Defeat of the Russians by Admiral Theophanes (litho)

Defeat of the Russians by Admiral Theophanes. In the year 941 the Russians, now formed into a strong State under Viking kings on the River Dnieper, attacked Constantinople with a flotilla of thousands of barges carrying a great host of savage warriors. The East Roman navy was away in the Levant, and the Admiral Theophanes, the Patrician, could only muster fifteen ships. Nevertheless, the Russians were utterly defeated, hundreds of their ships being destroyed by the terrible Greek fire. Illustration for Hutchinson's History of the Nations (Hutchinson, c.1920). Note: Image has been digitally enhanced to facilitate repro.