Paphlagonian expedition of the Rus'
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The Paphlagonian expedition of the Rus' is documented in the Life of St. George of Amastris. This hagiographic work
describes the Rus' as "the people known to everyone for their barbarity, ferocity, and cruelty". According to the text, they attacked Propontis (probably aiming for Constantinople) before turning east and raiding Paphlagonia
some time after the death of St. George (ca. 806). When they fell upon the city of Amastris
, the intercession of St. George helped the inhabitants to survive the raid. This is held by many to be the earliest written record of the Rus's migration into Southeastern Europe. It is only according to late and dubious accounts that the Rus' would have reached Byzantine borders before the Paphlagonian expedition. Notably, the 15th-Century Slavonic
Life of St. Stephen of Sugdaea records the invasion led by a certain Bravlin
of the Rus', who supposedly devastated Crimea in the 790s, but this does not feature in the ancient Greek recension of the work.
Obviously dating the Life is of paramount importance for dating the Paphlagonian expedition. Unfortunately the work or parts of it have been variously ascribed to the Ninth or Tenth Century and the question still seems to be far from being settled. Vasily Vasilievsky
, who was the first to publish the text in 1893, attributed it to Ignatios the Deacon (ca. 775 – ca. 848). Accordingly, he thought that the attack had happened during the period of Iconoclasm
(before 842), notably dating it to the years 825–830. Alexander Vasiliev
pointed out that Emperor Theophilus's care for providing Rus' who had somehow arrived at Constantinople (ca. 838) with safe conduct through Frankish lands by his embassy to Louis the Pious
of 839, as witnessed to by the Annals of St. Bertin, is inconsistent with the assumption that the raid had at that time already taken place. Thus, rejecting Vasilievsky's arguments as to authorship and date of the work, he identified the Paphlagonian expedition described in the Life with the 860 raid that reached Constantinople. Constantine Zuckerman
, however, maintains a higher dating of the sack of Amastris to the 830s and holds the 838 embassy of the Rus' to Constantinople, as recorded in the same entry of the Annals of St. Bertin, to be an attempt at negotiating a peace treaty with Byzantium. Other scholars believe the raid took place as early as 818 or 819. Others, while maintaining the attribution of the Life to Ignatios, have made an interesting but so far unproven case that the description of the invasion alone was inserted into the Life in the second half of the 9th Century or later and reflects thus Rus'-Byzantine relations as they stood by that time, that is at any rate after the 860 raid. Others still, among which the same Vasiliev in his later production, argued for an even later composition of the Life and accordingly held the account of the Paphlagonian raid to echo the 941 attack. This is indeed, however, little more than an unverifiable guess, and a rather easy one, given that the work is transmitted by a single 10th-Century manuscript.
Hagiography
Hagiography is the study of saints.From the Greek and , it refers literally to writings on the subject of such holy people, and specifically to the biographies of saints and ecclesiastical leaders. The term hagiology, the study of hagiography, is also current in English, though less common...
describes the Rus' as "the people known to everyone for their barbarity, ferocity, and cruelty". According to the text, they attacked Propontis (probably aiming for Constantinople) before turning east and raiding Paphlagonia
Paphlagonia
Paphlagonia was an ancient area on the Black Sea coast of north central Anatolia, situated between Bithynia to the west and Pontus to the east, and separated from Phrygia by a prolongation to the east of the Bithynian Olympus...
some time after the death of St. George (ca. 806). When they fell upon the city of Amastris
Amasra
Amasra is a small Black Sea port town in the Bartın Province, Turkey. The town is today much appreciated for its beaches and natural setting, which has made tourism the most important activity for its inhabitants...
, the intercession of St. George helped the inhabitants to survive the raid. This is held by many to be the earliest written record of the Rus's migration into Southeastern Europe. It is only according to late and dubious accounts that the Rus' would have reached Byzantine borders before the Paphlagonian expedition. Notably, the 15th-Century Slavonic
Slavic peoples
The Slavic people are an Indo-European panethnicity living in Eastern Europe, Southeast Europe, North Asia and Central Asia. The term Slavic represents a broad ethno-linguistic group of people, who speak languages belonging to the Slavic language family and share, to varying degrees, certain...
Life of St. Stephen of Sugdaea records the invasion led by a certain Bravlin
Bravlin
Bravlin was an apocryphal overlord of the Rus' who supposedly devastated all the Crimea from Kerch to Sugdaea in the last years of the 8th century but was paralyzed when he had entered the church of St. Stephen in Sugdaea....
of the Rus', who supposedly devastated Crimea in the 790s, but this does not feature in the ancient Greek recension of the work.
Obviously dating the Life is of paramount importance for dating the Paphlagonian expedition. Unfortunately the work or parts of it have been variously ascribed to the Ninth or Tenth Century and the question still seems to be far from being settled. Vasily Vasilievsky
Vasily Vasilievsky
Vasily Grigorievich Vasilievsky was a Russian historian who founded the St. Petersburg school of medieval studies and was a major force in Byzantine studies during the second half of the 19th century.The son of a rural priest, Vasilievsky was born on 2 February 1838...
, who was the first to publish the text in 1893, attributed it to Ignatios the Deacon (ca. 775 – ca. 848). Accordingly, he thought that the attack had happened during the period of Iconoclasm
Iconoclasm
Iconoclasm is the deliberate destruction of religious icons and other symbols or monuments, usually with religious or political motives. It is a frequent component of major political or religious changes...
(before 842), notably dating it to the years 825–830. Alexander Vasiliev
Alexander Vasiliev
Alexander Alexandrovich Vasiliev was considered the foremost authority on Byzantine history and culture in the mid-20th century. His History of the Byzantine Empire Alexander Alexandrovich Vasiliev (1867-1953) was considered the foremost authority on Byzantine history and culture in the mid-20th...
pointed out that Emperor Theophilus's care for providing Rus' who had somehow arrived at Constantinople (ca. 838) with safe conduct through Frankish lands by his embassy to Louis the Pious
Louis the Pious
Louis the Pious , also called the Fair, and the Debonaire, was the King of Aquitaine from 781. He was also King of the Franks and co-Emperor with his father, Charlemagne, from 813...
of 839, as witnessed to by the Annals of St. Bertin, is inconsistent with the assumption that the raid had at that time already taken place. Thus, rejecting Vasilievsky's arguments as to authorship and date of the work, he identified the Paphlagonian expedition described in the Life with the 860 raid that reached Constantinople. Constantine Zuckerman
Constantine Zuckerman
Constantine Zuckerman is a French-Jewish historian and Professor of Byzantine studies at the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes in Paris.-Biography:...
, however, maintains a higher dating of the sack of Amastris to the 830s and holds the 838 embassy of the Rus' to Constantinople, as recorded in the same entry of the Annals of St. Bertin, to be an attempt at negotiating a peace treaty with Byzantium. Other scholars believe the raid took place as early as 818 or 819. Others, while maintaining the attribution of the Life to Ignatios, have made an interesting but so far unproven case that the description of the invasion alone was inserted into the Life in the second half of the 9th Century or later and reflects thus Rus'-Byzantine relations as they stood by that time, that is at any rate after the 860 raid. Others still, among which the same Vasiliev in his later production, argued for an even later composition of the Life and accordingly held the account of the Paphlagonian raid to echo the 941 attack. This is indeed, however, little more than an unverifiable guess, and a rather easy one, given that the work is transmitted by a single 10th-Century manuscript.
See also
- Caspian expeditions of the Rus'
- Rus'–Byzantine War