Siege of Kyiv by the Pechenegs in 1036 — the last military action of the Pechenegs against the capital of Kievan Rus. It was undertaken by these nomadic tribes after the death of Mstislav of Chernigov, when Yaroslav the Wise left for Novgorod, leaving Kyiv without significant protection. The crushing defeat of the Pechenegs by the troops of Yaroslav the Wise, who returned with the Novgorodians and the Varangians, put an end to their confrontation with Kievan Rus.
Reason for the raid
- The death of Mstislav the Brave and the absence of Yaroslav the Wise in Kyiv
- The Pechenegs were crowded out by other nomads – Torks, Cumans, Guzes
- Yaroslav the Wise built up the southeastern borders of Kievan Rus with new fortress cities, which caused discontent among the Pechenegs
Background of the conflict and chronology of events
The first clashes between Rus’ and the Pechenegs
«That same summer, a lot of Pechenegs were beaten by Oskold and Dir»
Up to the described events of 1036, the Pechenegs either made alliances with the Slavic princes and helped them in raids on their European neighbors or in the fight against each other, or they ravaged the cities of Russia. In 972 they killed Prince Svyatoslav the Brave on the Dnieper rapids.
Pechenegs in the time of Yaroslav the Wise
In the internecine war that began in 1015 between Yaroslav and Svyatopolk, the Pechenegs took the side of the latter. In addition to the Pechenegs, the Polish king Boleslav I (the Brave) acted as an ally of Svyatopolk. German and Polish historians note that the Pechenegs, at the direction of Boleslav, made frequent raids on Russian lands, which greatly exhausted Yaroslav’s troops.
In 1016 (6524) a battle took place near Lyubech between the troops of Yaroslav the Wise and Svyatopolk the Accursed. With a successful maneuver, the Novgorod squads cut off the Pechenegs from the main forces of Svyatopolk allied to them, which largely influenced the outcome of the battle that day in favor of Yaroslav. During the entire battle, the Pechenegs remained behind the lake and did not take actual part in it.
The assault on Kyiv in 1017
In the next year 1017 (6525) the Pechenegs, at the instigation of Buritsleif (historians disagree here, some consider Buritsleif to be Svyatopolk, others to be Boleslav), undertook a campaign against Kyiv. The Pechenegs went on the attack with significant forces, while Yaroslav could rely only on the remnants of the Varangian squad led by King Eymund, the Novgorodians and a small Kyiv detachment. According to the Scandinavian saga, Yaroslav was wounded in the leg in this battle. The Pechenegs managed to break into the city, but a powerful counterattack by the elite squad, after a heavy bloody battle, put the Pechenegs to flight. In addition, large “wolf pits” near the walls of Kyiv, dug and disguised by order of Yaroslav, played a positive role in the defense of Kyiv.
Pechenegs in the battle on the Bug River in 1018
In 1018 (6526) the Pechenegs took part in the campaign of Boleslav and Svyatopolk against Kyiv – Yaroslav with the South Russian and Novgorod armies, as well as with the Norman mercenary squad, went to a meeting, but on July 22 he suffered a crushing defeat on the Bug River and fled to Novgorod. Boleslav and Svyatopolk entered Kyiv.
After some time, Boleslav, having captured prisoners and rich booty, returned to Poland, and Svyatopolk was expelled by Yaroslav the Wise from Kyiv.
Pechenegs in the battle on the Alta River in 1019
In the next year 1019 (6527) Svyatopolk with the Pechenegs “in formidable power” undertook a major campaign against Yaroslav. The latter, also gathering a large army from the Novgorod and South Russian lands, met the enemy on the Alta River. According to the chronicle, – Yaroslav stood at the place where Boris was killed and, praying for revenge “…for the blood of the righteous”, with the sunrise he led his army against the Pechenegs. The battle lasted all day and was particularly fierce,
“…and there was a fierce slaughter, which had never happened in Russia, and, grabbing hands, they cut, and converged three times, so that blood flowed through the lowlands.”
Only in the evening did the Russians barely win. The remnants of the Pechenegs fled to the steppe, and Svyatopolk to the west, where in the same year he died “… in a deserted place between Poland and the Czech lands.”
In 1020 (6528) the Pechenegs made a lightning raid on Russian lands. Yaroslav did not have time to react, and the Pechenegs, having captured rich booty“… and having done a lot of evil, went home”.
After the raid of 1020, the chronicles did not mention anything about the Pechenegs for 15 years. Meanwhile, Yaroslav continued to strengthen the southern borders of Russia.
Siege of Kyiv in 1036
In 1036, Yaroslav became the sole ruler of Kievan Rus, uniting the Kyiv and Chernigov sides of the Dnieper under his rule, when his brother Mstislav died in Chernigov without heirs. Yaroslav went to Novgorod to appoint his eldest son Vladimir there.
Upon learning that the Pechenegs suddenly laid siege to Kyiv. Yaroslav quickly managed to gather a strong army (from Novgorodians, Kyivans and Varangian mercenaries) and came to the defense of the capital.
The Pechenegs only managed to burn the settlements and suburbs of Kyiv, and the locals managed to escape to the city and carry away their property, the cattle were driven into ravines. Kyiv held out until the arrival of Yaroslav the Wise.
Approaching the besieged city, Yaroslav the Wise broke through the enemies around walls of the fortress, and together with the local combatants made a general sortie.
Opponents converged on a wide field in front of the city itself. Yaroslav divided his troops into three regiments along the front (using the order of battle by Mstislav in the unsuccessful battle for Yaroslav at Listven in 1024). Yaroslav’s squad (Varangians) stood in the center, the people of Kiev on the right flank, the Novgorodians on the left.
The reconstructed appearance of the Sophia Cathedral, which was built by Yaroslav in honor of the victory.
A fight began that lasted all day. Despite the numerical superiority of the Pecheneg army, the victory of Yaroslav the Wise was unconditional. The remaining nomads fled in panic: many Pechenegs drowned in the Setoml and other rivers, some went to the borders of Byzantium, some went to the Don.
Description of the defeat of the Pechenegs in 1036 from Tatishchev
Subsequently, the main part of the Pechenegs went to the steppes of the North-Western Black Sea region. In 1046-1047, under the leadership of Khan Tirakh, the Pechenegs crossed the Danube ice and attacked Bulgaria, which at that time was a Byzantine province. Further, the Pechenegs, unable to withstand the onslaught of the Torks, Polovtsy and Guzes, as well as the war with Byzantium, partly entered the Byzantine service as federates, partly were accepted by the Hungarian king to carry out border service, and for the same purpose were partly received by the Russian princes.
Another part of the Pechenegs, immediately after their defeat near Kyiv, went to the southeast, where they assimilated among other nomads.
Results and accomplishment
- The Pechenegs were defeated, their tribes ceased to play a significant role in the steppes.
- The eastern and southern borders of Kievan Rus were not raided throughout the subsequent reign of Yaroslav the Wise.
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