AN UNEXPECTED ALLY: THE INFLUENCE OF ALCOHOL ON THE COURSE OF MILITARY CAMPAIGNS IN RUS` IN THE ELEVENTH – TWELFTH CENTURIES

Alcohol played an important role in the life of medieval Rus`. This is especially evident in the example of the influence of alcoholic beverages on the course of military campaigns in the lands of Rus` in the 11th and 12th centuries. The first known example of such influence took place during the Battle of Lyubech between the armies of the Prince of Kyiv Sviatopolk and the Prince of Novgorod Yaroslav in the autumn of 1016. It is clear from the sources that one of the reasons for Sviatopolk`s defeat was a feast organized by him on the eve of the battle, which lasted all night. The next mention of alcohol in connection with the campaigns of the princes of Rus` dates back to 1111. In that year, a great campaign of Russian troops against the Cumans (Polovtsi) took place. . The next messages about the influence of alcohol on the course of campaigns in Rus` can be found in Russian annals describing the events of 1151–1152. All these events were part of the Great War for Kyiv, fought by various coalitions of Russian princes.