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Home , 820s, 830s, Feudal fragmentation, First Bulgarian Empire, Knyaz

Lesson 4.

The from the 6th to the 11th centuries

Learning tasks: by completing this unit of study, the student will be able to:  Identify the main aspects of the history;  Reveal the most important moments of the evolution of the Slavs states between the 6th and the 11th centuries: The (Slovenia, , Serbia, ); The West Slavs (Samo's , Great Moravia, The Czech State, The Polish Kingdom); The East Slavs (Kievan Rus).

1. The Early Slavs

Besides the invasion of the Germanic tribes at the end of the Western took place the "silent", unspectacular but very important movement of the Slavs which included, in the late sixth century, an important part of . Their first habitat was a vast area between and Vistula. The Slavs movement began in the late sixth century, motivated by a great demographic pressure. This movement has been made in several directions:  Towards the East, Northeast, Southeast. The Slavs penetrated slowly amongst the Finno-Ugric and Turkish peoples in and regions. For many centuries, the Slavs slowly succeeded to banish or to enslave the autochthonous populations.  West. The movement of the Slavs followed that of the Germans. The Slavs crept on South and West, replaced the Germans, and occupied a vast territory which stretching from the Baltic Sea and the Elbe in the northeast and to the .  South. The Slavs arrived at the borders of the Eastern Roman Empire and they penetrated in the empire in the sixth century, during the reign of Justinian (527-565). The Slavs expanded rapidly in the , including Greece and the Aegean islands. The migration of the Ugric and the Turkish peoples divided the huge Slavic world. The Slavs were divided into three groups: the south, the west and the east. Each group formed several Slavic peoples and Slavic populations.

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Daniel Flaut, Introduction in Medieval History

2. The South Slavs

The penetration and the massive settlement of the Slavs south of the Danube in the sixth century, a phenomenon that changed the ethnic structure of the Balkans, is a crucial moment in the history of . In these circumstances the Romanized population of the Balkans was dislocated from the territories on which they occupied and was pushed by migration of the Slavs to the south and west of the Balkan Peninsula, while the space occupied by the Greek population has been considerably narrowed. The Slavs are assimilated by the administration of as but the made efforts to bring them under a real domination. This process was interrupted by the arrival of the Proto-.

a) Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia

The Slavic tribes that led to the formation of the Croatian and Slovenian peoples arrived in mid-seventh century in the regions occupied by them today, being attracted by the Byzantines and used as foederaţi against the Avars in . was the first Slavic state in the Balkan Peninsula, formed in the first half of the eighth century. It occupied approximately the current territory of Slovenia. Carantania entered under the rule of . takes control over the Slavs from the Adriatic coast, Slavs who later formed the Serbian people. The first state of the future was formed in the mid-ninth century, under the leadership of the (c. 830 - c. 851). To resist to the Bulgarian pressures, Vlastimir accepted the Byzantine suzerainty in 874 and in the Greek Orthodox rite. During the Bulgarian-Byzantine confrontations, the Slavs from the former Yugoslavia were under the Bulgarian influence or the Byzantine influence.

b) The Bulgarian State (7th -11th centuries)

Although today the Bulgarian people is mentioned among the South Slavic peoples, the origin of the old Bulgarians (Proto-Bulgarians or ) is totally different from that of the old Slavs. Proto-Bulgarians were in fifth and sixth centuries in the North , between the lower courses of the Don and Volga rivers. They fell under the Avar dominion. Weakening of the Avars power after 626 favored the formation of the Bulgar Khaganate (Old Great Bulgaria) led by the , which stretched from the mouth of the Don River to the Kuban plains. This great state collapsed under the blows of the . A part of the Bulgars went to north along the Volga River, forming . In the early tenth century, was adopted here as the state religion. In 922-923, Abbasid Caliph al-Muqtadir of established relations with Volga Bulgaria and sent here qadis and teachers of Islamic law. This state was destroyed in mid-thirteenth century by the

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Daniel Flaut, Introduction in Medieval History

Mongol invasion. Another group of the Bulgars went to the west to the Danube mouths. In the mid seventh century, this group of Bulgars passed in the Balkan Peninsula, through Dobrudja, under the leadership of Asparukh. When arrived in the Balkans, the Bulgars had a superior political and military structure compared with the Slavs on which they found here. But their number was much smaller than the Slavs and therefore the assimilation process of the Bulgars was irreversible. The Court of Constantinople understood that the new Bulgarian state is very strong. The Byzantine (741-775) attempted to liquidate the Bulgarian state. But only after three centuries of fighting the Byzantines have success. Under the Khan the Horrible (805-814) the Bulgarians killed the Byzantine Emperor I (802-811). In 864, under Boris I (or Boris-Mikhail) (852– 889), the of the First , the Bulgarians were evangelized in the Orthodox rite. During the reign of his son, Simeon the Great (893-927), the Bulgarian State reached maximum territorial limits, occupying almost the whole Balkan Peninsula. During the reign of the Samuel (997- 1014) is reconstituted Bulgarian Empire. On July 29, 1014, the Bulgarians are defeated by the Byzantine Emperor Basil II (or Basil the Porphyrogenitus). Also, in 1018 fell and the Bulgarian state disappears. *

3. The West Slavs

Their historical destiny was not different from that of the other groups of Slavs. They occupy in the 5th and the 6th centuries the region between the Elbe, the Vistula, the Baltic Sea and the .

a) Samo's empire

The first state of the West Slavs was established under the conditions of the fight against the Avars domination, struggle led by the Frankish merchant Samo. He ruled from 623 until his death in 658. This political entity has included almost all the western Slavic tribes. In 631, in the Battle of Wogastisburg, Samo successfully defended his realm against the Kingdom of the . In 658 Samo dies and his kingdom disappears.

b) Great Moravia

Liquidation of the Avar Khaganate from Pannonia facilitated the Carolingian domination over the southern and the western Slavs, namely over Slovaks and Moravians. After the death of Charlemagne (814), the Moravian ruler Mojmir I (r. /–846) created the early medieval state of the Slavs (830). The boundaries of this state, which is known as "Great" Moravia, included Moravia, , Slovenia, Croatia of today, and upper valleys of the Elbe and Vistula rivers. Under the rule of Rastislav (846-870), the

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Daniel Flaut, Introduction in Medieval History grandson of Mojmir I, the Moravian State is confronted with serious internal difficulties, due to the tendencies of the great German feudal from Bavaria to extend their political influence in Moravia, hidden influence in religious garb. At first, the German kingdom manages to tip the balance in its favor. Rastislav is overthrown by his nephew Svatopluk I (or Svatopluk the Great) with the German feudal lords support (870). Soon between Svatopluk I (870-894) and his protectors erupts a conflict in which Svatopluk emancipated under the German suzerainty (870-871). At the beginning of the reign of Mojmir II (894-before 907), from Great Moravia were detached the Czech and the Serbo-Croatian regions, after which the remaining territory crumbles into several independent . In 906 the Magyars destroyed the political center of Great Moravia, thus ending the existence of the Moravian Empire.

c) The Czech State

The Czech population detaches from Great Moravia in 895, following the revolt led by brothers Spythnev and Vratislav from the Prémysl family who put the bases of their own state. known height of its power under the reign of Boleslav I (or Boleslaus I the Cruel) (935-967), which participates, as a of the German Otto I, in the great Battle of Lechfeld (955). Also, under his rule the Czech State reaches its maximum extent: Czech, Moravia, Silesia, Lusatia and other territories. Under his successor, Boleslav II (967-999), the Czech State loses the Polish possessions and fight with the German feudal lords.

d) Formation of the Polish Kingdom

The first Polish political personality, historically attested, is Mieszko I (963-992), de facto creator of the Polish state. Mieszko I reject the attempts to conquest of the German to the east of the Elbe and in 996 he put his country in the cultural sphere of the Western . Under Bolesław I Chrobry (or Boleslaw the Brave) (992-1025), the early Polish State achieves the peak of its power. In 1000 Bolesław I obtained from the Otto III and Sylvester II the right to create an Archbishopric at Gniezno and other three Bishoprics in Kraków, Wrocław and Kolobrzeg. In 1018, the Holy Roman Emperor Henry II concluded a treaty with Boleslaw I in which recognizes to the Polish ruler the dominion over the provinces Lusatia and Milsko. Seven years later, Boleslaw I takes the of king. *

4. The East Slavs Kievan Rus

The East Slavs inhabited especially the territory between the Lake Ilmen and Oka river and the middle course of the Dnieper, where there were

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Daniel Flaut, Introduction in Medieval History settlements of their tribes. The East Slavs were organized in numerous tribes which crossed the plains of . In the second half of the ninth century, in Kievan Rus were two large urban centers, located along the route from the Baltic Sea to the (so called "the trade route from the Varangians to the Greeks"): Novgorod and Kiev. The reign of Knyaz of Novgorod is surrounded by legend. His successor Oleg (879-912) reigned for the first time in Novgorod, then went down on the Dnieper in Kiev after he conquered in 882 Smolensk and Liubeci. The successor of Oleg was Igor I (914-945) who made two expeditions against Byzantium in 941 and 944. Sviatoslav I Igorevich (957-972), the son of Igor, participated in numerous campaigns. He attacked the Volga Bulgaria and destroyed their capital, Bulgar. Around the year 960, Sviatoslav I began a large expedition against the Khazars, after that the Khazar State ceased to exist. In 971, the Byzantine Emperor Ioan I Tzimiskes defeated the army of Sviatoslav I at , forcing him to give up all Russian conquests in the Balkans. On the way to Kiev, in the region of the Dnieper cataracts, Sviatoslav I was killed by at the instigation of the Byzantines. After several years of fratricidal struggles (977-980), on the of Kiev followed Vladimir Sviatoslavich the Great (980-1015). He fought hard battles with Boleslaw I, the ruler of Poland. In 988-989, Vladimir Sviatoslavich accepted to convert Kievan Rus to orthodox Christianity, a European event of great significance. After the death of Vladimir Sviatoslavich, in 1015, for four years, Russia has been torn apart by fierce battles for the throne. In 1019 Yaroslav I (or Yaroslav the Wise) removes his opponents and became of Kiev (1019-1054). He made great efforts to maintain the unity of Kievan Rus. Yaroslav I fought with all those who sought to remove the primacy of Kiev, such as the princes of Polotsk and the Tmutacaran. After the death of Yaroslav I, followed a period (1054-1113) during which there have been many princes, descendants of him. They could not maintain the supremacy of Kiev, which was gradually replaced by local separatism of the different principalities, which led to the outbreak of wars. Vladimir II Monomakh, Prince of Pereyaslav, managed to restore the unity of the state for a while. He fought against the and kept the balance in relations with the . In 1113, Sviatopolk II Iziaslavich died and the Kievan populace revolted. They summoned Vladimir, the Prince of Pereyaslav, to the Kiev. He entered in the capital to the great delight of the crowd and became Grand Prince of Kievan Rus (1113–1125). After the death of Vladimir II Monomakh (1125), Kievan Rus entered for several centuries in a period of feudal fragmentation.

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Daniel Flaut, Introduction in Medieval History

Homework Elaborate an essay with the title: The Diplomacy of Sviatoslav I of Kiev

References:  Chertkov, A. D., Opisanie voin velikago kniazya Svyatoslava Igorevicha, Moscow, 1843.  Cross, S. H., and O. P. Sherbowitz-Wetzor, The Russian Primary Chronicle: Laurentian Text, , Mass., Medieval Academy of America, 1953.  Dunlop, D. M., History of the Jewish Khazars, Princeton University Press, 1954.  Franklin, Simon and Jonathan, Shepard, The Emergence of Rus 750-1200, Longman, 1996.  Hanak, Walter K., The Infamous Svjatoslav: Master of Duplicity in War and Peace?, in Miller, Timothy S., Nesbitt, John, Peace and War in Byzantium: Essays in Honor of George T. Dennis, S.J., The Catholic University of America Press, 1995.  Kendrick, Thomas D., A History of the , Courier Dover Publications, 2004.  Sakharov, Andrey, The Diplomacy of Svyatoslav, Moscow, Nauka, 1982.  Subtelny, Orest, : A History, Toronto, University of Toronto Press, 1988.

Bibliography:  Barford, Paul M., The Early Slavs: Culture and Society in Early Medieval Eastern Europe, Cornell University Press, 2001.  Brezeanu, Stelian, De la populaţia romanizată la vlahii balcanici, in “Revista de istorie ’’, XXIX, 1976, p. 211-222.  Ćirković, Sima M., The Serbs, Wiley-Blackwell, 2004.  Christian, David, A , Mongolia and , Blackwell, 1999.  Cronica lui Nestor, traducere de Popa Lisseanu, Ed. Bucovina, Bucureşti, 1935 (Izvoarele istoriei Românilor, VII).  Fine, John Van Antwerp, The Early Medieval Balkans: A Critical Survey from the Sixth to he Late Twelfth Century, Michigan, The University of Michigan Press, 1991.  Graus, F., L’empire de Grande Moravie, Praga, 1963.  Manolescu, Radu (ed.), Istoria medie universală, Ed. Didactică şi Pedagogică, Bucureşti, 1980, p. 84-100.  Ostrogorsky, G., Geschichte des byzantinischen Staates, München, 1963.  Oto, Luthar (ed.), The Land Between: A , Frankfurt am Main, Lang, 2008.  Runciman, Steven, A history of the , London, G. Bell & Sons, 1930.  Vernadsky, G. V., The Origins of Russia, , Clarendon Press, 1959.

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Daniel Flaut, Introduction in Medieval History

 Vlasto, A. P., The Entry of the Slavs into Christendom: An Introduction to the Medieval History of the Slavs, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1970.

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