Svyatoslav - Alexander the Great of Eastern Europe. Alexander the Great of Eastern Europe You are looking for foreign lands, but you cannot defend your own.

Svyatoslav - Alexander the Great of Eastern Europe.

Starting from the time when in 962, having matured and stood at the head of the squad, Svyatoslav actually began to rule the state, he began to further expand Russia. He succeeded in what his predecessors could not do: he subdued the Vyatichi principality, located between the Oka and Volga rivers.

He continued the efforts of Oleg and Olga to centralize power. Oleg placed his governors only in the cities along the upper reaches of the Dnieper - in Smolensk and Lyubech, and in the rest of the lands there were local princes, although they were subordinate to him. Olga sent the stewards to the tribute collection points. Now Svyatoslav, leaving for the war, sent his sons to the most important lands of Russia. He left the eldest son Yaropolk in Kiev, the second son, Oleg, sent to govern the Drevlyansky land, and the youngest, Vladimir, sent with his uncle the famous voivode Dobrynya to govern Novgorod. The sons of the Grand Duke in the formerly semi-independent principalities essentially became his governors.

Svyatoslav continued and foreign policy their predecessors. But he gave it such a scale, breathing into it such strength and passion that it struck the imagination of both contemporaries and descendants.

In 964 he set out on a campaign to the east. The main goal of this campaign was to crush the ancient enemy - Khazaria.

By this time, Svyatoslav was already an established leader of the squad, brave in battle, unpretentious to the hardships of military life. Here is how the chronicler describes him: “And he easily went on campaigns, like a Pardus (cheetah), and fought a lot. On campaigns, he did not carry either carts or cauldrons with him, did not cook meat, but, having thinly sliced ​​horse meat, or animals, or beef and roasted on coals, he ate that way. He did not even have a tent, but he slept with his sweat-cloth covered, with a saddle in his head. and sent to other lands with the words:

"I want to go to you." His appearance "was well conveyed by a Byzantine historian: a head shaved according to Russian custom with a long strand of hair hanging down, a gold earring with a large ruby ​​in his left ear, a gloomy look, unpretentious, modest clothing, distinguished by its purity, high self-esteem that exuded from all of his figures.

Passing through the Oka-Volga forests, the land of the Vyatichi, Svyatoslav launched his first blow on the Volga Bulgaria, an ally of Khazaria. The army of the Bulgars was defeated, and the capital of the Bulgars and other cities were taken and the population was dispersed. Along the way, Svyatoslav defeated the Burtases who lived in the Oka-Volga forests and hostile to Russia, captured and burned their cities, and dispersed the population.

Then the Russian army went down the Volga and approached the borders of the Khazar Kaganate. The blow from the north was swift and unexpected. Usually Russian troops came to the borders of Khazaria along the Sea of ​​Azov and the Don. Now they first defeated the allies of Khazaria. This shows a well-thought-out plan for the entire military campaign.

The kagan himself went out with an army to meet the Russians, but was defeated,

and the capital of Khazaria, the city of Itil in the lower reaches of the Volga was also captured by Svyatoslav.

With fire and sword, the Russian army marched across the entire Khazar land, leaving behind destruction and ashes. At first, Svyatoslav's path lay in the Khazar possessions in the North Caucasus. From there he moved to the Don, defeating on the way the tribes of the Yases and Kasogs (present-day Ossetians and Circassians) that were at war with Russia and the allied Khazars. On the banks of the Don, Svyatoslav's army stormed the Khazar fortress Sarkel, which was built here in the 9th century. with the help of Byzantine engineers to guard the Khazar borders from the Russians. Traces of fires, destroyed buildings, broken fortress walls - this is how Sarkel appears, according to archaeologists. The fortress was literally wiped out from the face of the earth.

Thus, the goal of the campaign was achieved. Khazaria essentially ceased to exist as a strong state.

Leaving the garrisons on the occupied territory, Svyatoslav returned to Kiev, and his troops began attacks on the Crimean possessions of Byzantium. Russ continued the line of yesteryear

With the light hand of Karamzin, Prince Svyatoslav is considered the ancient Russian Alexander the Great. Information about the battles he fought and won over the years is not rich in details, but one thing is clear: by his thirty years Svyatoslav managed to organize a dozen military campaigns, and in the majority he won.

Battle with the Drevlyans

For the first time, the Grand Duke Svyatoslav Igorevich participated in the battle in May 946, however, he led the army only formally, since he was only four years old. When his soldiers lined up on the battlefield against the Drevlyans, the governors Sveneld and Asmud brought out the horse on which the young Svyatoslav was sitting, gave the boy a spear, and he threw him towards the enemies. "The prince has already begun, let's pull, squad, for the prince!" - shouted the commanders, and the enthusiastic Kiev army went forward. The Drevlyans were defeated and locked up in the cities. Three months later, thanks to the cunning of Princess Olga, Iskorosten was taken, and the very first of Svyatoslav's military campaigns ended in victory.

Battle of Sarkel

965 year. The first independent campaign of Svyatoslav. Having passed the lands of the Vyatichi, the only of the East Slavic tribes that had not yet paid tribute to Kiev, descending along the Volga to the lands of the Khazar Kaganate, Svyatoslav defeated the old enemy of Russia. One of the decisive battles took place near Sarkel, an outpost of Khazaria in the west.

On the banks of the Don, two armies converged, Svyatoslav defeated the Khazar army and pushed it back to the city. The siege did not last long. When Sarkel fell, his defenders were mercilessly beaten, the inhabitants fled, and the city itself was burned to the ground. In its place, Svyatoslav founded the Russian outpost Belaya Vezha.

Second capture of Preslav

Guided by Byzantium, the Grand Duke invaded Bulgaria, took its capital Preslav and began to consider it the middle (capital) of his land. But the Pechenegs' raid on Kiev forced him to leave the conquered lands.
When Svyatoslav returned, he found that the Byzantine opposition in the capital had gained the upper hand, and the whole city had rebelled against the prince. He had to take Preslav for the second time.
The 20-thousandth army of the Russians was opposed by the superior forces of the enemy. And the battle under the walls of the city was initially in favor of the Bulgarians. But: “Brothers and retinue! We will die, but we will die with firmness and courage! " - the prince turned to the soldiers, and the decisive attack was crowned with success: the course of the battle was broken, Svyatoslav occupied Preslav and cruelly dealt with the traitors.

Siege of Philippopolis

The main rival of Russia was Byzantium; it was against Constantinople that Svyatoslav planned his main blow. To reach the borders of Byzantium, it was necessary to go through southern Bulgaria, where, fed by the Greeks, anti-Russian sentiments were strong. Few cities surrendered without a fight, and in many Svyatoslav was forced to arrange demonstrative executions. One of the oldest cities in Europe, Philippopolis, was especially stubbornly opposed. Here, on the side of the Bulgarians who rebelled against the Russian prince, the Byzantines also fought, whose main army was located several tens of kilometers to the south. But the army of Svyatoslav was already coalitional: the Bulgarians, Hungarians, Pechenegs acted in alliance with him. After bloody battles, the city fell. His garrison, commanders, captured Greeks and Bulgarians, irreconcilable to the Russians, were executed. 20 thousand people by order of Svyatoslav were impaled.

Two general battles in Byzantium

Further advancement deep into Byzantium Svyatoslav led two armies: one, consisting of the best Russian soldiers, battle-hardened vigilantes, he led himself, the other - the Russians, Bulgarians, Hungarians and Pechenegs - was under the command of the Kiev governor Sfenkel.
The coalition army clashed with the main army of the Greeks near Arcadiopol, where a general battle took place. Considering that the Pechenegs were the weak link in the allied army, the Byzantine commander Varda Sklir sent the main blow of the army to their flank. The Pechenegs wavered and ran. The outcome of the battle was a foregone conclusion. The Russians, Hungarians and Bulgarians fought hard, but found themselves surrounded and defeated.
The battle of Svyatoslav's troops turned out to be no less difficult. The 10-thousandth squad of the prince was opposed by a detachment under the command of Patrician Peter. As before, Svyatoslav managed to turn the tide of the battle at a critical moment for himself: “We have nowhere to go, whether we want it or not, we must fight. So let us not put the Russian land to shame, but let us lie down here with the bones, for the dead have no shame. If we run, we will be disgraced. " He rushed forward, and the army followed him. The Greeks fled from the battlefield, and Svyatoslav continued the victorious march to Constantinople. But, having learned about the defeat of the second army, he was forced to agree to an armistice with the Byzantine emperor: the allies did not have the strength to siege.

Defense of Dorostol

Having violated the peace treaty, the Greeks in 971 first attacked Preslav, then, devastating the cities, went to the Danube, to the city of Dorostol, in which Svyatoslav was located. His position was more than difficult. The bloody battle under the walls of the city lasted from morning until darkness and forced the Russians with the Bulgarians to retreat behind the fortress walls. A long siege began. From land the city was surrounded by an army under the command of the emperor, the Danube blockaded the Greek fleet. The Russians, despite the danger, made daring forays. In one of them, a high-ranking official, Master John, was beheaded. Another vigilante committed at night in the strongest rain: boats bypassed the enemy fleet, gathered stocks of grain in the villages and killed many sleeping Greeks.
When the position of his army became critical, Svyatoslav considered it a shame to surrender or run away and led the army out of the city walls, ordering the gates to be locked. For two days, with a break for the night, his soldiers fought with the Byzantines. Having lost 15 thousand people, the Grand Duke returned to Dorostol and agreed to the peace proposed by the emperor Tzimiskes.

Battle with the Pechenegs

According to the terms of the peace, the remnants of Svyatoslav's troops freely left Bulgaria and reached the rapids of the Dnieper. The prince planned to get to Kiev along it, but the path was blocked by the recent allies of the Pechenegs, who learned either from the Bulgarians or from the Greeks that the Russians were carrying large treasures. Waiting for help, Svyatoslav spent the winter here. But help did not arrive in time, and the Grand Duke made an attempt to break the blockade. The attempt was successful: part of the army passed the Pechenegs, but Svyatoslav himself fell in the battle. As you know, the Pechenezh Khan made a goblet out of his skull, inlaid it and was very proud of his victory.

Ancient slavs

Svyatoslav Igorevich (927 - 972) - Grand Duke Kievsky, the son of Prince Igor and Princess Olga, went down in history as a great commander and conqueror. From a young age, Svyatoslav cultivated the habit of deprivation. He was a stern and strong warrior. Under Prince Svyatoslav, the borders Kievan Rus were significantly expanded both to the East and to the West. By the number of military victories won, Prince Svyatoslav can rightfully be called the Alexander the Great of Eastern Europe.

Starting from the time when in 962, having matured and stood at the head of the squad, Svyatoslav actually began to rule the state, he began to further expand Russia. He succeeded in what his predecessors could not do: he subdued the Vyatichi principality, located between the Oka and Volga rivers.

He continued the efforts of Oleg and Olga to centralize power. Oleg placed his governors only in the cities along the upper reaches of the Dnieper - in Smolensk and Lyubech, and in the rest of the lands there were local princes, although they were subordinate to him. Olga sent the stewards to the tribute collection points. Now Svyatoslav, leaving for the war, sent his sons to the most important lands of Russia. He left the eldest son Yaropolk in Kiev, the second son, Oleg, sent to govern the Drevlyansky land, and the youngest, Vladimir, sent with his uncle the famous voivode Dobrynya to govern Novgorod. The sons of the Grand Duke in the formerly semi-independent principalities essentially became his governors.

Svyatoslav continued the foreign policy of his predecessors. But he gave it such a scale, breathing into it such strength and passion that it struck the imagination of both contemporaries and descendants.

In 964 he set out on a campaign to the east. The main goal of this campaign was to crush the ancient enemy - Khazaria.

By this time, Svyatoslav was already an established leader of the squad, brave in battle, unpretentious to the hardships of military life. Here is how the chronicler describes him: “And he easily went on campaigns, like a Pardus (cheetah), and fought a lot. On campaigns, he did not carry either carts or cauldrons with him, did not cook meat, but, having thinly sliced ​​horse meat, or animals, or beef and roasted on coals, he ate that way. He did not have a tent either, but he slept with his saddle cloth on, with a saddle in his head ... and sent him to other lands with the words: "I want to go to you."

His appearance "was well conveyed by a Byzantine historian: a head shaved according to Russian custom with a long strand of hair hanging down, a gold earring with a large ruby ​​in his left ear, a gloomy look, unpretentious, modest clothing, distinguished by its purity, high self-esteem that exuded from all of his figures.

Passing through the Oka-Volga forests, the land of the Vyatichi, Svyatoslav launched his first blow on the Volga Bulgaria, an ally of Khazaria. The army of the Bulgars was defeated, and the capital of the Bulgars and other cities were taken and the population was dispersed. Along the way, Svyatoslav defeated the Burtases who lived in the Oka-Volga forests and hostile to Russia, captured and burned their cities, and dispersed the population.

Then the Russian army went down the Volga and approached the borders of the Khazar Kaganate. The blow from the north was swift and unexpected. Usually Russian troops came to the borders of Khazaria along the Sea of ​​Azov and the Don. Now they first defeated the allies of Khazaria. This shows a well-thought-out plan for the entire military campaign.

The kagan himself went out with an army to meet the Russians, but was defeated, and the capital of Khazaria, the city of Itil in the lower reaches of the Volga was also captured by Svyatoslav.

With fire and sword, the Russian army marched across the entire Khazar land, leaving behind destruction and ashes. At first, Svyatoslav's path lay in the Khazar possessions in the North Caucasus. From there he moved to the Don, defeating on the way the tribes of the Yases and Kasogs (present-day Ossetians and Circassians) that were at war with Russia and allied with the Khazars. On the banks of the Don, Svyatoslav's army stormed the Khazar fortress Sarkel, which was built here in the 9th century. with the help of Byzantine engineers to guard the Khazar borders from the Russians. Traces of fires, destroyed buildings, broken fortress walls - this is how Sarkel appears, according to archaeologists. The fortress was literally wiped out from the face of the earth.

Thus, the goal of the campaign was achieved. Khazaria essentially ceased to exist as a strong state.

Leaving the garrisons on the occupied territory, Svyatoslav returned to Kiev, and his troops began attacks on the Crimean possessions of Byzantium. The Russians continued the line of past years: the rich Greek colonies continued to attract their attention. Relations with Byzantium became tense.

Trekking to the Danube. During a three-year eastern campaign, Svyatoslav captured vast territories from the Oka forests to North Caucasus... At the same time, the Byzantine Empire remained silent: the Russian-Byzantine military alliance was operating.

But now, when the northern giant began to put pressure on the Byzantine possessions in the Crimea, they became worried in Constantinople. A messenger was urgently sent to Kiev to settle relations between Russia and Byzantium.

Already at this time in Kiev, a plan was ripening to invade Podu-Navie and annex the mouth of the Danube to Russia. But these lands belonged to Bulgaria, and Svyatoslav secured the neutrality of Byzantium during his upcoming campaign on the Danube, and for this he promised to retreat from the Crimean possessions of the empire. This was already big diplomacy, which had in mind the interests of Russia both in the East and in the West.

In the summer of 967, the Russian army, led by Svyatoslav, moved south. The Russian army was supported by Hungarian troops. Bulgaria relied on the help of the Yases and Kasogs, hostile to Russia, and on the Khazar detachments.

The war with Bulgaria was over very quickly. True to his lightning-fast manner of conducting military operations, Svyatoslav broke through the Bulgarian outposts and defeated the army of the Bulgarian Tsar Peter in an open field. The Bulgarians were forced to conclude a peace, according to which the lower course of the Danube with the strong fortress of Pereyaslavets went to Russia.

It was here that Svyatoslav's true plans came to light. He transfers his residence here and, according to the chronicle, declares: “I don’t like to sit in Kiev, I want to live in Pereyaslavets on the Danube - there is the middle of my land, all the benefits flow there: from the Greek land - gold, pavoloks (precious fabrics), wine , various fruits, from Bohemia and Hungary - silver and horses, from Russia - fur and wax, honey and slaves ”.

The appearance of Svyatoslav on the Danube and the defeat of Bulgaria alarmed Byzantium. Now a cruel, successful and merciless rival appeared nearby. An attempt by Byzantine diplomacy to play off Bulgaria and Russia and thereby weaken both failed.

Having bribed the Pechenegs, the Byzantines organized their campaign against Kiev. Svyatoslav was forced to go to the rescue of his capital city. After driving off the Pechenegs and making peace with them, Svyatoslav in 969 returned to the Danube again. It was at this time that he planted his sons-governors in the Russian principalities.

During his absence, the Bulgarians captured Pereyaslavets, but Svyatoslav quickly restored the previous position: the Bulgarian army was again defeated and Pereyaslavets was in the hands of the Russians.

Russian-Byzantine war and death of Svyatoslav. In Constantinople at this time came to power a talented commander and statesman, an Armenian by nationality, John Tzimiskes. The Byzantines demanded the withdrawal of the Russian army from the Danube. But Svyatoslav asked for an unthinkable ransom for leaving the local cities. And when the Greeks refused, he proudly declared that he would soon put his tents before the walls of Constantinople. The parties went to war.

John Tzimiskes to fight Svyatoslav created a special detachment of "immortals", which included the best warriors of the empire, chained in armor. The emperor himself commanded this detachment.

Svyatoslav managed to attract his old allies - the Hungarians - to the military confrontation with Byzantium; he also hired the Pechenezh cavalry. The united army also included a detachment of Bulgarians friendly to Russia.

Widespread hostilities broke out in the vastness of Thrace and Macedonia in the summer of 970. According to Byzantine authors, the Kiev prince led 60 thousand people, not counting the allies.

The Russians won the first stage of the war. In a decisive battle with the commanders of John Tzimiskes, Svyatoslav won a victory. At a critical moment of the battle, when the Russians were intimidated by the superior forces of the enemy, Svyatoslav turned to the soldiers with a speech: “Let us not shame the Russian land, but lie down with bones, the dead have no shame”. The Russians unanimously hit the enemy and won.

However, the Byzantines pulled up new troops, managed to defeat one of the parts of the Russian army, which was supported by the allies. There were already many casualties on both sides, the war was becoming protracted. Svyatoslav himself with the main army was already on the outskirts of Constantinople, and the Greeks asked for peace.

According to the peace concluded in 970, the Russians achieved the preservation of their positions on the Danube, the Byzantines undertook to pay tribute to Russia, as before, the conditions of the previous treaties were preserved.

After that Svyatoslav went to the Danube, and John Tzimiskes began to cook new army... For this, all forces were mobilized, the best troops were drawn from everywhere.

In the spring of 971, in the days when the entire Christian world was celebrating Easter, unexpectedly for the Russians, John Tzimiskes made a breakthrough of his troops through the Balkan ridge and went to Bulgaria. There, on its fields, Svyatoslav, who hastened to meet the enemy, gave the Greeks several battles. But the preponderance of forces was already on the side of Byzantium. Svyatoslav's allies left him. In the end, the Byzantine army blocked the Russian army in the Danube fortress of Dorostol. In July 971 Svyatoslav tried to break through the blockade ring and left the fortress for the last battle. The onslaught of the Russians, led by the prince himself, was so impetuous that the Greeks wavered, and then John Tzimiskes, shining with gilded armor, himself led his "immortals" into battle. Svyatoslav was wounded in battle. The Russ had to retreat. The Russian Grand Duke asked for peace, which was gladly received by the Byzantines.

According to the terms of the peace treaty of 971, sealed by a personal meeting of Svyatoslav and John Tzimiskes, the Russians had to leave the Danube; they pledged not to attack the lands here again. But the conquests in the Black Sea region and the Volga region were preserved for Russia. The terms of the old Russian-Byzantine treaty were restored.

Svyatoslav also appealed to the Byzantine emperor with a request to help in the passage of the Russian army through the lands controlled by the Pechenegs. John Tzimiskes promised to do this. But, instead of fulfilling the terms of the treaty, the Greeks decided to remove their dangerous rival: the embassy was bringing gold to the Pechenegs, expensive gifts and the request of the emperor to stop Svyatoslav during his return to Kiev.

In the fall, the Russian army appeared at the mouth of the Dnieper. But all the paths to the north were cut by the Pechenegs. Then Svyatoslav spent the winter in Russian settlements located on the banks of the Dnieper estuary.

In the spring of 972 he again tried to break through to Kiev, but on the rapids, where the Russians were dragging their boats along the coast, bypassing the seething whirlpools, the Pechenegs lay in wait for him. A small Russian army was surrounded and destroyed. Svyatoslav himself died in battle. And from his skull, the Pechenezh Khan Kurya, according to the old steppe custom, made a cup, bound it with gold and drank from it at feasts.

After the death of Princess Olga, Svyatoslav divided the Russian lands between his sons: Yaropolk, Oleg and Vladimir. Oleg was later expelled by the army of Yaropolk, died. Yaropolk did not rule for long. After the death of Yaropolk, Prince Vladimir came to power.