The Pechenegs, a group of steppe nomads who came to prominence in eastern Europe in the 9th and 10th centuries, were crucial to the balance of power in the northern Byzantine world. The image that contemporaneous sources give us is of a fierce and dangerous warrior-people, formidable in battle and feared and respected by their neighbours in equal measure. Indeed, both the Rus princes and the Byzantine emperors can be seen vying for their favour and their friendship throughout this period, and the Pechenegs seem to therefore have enjoyed a special position as arbitrators of a sort of the region – their influence appears to have been the decisive factor in a number of campaigns and actions.

Correction
- At 7:04, I mis-spoke and referred to the Rus as 'Russians' - this is incorrect and should be 'Rus' instead, as I was referring to the Kievan Rus.
- At 1:56, the map shown uses antiquated names for the Pechenegs (referring to them as Patzinaks) and other states in the region. I have blurred some of the names in order to prevent confusion - this map should be used as a visual indication of Pecheneg territory only.

All materials are used under fair use for education and commentary.

Music:
- Filaments by Scott Buckley (   • Filaments – Scott Buckley (No Copyrig...  )
- Aurora by Scott Buckley (  / aurora-cc-by  )
- In Search of Solitude by Scott Buckley (  / in-search-of-solitude  )

Full picture credits, as well as bibliography, can be found here: https://sites.google.com/view/the-his...

Chapters:
0:00 - Introduction
2:07 - Part I: Military Power
5:06 - Part II: Maintaining Peace
11:56 - Part III: Economic Strength
14:15 - Part IV: Byzantine Diplomatic Policy
15:38 - Conclusion