Prince of Kiev Svyatoslav the Brave ruled in 945-972 Most of all he is known as a bright commander, who had several wars in different regions of Eastern Europe.
Igor's heir
The son of Igor Rurikovich Svyatoslav the Brave was his only offspring. He was born three years before the tragic death of his father. Igor was brutally murdered by the Drevlyans, who refused to pay him an additional tribute.
Svyatoslav was then too small, so his mother Olga became regent. She decided to take revenge on the Drevlyans. With the help of cunning, the princess burned their capital Iskorosten. This strong-willed woman firmly held power in her hands while her son was growing up. Most of all, Olga is known for the fact that in 955 she went to Byzantium, where she was baptized. She became the first Russian Christian ruler. The ceremony was performed in the main Cathedral of St. Sophia in Constantinople .
Svyatoslav and religion
Mother tried to instill Christianity in her son. But Svyatoslav the Brave remained a pagan. He was brought up in army conditions and influenced by his warriors, who remained supporters of the old Slavic customs.
There is an unconfirmed theory that in Constantinople Olga tried to find her son a wife from among the Greek princes. The emperor refused the embassy, which, of course, offended Svyatoslav. As time will show, his relationship with Byzantium became fatal for him.
War with Vyatichi
Prince Svyatoslav the Brave was little interested in the internal and administrative affairs of the country. His life was an army. He spent all his free time with the squad. Because of this, the prince was distinguished by a fierce disposition and the simplest everyday habits. He could calmly go to bed in the field next to his horse, while abandoning his own tent and other amenities.
Therefore, it is not surprising that as soon as Prince Svyatoslav Igorevich the Brave grew up, he began to pursue an active foreign policy. His first trip dates back to 964. That summer, he attacked the Vyatichi, who lived on the Oka and paid tribute to the Khazars.
The fall of the Khazar Khaganate
The very next year, the kaganate had to face a well-organized Slavic army. The Khazars were Türkic-speaking nomads. Their political elite adopted Judaism. The differences between the kaganate and Russia were evident, which, of course, gave Svyatoslav an additional reason to go to the neighboring war.
The prince captured several Khazar cities: Sarkel, Itil, Belaya Vezha. His squad walked with fire and sword through all the important economic centers of the kaganate, because of which it fell into decay and soon completely disappeared from the map. Prince Svyatoslav the Brave tried not only to destroy an alien power. He ordered the occupation of Sarkel fortress on the Don river. For some time, it became a Slavic enclave in the southern steppes.
Intervention in the Greco-Bulgarian conflict
The Khazar campaigns of Svyatoslav the Brave were only a rehearsal of the main military campaign of his life. At this time, a war began between the Bulgarians and Byzantium. Emperor Nicephorus Fok sent an embassy to Kiev, which persuaded Svyatoslav to help the Greeks. In exchange, the Slavs received a generous reward.
So, thanks to his courage and enterprise, Svyatoslav the Brave was famous. A photo of the Novgorod monument, opened to the millennium of Russia in 1862, confirms this fact. Svyatoslav takes his place among other great military leaders, next to Mstislav Udal. While the Kiev prince successfully fought on the banks of the Danube, an important political change took place in Constantinople. Emperor Nicephorus Foka was killed in a coup. The new ruler John Tzimiskes refused to pay Svyatoslav, and then the war took an unexpected turn.
The Slavic prince made an alliance with the Bulgarians and now went with the squad to the emperor. While Svyatoslav was not in Kiev, his mother Olga died there, who actually ruled the country in the absence of her son.
In 970, the prince managed to enlist the support of not only the Bulgarians, but also the Hungarians and Pechenegs. His army devastated Thrace for several months. This offensive was stopped after the battle of Arkadiopol. The Byzantines defeated the Pechenegs, who fled from the battlefield and betrayed Svyatoslav.
Now the war has moved north - on the banks of the Danube. Here Svyatoslav planned to settle permanently. He even made the local fortress Pereyaslavets his capital. Perhaps he liked the southern lands more than Kiev.
Peace treaty with the emperor
Emperor John Tzimiskes was also a commander. He personally led troops in the new 971 campaign. In April, his army captured the Bulgarian capital and captured Tsar Boris II. Thus, Svyatoslav was left face to face against the Greeks. Together with his army, he moved to the well-fortified fortress Dorostol.
Soon the Greeks surrounded the last Slavic bastion in the region. Svyatoslav did not want to give up without a fight and held the fortress for three months. His troops carried out bold attacks. In one of them, the Byzantines lost all their siege weapons. The Slavs went into the field at least four times to break through the blockade.
In these battles, hundreds and thousands of warriors on both sides died. By the end of July, the prince and the emperor finally agreed to conclude peace. According to the agreement, Svyatoslav, along with his army, could safely return to his homeland. At the same time, the Greeks provided him with everything necessary for travel. A few days after the meeting of the rulers, the Slavic boats left the Danube basin.
Death
Svyatoslav refused all acquisitions in Bulgaria. But there is no doubt that the young thirty-year-old prince was not going to give up. Returning home and accumulating new strength, he could again go to war on the empire. But the plans of the prince were not destined to come true.
The path of his troops ran through the Dnieper delta and its lower course, where the rapids were dangerous for shipping. Because of this, the prince with a small remaining detachment had to go ashore to overcome a natural obstacle. That is how Svyatoslav was ambushed by the Pechenegs. Most likely, the nomads entered into an agreement with the Byzantine emperor, who wanted to deal with the sworn enemy.
In 972, Svyatoslav died in an unequal battle. News of this came to Kiev along with a miracle of the surviving vigilantes of the prince. In the capital, his son Yaropolk began to rule. Eight years later, Vladimir Krasnoye Solnyshko, the baptist of Russia, will take his place.