Pechenegs is ... The defeat of the Pechenegs

A litmus paper on which you can determine the origin of the people is language. The Pecheneg language belongs to the Turkic family, which includes many carriers from Turkey to Siberia and Central Asia. In all this large community there are small subgroups. In the case of the Pechenegs, these are Oguz languages, to which he is ranked. Knowing this, we can find out their next of kin.

The origin of the Pechenegs

The relatives of the Pechenegs are the Oguzes, another nomad who took an active part in the education of the peoples of Central Asia. The Pechenegs are their nearest neighbors, who decided to move to the west from the Volga steppes. There are several reasons for this. Perhaps it was tribal feud, as well as serious climate changes in the habitat, including drought, which meant the reduction of vital resources.

Anyway, the tribal union moved to the west. This happened in the late IX century, exactly at the time of the emergence of a centralized Eastern Slavic state. For this reason, the aliens did not go to the north, but continued their journey westward to the borders with Bulgaria and Byzantium. New neighbors settled in the Black Sea steppes, on the territory of modern Ukraine.

Despite their Turkic roots, the nomads eventually acquired some Caucasoid traits. Thus, contemporaries argued that the inhabitants of the steppes are black-haired and shave their beards, while the Kyivans can easily get lost in the crowd when they meet them. Such words seem somewhat contradictory, however, it was possible, especially when you consider that the steppe after successful raids took the concubines of local women.

The nature of the relationship between Rus and the nomads

From the very beginning, Pechenegs and Rus have become rivals and enemies. They belonged to different civilizations, there was a gap between religious differences. In addition, both of them differed militant temper. And if Russia eventually acquired the features of a real state that provides for itself, which means it can not attack its neighbors for profit, its southern neighbors remained by nature nomads leading a semi-savage lifestyle.

Pechenegs - this is another wave, splashed out by the Asian steppes. On the territory of Eastern Europe, this scenario has been played out cyclically for several hundred years. At first these were the Huns, who by their migration laid the foundation for the Great Migration of Nations. Arriving in Europe, they horrified the more civilized nations, but eventually disappeared. On their way in the future went the Slavs and the Magyars. However, they managed to survive, and even settle and live a certain territory.

Among other things, the Slavs became a kind of "living shield" of Europe. It was they who constantly assumed the blow of new hordes. Pechenegs in this sense - only one of many. In the future, the Polovtsians will come to their place, and in the 13th century - the Mongols.

Relations with the steppe were determined not only by the two parties themselves, but also in Constantinople. Byzantine emperors sometimes tried to push neighbors. In the course were different methods: gold, threats, assurances of friendship.

The first clashes between nomads and Slavs

Pechenegs and Rus first encountered in battle, when the nomads attacked the Kiev ruler Askold. These data are disputed by some historians, but no one denies the fact of the military confrontation of the newcomers from the steppes with Prince Igor in 915 and 920. By this time, the power of Rurikovich already extended to Novgorod, where he himself came from.

Possessing such large resources and the number of people, Russia was able to curb the onslaught of nomads from the south. With Igor's son - Svyatoslav - the horde periodically fights on his side as mercenaries, for example, against Byzantium. However, the alliance was never strong. All the same Svyatoslav Igorevich died from the Pecheneg ambush on the Dnieper rapids, after John Tzimisces offered the khan a lot of gold.

The heyday of the steppe

In those years, the nomadic union reached its peak of development. Thanks to the campaigns of the Slavs, Khazaria fell. Now the lower reaches of the Volga were empty, and therefore they were immediately occupied by the horde. The raid of the Pechenegs could not survive and a few colonies of the Slavs in the interfluve of the Dniester and the Prut, in the territory of modern Moldova. Quasi-state on the outskirts of Europe were heard not only by their immediate neighbors, but also by Catholic monarchies in the west, and by Arab travelers.

Under Vladimir Krasnoe Solnyshko, the confrontation between the two forces came with varying success. In particular, on the Trubezh in 993 the prince won the victory, whereas in 996 under the Vasiliev Slavs were defeated. Vladimir not only sent troops to the border regions. He first took advantage of the practice of building fortresses on the border with the steppe, with the help of signal lights on which it was possible to quickly notify Kiev of the impending danger. In addition, the trees were created, which prevented the steppe from grazing the herds, and thus forced them to go to the south.

Participation in civil strifes in Russia

After the death of the Baptist of Russia in the principality, the feud between his sons began. The nomads acted as mercenaries in this conflict on the side of Svyatopolk the Damned, who did not shy away from the dirtiest methods, including the insidious murder of his brothers. Like the name of the fan, the word "Pechenegs" still appears as a synonym for barbarian behavior.

Svyatopolk was defeated. Yaroslav the Wise came to power . Pechenegs with him bothered Russia for the last time. In 1036 they tried to besiege the unarmed Kyiv, but were defeated by the army of the Grand Duke.

The Polovtsian Threat

After several defeats from the Slavs, the position of the Pechenegs became menacing. In the 11th century, Russia began the era of the formation of specific principalities, and the disunity of the princes was to the nomads on hand. However, at this time a new horde appeared in the east. They were the Polovtsians (in different sources also Kumans or Kypchaks). They exiled former owners of the Black Sea steppe from their places. It is also important that the new nomads brought their faith - Islam - to the old. Some khans accepted it, some, on the contrary, refused. Such strife could not benefit the union.

The Polovtsi and Pechenegs were ethnically close. Both those and others belonged to the Turkic peoples. However, this did not prevent the enmity and defeat of one of the parties. The Polovtsi and the Pechenegs were unequal in strength, since on the side of the new horde there were fresh replenishments from Asia, whereas the old union suffered from constant wars with strong neighbors.

The further destiny

The displaced nomads went to the Balkan peninsula or to Hungary, where they assimilated with the local population and ceased to exist as a separate nationality. However, this is only one of the points of view.

According to another theory, the Pechenegs are the ancestors of the present Gagauzians living in Moldova and professing Orthodoxy. During the 11th century hordes were still encountered in some sources. For example, they participated in the wars of Byzantium against the Seljuks. The last serious defeat was inflicted on the Turkic tribe in 1091, when the united army of the emperor and the Polovtsians defeated the aggressors at the walls of Constantinople. The defeat of the Pechenegs was complete and final. Nobody heard more about them.

Nevertheless, the memory of the steppe inhabitants was still alive for a long time. So, already in 1380, at the Battle of Kulikovo Field, the hero of the Chelusbs, who started the battle with his own duel, was called the chronicler "pechenegom".

Lifestyle

Steppe trees, as was to be expected, were mainly engaged in cattle breeding and roamed along with their animals. The blessing for this was all the conditions, since the tribal union was located on a vast space. The internal arrangement was like that. There were two large groups. The first settled between the Dnieper and the Volga, while the second moved between Rus and Bulgaria. In each of them there were forty genera. An approximate center of the tribal possessions was the Dnieper, which divided the steppe into western and eastern.

The head of the tribe was elected at the general meeting. Despite the tradition of counting the votes, the fathers were inherited mainly by children.

Burial places

The Pecheneg archaeological monuments are represented by small burial mounds. The dead are always facing west. As a rule, a person was buried with a horse. Therefore, in the barrows, in addition to human bones, horses also come across. Such a cult is the norm for communities leading a nomadic way of life.

Also in the grave were all kinds of trophies left, either as a reward or as a booty (earrings, jewelry and gold coins of Byzantine coinage). Pechenegs are also possessors of an intimidating arsenal. Therefore, along with the soldiers were buried weapons. As a rule, this is a sword (saber).

The remains are found mainly in the territory of Ukraine. In Russia, Pecheneg burial mounds are most often found in the Volgograd region.