The Battle of Dorostopol was fought in 971 between the
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...
and forces of
Kievan Rus'
Kievan Rusʹ, also known as Kyivan Rusʹ ( orv, , Rusĭ, or , , ; Old Norse: ''Garðaríki''), was a state in Eastern and Northern Europe from the late 9th to the mid-13th century.John Channon & Robert Hudson, ''Penguin Historical Atlas of ...
. The Byzantines, led by
John I Tzimiskes, were victorious.
Background
During the course of the Rus'-Bulgarian war,
Svyatoslav I of Kiev overran the eastern part of the
First Bulgarian Empire
The First Bulgarian Empire ( cu, блъгарьско цѣсарьствиѥ, blagarysko tsesarystviye; bg, Първо българско царство) was a medieval Bulgar- Slavic and later Bulgarian state that existed in Southeastern Eur ...
and established his capital at
Pereyaslavets on the
Danube
The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , pa ...
. Once John I usurped the throne, the Byzantines launched a counteroffensive. After they defeated the united Rus'-Bulgarian forces in the
Battle of Arcadiopolis and recaptured Pereyaslavets, Svyatoslav was forced to flee to the northern fortress of
Dorostolon (Drustur/Dorostorum).
Siege
Emperor John proceeded to lay siege to Dorostolon, which lasted for 65 days. His army was reinforced by a fleet of 300 ships equipped with
Greek fire.
[Treadgold, Warren. ''A History of the Byzantine State and Society''. Stanford University Press, 1997, , p. 509.] There were several engagements before the walls of the city, which demonstrated to the Byzantines that the Rus' lacked skill in cavalry warfare. Among the casualties were the Emperor's relative,
John Kourkouas (whose severed head was displayed by the Rus' from one of the towers) and the second-in-command in Svyatoslav's army, a certain Ikmor (who was killed by
Anemas, a son of the last
Cretan emir, in revenge for Ikmor's assassination of his father during the Byzantine siege of Crete).
The Rus' and their Bulgarian allies were reduced to extremities by famine. In order to appease their gods, they drowned children in the
Danube
The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , pa ...
, but the sacrifices failed to improve their position. During the siege of the city of Dorostolon the Rus forces were reduced to near starvation, and a force of some 2,000 warriors, including women, made a surprise sally out during the night to search for supplies and managed to defeat a Byzantine force on the way, returning later to the city.
The Rus' felt they could not break the siege and agreed to sign a peace treaty with the
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...
, whereby they renounced their interests towards the Bulgarian lands and the city of
Chersonesos in
Crimea
Crimea, crh, Къырым, Qırım, grc, Κιμμερία / Ταυρική, translit=Kimmería / Taurikḗ ( ) is a peninsula in Ukraine, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, that has been occupied by Russia since 2014. It has a po ...
. Svyatoslav bitterly remarked that all his allies (
Magyars
Hungarians, also known as Magyars ( ; hu, magyarok ), are a nation and ethnic group native to Hungary () and historical Hungarian lands who share a common culture, history, ancestry, and language. The Hungarian language belongs to the Uralic ...
,
Pechenegs
The Pechenegs () or Patzinaks tr, Peçenek(ler), Middle Turkic: , ro, Pecenegi, russian: Печенег(и), uk, Печеніг(и), hu, Besenyő(k), gr, Πατζινάκοι, Πετσενέγοι, Πατζινακίται, ka, პა� ...
) betrayed him during this decisive moment. He was allowed to evacuate his army to
Berezan Island
Berezan (Cyrillic: Береза́нь; Ancient Greek: Borysthenes; former tr, Pirezin) is an island in the Black Sea at the entrance of the Dnieper-Bug Estuary, Ochakiv Raion, Mykolaiv Oblast, Ukraine. Located 8 kilometers from the city of O ...
, while the Byzantines entered Dorostolon and renamed it Theodoropolis, after the reigning empress
Theodora.
After the eventual defeat of the Rus, the Byzantines were astonished at finding the bodies of armed women among the fallen warriors.
[Harrison, D. & Svensson, K. (2007). ''Vikingaliv''. Fälth & Hässler, Värnamo. . p. 71]
Sources
The siege is described in detail by
John Skylitzes
John Skylitzes, commonly Latinized as Ioannes, la, Johannes, label=none, la, Iōannēs, label=none Scylitzes ( el, Ἰωάννης Σκυλίτζης, ''Iōánnēs Skylítzēs'', or el, Σκυλίτση, ''Skylítsē'', label=none ; la, ...
and
Leo the Deacon Leo the Deacon ( el, Λέων ο Διάκονος) (born c. 950) was a Byzantine Greek historian and chronicler.
He was born around 950 at Kaloe in Asia Minor, and was educated in Constantinople, where he became a deacon in the imperial palace. W ...
, although some of their assertions (e.g.,
Sveneld
Sveneld (Old Norse: ''Sveinaldr'', Cyrillic: Свенельд) is a semi-legendary 10th-century Varangian warlord in the service of Svyatoslav I of Kiev and his family. Although he seems to have been the richest and the most influential Rus' lead ...
's death during the siege) appear to be apocryphal. Characteristically, Leo the Deacon attributes the victory to Saint
Theodore Stratelates, who purportedly led the Byzantine army under the walls of Dorostolon.
References
Sources
*
Andrey Nikolayevich Sakharov. ''Svyatoslav's Diplomacy''. Moscow: Mezhdunarodnye otnosheniya, 1982.
*
Fyodor Uspensky. ''The History of the Byzantine Empire'', vol. 2. Moscow: Mysl, 1997.
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dorostolon
Sieges involving the Byzantine Empire
Battles involving Kievan Rus'
Sieges involving the First Bulgarian Empire
Sieges of the Middle Ages
History of Silistra
970s in the Byzantine Empire
10th century in Bulgaria
970s conflicts
971
10th century in Kievan Rus'