Pechenegs in the Imperial Space of Byzantium in the Middle of the 10th Century

Absztrakt

The paper is devoted to the analysis of the Pecheneg “dossier” in the work of Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus De administrando imperio, and, in particular, to the place occupied by the Pechenegs in the space of the foreign policy interests of the empire. The study of information about the Pechenegs, as well as the analysis of the terminology used to describe the Pecheneg society, showed, on the one hand, a deep knowledge of the administrative-political and social structure of the Pechenegs, their historical background and their important role in the balance of power in the steppes of Eastern Europe, and on the other, revealed the ability of Byzantine intellectuals to explain the significance of the Pecheneg factor for Byzantium in terms of their own political and cultural tradition.