Certainty: 1 Struggle between Pechenegs Tyrach & Kegen; Kegen, defeated, was welcomed in Byzantium. A Pecheneg leader Kegen found that the supreme leader Tyrach planned to kill him, making several unsuccessful attempts, as he realised that Kegen's military success was more popular than his own high birth. So Kegen won the backing of two tribes (Belemarnis and Pagoumanis) and rebelled. However he was vanquished by Tyrach and his eleven tribes. Kegen wandered in the marshes, decided to defect to the emperor, reached Dristra and retreated to a river island with his 20,000 supporters. He sent messages to the local governor Michael, informing him of his wish to defect and promising to be very useful. He was received by the governor, who provided everything necessary, and reached Constantinople. He was received kindly by Konstantinos IX, he promised to accept baptism and to persuade his people to follow him; he was made patrikios, with three forts on the banks of the Danube and much land, and became an ally of the Romans. He kept his promise and was baptized along with his people by Euthymios, a monk sent to perform the rite by the Danube
Certainty: 1 Fleet sent to bar crossing of Danube against Pechenegs of Tyrach.
Certainty: 2 Baptised Byzantine ally Kegen fought Pechenegs of Tyrach across Danube. Kegen opposed the marauding Pechenegs, crossing the Danube several times with 1000 men, then again with 2000. He caused much damage, attacking Tyrach and his forces, killing men and enslaving women and children and selling them to the Romans. These raids led to an embassy from Tyrach which reminded Konstantinos IX of their alliance and threatened all-out war unless he restrained the defector. But the envoys returnd empty-handed, as the emperor decided to help Kegen, whom he had accepted as a wronged fugitive. Konstantinos sent letters to Michael the governor and to Kegen ordering them to guard the banks of the Danube diligently, and to tell him of any enemy attack so that he might send some of the western tagmata to help prevent the Pechenegs crossing the river. He also sent a hundred ships to defend the crossing
Certainty: 3 Tens of thousands of Pechenegs under Tyrach crossed the frozen Danube. Tyrach was annoyed at the negative response brought back by his envoys. That winter was very cold, so that the Danube froze over and the banks were left unguarded, allowing [800,000] Pechenegs to cross, Tyrach's whole nation. When they reached the Roman side of the river, they ravaged everything to hand
Certainty: 2 Byzantine generals of the Balkans asked to unite to deal with the Pecheneg danger. Konstantinos IX received urgent requests for help against the Pechenegs, and ordered Konstantinos Arianites the doux of Adrianople and Basileios the governor of Bulgaria to summon their forces and join Kegen and Michael, doux of Dyrrachion, who had received Kegen. They should unite their forces against the invasion. He also prepared to recall troops from the east
Certainty: 2 Defeated Pechenegs not slaughtered, but settled as taxpayers & potential soldiers in Bulgaria. The advice of Kegen was that all adult Pecheneg captives should be killed, citing a barbarian proverb according to which it is better to kill a serpent in winter while it cannot move its tail. Those he held personally were either sold into slavery or slaughtered. This proposal was rejected as barbaric, unholy, and unworthy of Roman clemency. The emperor and generals decided that the captives would be useful to the Romans if, after putting aside their weapons, they were settled in the Bulgarian land, which was largely depopulated after long periods of war. Basileios the doux (?) of Bulgaria took the lead in this, settling them particularly in the the plains of Serdica, Nis and Eutzapolis
Certainty: 2 Tyrach & 140 Pecheneg notables taken to Constantinople for baptism & integration into Byzantine elite. The Pecheneg leader Tyrach and 140 of his chief subordinates were taken as hostages to Constantinople. They were baptised and given great honours and dignities [the process of integration into the Byzantine elite]