against Bulgaria, leaving his three sons, Yaropolk, to rule in his place. Oleg and Vladimir. At that time, the situation in Greece had changed. Emperor Nicephorus II Phocas was killed, John Tzimiskes took over the throne.

Svyatoslav defeated the Bulgarians and captured the two sons of Tsar Boris. The new Byzantine emperor did not want Svyatoslav's rule in Bulgaria, since this would pose a danger to Byzantium. He sent ambassadors to the Russian prince with gifts and demands to leave Bulgaria. In response, Svyatoslav offered the Greeks to buy out the Bulgarian cities.

War began with the Greeks. As a result of a long hard battle, the Greeks took possession of Pereyaslavets, almost all of the Russian army died. Svyatoslav at this time was in Dorostol, where the battle then moved. The Greeks were vastly outnumbered and better armed.

For 3 months Svyatoslav was in the besieged city, suffering hunger, need, disease with his army. In one of the battles, he, wounded, barely escaped captivity. The Greeks, too, were exhausted by the long battles.

The parties entered into an agreement under which Svyatoslav undertook to extradite all the captured Greeks, leave Bulgaria and not start a war with Byzantium, as well as prevent other tribes from attacking them.

While Prince Svyatoslav was at war in Bulgaria, the Pechenegs devastated his lands and almost took possession of Kiev. They say that the Byzantine emperor informed the Pechenezh leader that Svyatoslav was returning with a small number of soldiers. The Pechenegs lay in wait for the Kiev prince, a fight ensued, and the Grand Duke Svyatoslav died with all his warriors.

According to legend, the Pechenezh leader Smoking made a cup from Svyatoslav's skull, decorated it with gold and drank from it at feasts.

In many historical sources, you can find the fact that Prince Svyatoslav Igorevich was truly a brave warrior. A short biography can tell that his term of rule was short, but still during this period he managed to significantly increase the territory Ancient Rus... By his temperament, he was more of a conqueror than a politician, so he spent most of his reign in campaigns.

Childhood and early reign

Presumably, we can say that Prince Svyatoslav Igorevich was born in 940. His biography in this place is slightly different in different sources, therefore the exact date the birth of the son of Igor and Olga is difficult to name.

At the time of his father's death, he was only three years old, so he could not independently lead the state. The country was ruled by his wise mother.

She decided to take revenge on the Drevlyans for the cruel death of her husband and went on a campaign against them. According to the tradition of those times, only the ruler of the state, who was the four-year-old prince Svyatoslav Igorevich, could lead the campaign. short biography early years life tells that it was then that he threw a spear at the feet of the enemy, after which he gave the order to his squad to advance.

In subsequent years, the affairs of the state and domestic politics the prince was not at all interested. All these issues were always dealt with by the regent, who was his mother. But that was until a certain point.

Further reign

The first independent action the young ruler of Great Russia was the expulsion from their lands of the bishop and all the priests who came with him, invited by Olga for the baptism and Christianization of the state. This happened in 964 and was a fundamental moment for young man that is why Prince Svyatoslav Igorevich decided to do just that. His short biography tells that his mother tried to convert her son to the Christian faith, but he preferred to remain a pagan.

As a great commander, he explained this by the fact that he could lose credibility with his squad, becoming a Christian. At the same moment in his life, the young ruler also began an independent military activity and he spent the next years away from home.

Hike to the Khazars

Prince Svyatoslav Igorevich led his mighty army to the east against the Vyatichi. A brief biography of his conquering activities can tell that he conquered this tribe and went on. This time he decided to subjugate the Khazar Kaganate.

Reaching the Volga itself and conquering many villages and settlements on his way, the commander moved further to Khazaria, where he met a large army marching. In 965 the Khazars were completely the prince and his glorious retinue were defeated, and their lands were ruined. After that short biography Prince Svyatoslav Igorevich tells that he won another series of victories and decided to return home.

Bulgarian hikes

But the prince did not have to rest for long, after a while the ambassador of the ruler of the Greek lands came to him and began to ask for help in the battle against the Bulgarians living on the Danube. Therefore, the ruler of the ancient Russian state went to the banks of this river, defeated the people living there and seized their territory.

The vile Pechenegs, bribed by the emperor of Byzantium, took advantage of the absence of the prince and his retinue. They surrounded Kiev, but Olga still managed to summon to her aid the ancient Russian governor Pretich, who at that very time was nearby with his army. The enemies thought that it was Svyatoslav himself who was in a hurry to rescue the city and hastily retreated. And then the prince himself returned to Kiev, driving the Pechenegs even further from the capital of Russia.

After the death of his mother, the great warrior decided to go on another campaign to the Bulgarian lands, and in his place he left his three sons on the throne. This offensive was also crowned with the victory of the prince, and he even managed to capture the children of the king of Bulgaria.

But the new ruler of Byzantium did not like this, and he sent his messengers with a demand for the prince to leave this territory. In his response, Svyatoslav suggested that he buy out the Bulgarian territory. This was the beginning of the war between these powerful states, in which almost the entire Russian army was destroyed.

The biography of Prince Svyatoslav briefly tells that he was in a besieged city for four months and, together with his retinue, experienced deprivation, need and hunger. The Greek army was also exhausted by prolonged wars, so the warring parties decided to conclude an armistice. The Prince of Russia promised to hand over all the captured Greeks and leave the Bulgarian cities, and also not to start a war with Byzantium anymore.

Doom

In 972, after the conclusion of such an agreement, the prince safely reached the banks of the Dnieper and set off on boats to its rapids. At this time, the Byzantine ruler informed the leader of the Pechenegs that the great Russian commander was heading home with a small number of soldiers.

The Pechenezh leader took advantage of this situation and attacked him. In this battle, the entire squad and Prince Svyatoslav himself died. Summary the history of the reign tells that after him the son of Yaropolk ascended the throne.

Board results

He spent most of his reign in endless battles. Some historians can be quite critical of the commander and say that he participated in various foreign policy adventures.

But, as the brief biography of Prince Svyatoslav Igorevich shows, the years of reign (from 965 to 972) were not in vain. Campaigns on the Khazars, as well as on the Bulgarian lands, were able to ensure the exit of the Russian state to the Caspian waters.

Besides, Kievan Rus acquired its own fortification post on the Tamakan Peninsula, and also won recognition as a strong and powerful state.

Since the Grand Duke was also an experienced conqueror, he knew how to correctly bring confusion into the ranks of the enemy army in order to defeat it later. Before the very beginning of the battle, he sent his messenger to the enemy with a message in which it was written: "I'm going to you!". At first glance, it may seem that this is completely contrary to common sense, but the prince had his own calculation.

Such a letter forced the entire enemy army to gather in one place for a decisive battle. Thus, Svyatoslav could avoid battles with individual groups of soldiers. We can say that he was one of the first to use information and psychological warfare.

This great man accomplished many feats during his short life and remained in history as a wise and warlike ruler of Ancient Russia.