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 ; (943 – 26 March 972), also spelled Svyatoslav, was Grand Prince of Kiev famous for his persistent campaigns in the east and south, which precipitated the collapse of two great powers of Eastern Europe, Khazaria and the First Bulgarian Empire. H ...

overran the eastern part of the First Bulgarian Empire and established his capital at

Pereyaslavets Pereyaslavets ( East Slavic: ) or Preslavets ( bg, Преславец) was a trade city located near mouths of the Danube. The city's name is derived from that of the Bulgarian capital of the time, Preslav, and means Little Preslav (). In Greek ...

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 , p ...

. 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 Anemas ( gr, Ἀνεμᾶς) was the name of a Byzantine Empire, Byzantine aristocratic family, attested from the 9th to the 15th centuries. The origin and etymology of the name are uncertain; it may be connected to ''anemos'', "wind", although th ...

, 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

, 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

, 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 pop ...

. Svyatoslav bitterly remarked that all his allies ( Magyars,

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, while the Byzantines entered Dorostolon and renamed it Theodoropolis, after the reigning empress

Theodora Theodora is a given name of Greek origin, meaning "God's gift". Theodora may also refer to: Historical figures known as Theodora Byzantine empresses * Theodora (wife of Justinian I) ( 500 – 548), saint by the Orthodox Church * Theodora o ...

. 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, although some of their assertions (e.g., Sveneld's death during the siege) appear to be apocryphal. Characteristically, Leo the Deacon attributes the victory to Saint

Theodore Stratelates Theodore Stratelates ( grc-gre, Ἅγιος Θεόδωρος ὁ Στρατηλάτης (); cop, ⲡⲓⲁⲅⲓⲟⲥ Ⲑⲉⲟⲇⲱⲣⲟⲥ), also known as Theodore of Heraclea ( grc-gre, Θεόδωρος Ἡρακλείας; AD 281–319) ...

, 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'