"Prince Svyatoslav" by Alexander Krasnitsky, summary

"Prince Svyatoslav" is a historical novella written in 1894, chronicling the military campaigns of the great Kievan commander Svyatoslav Igorevich. The novella employs a dual narrative focus: major historical events are depicted both from the perspective of the statesman Svyatoslav and through the eyes of a young Vyatichi named Alka. The journey of this simple forest boy, who became a fearless member of the prince’s warriors, ties together all the disparate episodes of the book.

The beginning of the journey and the conquest of the Vyatichi

The book begins with a prologue. In an old monastery, a decrepit chronicler and a young boy fulfill the request of the Pereyaslavl prince Vladimir Monomakh — to copy an ancient manuscript. They come across the biography of Prince Svyatoslav. The commander slept on a simple saddle cloth with a saddle at his head, ate meat roasted over coals, and always honestly warned his enemies with the famous phrase: "I’m coming!"

In 964, a Rus army sailed up the Oka River in boats. The prince wanted to subjugate the Slavic Vyatichi tribe to Kyiv and force them to pay tribute to Rus’, not the Khazar Khaganate. The Vyatichi refused to submit to outsiders. They abandoned their villages on the banks of the Oka and hid in the dense, impenetrable forests. Young Alk, now seventeen years old, descended from the family of the respected elder Smed.

The elder sacrifices two black bulls to the gods and then tasks the teenagers with monitoring the movements of the foreign army. During one of their raids, Alk hides in a deep hole among the tree roots. Suddenly, one of his comrades fires a black arrow with a jagged tip from a forest ambush. It kills the Kyivan foreman, Kara. This senseless death becomes the first bloodshed of the new campaign.

Svyatoslav seeks to avoid a major war with the forest people. He devises a cunning plan: Russian warriors discover a hidden sacred temple of wooden idols. Fearing for their gods, the Vyatichi emerge en masse from their hiding places. The prince addresses the elders, saying, "I want to gather the Vyatichi into one handful! And not even a handful — into a strong fist!" He offers them a peaceful life under the protection of Kyiv. The Vyatichi joyfully shout for peace and agree to pay tribute.

Druzhina brotherhood and the Khazar Kaganate

According to the harsh laws of the time, a slain warrior must pay with his life. As a ransom for Kara, Alk leaves his home village forever and joins the ranks of the Kievan army. The youth is placed under the command of the enormous hero Vest. Soon, the experienced mentor and the young Vyatichi perform an ancient rite. Scarlet drops of blood fall into a wooden bowl of clear water. Vest and Alk take turns drinking this drink and become sworn brothers, swearing to stand by each other.

Svyatoslav gathers a vast army for war against Khazaria. Drevlyans, Polyans, Krivichi, and representatives of other tribes join his army. The prince sends an embassy through the Wild Fields to win over the nomadic Pechenegs. Alk accompanies the envoys. Thanks to the incredible strength of Vest and the diplomacy of the Rus, the Pechenegs agree to aid Svyatoslav. After his successful return from the steppes, Alk is highly honored — he becomes the bodyguard of the Prince of Kyiv.

Khazaria firmly controls the trade routes along the Volga River. The Khazar king, Joseph, assembles a mercenary army of fifty thousand to defend the Khaganate’s capital, the brutal city of Itil. Before battle, the king arranges his troops in four lines, following the Arab pattern, with the first line known as "the morning of the barking of dogs." The monumental Battle of Itil begins. Russian troops and Pecheneg cavalry relentlessly attack the enemy.

The Khazar army suffers a crushing defeat, and Joseph flees shamefully. Vest and Alk pursue the ruler, but the cunning king manages to escape. Having captured Itil, Svyatoslav leads his warriors further north to the Don River. There, the troops successfully storm the powerful fortress of Sarkel. The Khazars’ hold on the region is shattered.

The Last Arrow in Bulgaria

Six years pass. The story shifts to Bulgaria, where Russian warriors led by Svyatoslav are waging a bitter war against the Byzantine Empire. Alkos has become an experienced and seasoned fighter. The Byzantine Emperor John Tzimiskes sends heavily armed cavalry — armored cataphracts — to storm the Bulgarian capital of Preslav. The Byzantine stratioti pelt the defenders with stone blocks from their throwing machines and employ all-consuming Greek fire.

The defense of Preslav is led by the courageous commander Sfenkel. Byzantine horsemen attempt to break into the courtyard of the royal palace, but the Rus’ forces cut them down. Tzimiskes then orders the defenders to be driven out with smoke and fire. The handful of surviving warriors, including Alkos, are trapped in the burning building. Sfenkel embraces Alkos and asks him to tell Prince Svyatoslav that they fought valiantly.

The young man takes the last black arrow with the Vyatichi family symbol from his quiver — the very one he’s kept since childhood. With a well-aimed shot, Alkos pierces the Byzantine commander and discards his bow. Swords in hand, the Rus’ warriors desperately charge toward the enemy spears. Miraculously, they manage to break through the iron ring of stratioti and escape into the dense gardens. Alkos’s fate after escaping the burning Preslav remains unknown.