Sviatoslav's meeting with Emperor John by Klavdiy Lebedev, an attempt to visualise Leo the Deacon's description of Sviatoslav

Sviatoslav I of Kiev (East Slavic: Святослав Игоревич) (c. 942 – March 972) was a warrior prince of Kievan Rus'. The son of Igor of Kiev and Olga, Sviatoslav is famous for his incessant campaigns in the east and south, which precipitated the collapse of two great powers of Eastern Europe—Khazaria and the First Bulgarian Empire; he also subdued the Volga Bulgars, the Alans, and numerous East Slavic tribes, and at times was allied with the Pechenegs and Magyars. His decade-long reign over Rus' was marked by rapid expansion into the Volga River valley, the Pontic steppe and the Balkans. By the end of his short life, Sviatoslav carved out for himself the largest state in Europe, eventually moving his capital from Kiev to Pereyaslavets on the Danube in 969. In contrast with his mother's conversion to Christianity, Sviatoslav remained a staunch pagan all of his life. Due to his abrupt death in combat, Sviatoslav's conquests, for the most part, were not consolidated into a functioning empire, while his failure to establish a stable succession led to civil war among his successors. Image File history File links Lebedev_Svyatoslavs_meeting_with_Emperor_John. ... Image File history File links Lebedev_Svyatoslavs_meeting_with_Emperor_John. ... Ioannes, protected by God and the Virgin Mary. ... Svyatoslavs meeting with Emperor John, as described by Leo the Deacon Klavdiy Vasiliyevich Lebedev (Russian: Клавдий Васильевич Лебедев) (October 16(28), 1852 - September 21 (N.S. October 4), 1916) was a Russian painter. ... Leo the Deacon was a Byzantine historian and chronicler. ... This article or section should be merged with List of East Slavic languages The East Slavic languages constitute one of three regional subgroups of Slavic languages, currently spoken in Eastern Europe. ... Events Otto II marries Theophanu, Byzantine princess. ... Kievan Rus′ was an early, mostly East Slavic[1] state dominated by the city of Kiev from about 880 to the middle of the 12th century. ... Ship burial of Igor the Old, by Henryk Siemiradzki (1845-1902). ... Baptism of Princess Olga. ... The Khazars (Hebrew Kuzari כוזרי Kuzarim כוזרים; Turkish Hazar Hazarlar; Russian Хазары; Tatar sing Xäzär Xäzärlär; Crimean Tatar: ; Greek Χαζάροι/Χάζαροι; Arabic خزر; Persianخزر ; Latin Gazari or Cosri) were a semi-nomadic Turkic people from Central Asia, many of whom converted to Judaism. ... The First Bulgarian Empire was founded in 681 AD in the lands near the Danube delta and disintegrated in 1018 AD by annexion to the Byzantine Empire. ... Volga Bulgaria or Volga-Kama Bolghar, is a historic state that existed between the 7th and 13th centuries around the confluence of the Volga and Kama rivers in what is now the Russian Federation. ... The Alans, Alani, Alauni or Halani were an Iranian nomadic group among the Sarmatian people, warlike nomadic pastoralists of varied backgrounds, who spoke an Iranian language and to a large extent shared a common culture. ... The East Slavs are a Slavic ethnic group, the speakers of East Slavic languages. ... Pechenegs or Patzinaks, also known as Besenyők, were a semi-nomadic steppes people of Central Asia that spoke a Turkic language. ... Hungarians (Hungarian: ) or Magyars[5] are an ethnic group primarily associated with Hungary. ... The Volga, widely viewed as the national river of Russia, flows through the western part of the country. ... The steppe extends roughly from the Dniepr to the Ural or 30 to 55 degrees eastern longitude, and from the Black Sea and the Caucasus in the south to the temperate forest and taiga in the north, or 45 to 55 degrees northern latitude. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... World map showing the location of Europe. ... Map of Ukraine with Kiev highlighted Coordinates: Country Ukraine Oblast Kiev City Municipality Raion Municipality Government  - Mayor Leonid Chernovetskyi Elevation 179 m (587. ... Trade city located at the mouth of the Danube. ... The Danube (ancient Danuvius, Iranian *dānu, meaning river or stream, ancient Greek Istros) is the longest river in the European Union and Europes second longest river. ... Events December 11 - John I becomes Emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Wycliffe Tyndale · Luther · Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Pope · Archbishop of Canterbury Patriarch of Constantinople Christianity Portal This box:      The history of Christianity... Note; many of the names that follow, such as Perun are those taken and renamed by those who have discovered evidence, and are not the actual, acurate historical names of many of the real gods, or figures in slavic mythology. ...

Personality

The Kievan Rus' at the beginning of Sviatoslav's reign (in red), showing his sphere of influence to 972 (in orange)

Sviatoslav was the first ruler of Kievan Rus' whose name is indisputably Slavic in origin (as opposed to his predecessors, whose names most historians believe are ultimately derived from Old Norse). This name is not recorded in other medieval Slavic countries. Even in Rus', it was attested only among the members of the house of Rurik, as were the names of Sviatoslav's immediate successors: Vladimir, Yaroslav, Mstislav).^[1] Some scholars speculate that the name of Sviatoslav, composed of the Slavic roots for "holy" and "glory", was an artificial derivation combining those of his predecessors Oleg and Rurik (they mean "holy" and "glorious" in Old Norse, respectively).^[2] Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (886x578, 706 KB) The Kievan Rus during the reign of Sviatoslav I of Kiev. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (886x578, 706 KB) The Kievan Rus during the reign of Sviatoslav I of Kiev. ... Svyatoslavs return from the Danube to Kiev (1773) Sviatoslav I of Kiev (c. ...  Countries where a West Slavic language is the national language  Countries where an East Slavic language is the national language  Countries where a South Slavic language is the national language The Slavic languages (also called Slavonic languages), a group of closely related languages of the Slavic peoples and a subgroup... Old Norse or Danish tongue is the Germanic language once spoken by the inhabitants of the Nordic countries (for instance during the Viking Age). ... The Rurik Dynasty was the ruling dynasty of what is now Belarus, Russia and Ukraine from 862 to 1598. ... Saint Vladimir Svyatoslavich the Great (c. ... Mikhail Gerasimovs reconstruction of Yaroslavs appearance, based on his examination of Yaroslavs skull Yaroslav I the Wise (c. ... Mstislav I Vladimirovich the Great (Russian: ) (June 1, 1076 – April 14, 1132), was the Velikiy Kniaz (Grand Prince) of Kiev (1125-1132), the eldest son of Vladimir II Monomakh by Gytha of Wessex. ... Fyodor Bruni. ... Rurik or Riurik (Russian: , Old East Norse Rørik, meaning famous ruler) (ca 830 – ca 879) was a Varangian who gained control of Ladoga in 862 and built the Holmgard settlement (Ryurikovo Gorodishche) in Novgorod. ...

Virtually nothing is known about his childhood and youth, which he spent reigning in Novgorod. Sviatoslav's father, Igor, was killed by the Drevlians around 942 and his mother, Olga, ruled as regent in Kiev until Sviatoslav's majority (ca. 963).^[3] His tutor was a Varangian named Asmud. "Quick as a leopard,"^[4] Sviatoslav appears to have had little patience for administration. His life was spent with his druzhina (roughly, "troops") in permanent warfare against neighboring states. According to the Primary Chronicle: Velikiy Novgorod (Russian: ) is the foremost historic city of North-Western Russia. ... Ship burial of Igor the Old, by Henryk Siemiradzki (1845-1902). ... The Drevlians (Древляне, Drevlyane in Russian; Деревляни, Derevliany in Ukrainian) were a tribe of Early East Slavs between the 6th and the 10th century, which inhabited the territories of Polesie, Right-bank Ukraine west of Polans, down the stream of the rivers Teteriv, Uzh, Ubort, and Stviga. ... Baptism of Princess Olga. ... Regent, from the Latin, a person selected to administer a state because the ruler is a minor or is not present or debilitated. ... Map of Ukraine with Kiev highlighted Coordinates: Country Ukraine Oblast Kiev City Municipality Raion Municipality Government  - Mayor Leonid Chernovetskyi Elevation 179 m (587. ... Varangian Guardsmen, an illumination from the 11th century chronicle of John Skylitzes. ... Asmund was a Varangian warrior who lived in the early and mid tenth century CE. He was the tutor of Sviatoslav I of Kiev. ... Housecarls were household troops, personal warriors and equivalent to a royal bodyguard to Scandinavian kings. ... The Russian Primary Chronicle (Russian: Повесть временных лет, Povest vremennykh let, which is often translated in English as Tale of Bygone Years), is a history of the early East Slavic state, Kievan Rus, from...

Upon his expeditions he carried with him neither wagons nor kettles, and boiled no meat, but cut off small strips of horseflesh, game or beef, and ate it after roasting it on the coals. Nor did he have a tent, but he spread out a horse-blanket under him, and set his saddle under his head, and all his retinue did likewise.^[5]

Sviatoslav was noted by Leo the Deacon to be of average height and build. He shaved his head and his beard but wore a bushy mustache and a braided sidelock as a sign of his nobility. He preferred to dress in white, and it was noted that his garments were much cleaner than those of his men. He wore a single large gold earring bearing a ruby and two pearls.^[6] Leo the Deacon was a Byzantine historian and chronicler. ... Ruby is a red gemstone. ... Strand of akoya pearls from China Pearl farm, Seram, Indonesia A pearl is a hard, rounded object produced by certain animals, primarily mollusks such as pearl oysters. ...

Svjatoslav's mother, Olga, with her escort in Constantinople, a miniature from the late 11th-century chronicle of John Skylitzes

His mother converted to Christianity at the court of Byzantine Emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus in 945 or 957. However,^[7] Sviatoslav continued to worship Perun, Veles, Svarog and the other gods and goddesses of the Slavic pantheon. He remained a stubborn pagan for all of his life; according to the Primary Chronicle, he believed that his warriors would lose respect for him and mock him if he became a Christian.^[8] The allegiance of his warriors was of paramount importance in his conquest of an empire that stretched from the Volga to the Danube. Image File history File links The_mother_of_the_Russian_sovereign_Svjatoslav,_Olga_along_with_her_escort_from_the_Chronicle_of_John_Skylitzes. ... Image File history File links The_mother_of_the_Russian_sovereign_Svjatoslav,_Olga_along_with_her_escort_from_the_Chronicle_of_John_Skylitzes. ... Map of Constantinople. ... John/Ioannes Skylitzes/Scylitzes (Ιωάννης Σκυλίτζης, 1081) was a Byzantine historian of the late 11th century. ... Byzantine Empire at its greatest extent c. ... Constantine VII Porphyrogenitos (the Purple-born) ( 905 – November 9, 959) was the son of Byzantine emperor Leo VI and nephew of Alexander III. He earned his nickname as the legitimate (or more accurately legitimized) son of Leo, as opposed to the others who claimed the throne during his lifetime. ... In Slavic mythology, Perun (with many spelling and pronunciation variants among modern Slavic languages) is the highest god of the pantheon and the god of thunder and lightning. ... Veles, Volos, Weles, or Voloh is a Slavic god, thought to be the deity of: cattle, commerce, music, divination and the underworld. ... In Slavic mythology, Svarog (Polish: Swaróg, Cyrillic: Сварог, Wendish: Schwayxtix) is the Slavic god and spirit of fire; his name means bright and clear. ... Note; many of the names that follow, such as Perun are those taken and renamed by those who have discovered evidence, and are not the actual, acurate historical names of many of the real gods, or figures in slavic mythology. ... Look up pagan, heathen in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Family

Very little is known of Sviatoslav's family life. It is possible that Sviatoslav was not the only (and the eldest) son of his parents. The Russo-Byzantine treaty of 945 mentions a certain Predslava, Volodislav's wife, as the noblest of the Rus' women after Olga. George Vernadsky was among many historians to speculate that Volodislav was Igor's eldest son and heir who died at some point during Olga's regency. At the time of Igor's death, Sviatoslav was still a child and he was raised by his mother or at her instructions. Her influence, however, did not extend to his religious observance. The Rus-Byzantine Treaty between Constantine VII of Byzantium and Igor I of Kiev was concluded either in 944 or 945 as a result of several naval expeditions undertaken by Kievan Rus against Constantinople in the early 940s. ... A History of Russia by George Verdansky George Vernadsky (1887-1973) (Russian: Георгий Вернадский) an American historian and an author of numerous books on Russian history. ...

Sviatoslav, had several children, but the origin of his wives is not specified in the chronicle. By his wives, he had Yaropolk and Oleg.^[9] By Malusha, a woman of indeterminate origins,^[10] Sviatoslav had Vladimir, who would ultimately break with his father's paganism and convert Rus to Christianity. John Skylitzes reported that Vladimir had a brother named Sfengus; whether this Sfengus was a son of Sviatoslav, a son of Malusha by a prior or subsequent husband, or an unrelated Rus' nobleman is unclear.^[11] Yaropolk I Sviatoslavich (Russian: Ярополк I Святославич) (alternative spelling Iaropolk) (? - 980) was a young and rather enigmatic ruler of Kiev between 972 and 980. ... Malusha (Russian: Малуша) was a housekeeper and concubine of Sviatoslav I of Kiev. ... Saint Vladimir Svyatoslavich the Great (c. ... The ruins of Korsun: the place where the Russian and Ukrainian church was born. ... John/Ioannes Skylitzes/Scylitzes (Ιωάννης Σκυλίτζης, 1081) was a Byzantine historian of the late 11th century. ... According to John Skylitzes, Sfengus or Sphengos was a brother of Knyaz Vladimir I of Kiev. ...

When Sviatoslav went on campaign he left his various relations as regents in the main cities of his realm: his mother Olga and later Yaropolk in Kiev, Vladimir in Novgorod, and Oleg over the Drevlians.

Eastern campaigns

The site of the Khazar fortress at Sarkel, sacked by Sviatoslav c. 965 (aerial photo from excavations conducted by Mikhail Artamonov in the 1930s)

Shortly after his accession to the throne, Sviatoslav began campaigning to expand the Rus control over the Volga valley and the Pontic steppe region. His greatest success was the conquest of Khazaria, which for centuries had been one of the strongest states of Eastern Europe. The sources are not clear about the roots of the conflict between Khazaria and Rus', so several possibilities have been suggested. The Rus' had an interest in removing the Khazar hold on the Volga trade route because the Khazars collected duties from the goods transported by the Volga. Historians have suggested that the Byzantine Empire may have incited the Rus' against the Khazars, who fell out with the Byzantines after the persecutions of the Jews in the reign of Romanus I Lecapenus.^[12] Khazar fortress at Sarkel (Belaya Vyezha, Russia). ... Khazar fortress at Sarkel (Belaya Vyezha, Russia). ... The site of the Khazar fortress of Sarkel, which was discovered and excavated by Artamonov in the 1930s. ... The steppe extends roughly from the Dniepr to the Ural or 30 to 55 degrees eastern longitude, and from the Black Sea and the Caucasus in the south to the temperate forest and taiga in the north, or 45 to 55 degrees northern latitude. ... The Khazars (Hebrew Kuzari כוזרי Kuzarim כוזרים; Turkish Hazar Hazarlar; Russian Хазары; Tatar sing Xäzär Xäzärlär; Crimean Tatar: ; Greek Χαζάροι/Χάζαροι; Arabic خزر; Persianخزر ; Latin Gazari or Cosri) were a semi-nomadic Turkic people from Central Asia, many of whom converted to Judaism. ... Map of Eastern Europe Pre-1989 division between the West (grey) and Eastern Bloc (orange) superimposed on current national boundaries: Russia (dark orange), other countries of the former USSR (medium orange),members of the Warsaw pact (light orange), and other former Communist regimes not aligned with Moscow (lightest orange). ... In the Middle Ages, the Volga trade route connected Northern Europe and Northwestern Russia with the Caspian Sea. ... Contemporary coin of Romanus I. Romanos I Lekapenos or Romanus I Lecapenus (Greek: Ρωμανός Α΄ Λακαπήνος, Rōmanos I LakapÄ“nos) (c. ...

Sviatoslav began by rallying the Khazars' East Slavic vassal tribes to his cause. Those who would not join him, such as the Vyatichs, were attacked and forced to pay tribute to the Kievan Rus' rather than the Khazars.^[13] According to a legend recorded in the Primary Chronicle, Sviatoslav sent a message to the Vyatich rulers, consisting of a single phrase: "I come at you!" (Old East Slavic: "Иду на вы!")^[14] This phrase is used in modern Russian to denote an unequivocal declaration of one's intentions. Proceeding by the Oka and Volga rivers, he invaded Volga Bulgaria and exacted tribute from the local population, thus bringing under Kievan control the upper Volga River. He employed Oghuz and Pecheneg mercenaries in this campaign, perhaps to counter the Khazars' and Bulgars' superior cavalry.^[15] The East Slavs are a Slavic ethnic group, the speakers of East Slavic languages. ... The Vyatichs (Вятичи in Russian) were a tribe of Early East Slavs, which inhabited a part of the Oka basin. ... Old East Slavic, traditionally known as Old Russian (Russian: древнерусский), is a name for a vernacular literary language used between the 10th and 14th centuries by East Slavs in Kievan Rus and other states formed by that ethnic group. ... Oka (Russian: Ока́) is a great river in Russia, the biggest right confluent of the Volga. ... Volga Bulgaria or Volga-Kama Bolghar, is a historic state that existed between the 7th and 13th centuries around the confluence of the Volga and Kama rivers in what is now the Russian Federation. ... The Oghuz Turks (also with various alternate spellings, including Oguz, OÄŸuz, Ouz, Okuz, Oufoi, Guozz, Ghuzz and Uz) are regarded as one of the major branches of Turkic peoples. ... Pechenegs or Patzinaks, also known as Besenyők, were a semi-nomadic steppes people of Central Asia that spoke a Turkic language. ... French Republican Guard - May 8, 2005 celebrations Cavalry (from French cavalerie) were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback in combat. ...

Sviatoslav destroyed the Khazar city of Sarkel around 965, and possibly sacked (but did not occupy) the Khazar city of Kerch on the Crimea.^[16] At Sarkel he established a Rus' settlement called Belaya Vyezha ("the white tower" or "the white fortress", the East Slavic translation for "Sarkel").^[17] He subsequently (probably in 968 or 969) destroyed the Khazar capital of Atil.^[18] A visitor to Atil wrote soon after Sviatoslav's campaign: "The Rus attacked, and no grape or raisin remained, not a leaf on a branch."^[19] The exact chronology of his Khazar campaign is uncertain and disputed; for example, Mikhail Artamonov and David Christian proposed that the sack of Sarkel came after the destruction of Atil.^[20] Sarkel (or Şarkil; Turkic for White Fortress) was a large limestone-and-brick fortress built by the Khazars with Byzantine assistance in the 830s. ... Kerch (Ukrainian: , Russian: , Crimean Tatar: , Old East Slavic: Кърчевъ) is a city (2001 pop 157,000) on the Kerch Peninsula of eastern Crimea, is an important industrial, transport and tourist centre of Ukraine. ... Motto: Процветание в единстве - Prosperity in unity Anthem: Нивы и горы твои волшебны, Родина - Your fields and mounts are wonderful, Motherland Location of Crimea (red) on the map of Ukraine. ... Atil, also spelled Itil (literally meaning Big River), was the capital of Khazaria from the middle of the 8th century until the end of the 10th century. ... The site of the Khazar fortress of Sarkel, which was discovered and excavated by Artamonov in the 1930s. ... Dr. David Gilbert Christian (1946-) is an Anglo-American historian. ...

Although Ibn Haukal reports Sviatoslav's sack of Samandar in modern-day Dagestan, the Rus' leader did not bother to occupy the Khazar heartlands north of the Caucasus Mountains permanently. On his way back to Kiev, Sviatoslav chose to strike against the Ossetians and force them into subservience.^[21] Therefore, Khazar successor statelets continued their precarious existence in the region.^[22] The destruction of Khazar imperial power paved the way for Kievan Rus' to dominate north-south trade routes through the steppe and across the Black Sea, routes that formerly had been a major source of revenue for the Khazars. Moreover, Sviatoslav's campaigns led to increased Slavic settlement in the region of the Saltovo-Mayaki culture, greatly changing the demographics and culture of the transitional area between the forest and the steppe.^[23] 10th century map of the World by Ibn Hawqal. ... Samandar (also Semender) was a city in Khazaria on the western edge of the Caspian Sea, south of Atil and north of the Caucasus. ... The Republic of Dagestan IPA: (Russian: ; Avar: , Daɣistanłul Džumħuriyat), older spelling Daghestan, is a federal subject of the Russian Federation (a republic). ... The Caucasus Mountains are a mountain system between the Black and Caspian seas in the Caucasus region, usually considered the southeastern limit of Europe. ... The Ossetians (oss. ... NASA satellite image of the Black Sea Map of the Black Sea The Black Sea is an inland sea between southeastern Europe and Anatolia that is actually a distant arm of the Atlantic Ocean by way of the Mediterranean Sea. ... Saltovo-Mayaki is the name given by archaeologists to the early medieval culture of the Pontic steppe region roughly between the Don and the Dnieper Rivers. ...

Pursuit of Sviatoslav's warriors by the Byzantine army, a miniature from 11th-century chronicles of John Skylitzes

Image File history File links Persecution_of_Russ_by_the_Byzantine_army_John_Skylitzes. ... Image File history File links Persecution_of_Russ_by_the_Byzantine_army_John_Skylitzes. ... John/Ioannes Skylitzes/Scylitzes (Ιωάννης Σκυλίτζης, 1081) was a Byzantine historian of the late 11th century. ...

Campaigns in the Balkans

The annihilation of Khazaria was undertaken against the background of the Rus'-Byzantine alliance, concluded in the wake of Igor's Byzantine campaign in 944.^[24] Close military ties between the Rus' and Byzantium are illustrated by the fact, reported by John Skylitzes, that a Rus' detachment accompanied Byzantine Emperor Nicephorus Phocas in his victorious naval expedition to Crete. Combatants Byzantine Empire Kievan Rus Commanders Romanus I Lecapenus Igor I of Kiev The Rus-Byzantine War of 941 took place during the reign of Igor of Kiev. ... Events City of Algiers (re)founded by the Zirid king Buluggin ibn Ziri Abu Yazid launches a rebellion against the Fatimids in the Aures mountains. ... Emperor Nikephoros II Phokas Nikephoros II Phokas or Nicephorus II Phocas (Greek: Νικηφόρος Β΄ Φωκάς, Nikēphoros II Phōkas), (c. ... For the famous World War II battle, see: Battle of Crete For other uses, see Crete (disambiguation). ...

In 967 or 968^[25] Nicephorus sent to Sviatoslav his agent, Kalokyros, with the task of talking Sviatoslav into assisting him in the war against Bulgaria.^[26] Sviatoslav was paid 15,000 pounds of gold to defray the expense of the voyage, and set sail with an army of sixty thousand men, including thousands of Pecheneg mercenaries.^[27] Kalokyros (Greek: Καλοκυρός) was a pretender to the Byzantine throne during the Russo-Byzantine Wars in the reigns of Nikephoros II and John I Tzimiskes. ...

Sviatoslav defeated the Bulgarian ruler Boris II^[28] and proceeded to occupy the whole of northern Bulgaria. Meanwhile, the Byzantines bribed the Pechenegs to attack and besiege Kiev, where Olga stayed with Sviatoslav's son Vladimir. The siege was relieved by the druzhina of Pretich, and immediately following the Pecheneg retreat, Olga sent a reproachful letter to Sviatoslav. He promptly returned and defeated the Pechenegs, who continued to threaten Kiev. Combatants Bulgarian Empire Kievan Rus Commanders Unknown Sviatoslav Igorevich Strength 30,000 60,000 Casualties Heavy Heavy For the battle of 971, see Siege of Dorostolon. ... Czar Boris II of Bulgaria, the son of Czar Peter I of Bulgaria ruled for three years (969-972). ... Andrey Ivanov, The Exploit of a Kievan Boy (1810). ... Andrey Ivanov, The Exploit of a Kievan Boy (1810). ...

Sviatoslav refused to turn his Balkan conquests over to the Byzantines, and the parties fell out as a result. To the chagrin of his boyars and mother (who died within three days after learning about his decision), Sviatoslav decided to move his capital to Pereyaslavets in the mouth of the Danube due to the great potential of that location as a commercial hub. In the Primary Chronicle record for 969, Sviatoslav explains that it is to Pereyaslavets, the centre of his lands, "all the riches flow: gold, silks, wine, and various fruits from Greece, silver and horses from Hungary and Bohemia, and from Rus furs, wax, honey, and slaves". Rus-Byzantine War may refer to one of the following conflicts: Rus-Byzantine War (830s) Rus-Byzantine War (860) Rus-Byzantine War (907) Rus-Byzantine War (941) Rus-Byzantine War (968-971) Rus-Byzantine War (987) Rus-Byzantine War (1024) Rus-Byzantine War (1043) Category: ... The Paphlagonian expedition of the Rus is documented in the Life of St. ... Combatants Roman (Byzantine) Empire Rus Commanders Michael III Askold and Dir? Strength Unknown Unknown Casualties Unknown Unknown The Rus raid against Constantinople in 860 is the only major military expedition of the Khaganate of Rus recorded in Greek and Western European sources. ... Combatants Byzantine Empire Kievan Rus Commanders Leo the Wise Oleg of Kiev The Rus-Byzantine War of 907 is associated in the Primary Chronicle with the name of Oleg of Novgorod. ... Combatants Byzantine Empire Kievan Rus Commanders Romanus I Lecapenus Igor I of Kiev The Rus-Byzantine War of 941 took place during the reign of Igor of Kiev. ... Sviatoslavs meeting with Emperor John by Klavdiy Lebedev, an attempt to visualise Leo the Deacons description of Sviatoslav Sviatoslav I of Kiev (East Slavic: Святослав Игоревич) (c. ... The ruins of Korsun: the place where the Russian and Ukrainian church was born. ... The penultimate Russo-Byzantine War, as documented by medieval Greek sources, took place in 1024, when a relative of the Kievan prince with eight hundred troops and forty ships penetrated into the Bosporus and, defeating a unit of the Greek coast guard, sailed into the Aegean Sea. ... The final Rus-Byzantine War was, in essence, an unsuccessful naval raid against Constantinople instigated by Yaroslav I of Kiev and led by his eldest son, Vladimir of Novgorod, in 1043. ... A boyar (also spelled bojar) or bolyarin was a member of the highest rank of the feudal Russian, Romanian and Bulgarian aristocracy, second only to the ruling princes, from the tenth through the seventeenth century. ... Trade city located at the mouth of the Danube. ... The Russian Primary Chronicle (Russian: Повесть временных лет, Povest vremennykh let, which is often translated in English as Tale of Bygone Years), is a history of the early East Slavic state, Kievan Rus, from... Flag of Bohemia Bohemia (Czech: ; German: ) is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western and middle thirds of the Czech Republic. ...

In summer 969, Sviatoslav left Rus' again, dividing his dominion into three parts, each under a nominal rule of one of his sons. At the head of an army that included Pecheneg and Magyar auxiliary troops, he invaded Bulgaria again, devastating Thrace, capturing the city of Philippopolis, and massacring its inhabitants. Niceforus responded by fortifying the defenses of Constantinople and raising new squadrons of armored cavalry. In the midst of his preparations, Niceforus was overthrown and killed by John Tzimiskes, who thus became the new Byzantine emperor.^[29] Thraciae veteris typvs. ... Plovdiv (Bulgarian: ) is the second-largest city in Bulgaria after Sofia, with a population of 341,873([1]). It is the administrative centre of Plovdiv Province in southern Bulgaria, as well as the largest and most important city of the historical region of Upper (ot Northern) Thrace, famous for its... Map of Constantinople. ... Ioannes, protected by God and the Virgin Mary. ...

Boris Chorikov. Sviatoslav's Council of War.

John Tzimiskes first attempted to persuade Sviatoslav into leaving Bulgaria, but was unsuccessful. Challenging the Byzantine authority, Sviatoslav crossed the Danube and laid siege to Adrianople, causing panic on the streets of Constantinople in summer 970.^[30] Later that year, the Byzantines launched a counteroffensive. Being occupied with suppressing a revolt of Bardas Phocas in Asia Minor, John Tzimiskes sent his commander-in-chief, Bardas Sklerus, who defeated the coalition of Rus', Pechenegs, Magyars, and Bulgarians in the Battle of Arcadiopolis.^[31] Meanwhile, John, having quelled the revolt of Bardas Phocas, came to the Balkans with a large army and promoting himself as the liberator of Bulgaria from Sviatoslav, penetrated the impracticable mountain passes and shortly thereafter captured Marcianopolis, where the Rus were holding a number of Bulgar princes hostage. Image File history File links Svyatoslav_chorikov. ... Image File history File links Svyatoslav_chorikov. ... Boris Artemyevich Chorikov (Russian: Борис Артемьевич Чориков) (1802 - 1866) was a Russian graphic artist. ... Selimiye Mosque, built by Sinan in 1575 Edirne (Greek: Αδριανούπολη, Bulgarian: Одрин) is a city in Thrace, the westernmost part of Turkey, close to the borders with Greece and Bulgaria. ... Bardas Phocas - Vardas Phokas was an eminent Byzantine general of Armenian origine who took a conspicuous part in three revolts pro and contra the ruling Macedonian dynasty. ... Anatolia and Europe Anatolia (Turkish: from Greek: Ανατολία - Anatolia) is a peninsula of Western Asia which forms the greater part of the Asian portion of Turkey, as opposed to the European portion (Thrace, or traditionally Rumelia). ... Bardas Skleros or Sklerus was a Byzantine general who led a wide-scale Asian rebellion against Emperor Basil II in 976-979. ... A miniature from John Skylitzes. ... Marcianopolis, or Marcianople, is a Roman Catholic titular see in the former Roman province of Lower Moesia, on the right bank of the Danube. ...

Sviatoslav retreated to Dorostol, which the Byzantine armies besieged for sixty-five days. Cut off and surrounded, Sviatoslav came to terms with John and agreed to abandon the Balkans, renounce his claims to the southern Crimea and return west of the Dnieper River. In return, the Byzantine emperor supplied the Rus' with food and safe passage home. Sviatoslav and his men set sail and landed on Berezan Island at the mouth of the Dnieper, where they made camp for the winter. Several months later, their camp was devastated by famine, so that even a horse's head could not be bought for less than a half-grivna, reports the Kievan chronicler of the Primary Chronicle.^[32] While Sviatoslav's campaign brought no tangible results for the Rus', it weakened the Bulgarian statehood and left it vulnerable to the attacks of Basil the Bulgar-Slayer four decades later. Silistra (Bulgarian: , historically Bulgarian Дръстър (Drastar, ) and Romanian Dârstor) is a port city of northeastern Bulgaria, lying on the southern side of the lower Danube at the countrys border with Romania. ... Henryk Siemiradzki. ... The Dnieper River (also known as: Dnepr, Dniapro, or Dnipro) is a river which flows from Russia, through Belarus and Ukraine, ending its flow in the Black Sea. ... Berezan is an island in the Black Sea at the entrance of the Dnieper-Bug estuary, Ukraine. ... ISO 4217 Code UAH User(s) Ukraine Inflation 11. ... Painting of Basil II, from an 11th century manuscript. ...

Death and aftermath

The Death of Sviatoslav by Boris Chorikov

Fearing that the peace with Sviatoslav would not endure, the Byzantine emperor induced the Pecheneg khan Kurya to kill Sviatoslav before he reached Kiev. This was in line with the policy outlined by Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus in De Administrando Imperio of fomenting strife between the Rus' and the Pechenegs.^[33] According to the Slavic chronicle, Sveneld attempted to warn Sviatoslav to avoid the Dnieper cataracts, but the prince slighted his wise advice and was ambushed and slain by the Pechenegs when he tried to cross the cataracts near Khortitsa early in 972. The Primary Chronicle reports that his skull was made into a chalice by the Pecheneg khan, Kurya.^[34] Image File history File links Konchina_Svyatoslava. ... Image File history File links Konchina_Svyatoslava. ... Boris Artemyevich Chorikov (Russian: Борис Артемьевич Чориков) (1802 - 1866) was a Russian graphic artist. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Kurya was the name of a Pecheneg khan who allied with Svyatoslav I of Kiev in his campaigns in the Balkans. ... Constantine and his mother Zoë. Constantine VII Porphyrogennetos or Porphyrogenitus, the Purple-born (Greek: Κωνσταντίνος Ζ΄ Πορφυρογέννητος, Kōnstantinos VII Porphyrogennētos), (Constantinople, September 905 – November 9, 959 in Constantinople) was the son of the Byzantine emperor Leo VI and his fourth wife Zoe Karbonopsina. ... De Administrando Imperio is the commonly used title of a scholarly work from ca. ... Sveneld (Russian: Свенельд) was a 10th-century Varangian warlord in the service of Svyatoslav I of Kiev and his family. ... Khortytsya view from space. ... Khortytsya view from space. ... Sebastian Münster Cosmographia (Basel, 1550) page 193, concerning Lombards and imaginatively illustrating the notorious skull cup. ...

Following Sviatoslav's death, tensions between his sons grew. A war broke out between Sviatoslav's legitimate sons, Oleg and Yaropolk, in 976, at the conclusion of which Oleg was killed. In 977 Vladimir fled Novgorod to escape Oleg's fate and went to Scandinavia, where he raised an army of Varangians and returned in 980. Yaropolk was killed and Vladimir became the sole ruler of Kievan Rus'. Yaropolk I Sviatoslavich (Russian: Ярополк I Святославич) (alternative spelling Iaropolk) (? - 980) was a young and rather enigmatic ruler of Kiev between 972 and 980. ... Saint Vladimir Svyatoslavich the Great (c. ... Scandinavia is a historical and geographical region centered on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe and includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden. ... Varangian Guardsmen, an illumination from the 11th century chronicle of John Skylitzes. ...

In art and literature

Ivan Akimov. Sviatoslav's Return from the Danube to His Family in Kiev (1773)

Sviatoslav has long been a hero of Russian, Ukrainian, and Belarusian patriots due to his great military successes. His figure first attracted attention of Russian artists and poets during the Russo-Turkish War, 1768-1774, which provided obvious parallels with Sviatoslav's push towards Constaninople. Russia's southward expansion and Catherine II's imperialistic ventures in the Balkans seemed to have been legitimized by Sviatoslav's campaigns eight centuries earlier. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (904x664, 153 KB)Ivan Akimov. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (904x664, 153 KB)Ivan Akimov. ... Ivan Akimov. ... The Russo-Turkish War of 1768–1774 was a decisive conflict that brought Southern Ukraine, Northern Caucasus, and Crimea within the orbit of the Russian Empire. ... Catherine the Great redirects here. ...

Among the works created during the war was Yakov Knyazhnin's tragedy Olga (1772). The Russian playwright chose to introduce Sviatoslav as his protagonist, although his active participation in the events following Igor's death is out of sync with the traditional chronology. Knyazhnin's rival Nikolai Nikolev (1758-1815) also wrote a play on the subject of Sviatoslav's life. Ivan Akimov's painting Sviatoslav's Return from the Danube to Kiev (1773) explores the conflict between military honour and family attachment. It is a vivid example of Poussinesque rendering of early medieval subject matter. Yakov Knyazhnin Yakov Borisovich Knyazhnin (Russian: Яков Борисович Княжнин, November 3, 1742 or 1740, Pskov – January 1, 1791, St Petersburg) was Russias foremost tragic author during the reign of Catherine the Great. ... Nikolay Petrovich Nikolev (21 November 1758 — 5 February 1815) was a Russian poet and playwright. ... Ivan Akimov. ... Les Bergers d’Arcadie, set in Ancient Greece. ...

Eugene Lanceray, "Sviatoslav on the way to Tsargrad", (1886)

In the 19th century, interest in Sviatoslav's career waned. Klavdiy Lebedev depicted an episode of Svyatoslav's meeting with Emperor John in his well-known painting, while Eugene Lanceray sculpted an equestrian statue of Sviatoslav in the early 20th century.^[35] Sviatoslav appears in the Slavophile poems of Velimir Khlebnikov as an epitome of militant Slavdom: Image File history File links Sviatoslav_sculputre. ... Image File history File links Sviatoslav_sculputre. ... Portrait of Lanceray (1907), by Konstantin Somov. ... Svyatoslavs meeting with Emperor John, as described by Leo the Deacon Klavdiy Vasiliyevich Lebedev (Russian: Клавдий Васильевич Лебедев) (October 16(28), 1852 - September 21 (N.S. October 4), 1916) was a Russian painter. ... Ioannes, protected by God and the Virgin Mary. ... Portrait of Lanceray (1907), by Konstantin Somov. ... The equestrian Marcus Aurelius on Capitoline Hill displayed uninterruptedly for eighteen centuries was the prototype of Renaissance equestrian sculptures An equestrian sculpture (from the Latin equus meaning horse) is a statue of a mounted rider. ... A Slavophile was an advocate of the supremacy of Slavic culture over that of others, especially Western European culture. ... Velemir Khlebnikov portrait by Wladimir Burliuk, 1913 Velimir Khlebnikov (Russian: Велимир Хлебников; first name also spelled Velemir; last name also spelled Chlebnikov, Hlebnikov, Xlebnikov), pseudonym of Viktor Vladimirovich Khlebnikov (November 9, 1885 (October 28, 1885 (O.S.)) – June 28, 1922), was a central part of the Russian Futurist movement but his work...

He is the villain of Samuel Gordon's novel The Lost Kingdom, or the Passing of the Khazars,^[37] a fictionalized account of the destruction of Khazaria by the Rus'. The Slavic warrior figures in a more positive context in the story "Chernye Strely Vyaticha" by Vadim Viktorovich Kargalov; the story is included in his book Istoricheskie povesti.^[38] Samuel Y. Gordon (September 14, 1861 – December 10, 1940) was a Minnesota legislator and the 19th Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota. ...

In 2005, reports circulated that a village in the Belgorod region had erected a monument to Sviatoslav's victory over the Khazars by the Russian sculptor Vyacheslav Klykov. The reports described the 13-meter tall statue as depicting a Rus' cavalryman trampling a supine Khazar bearing a Star of David. This created an outcry within the Jewish community of Russia. The Press Center of the Belgorod Regional Administration responded by stating that a planned monument to Sviatoslav had not yet been constructed, but would show "respect towards representatives of all nationalities and religions."^[39] Coat of arms of Belgorod Belgorod (Russian: ) is a city in Western Russia, situated on the Severny Donets river just 40 km north from the Ukrainian border, at 50°37′N 36°35′E. It is the administrative center of Belgorod Oblast. ... Klykovs equestrian statue of Marshal Zhukov on Manege Square in Moscow (1995). ... The Star of David The Star of David in the oldest surviving complete copy of the Masoretic text, the Leningrad Codex, dated 1008. ... The vast territories of the Russian Empire at one time hosted the largest Jewish population in the world. ...

Notes

The Russian Primary Chronicle (Russian: Повесть временных лет, Povest vremennykh let, which is often translated in English as Tale of Bygone Years), is a history of the early East Slavic state, Kievan Rus, from... Reply of the Zaporozhian Cossacks to Sultan Mehmed IV of Ottoman Empire. ... De Ceremoniis (full title: De cerimoniis aulae byzantinae) is a book written by Constantine VII, emperor of the Byzantine Empire. ... Alexander Vasilievich Nazarenko (born in 1948 in Panevėžys) is a Russian historian who works in the Moscow State University. ... Dobrynya was Vladimir the Greats maternal uncle and tutor who was later transformed in Russian folklore into the invincible bogatyr Dobrynya Nikitich. ... Malusha (Russian: Малуша) was a housekeeper and concubine of Sviatoslav I of Kiev. ... Mstislav of Chernigov, or Mstislav the Bold (Russian: Мстислав Владимирович Храбрый), was the earliest attested ruler of Chernigov (Chernihiv). ... For the Gentoo Linux package manager, see Portage (software). ... The Don (Дон) is one of the major rivers of Russia. ... Kipchaks (also Kypchaks, Qipchaqs) are an ancient Turkic people, first mentioned in the historical chronicles of Central Asia in the 1st millennium BC. Their language was also known as Kipchak. ... The Novgorod First Chronicle (Russian: ) is the most ancient extant chronicle of the Novgorod Republic. ... The Mandgelis Document or Mandgelis Letter was a letter in Hebrew dated AM 4746 (985–986). ... 1. ... Georgios Kedrenos, also known as George Cedrenus, was a Byzantine historian of the mid eleventh century CE. In the 1050s he compiled A Concise History of the World, spanning the time from the biblical Creation until his own day. ... Abu al-Hasan Ali izz al-Din ibn al-Athir (May 12 1160–1233) was an Iranian/Persian historian born in Cizre in Northern Kurdistan province. ... Al-Fadhl ibn Muhammad al-Shaddadi (also al-Fadl ibn Muhammad, Fadl ibn Muhammad, Fadlun ibn Muhammad, Fadhlun ibn Muhammad, or Fadl I was the Shaddadid emir of Arran from 985-1031. ... The Khazars (Hebrew Kuzari כוזרי Kuzarim כוזרים; Turkish Hazar Hazarlar; Russian Хазары; Tatar sing Xäzär Xäzärlär; Crimean Tatar: ; Greek Χαζάροι/Χάζαροι; Arabic خزر; Persianخزر ; Latin Gazari or Cosri) were a semi-nomadic Turkic people from Central Asia, many of whom converted to Judaism. ... Mikhail Nikolayevich Tikhomirov (31 May 1893 — 2 September 1965) was a leading Soviet specialist in medieval Russian paleography. ... The remains of the city of Chersonesos Chersonesos (Greek: , Latin: , Ukrainian: , Russian: ; see also List of traditional Greek place names) also known as Chersonese, Chersonesos, Cherson, Khersones and Korsun was an ancient Greek colony founded approximately 2500 years ago in the southwestern part of Crimea, known then as Taurica. ... Motto: Процветание в единстве - Prosperity in unity Anthem: Нивы и горы твои волшебны, Родина - Your fields and mounts are wonderful, Motherland Location of Crimea (red) on the map of Ukraine. ... Kerch Strait. ... Henryk Siemiradzki. ... Map of Constantinople. ... De Administrando Imperio is the commonly used title of a scholarly work from ca. ... Hungarians (Hungarian: ) or Magyars[5] are an ethnic group primarily associated with Hungary. ... Thessaloniki, (Greek: Θεσσαλονίκη), is Greeces second-largest city and the capital of the Greek region of Macedonia and the periphery of Central Macedonia. ... Map of Constantinople. ... For others with the same name, see Otto I (disambiguation). ... Scythian warriors, drawn after figures on an electrum cup from the KulOba kurgan burial near Kerch. ... Tsargrad (Old Church Slavonic: Цѣсарьградъ, Church Slavonic: Царьгра̀дъ, Russian: , Bulgarian, Macedonian and Serbian: Цариград (Tsarigrad or Carigrad in the Latin alphabet), Romanian: Å¢arigrad, Ukrainian: , also rendered as Czargrad and Tzargrad; see Tsar) is a historic Slavic name for the city of Constantinople, the capital of the Roman Empire and eventually its eastern half... Federation of Jewish Communities of the CIS was created in November of 1998 to unite efforts aimed at restoring Jewish life, culture and religion in the post-Soviet states to the pre-pogrom status quo. ...

References