In AD 1024,
A Rus fleet set out in a ill-fated expedition to Constantinople intent on enlisting in the Varangian Guard but their own obstinacy led to a disastrous showdown…
At the Battle of Lemnos!
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In the 48th Year of the Reign of Basil II, AD 1024:
A Rus fleet set out for Constantinople led by a man named only Chrysocheir by Skylitzes, a relative of the deceased Grand Prince of Kiev.
Upon reaching the city they stated their intention was to join the Emperor Basil’s famed Varangian Guard.
However, when ordered to surrender their arms before being allowed into the city, they refused and instead sailed on through the Propontis!
When the dejected Rus arrived at Abydos, the commander of the Dardanelles straits confronted them.
The Rus responded by destroying the Roman ships blocking their path!
Upon hearing the news, Roman authorities sent emissaries offering peace negotiations.
The Rus were asked to sail to Lemnos in order to discuss peace.
However, waiting at Lemnos was the Strategos of the Kibyrrhaiotai Theme, David of Ohrid, and the doux of Thessalonike, Nikephoros Kabasilas!
Both commanders has assembled large fleets to ambush the Rus.
Chrysocheir was sailing into a trap.
When the Rus arrived the Romans set upon them!
Totally outnumbered and lacking the superior naval technology, their ships were annihilated.
The chronicler Skylitzes records that the entire Rus force was slaughtered!
The battle was a testament to the incredible power of the Roman Empire under Basil II. Where previous Rus fleets were able to inflict severe damage and engage in plentiful raiding, at the end of the reign of Basil, a hostile foreign fleet was easily manoeuvred into position and destroyed.
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