Russ in the Caspian. The death of the Russian army on the Volga
Russian campaigns in the Caspian were associated with the economic and commercial interests of Russia. The desire of the soldiers to take rich prey, cut a road to the East. Also, the campaigns were associated with the union of Russia and Byzantium, directed against the Arabs.
The unknown eastern countries, from where merchant caravans with goods surprising to Europe arrived to the markets of Constantinople and Kiev after a long journey, always attracted the Russians (Russians). From the East to Byzantium, to Russia, to other European countries, the finest fabrics and damask steel, precious stones and beautiful horses, carpets, gold, silver, bronze articles, etc., fabulous eastern countries attracted Europeans, did not give rest to merchants and soldiers .
Russian trading people have long paved the way to the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantium), to Syria, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland and German lands, but the East seemed inaccessible. On the eastern routes stood the hostile Khazar Khaganate. The Khazars controlled trade routes along the northern coast of the Black Sea, along the Don and along the Lower Volga. In the hands of the Volga Bulgars and Burtases, tributaries of the Khazars, there were ways along the Oka and the Middle Volga. It was impossible to go to the Caspian Sea, Transcaucasia and further to the countries of Near and Central Asia, the Khazar and Bulgarian outposts interfered.
With each decade, the growing and developing Russian power more acutely felt the isolation from the trade routes leading to the East. And the fame of the rich eastern shopping centers increasingly reached the Kiev rulers. In Kiev, they already knew well about the rich cities of Abesgun and Sari, lying on the southern coast of the Caspian Sea, from where the road to Khorezm opened through Khorasan and Maverannahr. To the west were the rich lands of Tabaristan and Gilan. In Transcaucasia, on the Kura River, the local "Baghdad" - Berdaa - was famous for its bazaars.
These eastern lands and cities to the IX-X centuries. became part of the Arab caliphate. The Caliphate subjugated almost the whole of Transcaucasia, part of Central Asia, and continued its offensive in the Middle East, approaching the Byzantine possessions in Syria and Asia Minor. The Caliphate became the main and mortal enemy of the Byzantine Empire. In the South Caucasus, the caliphate vassals were located - the rulers of Maverannahr, Khorasan, Tabaristan and Gilan. To fight them, the Second Rome mobilized all its allies, including Khazaria. Already from the 7th century, the Khazars fought with the Arabs who tried to break through the Derbent "iron" gate to the North Caucasus and further to the Sea of Azov and the Lower Volga. In 737, the Arab army, under the command of Marwan, broke deep into the territory of the Kaganate, took the then capital Semender. The Khazar Khagan fled for the "Slavic River" (Don). Arabs also encountered Slavs, some of whom were vassals of Khazaria. Thousands of Slavic families were taken into slavery. So the Rus, some of which was dependent on the Khazars, entered into a confrontation with the Arab conquerors.
In the following decades, the confrontation between Byzantium and Khazaria (in the armies of which there were many Slavs) with the caliphate continued. At the end of the VIII - beginning of the IX century, Russia became a formidable force in the region. The second Rome tried to use the Rus in the fight against the Arabs. Khazaria at that time weakened. Khazaria was tormented by the Pechenegs, Arabs and their allies ruled in the former Khazar possessions in the North Caucasus. The Slavic-Russian tribes were liberated one after another from the Khazar yoke. Under Prince Oleg Veshch almost all Slavic lands freed from the Khazars. Byzantium needed a new military force, which could be opposed to the Arab and Islamic world instead of the fading Khazaria. So rapidly developing Russia entered the sphere of influence of Constantinople.
The first known blow to the East was dealt by Russia in the 60 years of the 9th century, shortly after the campaign to Constantinople. It was a trip to the city of Abesgun, which was the key to the trade route to Central Asia. Rus came to the southern coast of the Caspian, walked along the coast. The ruler of Tabaristan, the vassal of the caliphate Hassan ibn Zayd, sent his army against the Russians. In a fierce battle, according to a Persian source, the Russians were defeated and retreated. It is possible that this campaign was connected with the union of the Rus with Byzantium. Russia fulfilled allied commitments, diverting the Arabs in this region.
It is obvious that Khazaria, as an ally of Byzantium, let a detachment of Rus into the Caspian through its possessions. Although the Khazar rulers hated the Rus, since Russia already hung formidable shadow from the north over the kaganate. And soon, Grand Duke Oleg will ask the Slavic tribes: “To whom do you give tribute?” - and when he heard “Kozar”, he will proudly say: “Do not give Kozar, but give me”. But it still will be. In the meantime, reluctantly, and blocking themselves from the Rus by the Sarkel fortress, the Khazars passed the Rus through their outposts into the Caspian and Transcaucasia.
Rus came to the Caspian region, to the famous trading harbor of Abeskun, a large economic center of the whole region, from where the way to Khorezm went. That is, the interests of political, allied obligations to the Second Rome, went here hand in hand with the trade, economic interests of Russia. Warriors could take rich prey here, punch the road further to the East.
In 907, between the Second Rome and Kiev, a new treaty of "peace and love" was concluded, which included the help of the Rus of the Byzantine Empire. The pay for help was an annual tribute to Byzantium. In 909 - 910 years. Russ embarked on a new campaign to the East, and again to Abesgun. Again through the territory of Khazaria. About this campaign reports the Persian author of the XIII century. Ibn Isfendiyar in "Stories Tabaristan. " He reports that in the 909 year a Russian squad appeared on the 16 ships (rooks accommodated from 40 to 60 warriors). Rus came by sea and devastated the coast. The next year, the Russians came in even greater numbers, burned the city of Sari in the southeastern part of the Caspian Sea. On the way back, the Russian detachment withstood the battle with the troops of the local rulers - Gilyanshah and Shirvanshah. It is possible that the Rus did not return to their homeland for the first time, but remained here for the winter (as later), and then in the summer, when it was convenient for sea crossings, again fell upon the enemy. On the whole, the campaign was large-scale, the Russians were fighting for at least several months, the troops of the rulers of Shirvan and Gilan were chained to themselves.
The Russ campaign in the Caspian was part of a larger confrontation. Byzantium fought a hard fight with the Arabs. At the same time, Russian squads appeared in the Byzantine army. In particular, they conduct operations against Arabs in Crete. In the east, the Byzantine ally, the Armenian king Smbat, rebelled and tried to throw off the power of the Arabs, who relied on the forces of their vassals, the rulers of Maverannahr and Khorasan, in the South Caucasus and the Caspian region. That is, the campaign of the Rus in the Caspian was to help the Armenian king. So Kiev paid for the Byzantine tribute, for trade privileges to Russian merchants, for the access of our merchants to the markets of the empire. At the same time, Russia respected its military-strategic and economic interests, tried to pave the way to the East.
Khazaria in this military operation acted as a tactical ally of Russia, as it was bound by obligations to the Byzantines. Several directions are known in which the Rus could get to the Caspian. It is known that the Rus went on ships (boats or boats) first along the Dnieper, then along the northern coast of the Black Sea, past the Crimea, where there were Byzantine possessions, through the Kerch Strait to the Sea of Azov. From there, up the Don, dragging to the Volga and down the Volga to the Caspian. Another way is along the Don, and from there to the Volga, or along the Volga, through the possessions of the Volga Bulgaria and Khazaria. Thus, in the Sea of Azov, on the Don and Volga, the Rus were supposed to go along the Khazar possessions, which was possible only with their permission. The army of Prince Oleg the Prophet or his governor marched through the territory of Khazaria, with which the Russian prince waged stubborn wars for the liberation of part of the glorious Russian tribes from the Khazar yoke.
By the force of historical circumstances, the great game of that time, mortal enemies, Russia and Khazaria, were forced to enter into a tactical alliance against a common enemy - the Arabs. If the caliphate and its Muslim allies threatened the Khazaria’s possessions in the North Caucasus and the Volga region, and the kaganate fought for its sphere of influence, then Russia used this situation to break through to the East. Pave trade and military routes into rich lands that have long attracted Russian merchants and combatants. At the same time, the Russians carried out strategic reconnaissance in the lands of Khazaria and its allies. We studied the terrain, routes, convenient parking lots, outposts and fortifications of the enemy.
In 911, an article appeared in the Russo-Byzantine treaty that revealed the meaning of allied assistance from Russia. Already in 912, the Russian army again found itself in Transcaucasia. According to the Arab author Al-Masudi, a fleet of Rus from 500 ships (20 — 30 thousand soldiers) entered the Kerch Strait. The Khazar king allowed the Rus to go through the Don to the Volga, and from there go down to the Caspian Sea. At the same time, the kagan demanded to give him half of the future production.
The blow of the whole Russian army on the Caspian possessions of Muslim rulers was terrible. At first, the Russians fell on Tabaristan. They attacked, as before, the city of Abesgun, then turned west, walked through the lands of Gilan and appeared in the "oil-bearing region on Absheron" (Absheron is a peninsula in modern Azerbaijan, on the western coast of the Caspian Sea). As was usual in those days, the Russians robbed local settlements, took prisoners and severely suppressed any attempts at resistance.
Arab sources report that the Russian troops were in those places "for many months", smashed by detachments of local Muslim rulers. Shirvanshah’s fleet had the imprudence to attack the Rus, but was destroyed. Thousands of Muslim warriors perished. The Russians wintered on an island near Baku and moved home the next year. On the way, the Russian commanders again contacted the Khazar ruler, sent him gold and mining, by agreement. However, the Khazar Muslims and Arabs, who formed the guard of the kagan, demanded revenge for the blood of their brothers. The destruction of the Russian army was in the interests of Khazaria. Also, the kagan and his entourage wanted to capture the huge prey that went to the Russians in the Caspian.
Obviously, local Muslims and Khazars gathered a large army, otherwise they would not have dared to attack governor Oleg (or himself). The Rus had a fleet of 500 rooks, from 20 to 30 thousand fighters. The Muslim Guard entered the battle - 15 thousand soldiers, chained in iron, the Muslim militia of Itil, the new capital of Khazaria, the squad of the nobility. A fierce battle lasted three days and ended in the death of the Russian army. Only part of the army broke through the Volga, but there the Khazars, the Burtases and Bulgars, finished off the Rus. Apparently, they were also warned in advance about the appearance of the Rus. Nevertheless, part of the Russians cut through to their homeland and reported on the betrayal of the Khazars. It is possible that it was in this campaign that the Prophetic Oleg laid his head. He died in 912. According to legend - from a snake bite. The serpent is a symbol of betrayal. The Khazars betrayed the Russians, they let them in as a union in the struggle against the Arabs, and received a large payment for this.
Thus, the Russian campaign began in accordance with the old alliance with Byzantium. Khazaria, performing an allied duty to the Byzantines, missed the Russian army into the Caspian. But then the old, bloody contradictions between the Rus and the Khazars affected. The Khazars had a great opportunity to destroy a strong army of Russians, thereby improving the situation on the northern borders, trying to turn the general situation in relations with Russia in their favor. The reason was the discontent of the Muslim Hagan Guard, which demanded revenge for the blood of co-religionists. Which led to the attack of the Khazars and their allies on the army of Oleg, weighed down by huge booty and not expecting a traitorous blow.
In addition, at this time, relations between Byzantium and Khazaria were greatly damaged. The Khazar nobility adopted Judaism, which was negatively met in Christian Byzantium. The guard of the kagan was mainly from Muslim and Arab warriors. The Khazars begin to disturb the Crimean possessions of the Byzantine Empire. In response, Constantinople entered into an alliance with part of the Pecheneg clans, set them against Khazaria.
The destruction of the Russian army finally determined the relations of Russia and Khazaria. The tactical alliance was destroyed. The rumors, hidden discontent and hardly suppressed contradictions between the old rivals ended. Russia faced the question of just revenge, the destruction of the Khazaria and control of the interfluve of the Volga and Don, trade routes leading to the East. The Khazar barrier had to be destroyed. What did the great Russian prince Svyatoslav (Svyatoslav’s strike on the Khazar "wonder-yud"; How Svyatoslav squads defeated the state of the Khazars).
Russ. Warriors of the North. Artist I.E. Ozhiganov
Fairytale East
The unknown eastern countries, from where merchant caravans with goods surprising to Europe arrived to the markets of Constantinople and Kiev after a long journey, always attracted the Russians (Russians). From the East to Byzantium, to Russia, to other European countries, the finest fabrics and damask steel, precious stones and beautiful horses, carpets, gold, silver, bronze articles, etc., fabulous eastern countries attracted Europeans, did not give rest to merchants and soldiers .
Russian trading people have long paved the way to the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantium), to Syria, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland and German lands, but the East seemed inaccessible. On the eastern routes stood the hostile Khazar Khaganate. The Khazars controlled trade routes along the northern coast of the Black Sea, along the Don and along the Lower Volga. In the hands of the Volga Bulgars and Burtases, tributaries of the Khazars, there were ways along the Oka and the Middle Volga. It was impossible to go to the Caspian Sea, Transcaucasia and further to the countries of Near and Central Asia, the Khazar and Bulgarian outposts interfered.
With each decade, the growing and developing Russian power more acutely felt the isolation from the trade routes leading to the East. And the fame of the rich eastern shopping centers increasingly reached the Kiev rulers. In Kiev, they already knew well about the rich cities of Abesgun and Sari, lying on the southern coast of the Caspian Sea, from where the road to Khorezm opened through Khorasan and Maverannahr. To the west were the rich lands of Tabaristan and Gilan. In Transcaucasia, on the Kura River, the local "Baghdad" - Berdaa - was famous for its bazaars.
These eastern lands and cities to the IX-X centuries. became part of the Arab caliphate. The Caliphate subjugated almost the whole of Transcaucasia, part of Central Asia, and continued its offensive in the Middle East, approaching the Byzantine possessions in Syria and Asia Minor. The Caliphate became the main and mortal enemy of the Byzantine Empire. In the South Caucasus, the caliphate vassals were located - the rulers of Maverannahr, Khorasan, Tabaristan and Gilan. To fight them, the Second Rome mobilized all its allies, including Khazaria. Already from the 7th century, the Khazars fought with the Arabs who tried to break through the Derbent "iron" gate to the North Caucasus and further to the Sea of Azov and the Lower Volga. In 737, the Arab army, under the command of Marwan, broke deep into the territory of the Kaganate, took the then capital Semender. The Khazar Khagan fled for the "Slavic River" (Don). Arabs also encountered Slavs, some of whom were vassals of Khazaria. Thousands of Slavic families were taken into slavery. So the Rus, some of which was dependent on the Khazars, entered into a confrontation with the Arab conquerors.
In the following decades, the confrontation between Byzantium and Khazaria (in the armies of which there were many Slavs) with the caliphate continued. At the end of the VIII - beginning of the IX century, Russia became a formidable force in the region. The second Rome tried to use the Rus in the fight against the Arabs. Khazaria at that time weakened. Khazaria was tormented by the Pechenegs, Arabs and their allies ruled in the former Khazar possessions in the North Caucasus. The Slavic-Russian tribes were liberated one after another from the Khazar yoke. Under Prince Oleg Veshch almost all Slavic lands freed from the Khazars. Byzantium needed a new military force, which could be opposed to the Arab and Islamic world instead of the fading Khazaria. So rapidly developing Russia entered the sphere of influence of Constantinople.
Campaigns to the East
The first known blow to the East was dealt by Russia in the 60 years of the 9th century, shortly after the campaign to Constantinople. It was a trip to the city of Abesgun, which was the key to the trade route to Central Asia. Rus came to the southern coast of the Caspian, walked along the coast. The ruler of Tabaristan, the vassal of the caliphate Hassan ibn Zayd, sent his army against the Russians. In a fierce battle, according to a Persian source, the Russians were defeated and retreated. It is possible that this campaign was connected with the union of the Rus with Byzantium. Russia fulfilled allied commitments, diverting the Arabs in this region.
It is obvious that Khazaria, as an ally of Byzantium, let a detachment of Rus into the Caspian through its possessions. Although the Khazar rulers hated the Rus, since Russia already hung formidable shadow from the north over the kaganate. And soon, Grand Duke Oleg will ask the Slavic tribes: “To whom do you give tribute?” - and when he heard “Kozar”, he will proudly say: “Do not give Kozar, but give me”. But it still will be. In the meantime, reluctantly, and blocking themselves from the Rus by the Sarkel fortress, the Khazars passed the Rus through their outposts into the Caspian and Transcaucasia.
Rus came to the Caspian region, to the famous trading harbor of Abeskun, a large economic center of the whole region, from where the way to Khorezm went. That is, the interests of political, allied obligations to the Second Rome, went here hand in hand with the trade, economic interests of Russia. Warriors could take rich prey here, punch the road further to the East.
In 907, between the Second Rome and Kiev, a new treaty of "peace and love" was concluded, which included the help of the Rus of the Byzantine Empire. The pay for help was an annual tribute to Byzantium. In 909 - 910 years. Russ embarked on a new campaign to the East, and again to Abesgun. Again through the territory of Khazaria. About this campaign reports the Persian author of the XIII century. Ibn Isfendiyar in "Stories Tabaristan. " He reports that in the 909 year a Russian squad appeared on the 16 ships (rooks accommodated from 40 to 60 warriors). Rus came by sea and devastated the coast. The next year, the Russians came in even greater numbers, burned the city of Sari in the southeastern part of the Caspian Sea. On the way back, the Russian detachment withstood the battle with the troops of the local rulers - Gilyanshah and Shirvanshah. It is possible that the Rus did not return to their homeland for the first time, but remained here for the winter (as later), and then in the summer, when it was convenient for sea crossings, again fell upon the enemy. On the whole, the campaign was large-scale, the Russians were fighting for at least several months, the troops of the rulers of Shirvan and Gilan were chained to themselves.
The Russ campaign in the Caspian was part of a larger confrontation. Byzantium fought a hard fight with the Arabs. At the same time, Russian squads appeared in the Byzantine army. In particular, they conduct operations against Arabs in Crete. In the east, the Byzantine ally, the Armenian king Smbat, rebelled and tried to throw off the power of the Arabs, who relied on the forces of their vassals, the rulers of Maverannahr and Khorasan, in the South Caucasus and the Caspian region. That is, the campaign of the Rus in the Caspian was to help the Armenian king. So Kiev paid for the Byzantine tribute, for trade privileges to Russian merchants, for the access of our merchants to the markets of the empire. At the same time, Russia respected its military-strategic and economic interests, tried to pave the way to the East.
Khazaria in this military operation acted as a tactical ally of Russia, as it was bound by obligations to the Byzantines. Several directions are known in which the Rus could get to the Caspian. It is known that the Rus went on ships (boats or boats) first along the Dnieper, then along the northern coast of the Black Sea, past the Crimea, where there were Byzantine possessions, through the Kerch Strait to the Sea of Azov. From there, up the Don, dragging to the Volga and down the Volga to the Caspian. Another way is along the Don, and from there to the Volga, or along the Volga, through the possessions of the Volga Bulgaria and Khazaria. Thus, in the Sea of Azov, on the Don and Volga, the Rus were supposed to go along the Khazar possessions, which was possible only with their permission. The army of Prince Oleg the Prophet or his governor marched through the territory of Khazaria, with which the Russian prince waged stubborn wars for the liberation of part of the glorious Russian tribes from the Khazar yoke.
By the force of historical circumstances, the great game of that time, mortal enemies, Russia and Khazaria, were forced to enter into a tactical alliance against a common enemy - the Arabs. If the caliphate and its Muslim allies threatened the Khazaria’s possessions in the North Caucasus and the Volga region, and the kaganate fought for its sphere of influence, then Russia used this situation to break through to the East. Pave trade and military routes into rich lands that have long attracted Russian merchants and combatants. At the same time, the Russians carried out strategic reconnaissance in the lands of Khazaria and its allies. We studied the terrain, routes, convenient parking lots, outposts and fortifications of the enemy.
Hike 912 of the year. Battle on the Volga
In 911, an article appeared in the Russo-Byzantine treaty that revealed the meaning of allied assistance from Russia. Already in 912, the Russian army again found itself in Transcaucasia. According to the Arab author Al-Masudi, a fleet of Rus from 500 ships (20 — 30 thousand soldiers) entered the Kerch Strait. The Khazar king allowed the Rus to go through the Don to the Volga, and from there go down to the Caspian Sea. At the same time, the kagan demanded to give him half of the future production.
The blow of the whole Russian army on the Caspian possessions of Muslim rulers was terrible. At first, the Russians fell on Tabaristan. They attacked, as before, the city of Abesgun, then turned west, walked through the lands of Gilan and appeared in the "oil-bearing region on Absheron" (Absheron is a peninsula in modern Azerbaijan, on the western coast of the Caspian Sea). As was usual in those days, the Russians robbed local settlements, took prisoners and severely suppressed any attempts at resistance.
Arab sources report that the Russian troops were in those places "for many months", smashed by detachments of local Muslim rulers. Shirvanshah’s fleet had the imprudence to attack the Rus, but was destroyed. Thousands of Muslim warriors perished. The Russians wintered on an island near Baku and moved home the next year. On the way, the Russian commanders again contacted the Khazar ruler, sent him gold and mining, by agreement. However, the Khazar Muslims and Arabs, who formed the guard of the kagan, demanded revenge for the blood of their brothers. The destruction of the Russian army was in the interests of Khazaria. Also, the kagan and his entourage wanted to capture the huge prey that went to the Russians in the Caspian.
Obviously, local Muslims and Khazars gathered a large army, otherwise they would not have dared to attack governor Oleg (or himself). The Rus had a fleet of 500 rooks, from 20 to 30 thousand fighters. The Muslim Guard entered the battle - 15 thousand soldiers, chained in iron, the Muslim militia of Itil, the new capital of Khazaria, the squad of the nobility. A fierce battle lasted three days and ended in the death of the Russian army. Only part of the army broke through the Volga, but there the Khazars, the Burtases and Bulgars, finished off the Rus. Apparently, they were also warned in advance about the appearance of the Rus. Nevertheless, part of the Russians cut through to their homeland and reported on the betrayal of the Khazars. It is possible that it was in this campaign that the Prophetic Oleg laid his head. He died in 912. According to legend - from a snake bite. The serpent is a symbol of betrayal. The Khazars betrayed the Russians, they let them in as a union in the struggle against the Arabs, and received a large payment for this.
Thus, the Russian campaign began in accordance with the old alliance with Byzantium. Khazaria, performing an allied duty to the Byzantines, missed the Russian army into the Caspian. But then the old, bloody contradictions between the Rus and the Khazars affected. The Khazars had a great opportunity to destroy a strong army of Russians, thereby improving the situation on the northern borders, trying to turn the general situation in relations with Russia in their favor. The reason was the discontent of the Muslim Hagan Guard, which demanded revenge for the blood of co-religionists. Which led to the attack of the Khazars and their allies on the army of Oleg, weighed down by huge booty and not expecting a traitorous blow.
In addition, at this time, relations between Byzantium and Khazaria were greatly damaged. The Khazar nobility adopted Judaism, which was negatively met in Christian Byzantium. The guard of the kagan was mainly from Muslim and Arab warriors. The Khazars begin to disturb the Crimean possessions of the Byzantine Empire. In response, Constantinople entered into an alliance with part of the Pecheneg clans, set them against Khazaria.
The destruction of the Russian army finally determined the relations of Russia and Khazaria. The tactical alliance was destroyed. The rumors, hidden discontent and hardly suppressed contradictions between the old rivals ended. Russia faced the question of just revenge, the destruction of the Khazaria and control of the interfluve of the Volga and Don, trade routes leading to the East. The Khazar barrier had to be destroyed. What did the great Russian prince Svyatoslav (Svyatoslav’s strike on the Khazar "wonder-yud"; How Svyatoslav squads defeated the state of the Khazars).
Prophetic Oleg. Farewell to the horse. Artist I. Ozhiganov
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