People / group

Pechenegs

9th–12th century · 9th century · Also known as Patzinaks

The Pechenegs were a Turkic nomadic people who dominated the steppes north of the Black Sea from the late 9th century, after driving the Magyars westward. They raided and served as mercenaries for Byzantium, Kievan Rus' and Bulgaria, and killed Prince Sviatoslav of Kiev in 972. Byzantium crushed them at Levounion in 1091 and again in 1122, after which they merged into other peoples.

Pechenegs
Image: Unknown authorUnknown author · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 5 profiles

Khazar KhaganateDecline, SummaryFirst Bulgarian EmpireMilitaryKievan Rus'Military, SummaryKingdom of Hungary (1000-1301)SocioeconomyKievan Rus'Military, Summary

Mentioned in 3 state histories

Duchy of GelouPrincipality of HungaryBeylik of Chaka

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Pechenegs. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/pechenegs
MLA
“Pechenegs.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/pechenegs. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Pechenegs.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/pechenegs.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Pechenegs’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/pechenegs (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻