# Rus' attack on Constantinople (860)

URL: https://history-russia.com/timeline/860-rus-attack-on-constantinople
Categories: battle

In June 860 a Rus' fleet of about 200 ships suddenly attacked the suburbs of Constantinople while the emperor was away. Patriarch Photius described the raid in two sermons. Byzantium soon sent missionaries, and Photius reported that the Rus' had accepted a bishop. The attack marked the Rus' arrival as a force in the politics of the Black Sea world.

## Why it matters
The attack marked the Rus' arrival as a force in the politics of the Black Sea world.

Ruler at the time: [Huns, Khazars and Early Slavs](https://history-russia.com/rulers/huns-khazars-and-early-slavs)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Siege of Constantinople (860)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Constantinople_(860))
- [Wikipedia — Photios I of Constantinople](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photios_I_of_Constantinople)
- [Wikipedia — Early Slavs](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Early_Slavs)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — Rus' attack on Constantinople](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Rus%27+attack+on+Constantinople)
- [Wikipedia — Timeline of Russian history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Russian_history)