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Russo-Byzantine Treaty concluded
On July 23, 971 Kievan Rus’ Prince Sviatoslav Igorevich and Byzantine Emperor John I Tzimiskes concluded a peace treaty as the result of wars which had taken place at Danube in 968-971.
Treaties between Kievan Rus’ and Byzantine Empire represent a valuable source on the history of the Old Russia, the Old Russian and international law and Russo-Byzantine relations. Among the first Russo-Byzantine agreements the “Primary Chronicle” refers to the agreement of “peace and love” concluded after the Russian campaign to Constantinople in 860. War campaigns resulted also into other treaties of the first Russian princes with the Empire. They regulated legal standards for the Russians in the territory of Byzantine Empire, stipulated the rules for the Russian trade in Constantinople, covered the issues of military cooperation, exchange of prisoners, etc.
In 968-971 Kievan Rus’ and Byzantine Empire struggled for the spheres of influence at Danube. At first, military actions turned out to be successful for the Russian army which fought together with Bulgarian army, Hungarians and Pechenegs. By the end of 970 however Byzantine Empire managed to solve its domestic political problems related to the revolt of Bardas Phokas and Emperor stated to gather a new army.
In spring of 971 during the Easter holidays John I Tzimiskes suddenly broke through Balkan Mountains and invaded Bulgaria where he entered the battle with Prince Sviatoslav. During the battle the allies left Sviatoslav and as a result the odds were in favor of Byzantine Empire. The army of Tzimiskes blockaded the Russian army in Dorostol, a Danube fortress. In July of 971 Sviatoslav tried to breach the blockage circle but was wounded and the Russians were obliged to retreat and begin truce talks.
The peace treaty of 971 on the whole restored the pre-war system of relations between the two states. What was new, it was that the Russians swore with their arms and in the names of heathen Gods Perun and Volos never attack the Byzantine Empire and its subordinate territories in Chersonesos and Bulgaria again. The text of the oath is cited in the “Primary Chronicle”.
In spite of the Greeks’ promise to arrange with Pechenegs for a free passage of the Russian Prince’s armed force back home, this clause of the agreement was not fulfilled. At Dnieper rapids Sviatoslav boats were blocked by Pecheneg units. Russian prince decided to spend the winter at the banks of Dnieper mouth. In the spring of 972 he tried again to breach his way to Kiev but was killed during the battle briefly described in the “Primary Chronicle”: “And Kurya, Pecheneg khan, attacked him, and killed Sviatoslav, and took his head, and made a cup of his skull and drank from it”.
The survived part of the Prince’s armed forced returned to Kiev by land guided by voivode (warlord) Sveneld. Balkan Mountains had stayed for a long time beyond the limits of the main areas of the Russian state foreign policy.
Lit.: Бибиков М. В. Русь в византийской дипломатии: Договоры Руси с греками X в. // Древняя Русь. Вопросы медиевистики. 2005. № 1 (19); То же [Электронный ресурс]. URL: http://www.drevnyaya.ru/vyp/stat/s1_19_1.pdf; Лев Диакон. История. Наука. М., 1988; Памятники русского права. М., 1952; Повесть временных лет // Библиотека литературы Древней Руси. Т. 1. СПб., 1997; Сахаров А. Н. Русско-византийский договор 971года // Сахаров А. Н. Дипломатия Святослава. Гл. 8. М., 1982.
Based on the Presidential Library’s materials: