Was there the “Pecheneg Empire” between Transylvania and the Lower Don?

Abstract

The attempts by some researchers to present “The Pechenegia” mentioned by Konstantin Porphyrogenitus as a nomadic empire seem purely speculative. The Pechenegs were fragmented into separate tribes, which persisted for the entire period of their residence in the European steppes. They had neither supreme leader nor developed ethnic identity nor imperial thinking. They failed to organize a single devastating invasion by the joint military forces of all the tribes. Instead, their neighboring sovereigns used some of their militia as an auxiliary force to fight their opponents.