Sviatoslav I

Sviatoslav I, also known as Svyatoslav I Igorevich, was Prince of Kiev from 945 until his death in 972. He was the son of Igor and had Olga as his mother, who ruled as regent until 962. Sviatoslav is famous for his many campaigns in the east and south, which led to the fall of important powers like Khazaria and the First Bulgarian Empire.

During his time as ruler, Sviatoslav expanded his lands quickly into areas along the Volga River, the Pontic steppe, and the Balkans. This made his state the largest in Europe at the time. In 969, he moved his capital to Pereyaslavets on the Danube.

Unlike his mother, who became a Christian, Sviatoslav stayed a staunch pagan his whole life. Sadly, he died suddenly in an ambush. Because of this, many of his conquests did not become a strong empire. After his death, a fight among his sons led to the deaths of Yaropolk and Oleg, leaving Vladimir as the sole ruler.

Name

The Primary Chronicle says Sviatoslav was the first ruler of the Kievan Rus' to have a name from the Slavic language. Before him, leaders had names from Old Norse culture. Some people think his name, meaning “holy glory,” might have come from mixing the names of past rulers Oleg and Rurik, but others are not sure about this idea. In Norse language, his name was written as Sveinald or Sveneld. The Greek writer Constantine VII called him Σφενδοσθλάβος (“Sfendostlabos”) in his book De Administrando Imperio (“On the Governance of the Empire”).

Early life and personality

Almost nothing is known about Sviatoslav's childhood and youth, which he spent in Novgorod. His father, Igor, was killed by the Drevlians around 945, and his mother, Olga, ruled as regent in Kiev until Sviatoslav was old enough to take over around 963. Sviatoslav was taught by a Varangian named Asmud. He didn’t like managing things and spent most of his time with his warriors, fighting nearby lands.

According to the Primary Chronicle, Sviatoslav travelled simply. He didn’t carry wagons or cooking pots. Instead, he ate small pieces of meat cooked over hot coals. He also didn’t use a tent, sleeping on a horse blanket with his saddle as a pillow. His appearance was described by Leo the Deacon, who met him. Sviatoslav had bright eyes, was of average height but strong. He was mostly bald with a small beard and a bushy moustache, and wore a special tuft of hair called a sidelock to show he was noble. He liked to wear white clothes and had a large gold earring with a shiny gem and two pearls.

Religious beliefs

Sviatoslav's mother, Olga, became a Christian while visiting the Byzantine Emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus in 957. But Sviatoslav stayed a pagan his whole life. In a peace agreement in 971 between Sviatoslav and the Byzantine emperor John I Tzimiskes, the leaders promised by their gods Perun and Veles. Sviatoslav thought that if he became a Christian, his soldiers would not respect him anymore. He needed their support for his big battles across many lands.

Family

Very little is known about Sviatoslav's family. Some records mention a woman named Predslava, who was considered one of the most noble women of the Rus' people. Historians have wondered if Sviatoslav was the oldest son of his parents, but details are unclear.

Sviatoslav had several children. With his wives, he had Yaropolk and Oleg. With a woman named Malusha, he had Vladimir, who later helped change the Rus' to follow Christianity. There is also mention of a person named Sfengus, but it is not certain if he was another son of Sviatoslav or related in some other way.

Children

Predslava

• Oleg of Drelinia (died 977?)
• Yaropolk I of Kiev (952–978)

Malusha

• Vladimir the Great (c. 958 – 1015)
• Sfengus?

Eastern campaigns

Sviatoslav started many battles soon after becoming the leader of Kiev. He wanted to make the area around the Volga River and the Pontic steppe part of his land. His biggest win was defeating Khazaria, a strong state in Eastern Europe for many years.

Sviatoslav gathered tribes who lived near the Khazars to help him. He attacked tribes that did not join, like the Vyatichs, and made them pay taxes to Kievan Rus' instead of the Khazars. He moved through the Oka and Volga rivers, fighting Volga Bulgaria with help from Oghuz and Pecheneg warriors. He destroyed the Khazar city of Sarkel and later their capital, Atil. These victories helped Kievan Rus' control important trade routes and change the area between forests and steppes.

Campaigns in the Balkans

Main article: Sviatoslav's invasion of Bulgaria

Prince Sviatoslav was asked by the Byzantine Empire to help fight against Bulgaria. He agreed and brought a large army, including soldiers from other groups. He defeated the Bulgarian ruler and took control of northern Bulgaria.

However, Sviatoslav did not want to give his lands back to the Byzantines. He decided to move his capital to a place called Pereyaslavets, which he believed was very important for trade.

Later, Sviatoslav invaded Bulgaria again, capturing cities and causing trouble. The new Byzantine emperor tried to get him to leave, but Sviatoslav refused. After several battles, Sviatoslav was forced to leave Bulgaria and return home. Though his campaign did not bring much benefit to his people, it made the Bulgarian Empire weaker for future attacks.

Death and aftermath

The Byzantine emperor wanted to prevent peace with Sviatoslav from lasting, so he encouraged the Pecheneg leader Kurya to attack Sviatoslav. Despite a warning from Sveneld to avoid the dangerous Dnieper rapids, Sviatoslav was ambushed and killed near Khortytsia in 972.

After Sviatoslav’s death, fighting broke out among his sons. Oleg and Yaropolk went to war, and Oleg was killed in 976. Later, Vladimir returned with an army of Varangians and took control, becoming the sole ruler of Kievan Rus'.

Art and literature

Sviatoslav has been a popular hero in Belarusian, Russian, and Ukrainian culture because of his successful military campaigns. Artists and writers began to focus on him during the Russo-Turkish War (1768–1774), seeing his battles as similar to Russia’s own push toward Constantinople at that time.

Many works were created about Sviatoslav. Playwright Yakov Knyazhnin wrote a play called Olga in 1772, featuring Sviatoslav as the main character. Another artist, Ivan Akimov, painted a scene showing Sviatoslav returning from a battle, highlighting the balance between duty and family. In the 19th and 20th centuries, more paintings, poems, and even a statue were made in his honor. He also appears in books and films, such as the Soviet film The Legend of Princess Olga, which tells the story of his mother.

In 2011, a fisherman in Ukraine found an ancient sword in the Dnieper River. While it might have belonged to Sviatoslav, it could also have been from any nobleman of that time.