Tribes of Ancient Russia: description of peoples, historical facts, Slavic culture. Slavic tribes

POPOV Flegont Petrovich
Chisinau, 1986

EAST SLAVIC TRIBES BEFORE
FORMATION OF THE KIEV STATE.

TRIBE NAMES.

NORTHERN GROUP.

SLOVENE NOVGOROD - one of the northern groups Eastern Slavs. Slavic colonization of Priilmenye dates back to the 1st half of the 1st millennium AD. Slavic tribes, having come from the south, they assimilated the local Finno-Ugric population, as evidenced by the toponymy of this region. According to the annals, Slovenes lived near Lake Ilmen and adjacent rivers. In the 6th-8th centuries, the Slovenes apparently formed a large tribal union. In the 9th century, the Slovenian territory formed the basis of the Novgorod land.

Krivichi - East Slavic tribe; inhabited the territory in the upper reaches of the Dnieper, Western Dvina and Volga. The Krivichi were engaged in agriculture and crafts. In the 9th century, Smolensk arose in the land of the Krivichi, apparently. In the 11th century - Toropets. Together with the Vyatichi and Novgorod Slovenes, they formed the basis of the Great Russian (Russian) people. In the 2nd half of the 9th century they were subject to the power of the Kiev princes. The last mention of the Krivichi in the annals dates back to 1162.

POLOCHANES - East Slavic tribe. Polochans - the annalistic name of the Krivichi Slavs who lived along the Polot River (a tributary of the Western Dvina) and were part of the population of the Polotsk principality.

RADIMICHI - an East Slavic tribe that lived in the interfluve of the Dnieper and Desna rivers, along the Sozha and Iput rivers. In terms of culture, the Rodimichi were close to the Vyatichi and Northerners. The main occupation is agriculture; cattle breeding, hunting and beekeeping were also developed. The tribal centers of the natives are unknown. In the 9th century they became part of Old Russian state. The last time they are mentioned in the annals is under 1069.

VYATICHI - an East Slavic tribe that lived along the upper Oka and its tributaries - the rivers Ugra, Moscow and others, and also, apparently, in the upper reaches of the Don. Vyatichi were engaged in agriculture, hunting and fishing. In the 11th-12th centuries, the cities of Moscow, Dedoslav and others arose on the land of the Vyatichi. In the 9th-10th centuries, the Vyatichi paid tribute to the Khazars. Around 981 they were subordinated to the Kiev prince Vladimir Svyatoslavich. In the 12-13 centuries, the land of the Vyatichi was part of the Rostov-Suzdal, later - the Vladimir-Suzdal principality, later part of the Moscow principality. Vyatichi were an important constituent element of the Great Russian people. The name "Vyatichi" disappeared in the 14th century.

SOUTHERN GROUP.

POLYANES - one of the largest East Slavic tribes that lived in the middle Dnieper region. The meadows were engaged in arable farming and cattle breeding. Kyiv was the main city of Polyany. More high level The socio-economic development of the glades in comparison with other East Slavic tribes was one of the factors that determined the promotion of the Middle Dnieper region as the center of the Old Russian state. The last mention of glades in the annals dates back to 944.

SEVERYANES - an East Slavic tribe that lived in the basin of the Desna, Seim and Sula rivers. In the reign of Oleg (late 9th - early 10th centuries) they were included in the Old Russian state. The last time they are mentioned is in 1024. By the name of the northerners, the territory of the Chernihiv principality until the end of the 17th century was called Seversk land. The main city of the Seversk land was Chernihiv.

DREGOVICHI - an East Slavic tribe living in the 9th-10th centuries between the Pripyat and Western Dvina rivers. The name "Dregovichi" comes, obviously, from the Slavic word "dryagva" - a swamp and indicates the nature of the area where this tribe lived. The Dregovichi were engaged in agriculture and crafts. The center of the Dregovichi was the city of Turov. Apparently, in the 2nd half of the 9th century, the Dregovichi were subordinated to the power of the Kiev princes. After the middle of the 12th century, they are not mentioned in the sources.

DREVLYANS - an East Slavic tribe that lived in the 9th-10th centuries south of the Pripyat River. The name "Drevlyane", apparently, comes from the word "tree" and indicates the wooded nature of the area where this tribe lived. The Drevlyans were engaged in agriculture and crafts. According to The Tale of Bygone Years, in the 10th century, the Drevlyans still retained significant remnants of group marriage, blood feud, and pagan beliefs. The center of the Drevlyans was the city of Iskorosten. In the 2nd half of the 9th century, they were subject to the power of the Kiev princes, who imposed tribute on the Drevlyans. In 945, the Drevlyans, led by their prince Mal, rebelled against Prince Igor and his squad, who were re-collecting tribute. After the murder of Igor by the Drevlyans, his wife, Princess Olga, destroyed Iskorosten and liquidated the independent reign of the Drevlyans. After 990, there is no mention of the Drevlyans in the annals.

DULEBS - a Slavic tribe that lived in the 6th-9th centuries along the Western Bug River; later became known as Volynians.

BUZHANES (VOLYNYANS) - 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.

VOLYNYANS - an East Slavic tribe that lived on the territory of modern Volhynia. According to the chronicle, the territory of the Volhynians and Buzhans (inhabitants of the Bug region) used to belong to the Dulebs, a tribe that was subjected to cruel oppression by the Avars in the 7th century. Volynians were engaged in agriculture and cattle breeding. The Arabic writer Masudi (10th century) reports the existence of the Valinana tribe, headed by King Majak. In the 9th - early 10th centuries, the Volynians became part of the Old Russian state.

CROATS - an East Slavic tribe that lived in the Carpathians.

STREETS (UGLICHI) - an East Slavic tribe that originally lived in the lower reaches of the Dnieper, and then settled between the Bug and the Dniester. The settlements of the streets reached the Black Sea. Since the middle of the 10th century, streets have been mentioned in the composition Kievan Rus.

TIVERTS - Slavic tribe that lived in the 9th-11th centuries between the Dniester and the Danube.

SETTLEMENT OF THE SLAVES.

Narrating about the resettlement of the Slavs, the chronicler tells how some Slavs “sedosha along the Dnieper and swung across the Polyana”, others were called “Drevlyans” (“zane sedosha in the forests”), the third, who lived between Pripyat and the Dvina, were called Dregovichi, the fourth lived along the course of the Polota River and were called Polochans. Slovenes lived near Ilmenskoye Lake, and northerners lived along the Desna, Seim and Sula.

Gradually, the names of other East Slavic tribes appear in the chronicler's story.

In the upper reaches of the Volga, Dvina and Dnieper live Krivichi, "their own city is Smolensk." “From the Krivichi” the chronicler brings out the northerners and the Polotsk people. The chronicler speaks of the inhabitants of the Bug region, who in ancient times were called Dulebs, and now Volynians or Buzhans. In the chronicler's story, the inhabitants of Posozhye - Radimichi, and the inhabitants of the Oka forests - Vytchi, and the Carpathian Croats, and the inhabitants of the Black Sea steppes from the Dnieper and Bug to the Dniester and Danube - Uchi and Tivertsy act. “This is the only Slovene language (people) in Russia,” the chronicler ends his story about the settlement of the Eastern Slavs.

The chronicles still remember those times when the Slavs of Eastern Europe were divided into tribes, when the Russian tribes “have their own customs and the law of their fathers and traditions, each their own temper” and lived “individually”, “each with their own family and in their own places, owning the skin of his kind.

But when the annalistic initial set was compiled (11th century), tribal life was already receding into the realm of legends. Tribal associations were replaced by new associations - political, territorial. The tribal names themselves disappear. Since the middle of the 10th century, the tribal name "Polyane" has been replaced by a new one - "Kiyans" (Kievites), the area of ​​​​Polyany, "field", becomes Rus. The same thing happens in Volhynia and the Bug region, where the ancient tribal name of the inhabitants of the region - "Dulebs" - gives way to a new name - Volhynians and Buzhans (from the cities of Volyn and Buzhenka). The exception is the inhabitants of the dense forests of the Oka - the Vyatichi, who lived "individually", "of their kind" back in the 11th century.

From the Carpathian Mountains and the Western Dvina to the upper reaches of the Oka and Volga, from Ilmen and Ladoga to the Black Sea and the Danube, Russian tribes lived on the eve of the formation of the Kiev state: Carpathian Croats, Danubian streets and Tivertsy, Pobuzh Dulebs or Volynians, inhabitants of the marshy forests of Pripyat - Dregovichi, Ilmensky Slovenia. The inhabitants of the dense Oka forests are Vyatichi. Numerous Krivichi of the upper reaches of the Dnieper, Western Dvina and Volga, the Dnieper northerners and other East Slavic tribes constituted a kind of ethnic unity "Slovenian language in Russia". It was the eastern, Russian branch of the Slavic tribes. Their ethnic closeness contributed to the formation of a single state, and consolidated a single state. It rallied the Slavic tribes into an ethnic array.

But the Russian tribes did not arise by themselves in ready-made with all the peculiarities of language, life, culture inherent in them, but were the result of a complex ethno- and glottogonic process. The chronicler's story about the settlement of Slavic tribes in Russia is the last act of the complex process of the formation of Russian tribes. The Tale of Bygone Years reflects only the last hours of the existence of tribal life. New production relations, the emergence of the state broke the old - tribal borders, rallied the masses within the new political borders, united on a new territorial basis. When the chronicler narrated about the East Slavic tribes, they had already ceased to exist, and many of them, if not all of them, for a long time, in essence, were not tribes, but unions of tribes.

Ancient historians were sure that on the territory Ancient Russia live warlike tribes and "people with dog heads." A lot of time has passed since then, but many mysteries of the Slavic tribes have not yet been solved.

Northerners living in the south

The tribe of northerners at the beginning of the 8th century inhabited the banks of the Desna, the Seim and the Seversky Donets, founded Chernigov, Putivl, Novgorod-Seversky and Kursk.
The name of the tribe, according to Lev Gumilyov, is due to the fact that it assimilated the nomadic Savir tribe, which in ancient times lived in Western Siberia. It is with the Savirs that the origin of the name "Siberia" is also associated.

Archaeologist Valentin Sedov believed that the Savirs were a Scythian-Sarmatian tribe, and the toponyms of the northerners are of Iranian origin. So, the name of the river Seim (Seven) comes from the Iranian śyama or even from the ancient Indian syāma, which means "dark river".

According to the third hypothesis, the northerners (northers) were immigrants from the southern or western lands. On the right bank of the Danube lived a tribe with that name. It could easily be "moved" by the Bulgars who invaded there.

The northerners were representatives of the Mediterranean type of people. They were distinguished by a narrow face, an elongated skull, were thin-boned and nosy.
They brought bread and furs to Byzantium, back - gold, silver, luxury goods. Traded with the Bulgarians, with the Arabs.
The northerners paid tribute to the Khazars, and then entered into an alliance of tribes united by the Novgorod prince Prophetic Oleg. In 907 they participated in the campaign against Tsargrad. In the 9th century, the Chernigov and Pereyaslav principalities appeared on their lands.

Vyatichi and Radimichi - relatives or different tribes?

The Vyatichi lands were located on the territory of the Moscow, Kaluga, Orel, Ryazan, Smolensk, Tula, Voronezh and Lipetsk regions.
Outwardly, the Vyatichi resembled the northerners, but they were not so nosey, but they had a high bridge of the nose and blond hair. The "Tale of Bygone Years" indicates that the name of the tribe came from the name of the ancestor Vyatko (Vyacheslav), who came "from the Poles."

Other scientists associate the name with the Indo-European root "ven-t" (wet), or with the Proto-Slavic "vęt" (big) and put the name of the tribe on a par with the Wends and Vandals.

Vyatichi were skilled warriors, hunters, collected wild honey, mushrooms and berries. Cattle breeding and slash-and-burn agriculture were widespread. They were not part of Ancient Russia and more than once fought with the Novgorod and Kiev princes.
According to legend, Vyatko's brother Radim became the ancestor of the Radimichi, who settled between the Dnieper and the Desna in the territories of the Gomel and Mogilev regions of Belarus and founded Krichev, Gomel, Rogachev and Chechersk.
Radimichi also rebelled against the princes, but after the battle on Peschan they submitted. Chronicles mention them for the last time in 1169.

Krivichi - Croats or Poles?

The passage of the Krivichi is not known for certain, who since the 6th century lived in the upper reaches of the Western Dvina, Volga and Dnieper and became the founders of Smolensk, Polotsk and Izborsk. The name of the tribe came from the ancestor of Kriv. Krivichi differed from other tribes in high growth. They had a nose with a pronounced hump, a well-defined chin.

Anthropologists attribute the Krivichi to the Valdai type of people. According to one version, the Krivichi are the migrating tribes of white Croats and Serbs, according to another, they come from the north of Poland.

The Krivichi worked closely with the Varangians and built ships on which they went to Constantinople.
The Krivichi became part of Ancient Russia in the 9th century. The last prince of the Krivichi Rogvolod was killed with his sons in 980. Smolensk and Polotsk principalities appeared on their lands.

Slovenian vandals

Slovenes (Itelmen Slovenes) were the northernmost tribe. They lived on the shores of Lake Ilmen and on the Mologa River. Origin unknown. According to legend, their ancestors were Sloven and Rus, who founded the cities of Slovensk (Veliky Novgorod) and Staraya Russa even before our era.

From Slovene, power passed to Prince Vandal (known in Europe as the Ostrogoth leader Vandalar), who had three sons: Izbor, Vladimir and Stolposvyat, and four brothers: Rudotok, Volkhov, Volkhovets and Bastarn. The wife of Prince Vandal Advind was from the Varangians.

Slovene now and then fought with the Vikings and neighbors.

It is known that the ruling dynasty descended from the son of Vandal Vladimir. The Slavs were engaged in agriculture, expanded their possessions, influenced other tribes, engaged in trade with the Arabs, with Prussia, with Gotland and Sweden.
It was here that Rurik began to reign. After the emergence of Novgorod, the Slovenes began to be called Novgorodians and founded the Novgorod Land.

Russ. A people without a territory

Look at the map of the settlement of the Slavs. Each tribe has its own lands. Russians are not there. Although it was the Rus who gave the name to Russia. There are three theories of the origin of the Russians.
The first theory considers the Rus to be Varangians and relies on The Tale of Bygone Years (written from 1110 to 1118), it says: “They drove the Varangians across the sea, and did not give them tribute, and began to rule themselves, and there was no truth among them , and generations stood up against generations, and they had strife, and began to fight with each other. And they said to themselves: "Let's look for a prince who would rule over us and judge by right." And they went across the sea to the Varangians, to Russia. Those Varangians were called Rus, as others are called Swedes, and others are Normans and Angles, and still others are Gotlanders, and so are these.

The second says that the Rus are a separate tribe that came to Eastern Europe earlier or later than the Slavs.

The third theory says that the Rus are the highest caste of the East Slavic tribe of the Polyans, or the tribe itself, which lived on the Dnieper and on the Ros. “The meadows are even more called Rus” - it was written in the “Laurentian” chronicle, which followed the “Tale of Bygone Years” and was written in 1377. Here the word "Rus" was used as a toponym and the name of the Rus was also used as the name of a separate tribe: "Rus, Chud and Slovene", - this is how the chronicler listed the peoples who inhabited the country.
Despite the research of geneticists, disputes around the Rus continue. According to the Norwegian researcher Thor Heyerdahl, the Varangians themselves are descendants of the Slavs.

In the course of two thousand years of development, the Slavs settled all over the world. Today they live not only in the Old World. Under the pressure of various circumstances, many of their representatives moved to America, both North and South, they can be found in Australia and New Zealand, in some fears of Asia and even Africa.

But the bulk of the Slavs, compactly and within the states they created, live in Europe. It was here, in the European expanses, that their ethnogenesis took place (a literal translation from the ancient Greek - “the birth of a people”), it is here that today all Slavic states: Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Macedonia, Bulgaria and, of course, Belarus, Ukraine, Russia.

But how did the ethnogenesis mentioned above take place? How did the Slavs, and especially the Eastern Slavs, live in the pre-state period of their history? All this will be discussed below.

Origin of the Slavs

Slavic tribes are autochthonous (local, indigenous) population of Europe.

One of the main hallmarks for any nation is its native language.

The emergence of languages ​​is ruined in the darkness of centuries and millennia. Languages ​​arise, develop along with their speakers, and sometimes disappear. All the languages ​​of the peoples inhabiting our planet are divided into language families.

Slavs belong to the Indo-European language family. Where exactly it took shape is debatable. But most scholars believe that this happened somewhere between the middle reaches of the Danube and Vistula in the west and the Dnieper in the east. Hence, wave after wave, the ancestors of the Indo-Europeans (Proto-Indo-Europeans) settled in Europe and Asia, while retaining in their languages ​​the elements indicating the commonality of their origin, and laying the foundation for the tribes of Indian, Iranian, Greek, Italic, Celtic, and many others. Among them - and Slavic.

The ethnogenesis of the Slavs is also the subject of scientific discussions. Someone dates its beginning to the collapse of the Proto-Indo-European community mentioned above (somewhere in the fourth millennium BC). Someone sees the ancestors of the Slavs in the creators of the Tripoli culture. Someone prefers to talk about later times, close to our era, or even about its first centuries.

The name of the Slavic tribes in antiquity

There is a strong opinion that the Slavic tribes in antiquity are mentioned by ancient authors under the name of Venedi or Veneti. Perhaps Herodotus (5th century BC) refers to them when he reports on the amber brought from Eridanus from the Aenetes. Pliny the Elder and Pomponius Mela (both lived in the 1st century) place the Venets east of the Vistula (Vistula). Claudius Ptolemy calls the Baltic Sea the Venedian Gulf, and the Carpathians, respectively, the Venedian Mountains.

"The Tale of Bygone Years" derives the origin of the Slavs from the Old Testament Japhet and identifies them with the Norics - the Adriatic or Illyrian Venets. These latter were in almost undoubted connection with the Veneti of the Baltic ancient sources, which is also confirmed by the study of the corresponding archaeological cultures.

The name of the Slavic tribes "Veneti" is also kept by other sources testifying to the life of the Slavic tribes. The most authoritative and most indisputable of them is the message of the Gothic historian Jordanes (VI century). In his Getica, he speaks of the Veneti as a populous tribe subordinate to the Ostrogothic king Germanaric in the fourth century.

In Jordanian times, the Venets were already divided according to their place of residence and names. The most numerous for the Gothic historian seem to be Antes and Sclavins. Probably, these were already the first pro-state associations - tribal unions. Strong and warlike, they "everywhere," says Jordan bitterly, "are rampant for our sins."

The area of ​​settlement of the Slavic tribes in antiquity is also extensive.

The Gothic historian places Sklavens (Sklavian tribal union) between a certain Mursiysky lake (obviously Neusiedler See, on the border of modern Hungary and Austria) - in the west, the Vistula - in the north and the Dniester - in the east.

Anty (antian tribal union) are located between the Dniester and the middle course of the Dnieper and are part of the Dnieper-Dniester group of the Chernyakhov culture. Her study allowed in general terms to reconstruct the management and life of the Ants.

Household Ants

Photo by Gleb Garanich from sfw.so

It follows from archaeological sources that the Antes lived in rural-type settlements, sometimes fortified. They were engaged in arable farming. The main crops for them were:

• wheat,
• barley,
• oats,
• millet,
• peas,
• hemp,
• lentils.

They also worked in metalworking. This is evidenced by both iron and bronze casting workshops, and finds of products made of bronze, iron, and steel.

The Antes used the surplus of products in exchange and trade with their neighbors - the Goths, Sarmatians, Scythians and the provinces of the Roman Empire.

The complication of living conditions led to the complication of social organization. The first forms of political organization are being created - the already mentioned tribal unions of the Slavs and Antes. Why are the unions of Slavic tribes pre-state formations, and not states? This is explained as follows:

• they were based not on territorial division, but on consanguinity;
• they lacked organized power, cut off from the people;
• power was represented by a "tribal triad" - a leader, a council of elders, popular assembly, which coincided with the military squad.

Why did the separation of the Slavic tribes occur?

Photo by Gleb Garanich from sfw.so

The isolation of the Slavic tribes was subject to the general rules for ethnogenesis. This is indirectly mentioned already in the aforementioned Getica. There venets differ among themselves in accordance with the territories of settlement. The more separate Slavic clans, communities, tribes separated from each other, the more differences were found between them:

• in ways of managing
• in manners and customs
• in patterns of behavior
• in language.

The Great Migration of Peoples significantly influenced the settlement and isolation of the Slavic tribes. Under the onslaught of newcomers (especially the Huns), the Slavs settled in the northern, western and southern directions. After the pressure eased, they continued to move, including in the east direction.

The result was the division of the Slavs into Western, Southern and Eastern.

Western Slavs

The Western Slavs advanced as far as Laba (Elbe), in places even to the west of it. Among them, four main groups are distinguished (sometimes more are distinguished).

Western Slavic tribes, list:

• polish,
• Czech-Moravian,
• Serbo-Lusatian (Polabian),
• Baltic.

In their development, the Western Slavs were not inferior to their neighbors - the Germanic and Celtic tribes.

South Slavs

The movement of the Slavs to the south, towards the Balkans and beyond Byzantine Empire was one of the components of the great migration of peoples at its final stage.

The result was the settlement of the Slavs in the north and northwest of the Balkan Peninsula, up to the coast of the Adriatic. Part of the Slavs established themselves even in Central Greece and the Peloponnese - on the slopes of Taygetus, within ancient Sparta.

Having settled on such a large scale, the southern Slavs are divided into:

• Serbs
• Croats,
• Slovenes
• tribes settled on the territory of the future Bulgaria.

The neighbors of the southern Slavs were local tribes:

• the Illyrians and Thracians whom they assimilated,
• Greeks who inhabited the borders of the Byzantine Empire,
• Franks and other tribes - the heirs of the Western Roman Empire, with whom they were in a complex relationship of mutual influence and rivalry.

East Slavic tribes and their neighbors

Photo by Sergey Supinsky from sfw.so

The Eastern Slavs are known from archaeological and written sources, the main of which is The Tale of Bygone Years.

The East Slavic tribes, which in the future became the main population of the ancient Russian state, after the Hunnic advance, firmly entrenched in a wide range from the Dniester to the Dnieper, and further north - along the Oka, Desna, Pripyat, near Lake Ilmen. The Priilmensky Slavs later form a tribal union, similar to the union of the Ants.

The names of the East Slavic tribes are presented in the sources quite fully, as can be seen from the list below.

East Slavic tribes, list (from southwest to northeast):

• Tivertsy,
• Convict,
• white croats,
• Duleby (bouzhane),
• Drevlyans,
• glade,
• Radimichi,
• northerners,
• Dregovichi,
• Krivichi,
• Ilmen Slovenes,
• Vyatichi.

Let us dwell separately on the places of settlement of the listed tribes. The East Slavic tribes that lived in the lower reaches of the Dnieper and the southern Bug are represented by streets. They lived in the steppes of the Black Sea, between the channels of both of these rivers.

The Slavic tribe of the Drevlyans grouped around the city mentioned in the Tale as Iskorosten (modern Korosten).

East Slavic tribes living in the forests are more numerous. These include the already mentioned Drevlyans, as well as the northerners, Dregovichi, Krivichi, Ilmen Slovenes, Vyatichi and, in part, Radimichi.

Sources also report which Slavic tribes lived on the left bank of the Dnieper. These include the Radimichi (between the upper reaches of the Dnieper and the Desna) and the northerners (in the region of the Chernihiv region).

The listed tribes were, in essence, each a separate proto-state association, a tribal union such as the union of the Antes and the Slavs of earlier centuries.

Photo by Gleb Garanich from sfw.so

The largest Slavic tribe was the Polyan tribe. It settled along the middle reaches of the Dnieper, finding itself in the very center of the Eastern Slavs, at the crossroads of the most important trade routes. Passed here and the later famous path "from the Varangians to the Greeks", which united the peoples different cultures and civilizations. It was they, the meadows, who consolidated the East Slavic lands that inhabited their peoples. The capital (at first - the main stronghold, the ancient settlement) became Polyan, founded at the end of the fifth - the first half of the sixth century by Prince Kiy, his brothers Shchek and Khoriv and sister Lybed Kyiv. Over time, its importance has grown so much that it has become a kind of capital of the entire East Slavic world. The East Slavic tribes paid tribute to the Kiev princes because they became dependent on them (as was the case, for example, with the Drevlyans). But main reason became a natural process of consolidation and unification, the need for military protection from strife and attacks by aggressive neighbors.

The neighbors of the Eastern Slavs on different stages were:

• Sarmatians
• Celts
• Huns
• Avars
• Khazars
• Cumans
• Pechenegs
• Magyars
• Bulgars
• Romans (population of the Byzantine Empire)
• Western and Southern Slavs;
• Finns and Balts.

East Slavic tribes in the 8th - 9th centuries

Photo by Gleb Garanich from sfw.so

The greatest threat to the Eastern Slavs in the 6th-7th centuries was the Avars and Khazars. They managed to get rid of the first only at the end of the 8th century, when the Avars were defeated by the joint efforts of the Frankish king Charlemagne and the Slavic tribes.

Dependence on the Khazars proved to be longer. The glade was the first to be freed from it at the end of the 8th - beginning of the 9th century. Other tribes had to pay tribute to the Khazars until the fall Khazar Khaganate in the middle of the 10th century.

During the 8th - 9th centuries, the forms of economic management of the Eastern Slavs remained traditional. In glades, Tivertsy, streets, all those who were allowed by natural and climatic conditions, agriculture continued to develop, with the cultivation of the crops mentioned above. Along with it, beekeeping was practiced (especially in wooded areas). Animal husbandry played an important role. Numerous finds of utensils, inventory, and decorations of local production testify to the success in the development of handicrafts.

The result of success in management, active exchange with numerous neighbors, cultural and civilizational mutual influences was the emergence of settlements and, ultimately, cities among the Eastern Slavs.

Along with Kiev, Chernigov, Suzdal, Novgorod, Smolensk are formed and strengthened. They themselves turn into important political, administrative and cultural centers, centers of exchange and trade, centers of consumption of goods and services. They are led by a local prince, relying on a military squad.

The social organization also becomes more complex. The community turns from a tribal one into a neighboring, territorial one.

From the combatants and other people close to the prince, the heads of influential families and clans, nobility is formed - the future boyars.

The bulk of the community members were smerds. But they were not the same either. The top of this common people were "husbands" or "howls", able to deliver everything they needed to participate in military enterprises. They acted as the heads of large patriarchal families, the younger members of which made up the "servants".

The lowest cell of the communities was occupied by the “serfs” who had become dependent on their more successful relatives.

differing in their position.

Over the next centuries, the Old Russian state, Kievan Rus, will develop from this socio-political organization.

Ancient Russia! How long ago the events described by Nestor in the Tale of Bygone Years took place! Then, back in 882, a state began to form, which in the future turned into a strong power - Russia.

Many tribes lived on the territory of Ancient Russia. Each had its own name. Why did the tribes have this or that name? What explains this? What is the history of the names of the tribes of the ancient Slavs? Let's look into this.

The history of the names of the tribes of the ancient Slavs

• Many tribes got their name by terrain in which they lived.

Buzhan - lived along the banks of the Western Bug River

Volynians - local name - Volyn

Drevlyans - lived in a forest area (north-west of Kyiv)

Dregovichi - inhabitants of swamps (dregva is an old Russian swamp). They lived on the left bank of the Pripyat

Ilmen tribes or Slovenes - lived on the shores of Lake Ilmen, their center is Novgorod.

Polochans (a group of Krivichi) - lived on the Polota River - a tributary of the Dvina

Glade - occupied flat terrain, Kyiv will begin from here.

Tivertsy - lived on the banks of the Dnieper (earlier it was called Tiras, that is, fast)

Uchi - from the word "corner", they lived on the Black Sea coast in the course of the Dnieper and the Bug, which constituted the "corner". They lived in the Dniester region.

• Another group of tribes was called by the founder of the family

Vyatichi - named after the ancestor of the clan - Vyatko (Vyata). They lived in the area of ​​the Oka and the Moscow River.

Radimichi - the founder of the family is Radim or Radimir. They lived between the Dnieper and Sozh.

Krivichi - according to the founder of the clan - Kriva, in the future Moscow will arise on this territory. They lived in the upper reaches of the Volga, Dnieper and Dvina.

• There is a group of Slavic tribes whose names are still controversial.

Northerners - some believe that the name comes from the name of the tribe of the Huns - the Savirs, with whom this tribe merged. Other researchers suggest that the name is related to the Old Russian word for "relative". But this tribe is in no way connected with the north, as it lived in the center of Russia. Lived on the left bank of the Dnieper

White Croats - lived on the San River, in the vicinity of the city of Przemysl. The word "Croats" causes the greatest doubt among scientists. But the most common explanation for the origin of this word is “separated”, “selected”, “piece, part of something”.

The resettlement of the ancient Slavic tribes

Material prepared: Melnikova Vera Aleksandrovna

This short list includes onlyofficially recognized tribes.

Vyatichi- the 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 supposedly came from the name of the ancestor of the tribe, Vyatko. However, some associate this name by origin with the morpheme "veins" and Venedi (or Veneti / Venti) (the name "Vyatichi" was pronounced as "Ventichi").
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. Since the XII 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 retained many pagan rituals and traditions, in particular, they cremated the dead, erecting small mounds above the burial place. After Christianity took root among the Vyatichi, the rite of cremation gradually went out of use.
Vyatichi retained their tribal name longer than other Slavs. They lived without princes, the social structure was characterized by self-government and democracy. The last time the Vyatichi are mentioned in the annals under such a tribal name was in 1197.

Buzhan(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 locality of Volyn).

Volynians — East Slavic tribe or a tribal union, mentioned in the Tale of Bygone Years and in the Bavarian annals. According to the latter, the Volynians owned seventy fortresses at the end of the 10th century. Some historians believe that the Volhynians 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 Volhynians were subordinated to the Kiev prince Vladimir I and became part of Kievan Rus. Later, the Galicia-Volyn principality was formed on the territory of the Volynians.

Drevlyans- one of the tribes of Russian Slavs, lived along Pripyat, Goryn, Sluch and Teterev.
The name Drevlyane, according to the chronicler, was given to them because they lived in the forests. Describing the morals of the Drevlyans, the chronicler exposes them, in contrast to his fellow tribesmen - the glades, as extremely rude people (“I live bestially, kill each other, poison everything is unclean, and they never had a marriage, but a maiden washes by the water”).
Neither archaeological excavations, nor the data contained in the chronicle itself, confirm such a characterization. From archaeological excavations in the country of the Drevlyans, it can be concluded that they had a well-known culture. A well-established burial rite testifies to the existence of certain religious beliefs about the afterlife: the absence of weapons in the graves testifies to the peaceful nature of the tribe; finds of sickles, shards and vessels, iron products, remnants of fabrics and skins indicate the existence of arable farming, pottery, blacksmithing, weaving and leather crafts among the Drevlyans; many bones of domestic animals and spurs indicate cattle breeding 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 the trade was barter.
The political center of the Drevlyans in the era of their independence was the city of Iskorosten; at a later time, 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 Drugovites (Greek δρονγονβίται), the Dregovichi are already known to Konstantin Porfirorodny as a tribe subordinate to Russia. Being aloof from the "Road from the Varangians to the Greeks", the Dregovichi did not play a prominent role in the history of Ancient Russia. The chronicle mentions only that the Dregovichi once had their own reign. The capital of the principality was the city of Turov. The subjugation of the Dregovichi to the Kiev princes probably happened very early. On the territory of the Dregovichi, the principality of Turov was subsequently formed, and the northwestern lands became part of the principality of Polotsk.

Duleby(not duleby) - an alliance of East Slavic tribes on the territory of Western Volhynia in the 6th - early 10th centuries. In the 7th century they were subjected to the Avar invasion (obry). In 907 they participated in Oleg's campaign against Tsargrad. They broke up into tribes of Volhynians and Buzhans, and in the middle of the 10th century they finally lost their independence, becoming part of Kievan Rus.

Krivichi- a numerous East Slavic tribe (tribal union), which occupied the upper reaches of the Volga, Dnieper and Western Dvina in the 6th-10th centuries, southern part basin Lake Peipsi and part of the Neman basin. Sometimes the Ilmen Slavs are also classified as Krivichi.
The Krivichi were probably the first Slavic tribe to move from the Carpathians to the northeast. Limited in their distribution 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.
Having settled on the great waterway from Scandinavia to Byzantium (the path 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 Tsargrad. They participated in the campaigns of Oleg and Igor against the Greeks as a tribe subordinate to the Kiev prince; Oleg's contract 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 Krivichi Rogvolod, together with his sons, was killed in 980 by the Novgorod prince Vladimir Svyatoslavich. In the Ipatiev list, the Krivichi are mentioned for the last time under 1128, and the Polotsk princes are named Krivichi under 1140 and 1162. After that, the Krivichi are 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 on the territory of modern Tver, Yaroslavl and Kostroma region, was in close contact with the Finno-Ugric tribes.
The border between the territory of settlement of the Krivichi and Novgorod Slovenes is determined archaeologically by the types of burials: long mounds near the Krivichi and hills among the Slovenes.

Polochane- an East Slavic tribe that inhabited the lands in the middle reaches of the Western Dvina in today's Belarus in the 9th century.
Polochans 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 the Polochans stretched from the Svisloch along the Berezina to the lands of the Dregovichi. The Polochans were one of the tribes from which the Polotsk principality was later formed. They are one of the founders of the modern Belarusian people.

Glade(poly) - the name of the Slavic tribe, in the era of the settlement of the Eastern Slavs settled along the middle course of the Dnieper, on its right bank.
Judging by chronicle news and the latest archaeological research, the territory of the land of the glades before the Christian era was limited to the course of the Dnieper, Ros and Irpin; in the north-east it was adjacent to the derevskaya land, in the west - to the southern settlements of the Dregovichi, in the south-west - to the Tivertsy, in the south - to the streets.
Calling the Slavs who settled here glades, the chronicler adds: “outside in the field, gray-haired.” The meadows differed sharply from the neighboring Slavic tribes both in moral properties and in the forms of social life: “The glade for their father, the customs of the name is quiet and meek, and ashamed of his daughters-in-law and sisters and mothers .... marriage customs having a husband.
History finds the glades already at a rather late stage of political development: social order It is composed of two elements - communal and princely-druzhina, the former being strongly suppressed by the latter. With the usual and ancient occupations of the Slavs - hunting, fishing and beekeeping - cattle breeding, agriculture, "woodworking" and trade were more common among the glades than among other Slavs. The latter was quite extensive not only with Slavic neighbors, but also with foreigners in the West and East: it can be seen from the coin treasures that trade with the East began as early as the 8th century - it stopped during the strife of the specific princes.
At first, about the middle of the 8th century, the glades, who paid tribute to the Khazars, due to their cultural and economic superiority, soon moved from a defensive position in relation to their neighbors to an offensive one; the Drevlyans, Dregovichi, northerners and others by the end of the 9th century were already subject to the glades. They also adopted Christianity earlier than others. The center of the Polyana ("Polish") land was Kyiv; her others settlements- Vyshgorod, Belgorod on the Irpen River (now the village of Belogorodka), Zvenigorod, Trepol (now the village of Trypillya), Vasilev (now Vasilkov) and others.
The land of the glades with the city of Kiev became the center of the possessions of the Rurikovichs from 882. The last time in the annals the name of the glades is mentioned in 944, on the occasion of Igor's campaign against the Greeks, and is replaced, probably already at the end of the Χ century, by the names Rus (Ros) and Kiyane. The chronicler also calls the Glades the Slavic tribe on the Vistula, mentioned for the last time in the Ipatiev Chronicle under 1208.

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 the Desna.
Around 885, Radimichi became part of the Old Russian state, and in the 12th century they mastered most of Chernigov and the southern part of Smolensk lands. The name comes from the name of the ancestor of the Radima tribe.

northerners(more correctly - the 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 fully understood. 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 the obsolete Old 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 northerly 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 Novgorod land.

Tivertsy- an East Slavic tribe that lived between the Dniester and the Danube near the Black Sea coast. They are first mentioned in the Tale of Bygone Years along with other East Slavic tribes of the 9th century. The main occupation of the Tivertsy was agriculture. The Tivertsy took part in the campaigns of Oleg against Tsargrad in 907 and Igor in 944. In the middle of the 10th century, the lands of the Tivertsy became part of Kievan Rus.
The descendants of the Tivertese became part of Ukrainian people, and their western part underwent Romanization.

Uchi- an East Slavic tribe that inhabited the lands along the lower reaches of the Dnieper, the Southern Bug and the Black Sea coast during the 8th-10th centuries.
The capital of the streets was the city of Pereseken. In the first half of the 10th century, the streets fought for independence from Kievan Rus, but nevertheless they were forced to recognize its supremacy and become part of it. Later, the streets and neighboring Tivertsy were driven north by the arriving Pecheneg nomads, where they merged with the Volhynians. The last mention of the streets dates back to the annals of the 970s.

Croatians- 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 with them, who lived in the Balkans. The name of the tribe is derived from the ancient Iranian word "shepherd, guardian of cattle", which may indicate its main occupation - cattle breeding.

Bodrichi(encouraged, rarogs) - Polabian Slavs (lower reaches of the Elbe) in the VIII-XII centuries. - the union of the Wagrs, Polabs, Glinyakov, Smolensk. Rarog (among the Danes Rerik) is the main city of the Bodrichs. Mecklenburg in East Germany.
According to one version, Rurik is a Slav from the Bodrich tribe, the grandson of Gostomysl, the son of his daughter Umila and the Bodrich prince Godoslav (Godlav).

Vistula- a West Slavic tribe that lived at least from the 7th century in Lesser Poland. In the 9th century, the Vistulas formed a tribal state with centers in Krakow, Sandomierz and Straduv. At the end of the century, they were subjugated by the king of Great Moravia Svyatopolk I and were forced to be baptized. In the 10th century, the lands of the Vistulas were conquered by the Polans and incorporated into Poland.

Zlichane(Czech. Zličane, Polish. Zliczanie) - one of the ancient Czech tribes. Inhabited the territory adjacent to the modern city of Kourzhim (Czech Republic). It served as the center of formation of the Zlichansky principality, which embraced in the early 10th century. East and South Bohemia and the region of the Duleb tribe. The main city of the principality was Libice. The princes of Libice Slavniki competed with Prague in the struggle for the unification of the Czech Republic. In 995, the Zlichans were subjugated by the Přemyslids.

Lusatians, Lusatian Serbs, Sorbs (German Sorben), Wends - the indigenous Slavic population living in the territory of Lower and Upper Lusatia - areas that are part of modern Germany. The first settlements of the Lusatian Serbs in these places were recorded in the 6th century AD. e.
The Lusatian language is divided into Upper Lusatian and Lower Lusatian.
The dictionary of Brockhaus and Euphron gives a definition: "Sorbs are the name of the Wends and, in general, the Polabian Slavs." Slavic people inhabiting a number of areas in Germany, in the federal states of Brandenburg and Saxony.
Lusatian Serbs are one of the four officially recognized national minorities in Germany (along with gypsies, Frisians and Danes). It is believed that about 60,000 German citizens now have Lusatian Serb roots, of which 20,000 live in Lower Lusatia (Brandenburg) and 40,000 in Upper Lusatia (Saxony).

Lyutichi(Vilts, Velets) - an alliance of West Slavic tribes living in early middle ages in what is now eastern Germany. The center of the union of the Lyutichs was the sanctuary "Radogost", in which the god Svarozhich was revered. All decisions were made at a large tribal meeting, and there was no central authority.
The Lyutichi led the Slavic uprising of 983 against the German colonization of lands east of the Elbe, as a result of which colonization was suspended for almost two hundred years. Even before that, 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 Poland, Boleslav the Brave.
Military and political successes strengthened the adherence to paganism and pagan customs in the Lutiches, which also applied to related Bodrichs. However, in the 1050s, civil war broke out among the Lutici and changed their position. The union quickly lost power and influence, and after the central sanctuary was destroyed by the Saxon duke Lothar in 1125, the union finally broke up. Over the following decades, the Saxon dukes gradually expanded their holdings to the east and conquered the lands of the Luticians.

Pomeranians, Pomeranians - West 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 prior to their arrival, which they assimilated. In 900, the border of the Pomeranian area passed along the Odra in the west, the Vistula in the east and the Notech in the south. They gave the name of the historical area of ​​Pomerania.
In the 10th century, the Polish prince Mieszko I included the lands of the Pomeranians into the Polish state. In the 11th century, the Pomeranians revolted and regained their independence from Poland. During this period, their territory expanded westward from the Odra into the lands of the Luticians. At the initiative of Prince Vartislav I, the Pomeranians adopted Christianity.
From the 1180s, German influence began to grow and German settlers began to arrive on the lands of the Pomeranians. Because of 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(wounds) - a West Slavic tribe that inhabited the island of Rügen.
In the VI century, the Slavs settled the lands of present-day eastern Germany, including Rügen. The Ruyan tribe was ruled by princes who lived in fortresses. The religious center of the Ruyans was the sanctuary of Yaromar, in which the god Svyatovit was revered.
The main occupation of the Ruyans was cattle breeding, agriculture and fishing. There is information according to which the Ruyans had extensive trade relations 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. Ruyan 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 blush dissolved. In 1325, the last Ruyansk prince Wislav died.

Ukraine- a West 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 now called the Uckermark.

Smolensk(Bulgarian Smolyan) - a medieval South Slavic tribe that settled in the 7th century in the Rhodopes and the valley of the Mesta River. In 837 the tribe revolted against the Byzantine supremacy, concluding an alliance with the Bulgarian Khan Presian. Later, the Smolensk became one of constituent parts 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.

Timochan- 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 conquered their lands from the Avar Khaganate in 805. In 818, during the reign of Omurtag (814-836), they rebelled along with other border tribes, as they refused to accept the 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 through diplomacy, but his letters to Louis remained unanswered. After that, he decided to suppress the uprising by force and sent soldiers along the Drava River to the lands of the Timochan, who again returned them to the rule of Bulgaria.
Timochan merged into the Serbian and Bulgarian peoples in the late Middle Ages.

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