Which Slavic tribes on Russian soil were the most warlike. Five mysterious Slavic tribes
East Slavic tribes
East Slavic tribes and their neighbors
The Slavs appeared in Eastern Europe around the middle of the 1st millennium and lived in the lands located between the Oder, Vistula, and Dnieper rivers, and from there they moved to the south (South Slavs), west (Western Slavs) and east ( East Slavs). Byzantine writers called the Slavs sklavins and antes
Modern East Slavs – Russians, Ukrainians, Belarusians. IN early middle ages constituted a single Old Russian (or East Slavic) nationality, which were characterized by mutual language, homogeneous material and spiritual culture. That is, East Slavs- an ethnohistorical concept. The history of the Eastern Slavs begins from the period when the East Slavic language (Indo-European family) emerged from the Common Slavic (Proto-Slavic) language. This happened in the 7th-8th centuries.
In the VIII-IX centuries. Slavs occupied the territory from Lake Peipus and Lake Ladoga in the north to the Black Sea in the south - Eastern European or Russian plain. Characteristic feature - developed river system, rivers flow slowly, but are long. The largest river system is Dneprovskaya. The territory of the Slavs is mainly forest.
East Slavic tribes
Buzhans- East Slavic tribe that lived on the river. Bug.
Volynians- a union of tribes that inhabited the territory on both banks of the Western Bug and at the source of the river. Pripyat.
Vyatichi- a union of tribes living in the basin of the upper and middle reaches of the Oka and along the river. Moscow.
Drevlyans - tribal union, which occupied in the 6th-10th centuries. the territory of Polesie, the Right Bank of the Dnieper, west of the glades, along the rivers Teterev, Uzh, Ubort, Stviga.
Dregovichi- tribal union of the Eastern Slavs.
Krivichi- tribal union of the Eastern Slavs 6-11 centuries. Occupied territory in the upper reaches of the Dnieper, Volga, Western Dvina, as well as in the area of Chudskoye, Pskov lakes and lake. Ilmen.
Polotsk residents- Slavic tribe, part of the Krivichi tribal union; lived along the banks of the river. Dvina and its tributary Polota, from which they got their name. The center of the land of Polotsk was the city. Polotsk.
Glade - a tribal union of Eastern Slavs that lived on the Dnieper, in the area of modern Kyiv. One of the versions of the origin of Rus', mentioned in the Tale of Bygone Years, is associated with the glades.
Radimichi- an East Slavic union of tribes that lived in the eastern part of the Upper Dnieper region, along the river. Sozh and its tributaries in the 8-9 centuries.
Rus- in sources of the 8th-10th centuries. the name of the people who participated in the formation of the Old Russian state.
Northerners-union of tribes that lived in the 9th-10th centuries. by pp. Desna, Seim, Sula.
Slovenian Ilmenskie - tribal union of Eastern Slavs in the territory Novgorod land, mainly in the lands around the lake. Ilmen, next to the Krivichi.
Tivertsy-a union of tribes that lived in the 9th - beginning. 12th centuries on the river Dniester and at the mouth of the Danube.
Ulichi- East Slavic union of tribes that existed in the 9th century. 10th centuries According to the Tale of Bygone Years, incriminate lived in the lower reaches of the Dnieper, Bug and on the shores of the Black Sea.
Vyatichi- a union of East Slavic tribes who lived in the second half of the first millennium AD. e. in the upper and middle reaches of the Oka.
The name Vyatichi presumably comes from the name of the ancestor of the tribe, Vyatko.
However, some associate the origin of this name with the morpheme “ven” and the Veneds (or Venets/Vents) (the name “Vyatichi” was pronounced “Ventici”).
In the middle of the 10th century. Svyatoslav annexed the lands of the Vyatichi to Kievan Rus, but until the end of the 11th century. these tribes retained a certain political independence; campaigns against the Vyatichi princes of this time are mentioned.
From the 12th century The territory of the Vyatichi became part of the Chernigov, Rostov-Suzdal and Ryazan principalities.
Until the end of the 13th century. The Vyatichi preserved many pagan rituals and traditions, in particular, they cremated the dead, erecting small mounds over the burial site. After Christianity took root among the Vyatichi, the ritual of cremation gradually fell out of use.
The Vyatichi retained their tribal name longer than other Slavs. They lived without princes, the social structure was characterized by self-government and democracy. IN last time The Vyatichi are mentioned in the chronicle under this tribal name in 1197.
Buzhans(Volynians) - a tribe of Eastern Slavs who lived in the basin of the upper reaches of the Western Bug (from which they got their name); Since the end of the 11th century, the Buzhans have been called Volynians (from the area of Volyn).
Volynians- an East Slavic tribe or tribal union, mentioned in the Tale of Bygone Years and in the Bavarian chronicles. According to the latter, the Volynians owned seventy fortresses at the end of the 10th century. Some historians believe that the Volynians and Buzhans are descendants of the Dulebs. Their main cities were Volyn and Vladimir-Volynsky. Archaeological research indicates that the Volynians developed agriculture and numerous crafts, including forging, casting and pottery.
In 981, the Volynians were subjugated by the Kyiv prince Vladimir I and became part of Kievan Rus. Later, the Galician-Volyn principality was formed on the territory of the Volynians.
Drevlyans- one of the tribes of Russian Slavs, lived in Pripyat, Goryn, Sluch and Teterev. The name Drevlyans, according to the chronicler's explanation, was given to them because they lived in forests.
From archaeological excavations in the country of the Drevlyans, we can conclude that they had a well-known culture. A well-established burial ritual testifies to the existence of certain religious ideas about the afterlife:
the absence of weapons in the graves indicates the peaceful nature of the tribe;
finds of sickles, shards and vessels, iron products, remains of fabrics and leather indicate the existence of arable farming, pottery, blacksmithing, weaving and tanning among the Drevlyans;
many bones of domestic animals and spurs indicate cattle and horse breeding;
many items made of silver, bronze, glass and carnelian, of foreign origin, indicate the existence of trade, and the absence of coins gives reason to conclude that trade was barter.
The political center of the Drevlyans in the era of their independence was the city of Iskorosten; in later times this center apparently moved to the city of Vruchiy (Ovruch)
Dregovichi- an East Slavic tribal union that lived between Pripyat and the Western Dvina.
Most likely the name comes from the Old Russian word dregva or dryagva, which means “swamp”.
Under the name of the Druguvites (Greek δρονγονβίται), the Dregovichi were already known to Constantine the Porphyrogenitus as a tribe subordinate to Rus'. Being aloof from the “Road from the Varangians to the Greeks,” the Dregovichi did not play a prominent role in history Ancient Rus'. The chronicle only mentions that the Dregovichi once had their own reign. The capital of the principality was the city of Turov.
The subordination of the Dregovichi to the Kyiv princes probably occurred very early. The Principality of Turov was subsequently formed on the territory of the Dregovichi, and the northwestern lands became part of the Principality of Polotsk.
Duleby(not Duleby) - a union of East Slavic tribes in the territory of Western Volyn in the VI - early X centuries. In the 7th century were subjected to the Avar invasion (obry). In 907 they took part in Oleg’s campaign against Constantinople. They split into tribes of Volynians and Buzhanians and in the middle of the 10th century they finally lost their independence, becoming part of Kievan Rus.
Krivichi- a large East Slavic tribe (tribal association), which occupied in the VI-X centuries. the upper reaches of the Volga, Dnieper and Western Dvina, southern part Lake Peipsi basin and part of the Neman basin. Sometimes the Ilmen Slavs are also considered to be Krivichi.
The Krivichi were probably the first Slavic tribe to move from the Carpathian region to the northeast. Limited in their expansion to the northwest and west, where they met stable Lithuanian and Finnish tribes, the Krivichi spread to the northeast, assimilating with the Finns who lived there.
Settled on the great waterway from Scandinavia to Byzantium (the route from the Varangians to the Greeks), the Krivichi took part in trade with Greece; Konstantin Porphyrogenitus says that the Krivichi make boats on which the Rus go to Constantinople. They took part in Oleg and Igor’s campaigns against the Greeks as a tribe subordinate to the Kyiv prince; Oleg's agreement mentions their city of Polotsk.
Already in the era of the formation of the Russian state, the Krivichi had political centers: Izborsk, Polotsk and Smolensk.
It is believed that the last tribal prince of the Krivichs, Rogvolod, together with his sons, was killed in 980 by the Novgorod prince Vladimir Svyatoslavich. In the Ipatiev list, the Krivichi were mentioned for the last time in 1128, and the Polotsk princes were called Krivichi in 1140 and 1162. After this, the Krivichi were no longer mentioned in the East Slavic chronicles.
However, the tribal name Krivichi was used for quite a long time in foreign sources(until the end of the 17th century). The word krievs entered the Latvian language to designate Russians in general, and the word Krievija to designate Russia.
The southwestern, Polotsk branch of the Krivichi is also called Polotsk. Together with the Dregovichi, Radimichi and some Baltic tribes, this branch of the Krivichi formed the basis of the Belarusian ethnic group.
The northeastern branch of the Krivichi, settled mainly in the territory of modern Tver, Yaroslavl and Kostroma regions, was in close contact with the Finno-Ugric tribes.
The border between the settlement territory of the Krivichi and the Novgorod Slovenes is determined archaeologically by the types of burials: long mounds among the Krivichi and hills among the Slovenes.
Polotsk residents- an East Slavic tribe that inhabited the lands in the middle reaches of the Western Dvina in today's Belarus in the 9th century.
Polotsk residents are mentioned in the Tale of Bygone Years, which explains their name as living near the Polota River, one of the tributaries of the Western Dvina. In addition, the chronicle claims that the Krivichi were descendants of the Polotsk people.
The lands of Polotsk extended from the Svisloch along the Berezina to the lands of the Dregovichi. The Polotsk people were one of the tribes from which the Principality of Polotsk was later formed. They are one of the founders of the modern Belarusian people.
Glade(poly) - the name of a Slavic tribe, during the era of the settlement of the Eastern Slavs, who settled along the middle reaches of the Dnieper, on its right bank.
Judging by the chronicles and the latest archaeological research, the territory of the land of the glades before the Christian era was limited by the flow of the Dnieper, Ros and Irpen; in the northeast it was adjacent to the village land, in the west - to the southern settlements of the Dregovichi, in the southwest - to the Tivertsy, in the south - to the streets.
Calling the Slavs who settled here the Polans, the chronicler adds: “Sedyahu lay in the field.” The Polyans differed sharply from the neighboring Slavic tribes both in moral properties and in forms of social life: “For his father’s customs are quiet and meek, and his marriage customs are ashamed of his daughters-in-law and sisters and mothers.”.
History finds the glades at a rather late stage political development: the social system is composed of two elements - communal and princely-squad, and the first is strongly suppressed by the latter. With the usual and most ancient occupations of the Slavs - hunting, fishing and beekeeping - cattle breeding, agriculture, "timbering" and trade were more common among the Polyans than other Slavs.
The latter was quite extensive not only with its Slavic neighbors, but also with foreigners in the West and East: from the coin hoards it is clear that trade with the East began in the 8th century. - stopped during the strife of the appanage princes.
At first, around the middle of the 8th century, the glades who paid tribute to the Khazars, thanks to their cultural and economic superiority, soon moved from a defensive position in relation to their neighbors to an offensive one; Drevlyans, Dregovichs, northerners and others by the end of the 9th century. were already subject to the glades. Christianity was established among them earlier than others.
The center of the Polyanskaya (“Polish”) land was Kyiv; her others settlements- Vyshgorod, Belgorod on the Irpen River (now the village of Belogorodka), Zvenigorod, Trepol (now the village of Tripolye), Vasilyev (now Vasilkov) and others.
The land of the Polyans with the city of Kiev became the center of the Rurikovich possessions in 882. The name of the Polyans was mentioned for the last time in the chronicle in 944, on the occasion of Igor’s campaign against the Greeks, and was replaced, probably already at the end of the 10th century, by the names Rus (Ros) and Kiyane. The chronicler also calls the Slavic tribe on the Vistula, mentioned for the last time in the Ipatiev Chronicle in 1208, Polyana.
Radimichi- the name of the population that was part of the union of East Slavic tribes that lived in the interfluve of the upper reaches of the Dnieper and Desna.
About 885 Radimichi became part of the Old Russian state, and in the 12th century. they mastered most of the Chernigov and southern part of the Smolensk lands. The name comes from the name of the ancestor of the tribe, Radim.
Northerners(more correctly - North) - a tribe or tribal union of Eastern Slavs who inhabited the territories east of the middle reaches of the Dnieper, along the Desna, Seim and Sula rivers. The origin of the name of the north is not completely clear. Most authors associate it with the name of the Savir tribe, which was part of the Hunnic association.
According to another version, the name goes back to an obsolete ancient Slavic word meaning “relative”. The explanation from the Slavic siver, north, despite the similarity of sound, is considered extremely controversial, since the north has never been the most northern of the Slavic tribes.
Slovenia(Ilmen Slavs) - an East Slavic tribe that lived in the second half of the first millennium in the basin of Lake Ilmen and the upper reaches of the Mologa and made up the bulk of the population of the Novgorod land.
Tivertsy- an East Slavic tribe that lived between the Dniester and Danube near the Black Sea coast. They were first mentioned in the Tale of Bygone Years along with other East Slavic tribes of the 9th century.
The main occupation of the Tiverts was agriculture. Tivertsy took part in the campaigns of Oleg to Constantinople in 907 and Igor in 944. In the middle of the 10th century. The lands of the Tiverts became part of Kievan Rus. The descendants of the Tiverts became part of the Ukrainian people, and their western part underwent Romanization.
Ulichi- an East Slavic tribe that inhabited during the 8th-10th centuries. lands along the lower reaches of the Dnieper, Southern Bug and the Black Sea coast.
The capital of the streets was the city of Peresechen. In the first half of the 10th century. The streets fought for independence from Kievan Rus, but were still forced to recognize its supremacy and become part of it. Later, the Ulichi and neighboring Tivertsy were pushed north by the arriving Pecheneg nomads, where they merged with the Volynians. The last mention of the streets dates back to the chronicle of the 970s.
Croats- an East Slavic tribe that lived in the vicinity of the city of Przemysl on the San River. They called themselves White Croats, in contrast to the tribe of the same name who lived in the Balkans. The name of the tribe is derived from the ancient Iranian word “shepherd, guardian of livestock,” which may indicate its main occupation - cattle breeding.
Bodrichi (obodrit, rarogi)- Polabian Slavs (lower Elbe) in the 8th-12th centuries. - union of Vagrs, Polabs, Glinyaks, Smolyans. Rarog (from the Danes Rerik) is the main city of the Bodrichis. Mecklenburg State in East Germany.
According to one version, Rurik is a Slav from the Bodrichi tribe, the grandson of Gostomysl, the son of his daughter Umila and the Bodrichi prince Godoslav (Godlav).
Vistula- a Western Slavic tribe that lived at least since the 7th century. in Lesser Poland. In the 9th century. The Vistulas formed a tribal state with centers in Krakow, Sandomierz and Stradow. At the end of the century they were conquered by the king of Great Moravia Svyatopolk I and were forced to accept baptism. In the 10th century, the lands of the Vistula were conquered by the Polans and included in Poland.
Zlićane(Czech Zličane, Polish Zliczanie) - one of the ancient Bohemian tribes. Inhabited the territory adjacent to the modern city of Kourzhim (Czech Republic). It served as the center of formation of the Zlichan principality, which covered the beginning of the 10th century. Eastern and Southern Bohemia and the region of the Duleb tribe. The main city of the principality was Libice. The Libice princes Slavniki competed with Prague in the struggle for the unification of the Czech Republic. In 995 Zlican was subordinated to the Přemyslids.
Lusatians, Lusatian Serbs, Sorbs(German: Sorben), Venda- the indigenous Slavic population living in the territory of Lower and Upper Lusatia - regions that are part of modern Germany. The first settlements of Lusatian Serbs in these places were recorded in the 6th century. n e.
The Lusatian language is divided into Upper Lusatian and Lower Lusatian.
The Brockhaus and Euphron Dictionary gives the definition: “Sorbs are the name of the Vends and the Polabian Slavs in general.” Slavic people inhabiting a number of regions in Germany, in the federal states of Brandenburg and Saxony.
Lyutici(Wiltsy, Velety) - a union of Western Slavic tribes that lived in the early Middle Ages in the territory of what is now eastern Germany. The center of the Lutich union was the “Radogost” sanctuary, in which the god Svarozhich was revered. All decisions were made at a large tribal meeting, and there was no central authority.
The Lutici led the Slavic uprising of 983 against German colonization of the lands east of the Elbe, as a result of which colonization was suspended for almost two hundred years. Even before this, they were ardent opponents of the German king Otto I. It is known about his heir, Henry II, that he did not try to enslave them, but rather lured them with money and gifts to his side in the fight against Boleslaw the Brave Poland.
Military and political successes strengthened the Lutich people's commitment to paganism and pagan customs, which also applied to related Bodriches. However, in the 1050s, an internecine war broke out among the Lutichs and changed their position. The union quickly lost power and influence, and after the central sanctuary was destroyed by the Saxon Duke Lothair in 1125, the union finally disintegrated. Over the next decades, the Saxon dukes gradually expanded their possessions to the east and conquered the lands of the Luticians.
Pomeranians, Pomeranians- Western Slavic tribes who lived from the 6th century in the lower reaches of the Odra on the coast of the Baltic Sea. It remains unclear whether there was a residual Germanic population before their arrival, which they assimilated. In 900, the border of the Pomeranian range ran along the Odra in the west, the Vistula in the east and Notech in the south. They gave the name to the historical area of Pomerania.
In the 10th century, the Polish prince Mieszko I included the Pomeranian lands into the Polish state. In the 11th century, the Pomeranians rebelled and regained independence from Poland. During this period, their territory expanded west from the Odra into the lands of the Lutich. On the initiative of Prince Wartislaw I, the Pomeranians adopted Christianity.
From the 1180s, German influence began to increase and German settlers began to arrive on the Pomeranian lands. Due to the devastating wars with the Danes, the Pomeranian feudal lords welcomed the settlement of the devastated lands by the Germans. Over time, the process of Germanization of the Pomeranian population began.
The remnant of the ancient Pomeranians who escaped assimilation today are the Kashubians, numbering 300 thousand people.
Ruyan(Rana) - a Western Slavic tribe that inhabited the island of Rügen.
In the 6th century, the Slavs settled the lands of what is now eastern Germany, including Rügen. The Ruyan tribe was ruled by princes who lived in fortresses. The religious center of Ruyan was the sanctuary of Yaromar, in which the god Svyatovit was revered.
The main occupation of the Ruyans was cattle breeding, farming and fishing. There is information according to which the Ruyans had extensive trade ties with Scandinavia and the Baltic states.
The Ruyans lost their independence in 1168 when they were conquered by the Danes, who converted them to Christianity. The Rujan king Jaromir became a vassal of the Danish king, and the island became part of the bishopric of Roskilde. Later, the Germans came to the island, in which the Ruyans disappeared. In 1325, the last Ruyan prince, Wislav, died.
Ukrany- a Western Slavic tribe that settled in the 6th century in the east of the modern German federal state of Brandenburg. The lands that once belonged to the Ukrainians are today called Uckermark.
Smolyan(Bulgarian Smolyani) - a medieval South Slavic tribe that settled in the 7th century in the Rhodope Mountains and the valley of the Mesta River. In 837 the tribe rebelled against Byzantine supremacy, concluding an alliance with the Bulgar Khan Presian. Later Smolensk became one of components Bulgarian people. The city of Smolyan in southern Bulgaria is named after this tribe.
Strumyane- a South Slavic tribe that inhabited the lands along the Struma River in the Middle Ages.
Timochany- a medieval Slavic tribe that lived in the territory of modern eastern Serbia, west of the Timok River, as well as in the regions of Banat and Sirmia. The Timochans joined the first Bulgarian kingdom after the Bulgarian Khan Krum reconquered their lands from the Avar Khaganate in 805. In 818, during the reign of Omurtag (814-836), they rebelled along with other border tribes because they refused to accept a reform that limited their local self management.
In search of an ally, they turned to the Holy Roman Emperor, Louis I the Pious. In 824-826 Omurtag tried to resolve the conflict diplomatically, but his letters to Louis remained unanswered. After this, he decided to suppress the uprising by force and sent soldiers along the Drava River to the lands of the Timochans, who again returned them to Bulgarian rule.
Timochans dissolved into the Serbian and Bulgarian peoples in the late Middle Ages.
East Slavic tribes
We already know what system of numbering years was adopted in Ancient Rus', thereby determining their place in time. The second, no less important sign of civilization is determining one’s place on Earth. Where do your people live and with whom do they neighbor, what is located outside the well-known territory and what is the Oikumene, that is, the entire part of the planet inhabited by humanity - these are the questions that literate people who studied the history of their people had to answer. (The arrival of literacy in Rus' and the appearance of the first literate people will be discussed further.)
The ancestors of Russians, Ukrainians and Belarusians in the distant past constituted a single people. They spoke the same - Old Russian - language and were called Great Russians, Little Russians and Belorussians (the latter name came from the fact that in White Rus' most people were distinguished by light, whitish hair and white, undyed, homespun clothes). They knew that they belonged to related tribes who called themselves Slavs. The Slavs derived their name from “glory”. They explained their second name - “Slovenians” - by the fact that they should be considered “word-aware”; those who did not understand their language, they called Germans (from the word “mute”).
According to the testimony of Western chroniclers, who received writing earlier than the Slavs, these peoples, who inhabited eastern, southeastern and part of Central Europe, were distinguished by courage, bravery, contempt for physical pain and such honesty that instead of an oath they said: “Shame on me.” , – and they never broke their words. In addition, they were extremely hospitable and, when leaving the house, not only did not lock the doors, but left bread and milk on the table for any passerby.
What Slavic tribes lived in the territory later known as Ancient Rus'?
If we move along the East European Plain from north to south, then 15 tribes will appear in front of us in succession.
1. Ilmen Slovenes, whose center was Novgorod the Great, which stood on the banks of the Volkhov River, flowing out of Lake Ilmen and on whose lands there were many other cities, which is why the Scandinavians neighboring them called the possessions of the Slovenes “gardarika,” that is, “land of cities.”
These were: Ladoga and Beloozero, Staraya Russa and Pskov. The Ilmen Slovenes got their name from the name of Lake Ilmen, located in their possession and also called the Slovenian Sea. For residents remote from the real seas, the lake, 45 versts long and about 35 wide, seemed huge, which is why it had its second name - the sea.
2. Krivichi, who lived in the area between the Dnieper, Volga and Western Dvina, around Smolensk and Izborsk, Yaroslavl and Rostov the Great, Suzdal and Murom.
Their name came from the name of the founder of the tribe, Prince Krivoy, who received the nickname Krivoy from a natural defect. Subsequently, a Krivichi was popularly known as a person who is insincere, deceitful, capable of deceiving his soul, from whom you will not expect the truth, but will be faced with deceit. (Moscow subsequently arose on the lands of the Krivichi, but you will read about this further.)
3. Polotsk residents settled on the Polot River, at its confluence with the Western Dvina. At the confluence of these two rivers stood the main city of the tribe - Polotsk, or Polotsk, whose name is also derived from the hydronym: “river along the border with the Latvian tribes” - Latami, Leta.
To the south and southeast of Polotsk lived the Dregovichi, Radimichi, Vyatichi and Northerners.
4. The Dregovichi lived on the banks of the Pripyat River, receiving their name from the words “dregva” and “dryagovina,” meaning “swamp.” The cities of Turov and Pinsk were located here.
5. The Radimichi, who lived between the Dnieper and Sozh rivers, were called by the name of their first prince Radim, or Radimir.
6. The Vyatichi were the easternmost ancient Russian tribe, receiving their name, like the Radimichi, from the name of their ancestor - Prince Vyatko, which was an abbreviated name Vyacheslav. Old Ryazan was located in the land of the Vyatichi.
7. The northerners occupied the river Desna, Seim and Sula and in ancient times were the northernmost East Slavic tribe. When the Slavs settled as far as Novgorod the Great and Beloozero, they retained their former name, although its original meaning was lost. In their lands there were cities: Novgorod Seversky, Listven and Chernigov.
8. The glades that inhabited the lands around Kyiv, Vyshgorod, Rodney, Pereyaslavl were called so from the word “field”. Cultivation of fields became their main occupation, which led to the development Agriculture, cattle breeding and animal husbandry. The Polyans went down in history as a tribe, more than others, that contributed to the development of ancient Russian statehood.
The neighbors of the glades in the south were the Rus, Tivertsy and Ulichi, in the north - the Drevlyans and in the west - the Croats, Volynians and Buzhans.
9. Rus' is the name of one, far from the largest East Slavic tribe, which, because of its name, became the most famous in the history of mankind and in historical science, because in the disputes over its origin, scientists and publicists broke many copies and spilled rivers of ink . Many outstanding scientists - lexicographers, etymologists and historians - derive this name from the almost universally accepted name of the Normans in the 9th-10th centuries - Rus (Russians). The Normans, known to the Eastern Slavs as the Varangians, conquered Kyiv and the surrounding lands around 882. During their conquests, which took place over 300 years - from the 8th to the 11th centuries - and covered the whole of Europe - from England to Sicily and from Lisbon to Kyiv - they sometimes left their name behind the conquered lands. For example, the territory conquered by the Normans in the north of the Frankish kingdom was called Normandy.
Opponents of this point of view believe that the name of the tribe came from the hydronym - the Ros River, from where the whole country later became known as Russia. And in the 11th–12th centuries, Russia began to be called the lands of Rus', glades, northerners and Radimichi, some territories inhabited by the streets and Vyatichi. Supporters of this point of view view Rus' no longer as a tribal or ethnic union, but as a political state entity.
10. The Tiverts occupied spaces along the banks of the Dniester, from its middle reaches to the mouth of the Danube and the shores of the Black Sea. The most probable origin of their name seems to be from the Tivre River, as the ancient Greeks called the Dniester. Their center was the city of Cherven on the western bank of the Dniester.
The Tivertsy bordered on the nomadic tribes of the Pechenegs and Cumans and, under their attacks, retreated to the north, mingling with the Croats and Volynians.
11. The Ulichi were the southern neighbors of the Tiverts, occupying lands in the Lower Dnieper region, on the banks of the Bug and the Black Sea coast. Their main city was Peresechen. Together with the Tiverts, they retreated to the north, where they mixed with the Croats and Volynians.
12. The Drevlyans lived along the rivers Teterev, Uzh, Uborot and Sviga, in Polesie and on the right bank of the Dnieper. Their main city was Iskorosten on the Uzh River, and in addition, there were other cities - Ovruch, Gorodsk, and several others, the names of which we do not know, but traces of them remained in the form of settlements. The Drevlyans were the most hostile East Slavic tribe towards the Polans and their allies, who formed the ancient Russian state centered in Kyiv. They were determined enemies of the first Kyiv princes, they even killed one of them - Igor Svyatoslavovich, for which the prince of the Drevlyans Mal, in turn, was killed by Igor's widow, Princess Olga.
The Drevlyans lived in dense forests, getting its name from the word “tree” - tree.
13. The Croats who lived around the city of Przemysl on the San River called themselves White Croats, in contrast to the tribe of the same name who lived in the Balkans. The name of the tribe is derived from the ancient Iranian word “shepherd, guardian of livestock,” which may indicate its main occupation - cattle breeding.
14. The Volynians were a tribal association formed on the territory where the Duleb tribe previously lived. Volynians settled on both banks of the Western Bug and in the upper reaches of Pripyat. Their main city was Cherven, and after Volyn was conquered Kyiv princes, on the Luga River in 988 was placed new town– Vladimir-Volynsky, who gave the name to the Vladimir-Volynsky principality formed around him.
15. The tribal association that arose in the habitat of the Dulebs included, in addition to the Volynians, the Buzhans, who were located on the banks of the Southern Bug. There is an opinion that the Volynians and Buzhans were one tribe, and their independent names arose only as a result of different habitats. According to written foreign sources, the Buzhans occupied 230 “cities” - most likely, these were fortified settlements, and the Volynians - 70. Be that as it may, these figures indicate that Volyn and the Bug region were populated quite densely.
As for the lands and peoples bordering the Eastern Slavs, this picture looked like this: Finno-Ugric tribes lived in the north: Cheremis, Chud Zavolochskaya, Ves, Korela, Chud; in the north-west lived the Balto-Slavic tribes: Kors, Zemigola, Zhmud, Yatvingians and Prussians; in the west - Poles and Hungarians; in the southwest - Volokhs (ancestors of Romanians and Moldovans); in the east - the Burtases, the related Mordovians and the Volga-Kama Bulgarians. Beyond these lands lay “terra incognita” - an unknown land, which the Eastern Slavs learned about only after their knowledge of the world greatly expanded with the advent of a new religion in Rus' - Christianity, and at the same time writing, which was the third sign of civilization .
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From the book Ancient Rus'. IV–XII centuries author Team of authorsEast Slavic tribes BUZHA?NE - an East Slavic tribe that lived on the river. Bug. Most researchers believe that the Buzhans are another name for the Volynians. In the territory inhabited by the Buzhans and Volynians, a single archaeological culture was discovered. "Tale
From book National history(until 1917) author Dvornichenko Andrey YurievichChapter IV THE GRAND DUCHY OF LITHUANIA AND EAST SLAVIC LANDS § 1. The emergence and development of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania “Drang nach Osten” (“Onslaught on the East”) - a terrible danger that threatened in the 13th century. Rus', hung like a sword of Damocles over the population
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From the book History of Ukraine from ancient times to the present day author Semenenko Valery IvanovichEast Slavic tribes on the territory of Ukraine Of the 15 large tribal associations (each tribe occupied an area of 40–60 square kilometers) that existed in the 7th–8th centuries, half are associated with the territory of modern cathedral Ukraine. In the Middle Dnieper region lived glades -
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From the book Encyclopedia of Slavic culture, writing and mythology author Kononenko Alexey AnatolievichA) East Slavic tribes (ancient) White Croats. Buzhans. Volynians. Vyatichi. Drevlyans. Dregovichi. Duleby. Ilmensky Slavs. Krivichi. Polotsk residents. Glade. Radimichi. Northerners. Tivertsy.
From the book Language and Religion. Lectures on philology and history of religions author Mechkovskaya Nina BorisovnaPeoples inhabiting large areas of the Middle and of Eastern Europe, Siberia, Central Asia, they speak languages that have similarities in sound composition and grammatical structure. It is this similarity that is an important manifestation of their relationship.
All these peoples are considered Slavic. Depending on the language class, it is customary to distinguish 3 groups: East Slavic, West Slavic and South Slavic.
The East Slavic category usually includes Ukrainian, Belarusian and Russian languages.
To West Slavic - Macedonian, Bulgarian, Slovenian, Serbo-Croatian.
To the West Slavic - Slovak, Czech, Polish, Upper and Lower Sorbian.
All Slavic tribes had linguistic similarities, so we can judge that in ancient times there was a single tribe or several large groups, which gave rise to the Slavic people.
The first mentions of a single settlement belong to ancient writers (first century AD). However, they allow us to talk about more ancient people. According to fossils, it can be judged that Slavic tribes occupied the territory of Eastern Europe for many millennia BC. However, for some reason, the united people had to look for new lands to live.
The resettlement of the Slavic tribes occurred during the era of the “Great Migration of Peoples.” This was mainly due to changes in socio-economic living conditions.
During this period, a new tool for cultivating the land arose, so it became possible to cultivate the land by an individual family, and not by an entire community. In addition, the constant growth of the population required the expansion of land for food production. Frequent wars pushed the Slavic tribes to seize new, cultivated and fertile lands. Therefore, during military victories, some part of the united people remained in the occupied territory.
Tribes are the most large group Slavs
These include:
Vyatichi. They settled along the upper and middle reaches of the Oka. It was this tribe that retained its identity longer than others. For a long time they did not have princes, the social order was characterized by democracy and self-government;
Dregovichi. They settled between and Pripyat. The name comes from the word "dregva", which means "swampy area". On the territory of this tribe, the Turovo-Pinsk principality was formed;
Krivichi. They settled along the banks of the Dnieper, Volga, and Western Dvina. The name comes from the word “kryva”, i.e. "relatives by blood" The center of this tribe was the city of Polotsk. The last leader of the Krivichi was Rogvolod, who, together with his sons, was killed by the Novgorod prince Vladimir. After this incident, Vladimir married Rogvolod’s daughter, thereby uniting Novgorod and Polotsk;
Radimichi - a tribe that lived between the Desna and Dnieper rivers;
Tivertsy. They lived on the Black Sea coast between the Danube and the Dnieper. Their main occupation was agriculture;
Croats. They lived on the shore. They were called white Croats. They were engaged in cattle breeding;
Vistula. They occupied the territory of modern Krakow. After the conquest, the Polans were incorporated into Poland;
Lusatians. They lived in the territory of Lower and Upper Lusatia, in the territory of modern Germany. Today, the Lusatian Serbs (descendants of the Lusatians) are among the national minorities of the Federal Republic;
Slovenia. We lived in the basin and the currents of the Mologa. Slovenes made up a significant part of the Novgorod population;
Ulichi. They lived along the Southern Bug and the lower reaches of the Dnieper. This is the tribe long time fought for its independence with Kievan Rus, however, was forced to join it.
Thus, the Slavic tribes are an important ethnic group that play a significant role in the history of Europe and the formation of modern states.
The second part of the article is about Slavic tribes. In the last article we met such tribes as: Dulebs, Volynians, Vyatichi, Drevlyans, Dregovichi, Krivichi, Polyane. Here we will continue this long list of tribes. If we speak in dry scientific-historical language, then ancient Slavs- a sedentary people who were mainly engaged in agriculture, breeding livestock and various crafts. According to many researchers, it was precisely this way of life that made our ancestors civilized - the development of agriculture, the construction of villages and cities, infrastructure and much more turned us from nomads into greatest country in the world. Since ancient times, all other peoples of the world have reckoned with Russia and, despite the great diversity of tribes, in Hard times all Slavic peoples united to defend their lives and territories from enemies.
Radimichi. A union of tribes that lived in the eastern part of the Upper Dnieper region, as well as on the Sozh River and its tributaries. If you believe, then the ancestor of the Radimichi was Radim and his brother Vyatko (later who founded the Vyatichi tribe), who were of Polish origin. Archaeologists note some similarities between the Radimichi and Vyatichi tribes. In particular, both of them buried the ashes of the dead in a log house, and both of them used women's jewelry - temple rings. In 984, the Radimich troops were defeated by the governor of the Prince of Kyiv Vladimir Svyatoslavovich. In the same chronicle, they were mentioned for the last time in 1169. After this date, the lands of this tribe entered the Chernigov and Smolensk principalities.
Rus. The Russians are still the most controversial, interesting and mysterious tribe. Many researchers in our time cannot agree among themselves about the history of this people and their role in the formation of the Old Russian State. Arab geographers in IX-X centuries wrote that the Rus dominated the Slavs and were the ruling elite in the hierarchy of Rus' of that period. German historian G.3. Bayer (1725), considered the Rus and Normans to be the same tribe from which Rurik came. Other modern historians believe that the Rus are related to the Polyan tribe from the upper Danube. Third, that the Rus are of origin from the Northern Black Sea region and the Don basin. There is even an assumption that the Rus are none other than the people of the island of Ruyan in the Baltic Sea or modern Rügen, which is better known as Buyan.
In ancient sources, the names of this tribe are called differently: Rugi, Rogi, Ruten, Ruyi, Ruyan, Ran, Ren, Rus, Rusy, Dew. There is a version that the word Rus is similar to island, which may mean that the Rus were Baltic Slavs. There are many versions and therefore the mystery of the Rus tribe has not yet been solved and remains open for discussion and study.
Northerners. The Northerners are an East Slavic union of tribes that lived in the basins of the Desna, Seim and Sula rivers, presumably until the 9th-10th centuries. There are some questions associated with the name of this tribe. The northerners were not the most northern people, the Radimichi and Vyatichi, for example, lived much further north, so the name is not usually associated with geographical location tribe. Researcher V.V. Sedov, who studied this issue, puts forward the following version of the origin: The word “Northerners” may be of Scythian-Sarmatian origin and is translated as “Black”, as confirmed by the city of Northerners - Chernigov.
Slovenia Ilmenskie. In Slovenia, the Ilmenskys lived next door to the Krivichs on the territory of the Novgorod Land, near Lake Ilmen, which is where the name actually came from. The Tale of Bygone Years mentions the Ilmen Slovenians as one of several tribes that called in the Varangians.
Tivertsy. Tivertsy lived in the area between the Dniester and Prut rivers, the Danube, the Budzhak coast of the Black Sea, on the territory of Moldova and Ukraine. The name Tivertsy may go back to the ancient Greek word Tiras, which they used to call the Dniester River. IN beginning of XII century, the Tivertsy left their lands due to the constant raids of the Pechenegs and Cumans, and subsequently mixed with other tribes.
Ulichi. They lived in the lower reaches of the Dnieper, Bug and along the shores of the Black Sea (PVL. - “Previously, the streets sat in the lower reaches of the Dnieper, but then they moved to the Bug and Dniester”). The central city of the tribes was Peresechen. It is likely that the ethnonym Ulichi comes from the word “Angle”. It is known that in 885 Oleg the Prophet fought with the Ulichs. In the 10th century, the Kiev governor Svineld kept the main city of Peresechen under siege for three years.
Chud. A legendary tribe that lived in the north of the European part of Rus' and the Urals. This tribe is mainly known only from the legends of the Komi peoples. Currently, it is believed that Chud are the ancestors of modern Estonians, Vepsians, Karelians, Komi and Komi-Permyaks. The name is due to the fact that other tribes believed that this tribe had a wonderful language and wonderful customs.
