Russian-Byzantine war (1043)

After the capture of Prince Khersones by Prince Vladimir in 989 , his marriage to the Byzantine princess Anna and the Baptism of Rus, Russia became an ally of Byzantium. At the service of the emperors was constantly the Russian corps, the most numerous among other military contingents from foreigners. ^[1] Not later than 1016 a Russian monastery arose on Mount Athos . In the same year, the Byzantines, together with his brother Vladimir Sfeng, suppressed the rebellion of the Chersonese stratig George Tsul in the Crimea. ^[2]

Tensions between the two states began to emerge after the accession in June 1042 of Emperor Constantine Monomakh . The beginning of the reign of Constantine was marked by a rebellion of troops led by George Maniac in Italy, it is known that Russian-Varangian detachments fought under his command. According to academician G.G. Litavrina Konstantin disbands military units that enjoyed the special location of the former emperor Michael V , perhaps trying to disband the Varangian-Russian corps. A manifestation of this was the desire of the famous Viking Harald Surovoy , a representative of the Norwegian ruling dynasty, to return to his homeland. However, Konstantin not only refuses, but according to the sagas he throws Harald into prison. Tom manages to escape to his homeland through Russia, where Yaroslav, friendly to him, reigned.

Perhaps the ruin of the pier and the warehouses of the Russian monastery on Mount Athos is connected with the same events. ^[3]

The cause of the war, according to Skilitsa , was the killing of a noble Russian merchant (" noble Scythian ") on the market of Constantinople. Emperor Constantine sent ambassadors with an apology, but they were not accepted.

Mikhail Psell argues that the Russes were preparing for war with Byzantium even under the former emperors, but decided to go on a campaign under the reign of Michael V because of the eternal " anger and hatred of the Roman Empire ." However, Michael ruled only 4 months, he was replaced by Konstantin :

“And the barbarians, although they could not reproach the new king for anything, went to war with him for no reason, so that only their preparations would not be in vain.” ^[4]

Yaroslav I the Wise sent an army on a boat on a boat under the command of his eldest son Vladimir , who reigned in Novgorod. The governors assigned him Vyshat and Ivan Tvorimirich.

Skilica estimates the Russian army at 100 thousand soldiers, but another Byzantine historian of the 11th century, Mikhail Attaliat , indicated the number of the Russian fleet at 400 ships. ^[5]

Konstantin learned about the upcoming campaign in the spring of 1043 and took measures: he sent Russian mercenaries and merchants from Constantinople, and the theme of the theme was Paristion ^[6] Katakalon Kekavmenu instructed to protect the western shores of the Black Sea. In June 1043, the fleet of Prince Vladimir passed the Bosphorus and became in one of the bays of Propontis , near Constantinople. According to Psell, the Russians entered into negotiations, requesting 1,000 coins per ship. According to Skilitsa, Emperor Konstantin Monomakh was the first to begin negotiations, which did not lead to anything, since the Russians requested 3 liters (almost 1 kg) of gold per warrior.

The Battle of Lighthouse Iskrest

The emperor gathered in one harbor all the warships remaining after the fire of 1040 , and cargo ships, putting soldiers on them and arming them with stone-throwers and “Greek fire” . The Russian fleet lined up opposite the Greek, most of the day the parties were inactive. The emperor watched the course of action from a high hill from the shore. At his command, the fight was started by Vasily Feodorokan with 3 dromons (2 according to Psell, who personally observed the course of the battle). Russian boats surrounded the large ships of the Byzantines: the soldiers tried to perforate the hulls of the triremes with spears, the Greeks threw spears and stones at them.

When the Byzantines used the " Greek fire ", the Russians had nothing to oppose them. According to Skilitsa, Vasily Feodorokan burned seven Russian ships and sank three with the crew. The main fleet of the Byzantines came out of the harbor. The rooks had to retreat without accepting the battle. At this moment, a storm broke out, the consequences of which were described by Michael Psell :

“Some ships covered swelling waves at once, while others dragged along the sea for a long time and then threw them onto the rocks and onto the steep coast; our dromons chased some of them, they launched some shuttles together with the team, while other soldiers and the dromon made a hole and half-flooded brought them to the nearest shore. And then the barbarians made a true bloodletting, it seemed as if a stream of blood poured out of the rivers had colored the sea. ”

With the storm begins the story of the unsuccessful campaign " The Tale of Bygone Years ", silent about the naval battle that has taken place. The east wind threw ashore up to 6 thousand soldiers, and the prince's ship crashed. Prince Vladimir was received by Prince Ivan Tvorimirich , they decided to make their way home by sea. Voevoda Vyshata , on the contrary, landed on the shore to the soldiers with the words: “ If I am alive, then with them, if I die, then with a squad ”

The emperor sent in pursuit of the Russians 24 ^[7] dromon. In one of the bays, Vladimir attacked the pursuers and defeated them, possibly during a coastal stand, after which he returned safely to Kiev. A group of 6 thousand Vyshaty soldiers, who made their way to Russia on foot along the Black Sea coast, was overtaken and destroyed near Varna by the troops of the Katakalon Kekavmen stratig. Embroidered along with 800 warriors was captured. Almost all of the captives were blinded.

The world was concluded three years later, according to the PVL , that is, in 1046 . Voivode Vyshat was released and returned to Kiev, the damage to the monastery in Athos was compensated. The interest of Byzantium in the world was caused by a new threat to its northern borders. Since the end of 1045, the Pechenegs began to raid the Bulgarian possessions of the empire.

Russia again became an ally of Byzantium, already in 1047 the Russian troops fought in the army against the rebel Leo Tornik. Moreover, the union was soon sealed by the marriage of Prince Vsevolod Yaroslavich with the Byzantine princess, whom the Russian chronicles call the daughter of Emperor Konstantin Monomakh (see Monomakhin ). The marriage significantly increased the prestige of the Old Russian state: after this, Grand Duke Yaroslav wooed his daughters for the European monarchs, and he himself took the marriage embassies.

The famous historian of ancient Russian art V. G. Bryusova suggested that there was a continuation of the campaign in 1044, during which the Greek Chersonesos (Korsun) was taken by the Russians, and that it was this that made the empire make concessions. ^[8] In support of his hypothesis, Bryusov gives the following arguments:

• According to the bishop of Shalons Roger, who visited Kiev in 1049 , Yaroslav told him that he personally transferred the relics of St. Clement and Thebes from Chersonesos to their capital. The relics could be taken only as a trophy.

This evidence contradicts the report of the PVL about the seizure of these relics in Khersones by Prince Vladimir the Baptist in 988 . Finding the relics of Clement in Kiev was confirmed by the chronicler Titmar of Merseburg , who died in 1018 .

• In Kiev, under Yaroslav, many objects of the circle of art monuments of the Black Sea appear. In Novgorod , a large number of “Korsun antiquities” has survived to this day: the gates adorning the entrance to the Christmas aisle of St. Sophia Cathedral and decorated with the motif of a prosperous cross (typical of Chersonese art), the icons of Our Lady of Korsun , “ Peter and Paul ”, “ Spas-Manuel ”. All of them are of Byzantine origin and belong to the XI century . In the XVI - XVII centuries. in Novgorod there was a legend that the Korsun antiquities were brought by Novgorodians as trophies from Chersonesos. St. Sophia Cathedral was founded in 1045 , which is associated with the victory in 1044 and to accommodate the extracted church values.

The so-called “Korsun Gate” was made in Magdeburg in 1153 and was intended for the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary in Plock . ^[9] V.V. Mavrodin believes that the gates were taken by the Novgorodians in the campaign of 1187 on the Swedish Sigtuna. ^[10] A. Poppe suggested that the “Traditions about Korsun Antiquities” should strengthen the position of the Novgorod rulers in the Russian church hierarchy.

• In the Sofia Chronicle, Novgorod IV and those close to them, the story of the campaign 1043 begins with the words “packs” (“again”) or there are two identical records about it. Bryusova admits that “again” was related to the repeated campaign of 1044, the mention of which was removed by the census taker.

• According to Bryusova, it was impossible to conclude a peace treaty with Byzantium in 1046 and then a dynastic marriage with the daughter of Konstantin Monomakh without a decisive military victory. The absence of any mention in the sources of the 2nd campaign of Bryusov explains the conflict of princely interests, as if the other princes were not interested in mentioning the victory of Vladimir Yaroslavich over the Greeks. Bryusov also suggests mixing in the minds of chroniclers the personality of Vladimir Yaroslavich with the more famous princes Vladimir the Baptist , who made a trip to Korsun in 989 , and Vladimir Monomakh

• Russian-Byzantine wars
• Caspian hikes of the Rus

• Bryusova V.G. Russian-Byzantine Relations of the Mid-11th Century. // Questions of history, 1973, No. 3, pp. 51-62.
• Litavrin G. G. Russian-Byzantine relations in the 11th-12th centuries , according to the publication: The History of Byzantium: In 3 volumes / M .: Nauka, 1967, T. 2. Chapter 15: S. 347-353

Source Texts

• The story of temporary years in the translation of D. S. Likhachev (see 1043).
• Michael Psell. Chronography / Translation and approx. Lyubarsky, Y. N. - Moscow: Nauka, 1978. Zoya and Theodora. Konstantin IX

• The reign of Yaroslav I. The war with Byzantium // "World History"