1050 years ago, in the summer of 965, the great Russian prince Svyatoslav Igorevich defeated the Khazar army and took the capital of the Khazar Kaganate - Itil. The lightning strike of the Russian squads with the support of the allied Pechenegs led to the collapse of the parasitic Khazar state. The Rus performed sacred revenge by destroying the Khazar "snake". Svyatoslav's brilliant military victory strengthened the southeastern flank of the "empire of Rurikovich".
Khazar threat
The fight against the parasitic state of the Khazars was the most important strategic task of Russia. The trade and usurious elite of Khazaria, which subjugated the Khazar tribal military nobility, controlled all the exits from Eastern Europe to the East. The Khazar state received huge profits by controlling transit routes.
The Khazar Kaganate posed a serious military threat to Russia. Archaeologists have discovered a whole system of stone fortresses on the right bank of the Don, Northern Donets and Oskol. One white-stone stronghold was located from another at a distance of 10-20 kilometers. Outposts were located on the right, western and northwestern banks of the rivers. Byzantine engineers played an important role in the construction of these fortresses. So, Sarkel (Belaya Vezha) on the banks of the Don was erected by Byzantine engineers led by Petrona Kamatir. And the fortifications of Itil were made by the Byzantines-Romans. The Khazar state played an important role in the military-political strategy of Constantinople, holding back Russia. Sarkel was the main Khazar fortress on the northwestern border of the state. It housed a permanent garrison of several hundred soldiers. Fortresses solved not only defensive tasks, but also offensive, predatory ones. In fact, these were outposts, pushed forward, since they were located on the right (western) bank, and not on the left (eastern), which would increase their defensive significance. These bridgeheads were used as cover for the organization of attacks and the withdrawal of the Khazar troops. Of these, small Khazar detachments made plundering raids. Russian epics have preserved the memory of the Khazar attacks, for example, the epic "Fyodor Tyarynin" reports:
There was a side from the east
It was from the king of the Jews, From his power of the Jew
A kalena arrow flew in.
The Khazars made campaigns and raids into the Slavic-Russian lands. The Arab geographer Al-Idrisi reported that the Khazar vassals regularly raided the Slavs in order to steal people for sale into slavery. These were not just spontaneous raids, from time to time, but a deliberate predatory strategy on the part of the parasite state. In the Khazar state, power was seized by the Jews, representing the caste of Rakhdonites (Radanites). This caste of international traders controlled trade between East and West, including the Silk Road and other communications. Their influence extended as far as China and India. People were one of their main "goods". The clan of slave traders worshiped the "golden calf" and measured everything in gold.
From part of the controlled Slavic-Russian tribes, the Khazars took tribute by people. The Radziwill Chronicle reports that the Khazars took "a white girl from the smoke" (from households, a large family). And next to it, on the miniature, so that there is no mistake, they do not take it for a mistake, a group of girls and an elder are depicted bowing to the Khazar. By the time of the reign of Prince Svyatoslav, this tribute was almost never paid by people, since Russia was united and strengthened. However, the Khazars continued to take people in full for sale into slavery during their raids.
At the same time, the Khazar elite posed a threat to the very existence of Russia - Russian civilization. In Western Europe, Christian knights and mercenaries, who were incited by Rome and the Rachdonites, fought for several centuries with the Slavic-Russian tribes in the lands of modern Germany and Austria (from there were the Varangians-Rus headed by Rurik the Falcon, the western branch of the super-ethnic group of the Rus). Slavic soldiers died in battles, and the invaders "wholesale" sold women and children to Jewish merchants-Rahdonites, who drove "live goods" to the markets of the Middle East and beyond. This titanic and bloody battle lasted for several centuries. The Slavic-Russian civilization of Central Europe, in which there were hundreds of city-cities, developed crafts and arts, perished in fire and blood. The Slavic-Rus were partly exterminated, partly gradually assimilated, lost their language, faith and culture, and became "Germans". In Europe they prefer not to remember this page of history. After all, a significant part of European civilization is built on the blood and bones of the Slavs
Numerous Slavic cities such as Berlin, Dresden, Lipitz-Leipzig, Rostock, Branibor-Brandenburg became German cities. And many "Germans", especially in the center and east of Germany, are genetic Slavs who have lost their language and culture, their identity. By a similar method, the Russians of Little Russia are turned into “Ukrainians”.
The main prerequisite for the tragic death of the "Slavic Atlantis" in the center of Europe was the disunity of the Slavic tribal unions and their feuds (especially the conflict between the Lyutichs and the cheer-ups). At the time of Svyatoslav, the battle in Central Europe was still ongoing. So Arkona - the city and religious center of the Ruyan tribe on the Ruyan island (Rügen) will be destroyed by the Danes in 1168. However, the Western Slavs were already doomed due to their disunity. Rome used the ancient "divide, play and rule" strategy against them.
The same fate threatened the eastern branch of the super-ethnos of the Rus, Eastern Russia. From the West, Byzantium was threatened, Rome was advancing, which would soon turn the western glades (Poles, Poles) into enemies of Russia. Khazaria threatened from the East, Islamic civilization was advancing from the South. The well-armed detachments of the Muslim mercenaries of Khazaria were a serious threat. Only political centralization could save Eastern Russia. And the Falcon dynasty did an excellent job with this role. This is very symbolic, because the rarog falcon was the totem animal of the supreme god of the Slavs-Rus - Rod.
All the first princes of the Rurik dynasty (Sokolov) fought with Khazaria. The Russian prince Oleg the Prophet was able to take Kiev and withdraw from the influence of the Khazars the tribal union of the Polyans, who lived in the Middle Dnieper region (Kiev region). There is a version that he became a victim of the Khazars. During the reign of Igor, Russian squads made a number of campaigns to the Caspian Sea. However, only Svyatoslav was able to solve the problem of eliminating Khazaria.
Opponent armies
Khazaria, although it lost some of its power by the middle of the 10th century, was a tough nut to crack. The vassals of the Khazars were Burtases and the Volga Bulgaria on the Middle Volga. The mouth of the Volga was controlled by the capital of the Khazars - the city of Itil, well fortified under the leadership of Byzantine engineers. This major commercial and political center was well defended. In the North Caucasus, the main stronghold of the Khazars was the city of Semender, the old capital. The Sarkel fortress covered the western borders and controlled the Don. Tumantarkhan (Samkerts or Tamatarha) controlled the Taman Peninsula. The entire city was well defended, especially Sarkel.
In Khazaria, there was a kind of dual power: the kagan (khan) had a sacred status, and the king ruled the executive power. The clan and tribal nobility displayed well-armed cavalry. In later times, its number dropped to 10 thousand horsemen. They were backed up by well-armed Muslim mercenaries, the king's guard. The riders were armed with spears and swords and had good armor. With a serious threat, each city could deploy a foot militia from the "black Khazars" - the common people.
The Khazars adopted the tactics of the Arabs and attacked in battle with wave lines. In the first line were skirmishers, horse archers, usually from the "black Khazars" - commoners. They did not have heavy weapons and tried with throwing projectiles - arrows and javelins, to disperse and weaken the enemy, to enrage and force him to a premature and poorly organized attack. The second line consisted of well-armed cavalry - the squads of the clan and tribal nobility. The "White Khazars" were well armed - iron breastplates, leather armor and chain mail, helmets, shields, long spears, swords, sabers, clubs, axes. The heavy cavalry was supposed to crush the already disorganized ranks of the enemy. If the enemy was strong and the second line did not succeed, it would retreat to regroup. The third line entered the battle - a large militia on foot. The main armament of the infantry was spears and shields. It was difficult to overcome the wall of spearmen without serious losses, but at this time the cavalry was rebuilding and preparing for a new blow behind the backs of the infantry. In an extreme case, the fourth line could join the battle - the elite guard of Muslim mercenaries. The line was made up of horse-drawn, iron-clad professional warriors. This line was led into battle personally by the king. True, the entry into battle of three or four lines was rare. Usually the Khazars themselves went on campaigns and raids, in which only horse-drawn light archers and squads of the nobility participated.
Horseman of the Khazar Kaganate. End of IX - beginning of X century. Based on materials by S. A. Pletnevoy, Dmitrievsky archaeological complex, catacomb No. 52. Reconstruction drawings by Oleg Fedorov
Alanian archer of the Khazar Kaganate, IX - early X century. Based on materials by S. A. Pletnevoy, Dmitrievsky archaeological complex, catacomb No. 55
Svyatoslav was a real warrior. The Russian chronicle vividly describes him: light in movement, like a leopard, brave, he directed all his energy to create a powerful squad: “Begin to copulate many and are brave and walk easily, like pardus (leopard), many create wars. Walking a cart on its own do not lift, not a boiler; neither boiled meat, but cut the horse meat, whether animal, or beef, baked good food on the coals, nor a tent of name, but the lining of the bed and the saddle in the heads, so did the rest of the warriors byahu (Complete collection of Russian chronicles. Vol. 1).
Svyatoslav's army was extremely mobile. In fact, in the future, such mobility and tactics will be shown by the army of Alexander Suvorov. Russian squads moved on boats and horses. Svyatoslav's squad, as can be seen from the sources, could fight on horseback and on foot, depending on the situation. From the message of the Russian chronicler that Prince Svyatoslav and his soldiers ate horse meat and had saddles, it can be concluded that the squad was horse, and not foot. This is indirectly confirmed by the Byzantine historian Leo the Deacon, who contradicts himself when he says that the Russians did not know how to fight in an equestrian formation, and at the same time reports on their equestrian attacks. But the squad also used boats to move along rivers, where it was convenient (Volga, Don, Dnieper and Danube), and could fight on foot, lining up for battle in several ranks. And the experience of waging war by the previous Russian princes - Rurik, Oleg the Prophet and Igor the Old, shows that Russia had a powerful fleet that could operate on rivers and at sea. At the same time, part of the army accompanied the ship's men overland in equestrian order.
During this period, the Russian army consisted of several parts: 1) from the older and younger squads of the prince; 2) squads of boyars and henchmen of princes; 3) "warriors" - urban and rural militia; 4) allies and mercenaries (Varangians, Pechenegs, Polovtsians, etc.). The squads were usually heavily armed cavalry. Under Svyatoslav, it was reinforced by the light cavalry of the Pechenegs, they were armed with bows, had spears for throwing (darts-sulitsa) and strike and a three-edged double-edged sword, protected by chain mail and helmets. "Voi" - the militia were the infantry of the Russian army. For long-distance campaigns, boats (lodyas) were built, which lifted up to 40-60 people each. They could operate not only on rivers, but also at sea; they were not only transports, but engaged in battle with enemy ships.
A noble warrior of the Russian squad. End of X - beginning of XI century. Based on materials from the burials of the Shestovitsy burial ground, Chernihiv region. Reconstruction drawings by Oleg Fedorov
Old Russian warrior. Second half of the 10th century. Based on materials by T. A. Pushkina, Smolensk region, Gnezdovsky archaeological complex
Kiev warrior of the 10th century. Based on materials from the excavations of M. K. Karger of the Tithe Church of Kiev, burial No. 108
An old Russian warrior in a swinging caftan made of fabric with a printed heel. Second half of the 10th century. Based on materials by T. A. Pushkina, Smolensk region, Gnezdovsky archaeological complex, burial Dn-4
Russian prince with a retinue. First half of the 11th century. Based on the materials of archaeological finds from Kiev, Chernigov and Voronezh region.
The senior squad consisted of "princely men", or boyars. In peacetime, she was the prince's council, participated in the government. The younger squad ("youths", "children") was the prince's personal guard. The squad was the core of the army. The city exhibited a "thousand", divided into hundreds and tens (along the "ends" and streets). "Thousand" was commanded by the one elected by the vechem or appointed by the prince, a thousand. "Hundreds" and "tens" were commanded by the elected sotsky and ten. "Voi" made up the infantry, divided into archers and spearmen. In battle, the infantry stood up to a "wall" like an ancient Greek phalanx. Archers fired at the enemy, scattering his formation. The spearmen covered themselves with shields as tall as a man and put out their spears. In close combat, they used swords, axes, maces and "boot" knives. Protective equipment consisted of chain mail armor, a pointed helmet with chain mail mesh over the face and shoulders, and large, often full-length, wooden shields. The quality of weapons and armor depended on the wealth of the warrior. The main weapons were usually kept in princely warehouses and issued before setting out on a campaign. Since ancient times, the Rus have had banners-banners, triangular and red, as well as military music. The rhythm of the music helped to enter a state of combat trance, a special state of the psyche. Troops lined up and fought around their banners. "To put up a banner" meant to form or prepare for battle.
Russian troops were distinguished by high discipline. The army gathered at a gathering point and organized an expedition. On the march, there was a watchman in front, who was conducting reconnaissance of the enemy's routes and forces, extracting "tongues" and protecting the main forces from a surprise attack. The main forces followed the watchmen. During the stops, they set up "guards" - security, the place itself was surrounded by carts or palisades, sometimes dug in.
The battle order of the Russian army was traditional: the middle (infantry) and two wings (left and right). Archers, who were in front of them in loose formation, began the battle. Russian sophisticated bows were terrible weapons. The main (central) regiment took the enemy's blow, stopped it, the cavalry squads on the flanks tried to cover the enemy or prevented a more numerous enemy from encircling the Russian army. Enveloping and flanking, ambushes and luring the enemy with a deliberate retreat were used very often, this was the oldest traditional tactic for the Scythians and their heirs - the Rus.
Russian troops successfully stormed the cities as well. They tried to take them with a sudden attack - "with a spear", or cunning. If it didn’t work, then they began a siege. The city was surrounded on all sides, deprived of its supply of food, they looked for water conduits to force the garrison to surrender. If the garrison persisted, they carried out the correct siege - the troops were located in a fortified camp, the city was surrounded by an earthen rampart, cutting it off from the outside world and narrowing the possibilities for sorties. Under the cover of large board shields, they approached the walls, chopped down the palisade (tyn), filled up the moat in places, if the walls and towers were wooden, they tried to set them on fire. A large embankment was made near the wall, an earthen powder, along which one could climb, prepared assault ladders. To destroy the wall and penetrate the city, underground passages were dug. Siege towers, battering machines (battering rams) and vices (stone throwers) were also used.
Russian combat boat (boat)
Stone-throwing machine (Russian vices). Drawing from an Arabic manuscript
Defeat of Khazaria
The hike began in 964. Winter 964-965. Svyatoslav Igorevich spent in the lands of the Vyatichi, convincing their princes and elders to submit to a single power. Vyatichi warriors, skilled forest hunters and scouts replenished his army. In the spring of 965, Svyatoslav's regiments will move to Khazaria. The Russian prince deceived the enemy. Usually the Russians walked by water from the Don and along the Sea of Azov. And Svyatoslav decided to strike the kaganate in the heart not from the west, but from the north, along the Volga.
The Russian army moved along the Volga road. On the way, Svyatoslav pacified the longtime tributaries and allies of the Khazars - Bulgars and Burtases. With a swift blow, Svyatoslav defeated the allies of Khazaria, depriving Itil of additional military contingents. The city of Bulgar, the capital of the Volga Bulgaria, was devastated. The enemy did not expect an attack from the north, so the resistance was small. Burtases and Bulgars preferred flight and scattered in the forests, trying to survive the thunderstorm.
Svyatoslav's shipmen descended down the Volga and entered the possession of the Khazars. "Voi" moved on boats, along the coast they were accompanied by mounted Russian squads and allied Pechenegs. The Khazars, having learned about the unexpected attack of Svyatoslav's regiments, prepared themselves in battle. Somewhere in the lower reaches of the Volga, near the capital of the Kaganate - Itil, a decisive battle took place. The Khazar king Joseph managed to assemble a large army, including the capital's militia. The arsenals of the capital were enough to arm everyone. However, the Khazar army could not withstand the onslaught of Svyatoslav's regiments. Russian soldiers stubbornly rushed forward, repelling all the attacks of the Khazars. The Khazar army wavered and fled. Tsar Joseph with the remaining guards was able to break through, but lost most of the guards. There was no one to defend the Khazar capital. The population took refuge on the islands in the Volga delta. The city was destroyed. It is generally accepted archaeologically that Itil has not yet been identified. There is a version that it was washed away due to the rise in the level of the Caspian Sea.
Sketch for the painting "The Capture of the Khazar Fortress Itil by Prince Svyatoslav". V. Kireev
After this victory, Svyatoslav Igorevich continued the campaign, since the Khazars had several more large cities. Svyatoslav led his squads along the coast of the Caspian Sea to the south, to the old capital of the Khazar Kaganate - Semender. It was a large city on the territory of the Caspian Dagestan. Semender was ruled by its own king, who had his own army. It was an autonomous region. The trip to Semender was fleeting. The Semender army was defeated and scattered over the surrounding mountains, Semender was occupied without a fight. Svyatoslav did not go further south, expressing indifference to Derbent and the Southern Caspian region with its rich cities. He didn't want prey. The Russian army carried out a sacred mission, destroying the Khazar "snake".
Svyatoslav passed through the North Caucasus, the land of the Yases (Alans, the ancestors of the Ossetians), Kasogs (Circassians), defeated their ratias, as allies of Khazaria, subjugated them to his will. Svyatoslav led his troops to the shores of the Surozh (Azov) Sea. There were two large centers of the Khazar state - Tamatarha (Tmutarakan) and Kerchev. There were no serious battles. The Khazar governor and garrisons fled. And the locals revolted, helping to take the city. Svyatoslav showed himself not only as a skillful and fearless warrior, but also as a wise ruler. He did not destroy these cities, but turned them into strongholds and trade centers of Russia.
In fact, practically nothing remained of the kaganate. Its fragments were crushed by Svyatoslav's allies - the Pechenegs, who occupied part of Khazaria. Only one powerful fortress remained from the state - Belaya Vezha ("vezha" - a tower). It was one of the most powerful fortresses of the kaganate. Sarkel had six powerful towers visible from afar. The fortress stood on a promontory, which was washed on three sides by the waters of the Don. On the fourth side, a deep ditch was dug, filled with water. At the distance of the arrow's flight from the walls, on the land side, a second ditch was dug. The walls were thick (3.75 m) and high (up to 10 m), reinforced with tower ledges and massive corner towers. The main gate was located in the north-western wall, the second gate (smaller) was located on the north-eastern wall and went out to the river. Inside the fortress was divided into two parts by a transverse wall. The smaller south-western part could only be accessed from the inside; in its southern corner there was a fortified square donjon (vezha) tower. Thus, the fortress had several lines of defense and was considered impregnable. In the fortress there was not only a garrison, but also Tsar Joseph took refuge with the remnants of the troops. He hoped to ride out the storm and restore at least part of the destroyed.
Having set aside the garrison in Tmutarakan. Svyatoslav moved on. The Rus laid siege to the Sarkel fortress from land and river. Russian soldiers filled the ditches, prepared the stairs and ram for the assault. In the course of a fierce attack, the fortress was taken. The last bloody battle took place in the citadel. The Khazar king with guards were killed.
The last Khazar stronghold fell. Svyatoslav did not destroy it. The settlement came under the rule of Russia and began to be called in Russian - Belaya Vezha. The fortress housed a permanent garrison of Russians and Pechenegs.
Outcomes
Svyatoslav's warriors made a unique campaign about 6 thousand kilometers long. Svyatoslav's squads subdued the Vyatichi, the Khazar tributaries, marched through the Volga Bulgaria, the lands of the Burtases and Khazaria, took the capital Itil and the ancient capital of the Khaganate - Semender in the Caspian. Then they conquered the North Caucasian tribes of the Yases (ancestors of the Ossetians) and Kasogs (Adyghe tribes), subjugated Tmutarakan on the Taman Peninsula and defeated the strategic Khazar fortress Sarkel on the Don on the way back. It took about 3 years to complete the titanic task of defeating the old and powerful enemy of Russia, with wintering somewhere on the Volga and the North Caucasus. The hike took place in the period 964-966 (according to Arab sources, 968-969).
The results of the campaign of the Russian troops led by Svyatoslav were exceptional. The huge and rich Khazar Kaganate was defeated and completely disappeared from the political map of the world. The essentially parasitic Khazar elite, which controlled the transit trade between the countries of the East and Europe, as well as the slave trade, was destroyed, and partly fled to the Crimea, the Caucasus and beyond. Russian squads cleared the way to the East, established control over the two great rivers Volga and Don. Volga Bulgaria, a vassal of Khazaria, was subdued and ceased to be a hostile barrier on the Volga. Sarkel (Belaya Vezha) and Tmutarakan, two of the most important fortified cities in the southeast, became Russian centers. The balance of forces has also changed in the previously semi-Byzantine, semi-Khazar Crimea. The place of Khazaria was taken by Russia. Kerch (Korchev) became a Russian city.
In the process of creating a new empire, Great Russia, an important step was taken. Svyatoslav secured the eastern strategic flank, made an alliance with the Pechenegs, put under control the most important river communications and part of the Crimea, through which the world trade routes passed.
"Prince Svyatoslav". Artist Vladimir Kireev
More about Svyatoslav's activities in the "Svyatoslav" series:
"I'm going to you!" Raising a hero and his first victory
Svyatoslav's saber strike against the Khazar "miracle-yud"
Svyatoslav's Bulgarian campaign
Svyatoslav's Bulgarian campaign. Part 2
War of Svyatoslav with Byzantium. Battle of Arcadiopol
War of Svyatoslav with Byzantium. Battle of Preslav and the heroic defense of Dorostol
The mystery of the death of Svyatoslav. Strategy for the construction of Great Russia
