Madrid Skylitzes. The Madrid Skylitzes is a heavily illustrated Illuminated manuscript of the Synopsis of Histories ( by John Skylitzes, which covers the reigns of the Meeting between John Tzimiskes and Sviatoslav. John I Tzimiskes or Tzimisces, (Ιωάννης Α΄ Τζιμισκής Iōannēs I Tzimiskēs; Հովհաննես Ա Չմշկիկ Hovhannes Ayp Chmshgig

Sviatoslav I of Kiev (Old East Slavic: С~тославъ (Свąтославъ)^[1] Игорєвичь (Sventoslavŭ Igorevichǐ), Russian: Святослав Игоревич, Ukrainian: Святослав Ігорович, Bulgarian: Светослав, Greek: Σφενδοσθλάβος (Sfendoslavos) ) (c. Old East Slavic, also known as Old Russian (древнерусский or Old Ruthenian, was a vernacular literary language used from the 10th to the 14th centuries Russian ( transliteration:,) is the most geographically widespread language of Eurasia, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages Ukrainian (in Ukrainian украї́нська мо́ва ukrayins'ka mova,) is a language of the East Slavic subgroup of the Slavic languages. Bulgarian (български език IPA: ɛzˈik is an Indo-European language, a member of the Slavic linguistic group Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly 942 – March 972) was a warrior prince of Kievan Rus'. Events By Place Asia Kaminarimon the eight-pillared gate to Japan 's Kinryuzan Sensouji Temple, is erected 972 was a year in the 10th century. Events By Place Europe Otto II marries Theophanu, Byzantine Kievan Rus′ (Ки́евская Русь romanised: Kievskaya Rus', rusʲ also written as Kyivan Rus′ (Ки́ївська Русь or Kievan 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. Saint Olga (Ольга also called Olga Prekrasa (Ольга Прекраса or Olga the Beauty, Old Norse: Helga; born c "Kazar" redirects here for the Marvel Comics character see Ka-Zar; for the village in Azerbaijan see Xəzər. The First Bulgarian Empire (Първo Българско царство Părvo Bălgarsko Tsarstvo) was a Medieval Bulgarian state founded in AD 632 Volga Bulgaria or Volga-Kama Bolghar, is an historic state that existed between the 7th and 13th centuries around the confluence of The Alans or Alani (occasionally but more rarely termed Alauni or Halani) were an Iranian nomadic group among the Sarmatian people The East Slavs are a Slavic ethnic group, the speakers of East Slavic languages. The Pechenegs or Patzinaks ( Turkish: Peçenekler, Hungarian: Besenyő, Greek: Patzinaki/Petsenegi or Πατζινάκοι/Πετσενέγοι/Πατζινακίται Hungarians (or Magyars, magyarok are an Ethnic group primarily associated with Hungary. His decade-long reign over Rus' was marked by rapid expansion into the Volga River valley, the Pontic steppe and the Balkans. The term Pontic-Caspian steppe summarizes the vast Steppelands stretching from north of the Black Sea as far as the east of the Caspian Sea, from central 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. Kiev, also known as Kyiv ( Ukrainian:, Kyiv, ˈkɪjiw Russian:, Kiyev; see also Cities' alternative names) is the Pereyaslavets (Переяславец East Slavic from or Preslavets (Преславец Bulgarian form was a trade city located at the mouth of the The Danube (In Donau from earlier Danuvius, Celtic *dānu, meaning "to flow run" Slovak and Polish Dunaj In contrast with his mother's conversion to Christianity, Sviatoslav remained a staunch pagan all of his life. Slavic mythology is the Mythological aspect of the Religion that was practised by the ancient Slavs. 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.

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 are ultimately derived from Old Norse). The Slavic languages (also called Slavonic languages) a group of closely related Languages of the Slavic peoples and a subgroup of Indo-European languages Old Norse is the North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age 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). The Rurik Dynasty was the ruling Dynasty of Kievan Rus', the successor Russian principalities and early united Russia, from 862 to 1598 Saint Vladimir Svyatoslavich the Great ( Old Russian: Володимеръ Святославичь, c Yaroslav I the Wise (c 978 in Kiev - February 20, 1054 in Kiev) ( East Slavic: Ярослав Мудрый Christian name Mstislav I Vladimirovich the Great (Мстислав Владимирович Великий ( June 1, 1076, Turiv &ndash April 14, ^[2] 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). Oleg of Novgorod ( Slavic: Олег Old Norse: Helgi, Khazarian, possibly Helgu) was a Varangian prince (or konung Rurik or Riurik (Рюрик; Old East Norse: Rørik, meaning "famous ruler" c ^[3]

Virtually nothing is known about his childhood and youth, which he spent reigning in Novgorod. Veliky Novgorod (Вели́кий Но́вгород is the foremost historic city of North-Western Russia and the administrative center of 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. The Drevlians ( Деревляни, Derevliany in Ukrainian; Древляне, Drevlyane in Russian) were a Tribe Saint Olga (Ольга also called Olga Prekrasa (Ольга Прекраса or Olga the Beauty, Old Norse: Helga; born c A regent, from the Latin regens "who reigns" is a person selected to act as Head of state (ruling or not because the ruler is a minor Kiev, also known as Kyiv ( Ukrainian:, Kyiv, ˈkɪjiw Russian:, Kiyev; see also Cities' alternative names) is the 963). ^[4] His tutor was a Varangian named Asmud. The Varangians or Varyags ( Old Norse: Væringjar Greek: Βάραγγοι Βαριάγοι Váraggoi / Varyágoi, Ukrainian Sviatoslav I of Kiev ( Old East Slavic: С~тославъ (Свąтославъ Игорєвичь ( Sventoslavŭ Igorevichǐ) Russian: ru Святослав "Quick as a leopard,"^[5] Sviatoslav appears to have had little patience for administration. His life was spent with his druzhina (roughly, "troops") in permanent warfare against neighboring states. Druzhina, Družyna or Drużyna (дружина druzhyna) in the history of early East Slavs was a detachment of select troops in personal According to the Primary Chronicle:

Ship burial of Igor the Old in 945, depicted by Heinrich Semiradski (1845–1902). The Primary Chronicle (ѣѣтъ Пóвесть временны́х лет Povest' vremennykh let; Пóвість врéм'яних літ Povist' vremjanykh

Sviatoslav was noted by Leo the Deacon to be of average height and build. Leo the Deacon was a Byzantine historian and chronicler He was born around 950 at Kaloe in Asia Minor and was educated in Constantinople, where He shaved his head and his beard (or possibly just had a wispy beard) but wore a bushy mustache and a one or two sidelocks 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. A Ruby is a pink to blood-red Gemstone, a variety of the Mineral Corundum ( Aluminium oxide) A pearl is a hard roundish object produced within the soft tissue (specifically the mantle) of a living shelled Mollusk. ^{[7] [8]}

His mother converted to Christianity at the court of Byzantine Emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus in 945 or 957. Constantine VII Porphyrogennetos or Porphyrogenitus, "the Purple-born" ( Greek: Κωνσταντίνος Ζ΄ Πορφυρογέννητος However,^[9] Sviatoslav continued to worship Perun, Veles, Svarog and the other gods and goddesses of the Slavic pantheon. In Slavic mythology, Perun ( Cyrillic: Перун is the highest God of the pantheon and the god of Thunder and Lightning For the city in the Republic of Macedonia, see Veles (city. Veles ( Cyrillic: Велес Weles Old Russian and In Slavic mythology, Svarog ( Polish: Swaróg, Cyrillic: Сварог, Sorbian: Schwayxtix) is the Slavic Slavic mythology is the Mythological aspect of the Religion that was practised by the ancient Slavs. 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. Paganism (from Latin paganus, meaning "country dweller rustic" is a word used to refer to various religions and religious beliefs from across the world ^[10] The allegiance of his warriors was of paramount importance in his conquest of an empire that stretched from the Volga to the Danube.

Family

Svjatoslav's mother, Olga, with her escort in Constantinople, a miniature from the late 11th-century chronicle of John Skylitzes. Constantinople (Κωνσταντινούπολις Konstantinoúpolis, or gr ἡ Πόλις hē Polis, Latin: la CONSTANTINOPOLIS John Scylitzes or Ioannes Skylitzes ( Greek Ἰωάννης Σκυλίτζης, occasionally Σκυλίτσης, fl

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. 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 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. George Vernadsky ( August 20 1887 – June 20 1973) Russian: Гео́ргий Влади́мирович Верна́дский was 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.

Sviatoslav, had several children, but the origin of his wives is not specified in the chronicle. By his wives, he had Yaropolk and Oleg. Yaropolk I Svyatoslavich (c 958- 960 - 11 June ? 980 ( East Slavic: Ярополк I Святославич sometimes transliterated as Iaropolk Oleg was the ruler of Drelinia, a region which is today in the western Ukraine. ^[11] By Malusha, a woman of indeterminate origins,^[12] Sviatoslav had Vladimir, who would ultimately break with his father's paganism and convert Rus to Christianity. Malusha ( Ukrainian and Russian: Малуша was a housekeeper and Concubine of Sviatoslav I of Kiev. Saint Vladimir Svyatoslavich the Great ( Old Russian: Володимеръ Святославичь, c The Christianization of Kievan Rus' took place in several stages 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. John Scylitzes or Ioannes Skylitzes ( Greek Ἰωάννης Σκυλίτζης, occasionally Σκυλίτσης, fl According to John Skylitzes, Sfengus or Sphengos was a brother of Knyaz Vladimir I of Kiev. ^[13]

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. Mikhail Illarionovich Artamonov (Михаил Илларионович Артамонов ( in the village of Vygolovo Tver Guberniya - July 31 1972 The term Pontic-Caspian steppe summarizes the vast Steppelands stretching from north of the Black Sea as far as the east of the Caspian Sea, from central His greatest success was the conquest of Khazaria, which for centuries had been one of the strongest states of Eastern Europe. "Kazar" redirects here for the Marvel Comics character see Ka-Zar; for the village in Azerbaijan see Xəzər. Eastern Europe is a general term that refers to the Geopolitical region encompassing the easternmost part of the European continent. 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. In the Middle Ages, the Volga trade route connected Northern Europe and Northwestern Russia with the Caspian Sea, via the Volga River 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. Romanos I Lekapenos or Romanus I Lecapenus ( Greek: Ρωμανός Α΄ Λακαπήνος Rōmanos I Lakapēnos; Րոմանոս Ա Ղակապենոս ^[14]

Sviatoslav began by rallying the Khazars' East Slavic vassal tribes to his cause. The East Slavs are a Slavic ethnic group, the speakers of East Slavic languages. 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. The Vyatichs or more properly Vyatichi or Viatichi (вя́тичи were a Tribe of Early East Slavs who inhabited a part of the Oka ^[15] According to a legend recorded in the Primary Chronicle, Sviatoslav sent a message to the Vyatich rulers, consisting of a single phrase: "I want to come at you!" (Old East Slavic: "хощю на вы ити")^[16] This phrase is used in modern Russian (usually misquoted as "Иду на вы") to denote an unequivocal declaration of one's intentions. Old East Slavic, also known as Old Russian (древнерусский or Old Ruthenian, was a vernacular literary language used from the 10th to the 14th centuries 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. Oka (Ока́ is a River in central Russia, the largest right Tributary of the Volga. Volga Bulgaria or Volga-Kama Bolghar, is an historic state that existed between the 7th and 13th centuries around the confluence of He employed Oghuz and Pecheneg mercenaries in this campaign, perhaps to counter the Khazars' and Bulgars' superior cavalry. The Oghuz (variously known as Ghuzz, Guozz, Kuz, Oguz, Oğuz, Okuz, Oufoi, Ouz, Ouzoi, The Pechenegs or Patzinaks ( Turkish: Peçenekler, Hungarian: Besenyő, Greek: Patzinaki/Petsenegi or Πατζινάκοι/Πετσενέγοι/Πατζινακίται The Cavalry (from French cavalerie) is the second oldest of the Combat Arms, and as Soldiers or Warriors who fought mounted on ^[17]

Sviatoslav's military campaigns in 966-72 (the map presents one of several hypotheses about the precise routes taken by Sviatoslav in these campaigns

Sviatoslav destroyed the Khazar city of Sarkel around 965, and possibly sacked (but did not occupy) the Khazar city of Kerch on the Crimea. Sarkel (or Sharkil, literally white house in Khazar language) was a large limestone-and-brick fortress built by the Khazars with Byzantine Kerch (Керч Керчь Keriç Old East Slavic: Кърчевъ Ancient Greek: Pantikapaion) is a city (2001 pop 157000 on the Kerch Peninsula Crimea (kraɪˈmiːə or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea (Крим Автономна Республіка Крим Avtonomna Respublika Krym; Крым ^[18] At Sarkel he established a Rus' settlement called Belaya Vyezha ("the white tower" or "the white fortress", the East Slavic translation for "Sarkel"). ^[19] He subsequently (probably in 968 or 969) destroyed the Khazar capital of Atil. For the small town and municipality in the Mexican state of Sonora see Atil Sonora Atil, also spelled Itil ^[20] 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. "^[21] 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. Mikhail Illarionovich Artamonov (Михаил Илларионович Артамонов ( in the village of Vygolovo Tver Guberniya - July 31 1972 Dr David Gilbert Christian (born 1946 is an Anglo-American historian ^[22]

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. Mohammed Abul-Kassem ibn Hawqal (محمد أبو القاسم بن حوقل born in Nisibis; travelled 943-969 CE was a 10th century Arab writer geographer and Samandar (also Semender) was a city in Khazaria on the western shore of the Caspian Sea, south of the city of Atil, in the North Caucasus The Republic of Dagestan dæɡɪˈstɑːn (IntEng ˈdeɪɡəstæn (AmEng (Респу́блика Дагеста́н Дагъистанлъул ДжумхIурият Daɣistanłul This article is about the terrestrial Eurasian mountain range On his way back to Kiev, Sviatoslav chose to strike against the Ossetians and force them into subservience. The Ossetians (ирæттæ irættæ are an Iranic Ethnic group indigenous to Ossetia, a region that spans the Caucasus Mountains ^[23] Therefore, Khazar successor statelets continued their precarious existence in the region. ^[24] 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. The Black Sea is an inland Sea bounded by southeastern Europe, the Caucasus and the Anatolian peninsula ( Turkey 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. 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 ^[25]

Campaigns in the Balkans

Pursuit of Sviatoslav's warriors by the Byzantine army, a miniature from 11th-century chronicles of John Skylitzes. John Scylitzes or Ioannes Skylitzes ( Greek Ἰωάννης Σκυλίτζης, occasionally Σκυλίτσης, fl

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. ^[26] 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. Crete ( Greek: Κρήτη transliteration: Krētē, modern transliteration Kriti) is the largest of the Greek islands and the

In 967 or 968^[27] Nicephorus sent to Sviatoslav his agent, Kalokyros, with the task of talking Sviatoslav into assisting him in a war against Bulgaria. Kalokyros (Greek Καλοκυρός (d c 970 was a pretender to the Byzantine throne during the Russo-Byzantine Wars in the reigns of Nikephoros II The First Bulgarian Empire (Първo Българско царство Părvo Bălgarsko Tsarstvo) was a Medieval Bulgarian state founded in AD 632 ^[28] Sviatoslav was paid 15,000 pounds of gold and set sail with an army of 50,000 men, including thousands of Pecheneg mercenaries. ^[29]

Sviatoslav defeated the Bulgarian ruler Boris II^[30] and proceeded to occupy the whole of northern Bulgaria. For the battle of 971 see Siege of Dorostolon. The Battle of Silistra occurred in the spring of 968 near the Bulgarian town Boris II (Борис II was emperor ( Tsar) of Bulgaria from 969 to 977 (in Byzantine captivity from 971 Meanwhile, the Byzantines bribed the Pechenegs to attack and besiege Kiev, where Olga stayed with Sviatoslav's son Vladimir. Siege of Kiev redirects here For other sieges see Battle of Kiev. The siege was relieved by the druzhina of Pretich, and immediately following the Pecheneg retreat, Olga sent a reproachful letter to Sviatoslav. Siege of Kiev redirects here For other sieges see Battle of Kiev. He promptly returned and defeated the Pechenegs, who continued to threaten Kiev.

Boris Chorikov. Boris Artemyevich Chorikov (Борис Артемьевич Чориков (1802 - 1866 was a Russian Graphic artist. Sviatoslav's Council of War.

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. This article refers to the aristocratic title of boyar. For the Boyar caste of India, see Boyar (caste. Pereyaslavets (Переяславец East Slavic from or Preslavets (Преславец Bulgarian form was a trade city located at the mouth of the 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". The Primary Chronicle (ѣѣтъ Пóвесть временны́х лет Povest' vremennykh let; Пóвість врéм'яних літ Povist' vremjanykh Greece (Ελλάδα transliterated: Elláda, historically, Ellás,) officially the Hellenic Republic (Ελληνική Δημοκρατία Hungary (Magyarország 'mɔɟɔrorsaːg) officially in English the Republic of Hungary ( Magyar Köztársaság, literally Magyar (Hungarian Republic Bohemia (Čechy; Bohemia Czechy is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands, currently the

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. Thrace (Тракия Trakiya or "Trakija" or Trakia, Θράκη Thráki, Trakya is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe Niceforus responded by fortifying the defenses of Constantinople and raising new squadrons of armored cavalry. Constantinople (Κωνσταντινούπολις Konstantinoúpolis, or gr ἡ Πόλις hē Polis, Latin: la CONSTANTINOPOLIS In the midst of his preparations, Niceforus was overthrown and killed by John Tzimiskes, who thus became the new Byzantine emperor. John I Tzimiskes or Tzimisces, (Ιωάννης Α΄ Τζιμισκής Iōannēs I Tzimiskēs; Հովհաննես Ա Չմշկիկ Hovhannes Ayp Chmshgig ^[31]

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. Edirne (anc Hadrianopolis; Greek Adrianople; Slavic/Bulgarian Одрин, see also its other names) is a city in Thrace, the westernmost ^[32] 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. Bardas Phocas was an eminent Byzantine general who took a conspicuous part in three revolts pro and contra the ruling Macedonian dynasty. Anatolia (Anadolu Ανατολία Anatolía) or Asia minor, comprising most of modern Turkey, is the geographic region bounded by the Black Bardas Skleros or Sclerus was a Byzantine general who led a wide-scale Asian Rebellion against Emperor Basil II in 976-979 The Battle of Arcadiopolis was fought in 970 between the Byzantine army under Bardas Sklerus and the Rus' army led by Sviatoslav I ^[33] 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. Marcianopolis, or Marcianople ( Devnya in modern Bulgaria) is a Roman Catholic Titular see in the former Roman province of Lower

Sviatoslav retreated to Dorostol, which the Byzantine armies besieged for sixty-five days. Silistra (Силистра, historically Bulgarian: Дръстър Drastar, ( and Romanian: Dârstor) is a Port city of northeastern The Battle of Dorostolon was fought in 971 between the Byzantine Empire and forces of Kievan Rus. 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. For the rocket see Dnepr rocket. For other uses see Dnieper (disambiguation. 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. Berezan (Березань is an island in the Black Sea at the entrance of the Dnieper - Bug Estuary, Ukraine. 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. The hryvnia, sometimes hryvnya or (incorrectly hryvna or hrivna (гривня ˈɦrɪu̯nʲɑ sign: ₴, code: ^[34] 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. Basil II, surnamed the Bulgar-slayer (Βασίλειος Β΄ Βουλγαροκτόνος Basileios II Boulgaroktonos, 958 &ndash December 15 1025

Death and aftermath

The Death of Sviatoslav by Boris Chorikov. Boris Artemyevich Chorikov (Борис Артемьевич Чориков (1802 - 1866 was a Russian Graphic artist.

Fearing that the peace with Sviatoslav would not endure, the Byzantine emperor induced the Pecheneg khan Kurya to kill Sviatoslav before he reached Kiev. Kurya was the name of a Pecheneg khan who allied with Svyatoslav I of Kiev in his campaigns in the Balkans. 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. Constantine VII Porphyrogennetos or Porphyrogenitus, "the Purple-born" ( Greek: Κωνσταντίνος Ζ΄ Πορφυρογέννητος De Administrando Imperio is the commonly used Latin title of a scholarly work written in Greek, by the 10th-century Byzantine emperor ^[35] 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. Sveneld (Russian Свенельд was a 10th-century Varangian warlord in the service of Svyatoslav I of Kiev and his family Great Khortytsia Island (Хортиця Хортица Khortitsa) is a large island on the Dnieper which played a vital role in the history of Ukraine Great Khortytsia Island (Хортиця Хортица Khortitsa) is a large island on the Dnieper which played a vital role in the history of Ukraine The Primary Chronicle reports that his skull was made into a chalice by the Pecheneg khan, Kurya. The use of a defeated enemy's Skull as a drinking cup is reported by numerous authors through history among various peoples especially nomads roaming the Steppes ^[36]

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. Yaropolk I Svyatoslavich (c 958- 960 - 11 June ? 980 ( East Slavic: Ярополк I Святославич sometimes transliterated as Iaropolk 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. Saint Vladimir Svyatoslavich the Great ( Old Russian: Володимеръ Святославичь, c Terminology and usage As a cultural term "Scandinavia" has no official definition and is subject to usage by those who identify with the culture in question as well The Varangians or Varyags ( Old Norse: Væringjar Greek: Βάραγγοι Βαριάγοι Váraggoi / Varyágoi, Ukrainian Yaropolk was killed and Vladimir became the sole ruler of Kievan Rus'.

In art and literature

Ivan Akimov. Ivan Akimovich Akimov ( 2 June, 1754 — 27 May, 1814) was a Russian Neoclassical painter who studied under Anton Losenko 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. Ukrainians (Українці Ukrayintsi,) are an East Slavic Ethnic group primarily living in Ukraine, or more broadly— Citizens Belarusians or Belorussians (Беларусы Biełarusy previously also spelled Belarussians, Byelorussians and Belorusians, also 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. 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 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. Catherine II, called Catherine the Great (Екатерина II Великая Yekaterina II Velikaya;) reigned as Empress of Russia for 34 years

Among the works created during the war was Yakov Knyazhnin's tragedy Olga (1772). Yakov Borisovich Knyazhnin ( Russian: Я́ков Бори́сович Княжни́н November 3 1742 or 1740 Pskov – January 1 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. Nikolay Petrovich Nikolev ( 21 November, 1758 — 5 February, 1815) was a Russian poet and playwright Ivan Akimov's painting Sviatoslav's Return from the Danube to Kiev (1773) explores the conflict between military honour and family attachment. Ivan Akimovich Akimov ( 2 June, 1754 — 27 May, 1814) was a Russian Neoclassical painter who studied under Anton Losenko It is a vivid example of Poussinesque rendering of early medieval subject matter. Nicolas Poussin (15 June 1594 – 19 November 1665 was a French painter in the classical style

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

In the 19th century, interest in Sviatoslav's career waned. Yevgeny Yevgenievich Lanceray, also spelled Lansere ( 23 August 1875 – 13 September 1946) was a Russian graphic artist 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. Klavdy Vasiliyevich Lebedev (Клавдий Васильевич Лебедев ( October 16 (28 1852 &ndash September 21 ( N John I Tzimiskes or Tzimisces, (Ιωάννης Α΄ Τζιμισκής Iōannēs I Tzimiskēs; Հովհաննես Ա Չմշկիկ Hovhannes Ayp Chmshgig Yevgeny Yevgenievich Lanceray, also spelled Lansere ( 23 August 1875 – 13 September 1946) was a Russian graphic artist An equestrian statue is a Statue of a Horse -mounted rider The term is from the Latin " eques," meaning " Knight ^[37] Sviatoslav appears in the Slavophile poems of Velimir Khlebnikov as an epitome of militant Slavdom:

Controversial statue of Sviatoslav I trampling a Khazar warrior. The statue was designed by Vyacheslav Klykov. Vyacheslav Mikhailovich Klykov (Russian Вячеслав Михайлович Клыков 19 October 1939 — 2 June 2006) was a Russian

He is the villain of Samuel Gordon's novel The Lost Kingdom, or the Passing of the Khazars,^[39] a fictionalized account of the destruction of Khazaria by the Rus'. Samuel Gordon may refer to Samuel Y Gordon, lieutenant governor of Minnesota Samuel Gordon (New York, US representative from New York 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. ^[40]

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. Belgorod (Бе́лгород is a city in western Russia, situated on the Seversky Donets river just 40 km north from the Ukrainian border at. Vyacheslav Mikhailovich Klykov (Russian Вячеслав Михайлович Клыков 19 October 1939 — 2 June 2006) was a Russian The reports described the 13-meter tall statue as depicting a Rus' cavalryman trampling a supine Khazar bearing a Star of David. The Star of David or Shield of David ( Magen David in Hebrew with nikkud or מגן דוד without academically transcribed Māḡēn Dāwīḏ by This created an outcry within the Jewish community of Russia. The controversy was further exacerbated by Klykov's connections with Pamyat and other anti-Semitic organizations, as well as by his involvement in the "letter of 500", a controversial appeal to the Prosecutor General to review all Jewish organizations in Russia for extremism. Pamyat ( Russian language: Память; English translation Memory) is a Russian Ultra-nationalist organization identifying ^[41] 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. "^[42] When the statue was unveiled, the shield bore a twelve-pointed star.

Notes

References