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 took part 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 generals, 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. Svyatoslav's first independent campaign. 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.
Two armies converged on the banks of the Don, 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.
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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 squad! 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 took 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 pass 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 resisting. 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 Svyatoslav's army was already coalitional: Bulgarians, Hungarians, Pechenegs acted in alliance with him. After bloody battles, the city fell. His garrison, commanders, captured Greeks and Bulgarians who were irreconcilable with 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 Arkadiopol, where a general battle took place. Believing 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 they were surrounded and were 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 Patrick 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 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, destroying the cities, went to the Danube, to the city of Dorostol, in which Svyatoslav was located. His position turned out to be more than difficult. The bloody battle under the walls of the city lasted from morning until the very dark 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 grain reserves 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 great 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.
