Siege of Kiev (968)

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Siege of Kiev (968)

Siege of Kiev redirects here. For other sieges, see Battle of Kiev
Battle of Kiev

The Battle of Kiev may refer to one of two battles of World War II* Battle of Kiev , when two German Panzer Groups encircled a Soviet army in the city...
.

The siege of Kiev by the Pechenegs in 968
968

968 was a year in the 10th century....
is documented in the Primary Chronicle
Primary Chronicle

The Primary Chronicle , or Russian Primary Chronicle, is a history of Kievan Rus' from about 850 to 1110, originally compiled in Kiev about 1113....
, whose account freely mixes historical details with folklore.

According to the chronicle, while Svyatoslav I of Kiev was pursuing his campaign against the First Bulgarian Empire
First Bulgarian Empire

The First Bulgarian Empire was a medieval Bulgarian state founded in AD 632 in the lands near the Danube Delta and disintegrated in AD 1018 after its annexation to the Byzantine Empire....
, the Pechenegs (in all probability, bribed by Byzantine Emperor Nicephorus Phocas) invaded Rus and besieged his capital of Kiev
Kiev

Kiev, also known as Kyiv , is the Capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River....
.

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Siege of Kiev redirects here. For other sieges, see Battle of Kiev
Battle of Kiev

The Battle of Kiev may refer to one of two battles of World War II* Battle of Kiev , when two German Panzer Groups encircled a Soviet army in the city...
.

The siege of Kiev by the Pechenegs in 968
968

968 was a year in the 10th century....
is documented in the Primary Chronicle
Primary Chronicle

The Primary Chronicle , or Russian Primary Chronicle, is a history of Kievan Rus' from about 850 to 1110, originally compiled in Kiev about 1113....
, whose account freely mixes historical details with folklore.

According to the chronicle, while Svyatoslav I of Kiev was pursuing his campaign against the First Bulgarian Empire
First Bulgarian Empire

The First Bulgarian Empire was a medieval Bulgarian state founded in AD 632 in the lands near the Danube Delta and disintegrated in AD 1018 after its annexation to the Byzantine Empire....
, the Pechenegs (in all probability, bribed by Byzantine Emperor Nicephorus Phocas) invaded Rus and besieged his capital of Kiev
Kiev

Kiev, also known as Kyiv , is the Capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River....
. While the besieged suffered from hunger and thirst, Svyatoslav's general Pretich deployed his druzhina
Druzhina

Druzhina, Dru?yna or Druzyna in the history of early East Slavs was a detachment of select troops in personal service of a tribal chief, later knyaz. Its original functions were bodyguarding, raising tribute from the conquered territories and serving as the core of an army during war campaigns....
, his personal guard, on the opposite bank of the Dnieper, not daring to cross the river against the larger Pecheneg force.

Reduced to extremes, Svyatoslav's mother Olga of Kiev
Olga of Kiev

Saint Olga was a ruler of Kievan Rus as regent for her son, Sviatoslav I, Prince of Kiev....
(who was in Kiev together with all of Svyatoslav's sons) contemplated surrender, if Pretich did not relieve the siege within one day. She was anxious to send word about her plans to Pretich. At last, a boy fluent in the Pecheneg language
Pecheneg language

Pecheneg language is the extinct Turkic languages spoken by the Pechenegs in Eastern Europe.It is most likely a member of the Oghuz languages branch of the Turkic family, but the poor documentation to it and the absence of any descendant languages of Pecheneg has prevented linguists from making a definite classification; most experts would...
volunteered to venture from the city and urge Pretich to action. Pretending to be a Pecheneg, he went about their camp, as if searching for a lost horse. When he attempted to swim across the Dnieper, the Pechenegs discovered his subterfuge and started shooting at him, but to no avail.

When the boy reached the opposite bank and informed Pretich about the desperate condition of the Kievans, the general decided to make a sally in order to evacuate Svyatoslav's family from the city, for fear of his sovereign's anger. Early in the morning, Pretich and his troops embarked on boats across the Dnieper, making great noise with their trumpets. The besieged started cheering, Olga ventured out of the city towards the river. The Pechenegs, thinking that Svyatoslav was returning with his great army, lifted the siege.

The Pecheneg leader then decided to confer with Pretich and asked him whether he was Svyatoslav. Pretich admitted that he was only a general but warned the Pecheneg ruler that his unit was a vanguard of Svyatoslav's approaching army. As a sign of his peaceful disposition, the Pecheneg ruler shook hands with Pretich and exchanged his own horse, sword and arrows for Pretich's armor.

As soon as the Pechenegs retreated, Olga sent a letter to Svyatoslav reproaching him for his neglect of the family and people. Upon receiving the message, Svyatoslav speedily returned to Kiev and thoroughly defeated the Pechenegs, who were still threatening the city from the south. The following year Olga died and Svyatoslav moved his capital from distant Kiev to Pereyaslavets
Pereyaslavets

Pereyaslavets or Preslavets was a trade city located at the mouth of the Danube. The city's name is derived from that of the Bulgarian capital of the time, Preslav, and means "little Preslav" ....
in present-day Romania
Romania

Romania is a country located in Southeastern Europe Central Europe, North of the Balkan Peninsula, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian Mountains, bordering on the Black Sea....
.