Who were the Pechenegs?

The medieval Eurasian steppe is a rather confusing place, for several reasons. The first, is that it played host to an ever shifting patchwork of nomadic and semi-nomadic peoples, whose various wars precipitated large-scale migrations at various points. Another, is that these peoples, by and large, left very little (if anything) by way of written sources by which we can identify them. The Pechenegs are one such group, who emerge into the historical record, and in particular Byzantine Imperial documents, from the conveyor belt of the Eurasian steppe.
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Music:
The Long Dark - Scott Buckley
Way, Way Down There - John Hayes
Shadows and Dust - Scott Buckley
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0:00 Intro
1:43 The Rise of the Pechenegs
5:12 Language
6:06 Society
9:07 Byzantine Diplomacy
10:51 Origins
16:40 Decline and Fall