"Let us lay down our bones, brothers, for the dead have no shame!" These words are familiar to everyone - one of the heights of Russian spirituality belongs to the great war, whose glory was known from edge to edge - to Prince Svyatoslav the Brave.
But in history textbooks you will either not find any mention of him at all, or pathetic lines. But whole chapters are devoted to the exploits of Alexander the Great or Julius Caesar.
We are an ancient self-sufficient unique people who do not know their history.
If justice was violated, if captivity threatened, slavery - the Russian person (Tatar, Bashkir, Chuvash, Mordvin … nationality did not matter) forgot about Orthodox humility and again turned the wheel of history.
Who was Svyatoslav the Brave?
Prince Svyatoslav lived in the 10th century, or rather in the second half of the 10th century. It is difficult to determine the exact date of his birth - I have come across at least two numbers. Only the date of death is known, and they are trying to calculate the age from it. Probably, it is not so important how old Svyatoslav was, because the years now and the years then give different life experiences. Let's just say that Svyatoslav was about thirty years old when he died. He is the same age as many of us, which gives us a great example to follow.
Svyatoslav was the only child in the family of Igor Stary and Olga. Maybe he would have had brothers and sisters, but his father died in the lands of the Drevlyans. According to the official version - from their own greed, according to another version - because of intrigue. I personally see the second version as viable, since shortly before his death Igor went on a campaign against Byzantium and took a huge tribute. Igor also managed to tame the Pechenegs in their native steppe, which almost no one succeeded in.
Promotional video:
A pupil of Prophetic Oleg, he could not just “go off the rails” and die from his own greed.
After Igor's death, Olga took the Kiev throne. This is the same Princess Olga who buried the Drevlyan ambassadors alive and burned them in the bathhouse, and then organized a punitive expedition to the Drevlyan lands. She took Svyatoslav with her, and he, as the future Grand Duke, nominally opened a general battle. This was his first battle and his first victory.
The first independent victory came later. Olga set out to enlist the support of the Catholic Church, having agreed that theologians would be sent from the Holy Roman Empire to Russia. In those years, it was the same as if now the Russian president asked the United States to send a delegation of experienced democrats to help build a truly democratic state. With all the ensuing consequences of the type of tanks "M1 Abrams" on Red Square. Fortunately, Svyatoslav took over the reins of power from his mother. The priests were driven home.
Russia has many enemies. What is the Ancient, what is the present. In the Caucasus and in the lower reaches of the Volga, a powerful state flourished - the Khazar Kaganate. Once that picturesque and fertile area was inhabited by the Khazar tribes, leading a semi-nomadic lifestyle. They spent the winter in the city of clay houses and yurts, and spent the time between cold weather driving their cattle. Their power was quite ordinary, with tribal leaders at the head. And suddenly, the power in the country as a result of the revolution is seized by the Jews. Just like in Russia after the Great October Revolution and earlier in the days of the first Romanovs. They entered into family relations with the local nobility, and after a couple of generations they became their own people. You need to understand that then blood relationship meant a lot.
Life in the kaganate changed radically. The local population - the black Khazars - had rights different from the privileged white Khazars. Judaism became the state religion. The leaders of this state did not sit still, soon beginning to develop the lands of neighboring peoples. Among others, they made some tribes of the Slavs (glade, Vyatichi) Danners. Prophetic Oleg managed to drive them away and free the Slavs ("Here the Prophetic Oleg is going to take revenge on the unreasonable Khazars"). But they came to Russia again and again. In addition, the Khazars blocked the waterway along the Volga, creating a customs there, from which the main source of state income came. Khazaria was the largest slave-trade power, which was managed exclusively by the Rakhdonites (this is one of the Jewish groups). Thus, the Khazar Kaganate did not receive income from production, exporting only fish glue,but from the robbery of neighbors, the resale of goods (including people), the collection of customs duties. And all these were in charge of the Jews, firmly entrenched at the top of the state power.
The Khazar Kaganate erected fortresses in the immediate vicinity of the borders of Russia, which turned them into strongholds for upcoming attacks. Possessing a powerful mercenary army, the Khazar Kaganate was a terrible and indestructible enemy. The decoration of his troops were heavy horsemen, mercenaries from Muslim countries. Their equipment is in many ways similar to the knightly armor of a later period. In attack, they looked more like tanks, especially if they managed to accelerate.
Normal life of the young Russian state and the Jewish Khazar Kaganate could not be together. The die is thrown - Svyatoslav goes on his great campaign. When going to war he always sent a messenger to the enemies with the message: "I AM GOING ON YOU!"
Having passed the rivers, he managed to penetrate deep into the lands of the Khazars, getting close to their capital Itil. It was located in the Volga delta. During the decisive battle, the army of Svyatoslav utterly defeated the Khazars, including the notorious heavy horsemen. Itil was taken and thrown at the mercy of the Guz nomads, who accompanied the prince's army as light cavalry.
Svyatoslav turned to the west and fell on Sarkel or Belaya Vezha. This fortress was built by Byzantine engineers, and they understood a lot about fortification. But this did not save the Khazars, and the flag of the Russian squad was raised over Sarkel. Moving further to the west, Svyatoslav conquered the tribes of the Yases and Kasogs (the ancestors of modern Ossetians). As a result, he went to the Taman Peninsula, knocking out the Byzantines from there.
One should not think that the Khazar Kaganate was wiped off the face of the earth. Some of the Khazar Jews escaped to the islands in the Caspian Sea and after a while returned back. However, they did not manage to revive the state in its former power. For a long time there was a Russian garrison in Sarkel, while the influence on Taman remained. The descendants of Svyatoslav were mired in civil strife and lost what their ancestors bequeathed. The Russian army returned to Taman only many centuries later.
Then there was a campaign against Byzantium, the capital of which, Constantinople, was located on the site of modern Istanbul. To imagine the power of this power, imagine that our president has decided to go to war with the United States. The ratio is about the same.
Svyatoslav conquered Bulgaria and only forty kilometers from Constantinople was stopped by the inhuman efforts of the Greeks. The Russian army was forced to retreat to the fortress of Dorostol, the siege began (known in history under the name "Dorostol's seat"). Battles took place many times, with a significant numerical superiority of the Byzantines. This is exactly how Svyatoslav pronounced his historical words: "The dead have no shame" in the sense that those who died in battle will not be dishonored, and if the Russians run away, they will cover themselves with shame forever. Therefore, it is better to die than to run away.
Finally, after many battles and losses, the Russians decided to sign peace with the Byzantine emperor Tzimiskes. Having received rich gifts, they set off on their way.
However, Svyatoslav was betrayed. There are different versions. That it was Tzimiskes or that the Kievan Christians, whom Svyatoslav did not let go, rightly believing them to be the guides of the will of the Byzantine emperor.
As a result, on the Dnieper rapids, the Pechenegs ambushed the prince and his small detachment. In the ensuing battle, in which the prince fought as an ordinary soldier, most of the Russians were killed. The prince also died. The grave of Svyatoslav is unknown and is unlikely to ever be found.
For us, he will be forever alive, will always lead his army to the west, to the east - to any place where there are enemies of Russia and Russians!