Pechenegs

Quick Facts: Who was Pechenegs?

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Pechenegs

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Semi-nomadic Turkic people from Central Asia, known for their raids into Eastern Europe.

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Origins & Early Life

The Pechenegs () or Patzinaks, were a semi-nomadic Turkic people from Central Asia who spoke the Pecheneg language. In the 9th and 10th centuries, the Pechenegs controlled much of the steppes of southeast Europe and the Crimean Peninsula. In the 9th century, the Pechenegs began a period of wars against Rus', and for more than two centuries launched raids into the lands of Rus', which sometimes escalated into full-scale wars. The Pechenegs were mentioned as Bjnak, Bjanak or Bajanak in medieval Arabic and Persian texts, as Be-ča-nag in Classical Tibetan documents, and as Pačanak-i in works written in Georgian. Anna Komnene and other Byzantine authors referred to them as Patzinakoi or Patzinakitai.

Career & Major Achievements

In medieval Latin texts, the Pechenegs were referred to as Pizenaci, Bisseni or Bessi. East Slavic peoples use the terms Pečenegi or Pečenezi (plural of Pečeneg), while the Poles mention them as Pieczyngowie or Piecinigi. The Hungarian word for Pecheneg is besenyő; the Romanian term is Pecenegi. According to Max Vasmer and some other researchers the ethnonym Pecheneg may have derived from the Old Turkic word for "brother-in-law, relative" (eg. Turkish: bacanak), implying that it initially referred to an "in-law related clan or tribe".

Enduring Legacy & Impact

Peter Golden considers this derivation by no means certain. In Mahmud Kashgari's 11th-century work Dīwān Lughāt al-Turk, the Pechenegs were described as "a Turkic nation living around the country of the Rum" (Rum was the Turkic word for the Eastern Roman Empire or Anatolia) and "a branch of Oghuz Turks"; he subsequently described the Oghuz as being formed of 22 branches, of which the Pecheneg were the 19th. Pechenegs are mentioned as one of 24 ancient tribes of Oghuzes by 14th-century statesman and historian of Ilkhanate-ruled Iran Rashid-al-Din Hamadani in his work Jāmiʿ al-Tawārīkh ("Compendium of Chronicles") with the meaning of the ethnonym as "the one who shows eagerness". The 17th-century khan of Khiva and historian Abu al-Ghazi Bahadur mentions the Pechenegs as bechene among 24 ancient tribes of Turkmens (or Oghuzes) in his book Shajara-i Tarākima (Genealogy of the Turkmen) and provides for its meaning as "the one who makes". Three of the eight Pecheneg "provinces" or clans were collectively known as Kangars.

Notable Quotes by Pechenegs

“The Pechenegs were described as "a Turkic nation living around the country of the Rum" and "a branch of Oghuz Turks".”

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Pechenegs

True or False: “The Pecheneg language was definitively proven to be a direct descendant of Old Turkic.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): While scholars view them as Common Turkic-speakers, their language is poorly documented, making definitive classification difficult.

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Frequently Asked Questions about Pechenegs