An unexpected ally: the influence of alcohol on the course of military campaigns in Rus` in the eleventh – twelfth centuries

Abstract

Alcohol played an important role in the life of medieval Rus`. This is especially evident in the example of the influence of alcoholic beverages on the course of military campaigns in the lands of Rus` in the 11th and 12th centuries. The first known example of such influence took place during the Battle of Lyubech between the armies of the Prince of Kyiv Sviatopolk and the Prince of Novgorod Yaroslav in the autumn of 1016. It is clear from the sources that one of the reasons for Sviatopolk`s defeat was a feast organized by him on the eve of the battle, which lasted all night. This was taken advantage of by his opponents, who secretly crossed the Dnieper, attacked Sviatopolk`s troops at dawn and defeated them. The next mention of alcohol in connection with the campaigns of the princes of Rus` dates back to 1111. In that year, a great campaign of Russian troops against the Cumans (Polovtsi) took place. When the Russian troops reached the Cuman town of Sharukan, the inhabitants did not resist and preferred to reward the attackers with rich gifts, including wine. These were the gifts that saved Sharukan from destruction by the Russian troops. The next messages about the influence of alcohol on the course of campaigns in Rus` can be found in Russian annals describing the events of 1151–1152. All these events were part of the great war for Kyiv, fought by various coalitions of Russian princes. In the spring of 1151, alcohol was the reason why the Prince of Bilhorod Boris Yurievich failed to defend his city and had to flee to Kyiv. This, in turn, put his father, the Prince of Kyiv Yuri Vladimirovich, in a difficult position and forced him to retreat before the troops of Izyaslav Mstislavovich and leave the capital of Rus` without a fight. At the end of the spring of the same year,alcohol was the reason for the great defeat of the Hungarian troops in the Battle of Sapogyn. The Prince of Halych Volodymyr Volodarevich took advantage of the drunkness of the Hungarians to deal them a sudden blow and completely defeat the Hungarian troops. It is not excluded that alcoholalso played some role in the campaigns of the Hungarian and Kyivan troops against the Prince of Halych Volodymyr Volodarevich in 1152 and in the campaign of the Prince of Novgorod-Seversky Igor Svyatoslavovich against the Cumans in 1185.

Keywords

• medieval rus`
• alcoholic beverages
• military campaigns
• the battle of lyubech
• the battle of sapogyn