East Slavs- a large group of related peoples, which today has more than 300 million people. The history of the formation of these peoples, their traditions, faith, relations with other states is important points in history, because they answer the question of how our ancestors appeared in antiquity.

Origin

The question of the origin of the Eastern Slavs is interesting. This is our history and our ancestors, the first mention of which dates back to the beginning of our era. If we talk about archaeological excavations, then scientists find artifacts indicating that the nationality began to form even before our era.

All Slavic languages belong to a single Indo-European group. Its representatives stood out as a nationality around the 8th millennium BC. The ancestors of the Eastern Slavs (and many other peoples) lived near the shores of the Caspian Sea. Around the 2nd millennium BC, the Indo-European group broke up into 3 peoples:

• Pro-Germans (Germans, Celts, Romans). Filled Western and Southern Europe.
• Baltoslavs. They settled between the Vistula and the Dnieper.
• Iranian and Indian peoples. They spread throughout Asia.

Around the 5th century BC, the Balotoslavs are divided into Balts and Slavs, already in the 5th century AD, the Slavs, in short, are divided into eastern (eastern Europe), western (central Europe) and southern (Balkan Peninsula).

To date, the Eastern Slavs include: Russians, Belarusians and Ukrainians.

The invasion of the Hun tribes into the territory of the Black Sea region in the 4th century destroyed the Greek and Scythian state. Many historians call this fact the root cause of the future creation of the ancient state by the Eastern Slavs.

Historical reference

resettlement

An important question is how the development of new territories by the Slavs took place, and how their resettlement took place in general. There are 2 main theories of the appearance of the Eastern Slavs in Eastern Europe:

• Autochthonous. It assumes that the Slavic ethnos was originally formed on the East European plain. The theory was put forward by the historian B. Rybakov. There are no significant arguments in its favor.
• Migration. Suggests that the Slavs migrated from other regions. Solovyov and Klyuchevsky argued that the migration was from the territory of the Danube. Lomonosov spoke about migration from the Baltic territory. There is also a theory of migration from the regions of Eastern Europe.

Around the 6th-7th centuries, the Eastern Slavs settled the territory of Eastern Europe. They settled in the territory from Ladoga and Lake Ladoga in the North to the Black Sea coast in the south, from the Carpathian Mountains in the West to the Volga territories in the East.

13 tribes lived in this territory. Some sources speak of 15 tribes, but these data do not find historical confirmation. The Eastern Slavs in ancient times consisted of 13 tribes: Vyatichi, Radimichi, Polans, Polochans, Volynians, Ilmens, Dregovichi, Drevlyans, Ulichi, Tivertsy, Northerners, Krivichi, Dulebs.

The specifics of the settlement of the Eastern Slavs on the East European Plain:

• Geographic. There are no natural barriers, which facilitated movement.
• Ethnic. A large number of people with different ethnic composition lived and migrated in the territory.
• Sociability. The Slavs settled near captivity and unions, which could influence ancient state, but on the other hand they could share their culture.

Map of the settlement of the Eastern Slavs in antiquity

Tribes

The main tribes of the Eastern Slavs in antiquity are presented below.

Glade. The most numerous tribe, strong on the banks of the Dnieper, south of Kyiv. It was the clearing that became the sink for the formation of the ancient Russian state. According to the chronicle, in 944 they stopped calling themselves glades, and began to use the name Rus.

Slovenian Ilmen. The northernmost tribe that settled around Novgorod, Ladoga and Lake Peipus. According to Arab sources, it was the Ilmens, together with the Krivichs, who formed the first state - Slavia.

Krivichi. They settled north of the Western Dvina and in the upper reaches of the Volga. The main cities are Polotsk and Smolensk.

Polochane. Settled south of the Western Dvina. A minor tribal union that did not play an important role in the fact that the Eastern Slavs formed a state.

Dregovichi. They lived between the upper reaches of the Neman and the Dnieper. They mostly settled along the Pripyat River. All that is known about this tribe is that they had their own principality, the main city of which was Turov.

Drevlyans. Settled south of the Pripyat River. The main city of this tribe was Iskorosten.

Volynians. They settled earlier than the Drevlyans at the headwaters of the Vistula.

White Croats. The most western tribe, which was located between the rivers Dniester and Vistula.

Duleby. They were located east of the White Croats. One of the weakest tribes that did not last long. They voluntarily became part of the Russian state, having previously broken up into Buzhans and Volhynians.

Tivertsy. They occupied the territory between the Prut and the Dniester.

Uglichi. They settled between the Dniester and the Southern Bug.

northerners. They mainly occupied the territory adjacent to the Desna River. The center of the tribe was the city of Chernihiv. In the future, several cities were formed on this territory at once, which are known today, for example, Bryansk.

Radimichi. They settled between the Dnieper and the Desna. In 885 they were annexed to the Old Russian state.

Vyatichi. They were located along the sources of the Oka and Don. According to the chronicle, the legendary Vyatko was the ancestor of this tribe. At the same time, already in the 14th century there were no mentions of the Vyatichi in the annals.

Tribal unions

The Eastern Slavs had 3 strong tribal unions: Slavia, Kuyavia and Artania.

In relations with other tribes and countries, the Eastern Slavs carried out attempts to capture raids (mutual) and trade. The main contacts were with:

• Byzantine Empire (Slav raids and mutual trade)
• Varangians (Varangian raids and mutual trade).
• Avars, Bulgars and Khazars (raids on the Slavs and mutual trade). Often these tribes are called Turks or Türks.
• Finno-Ugrians (Slavs tried to seize their territory).

What did you do

The Eastern Slavs were mainly engaged in agriculture. The specifics of their settlement determined the methods of cultivating the land. In the southern regions, as well as in the Dnieper region, chernozem soil dominated. Here the land was used up to 5 years, after which it was depleted. Then people moved to another site, and the exhausted one recovered for 25-30 years. This farming method is called shifting .

The northern and central regions of the East European Plain were characterized big amount forests. Therefore, the ancient Slavs first cut down the forest, burned it, fertilized the soil with ashes, and only then proceeded to field work. Such a site was fertile for 2-3 years, after which it was left and moved on to the next one. This type of farming is called slash-and-burn .

If you try to briefly describe the main activities of the Eastern Slavs, the list will be as follows: agriculture, hunting, fishing, beekeeping (honey collection).

The main agricultural culture of the Eastern Slavs in ancient times was millet. Marten skins were mainly used by the Eastern Slavs as money. great attention devoted to the development of handicrafts.

Beliefs

The beliefs of the ancient Slavs are called paganism, because there was a worship of many gods. The deities were mostly associated with natural phenomena. Almost every phenomenon or important component of life that the Eastern Slavs professed, corresponded to a certain god. For example:

• Perun - god of lightning
• Yarilo - god of the sun
• Stribog - the god of the wind
• Volos (Veles) - the patron saint of cattle breeders
• Mokosh (Makosh) - goddess of fertility
• And so on

The ancient Slavs did not build temples. They built rituals in groves, in glades, near stone idols and in other places. Attention is drawn to the fact that almost all fairy-tale folklore in terms of mysticism belongs precisely to the era under study. In particular, the Eastern Slavs believed in the goblin, brownie, mermaids, water and others.

How were the occupations of the Slavs reflected in paganism? It was paganism, which was based on worship of the elements and elements that affect fertility, that formed the attitude of the Slavs to agriculture as the main way of life.

social order

The ancient authors were sure that the lands that the Old Russian state later occupied were inhabited by wild and warlike Slavic tribes, who now and then were at enmity with each other and threatened more civilized peoples.

Vyatichi

The Slavic tribe of the Vyatichi (according to the chronicle, Vyatko was its ancestor) lived on a vast territory on which today the Smolensk, Kaluga, Moscow, Ryazan, Tula, Voronezh, Oryol and Lipetsk regions are located. According to anthropologists, outwardly the Vyatichi were similar to their northern neighbors, but differed from them in a higher nose bridge and in the fact that most of their representatives had blond hair.

Some scientists, analyzing the ethonym of this tribe, believe that it comes from the Indo-European root "vent" (wet), others believe that it comes from the Old Slavic "vęt" (large). Some historians see the kinship of the Vyatichi with the German tribal union of the Vandals, there is also a version that connects them with the tribal group of the Wends.

It is known that the Vyatichi were good hunters and skilled warriors, but this did not prevent them from gathering, cattle breeding and slash-and-burn agriculture. Nestor the Chronicler writes that the Vyatichi mostly lived in the forests and were distinguished by their "bestial" disposition. They resisted the introduction of Christianity longer than other Slavic tribes, preserving pagan traditions, including “bride kidnapping”.

The Vyatichi most actively fought against the Novgorod and Kyiv princes. Only with the coming to power of Svyatoslav Igorevich, the conqueror of the Khazars, the Vyatichi were forced to moderate their warlike fervor. However, not for long. His son Vladimir (Saint) again had to conquer the obstinate Vyatichi, but Vladimir Monomakh finally conquered this tribe in the 11th century.

Slovenia

The northernmost Slavic tribe - Slovenes - lived on the banks of Lake Ilmen, as well as on the Mologa River. The history of its origin has not yet been clarified. According to a common legend, the ancestors of the Slovenes were the brothers Sloven and Rus; Nestor the Chronicler calls them the founders of Veliky Novgorod and Staraya Russa.

After Slovene, as the legend tells, Prince Vandal succeeded to power, taking the Varangian maiden Advinda as his wife. The Scandinavian saga tells us that Vandal, as the ruler of Slovenia, went to the north, east and west, by sea and land, having conquered all the surrounding peoples.

Historians confirm that the Slovenes fought with many neighboring peoples, including the Vikings. Having expanded their possessions, they continued to develop new territories as farmers, simultaneously entering into trade relations with the Germans, Gotland, Sweden, and even with the Arabs.

From the Joachim Chronicle (which, however, not everyone trusts), we learn that in the first half of the 9th century, the Slovenian prince Burivoj was defeated by the Varangians, who imposed tribute on his people. However, the son of Burivoy Gostomysl returned the lost position, once again subordinating the neighboring lands to his influence. It was the Slovenes, according to historians, who subsequently became the basis of the population of the free Novgorod Republic.

Krivichi

Under the name "Krivichi", scientists mean the tribal union of the Eastern Slavs, whose area in the 7th-10th centuries extended to the upper reaches of the Western Dvina, Volga and Dnieper. The Krivichi are known, first of all, as the creators of extended military mounds, during the excavations of which archaeologists were amazed by the variety and richness of weapons, ammunition and household items. The Krivichi are considered a related tribe of the Lutichi, characterized by an aggressive and ferocious disposition.

The settlements of the Krivichi were always located on the banks of the rivers along which the famous path "from the Varangians to the Greeks" went. Historians have established that the Krivichi interacted quite closely with the Varangians. So, the Byzantine emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus wrote that the Krivichi made ships on which the Rus go to Constantinople.

According to information that has come down to us, the Krivichi were active participants in many Varangian expeditions, both commercial and military. In battles, they were not much inferior to their warlike comrades-in-arms - the Normans.

After becoming part of the Kyiv principality, the Krivichi took an active part in the colonization of vast northern and eastern territories, known today as Kostroma, Tver, Yaroslavl, Vladimir, Ryazan and Vologda region. In the north, they were partly assimilated by the Finnish tribes.

Drevlyans

The territories of the settlement of the East Slavic tribe of the Drevlyans are mainly the modern Zhytomyr region and the western part of the Kyiv region. In the east, their possessions were limited by the Dnieper, in the north by the Pripyat River. In particular, the Pripyat swamps, according to historians, created a natural barrier that separated the Drevlyans from their neighbors, the Dregovichi.

It is not difficult to guess that the habitat of the Drevlyans is forests. There they felt like full owners. According to the chronicler Nestor, the Drevlyans differed markedly from the meek meadows that lived to the east: “The Drevlyans live in a bestial way, living like a beast: I kill each other, I eat all unclean things, and they didn’t have marriage, but a girl was washed away by the water.”

Perhaps, for some time, the meadows were even tributaries of the Drevlyans, who had their own reign. At the end of the 9th century, Oleg subjugated the Drevlyans. According to Nestor, they were part of the army with which the Kiev prince "went against the Greeks." After the death of Oleg, the attempts of the Drevlyans to free themselves from the power of Kyiv became more frequent, but in the end they received only an increased amount of tribute imposed on them by Igor Rurikovich.

Arriving to the Drevlyans for another portion of tribute, Prince Igor was killed. According to the Byzantine historian Leo Deacon, he was seized and executed, torn in two (they tied him by the arms and legs to the trunks of two trees, one of which had been severely bent before, and then released). For a terrible and daring murder, the Drevlyans paid dearly. Driven by a thirst for revenge, the wife of the deceased prince Olga destroyed the Drevlyansk ambassadors who had come to woo her, burying them alive in the ground. Under Princess Olga, the Drevlyans finally submitted, and in 946 became part of Kievan Rus.

East Slavic tribes are more than a dozen different tribes that can be united under the concept of Eastern Slavs. Their tribal unions eventually merged into a single nation, forming the basis Old Russian state. Over time, there was a political stratification of the Eastern Slavs, which allowed to XVII century to form three main peoples - Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian.

Early history

ABOUT early history Very few East Slavic tribes are known. Largely due to the fact that they did not have a written language. Only around 863 did the Glagolitic script, created specially by Byzantine linguists, appear.

Some information about the early history of the East Slavic tribes can be found in Arabic, Byzantine and Persian sources. The first original East Slavic documents date back to the 11th century. But very few of them have survived. Chronicles are considered the most reliable and complete sources. They began to be actively compiled after the adoption of Christianity, following the model of Byzantine chronicles.

The most complete of those that have survived to this day is The Tale of Bygone Years, which was written at the turn of the 11th-12th centuries. At the same time, the author is primarily interested in the Old Russian state, therefore, special attention is paid to the glades and Novgorod Slovenes, while information about the other tribes is extremely scarce.

The resettlement of the Eastern Slavs

The resettlement of the East Slavic tribes began actively in the 7th-8th centuries. Initially, glades lived along the Dnieper River, northerners settled in the north, mainly in the Desna region, and the Drevlyans occupied the northwestern regions.

Dregovichi settled between the Dvina and Pripyat, and the Polotsk people lived along the Polota River. The Krivichi received lands in the region of the Dnieper, Volga and Dvina.

On the Western and Southern Bug there were also territories of East Slavic tribes. Dulebs or Buzhans lived there, some of them eventually moved to the west, mixing with the Western Slavs.

The dominant role in which East Slavic tribes, where they lived, played customs and language, special ways of doing business. Agriculture (growing barley, wheat, millet) remained the key occupation for several centuries, some cultivated rye and oats. Massively bred poultry and cattle.

Anty

If we go deeper into ancient history, then we learn that the Antes are one of the early Slavic tribes, from which many tribes of the Eastern Slavs originated. Nowadays, it has been possible to restore ideas about their life and economy as fully as possible.

Now it can be argued that the Antes lived in rural settlements which were sometimes fortified. Mostly they were engaged in agriculture, arable business. The processing of metals was widespread, archaeologists have repeatedly found bronze and iron workshops of the Ants. The East Slavic tribes and their neighbors not only fought with each other, but in peaceful periods they actively exchanged and traded. First of all, we are talking about the Goths, Scythians, Sarmatians, Roman provinces.

Already at that time, the very first forms of social organization were being created, unions and associations were being formed.

Krivichi

One of the most famous East Slavic tribes is the Krivichi. They were mainly engaged in agriculture, handicrafts and cattle breeding. Their key cities included Smolensk, Izborsk, Polotsk. In a broad sense, it was a union of East Slavic tribes, which was finally formed in VIII-X centuries. According to the most common hypothesis, the Krivichi became part of the Old Russian people. They belong to the East Slavic tribes along with others. ancient tribes that time.

By the 11th century, the Polotsk and Smolensk principalities and part of the Novgorod possessions were located on the territory of the Krivichi. We can get basic information about them from the "Tale of Bygone Years", which states that they originate from Polotsk.

Where did the Krivichi live?

The Krivichi settled most of modern Belarus over several centuries. Dregovichi and radimichi neighbored with them. From ancient times, the Krivichi closely interacted with the Varangians, and the Byzantine emperor Constantine VII recalled them that they made boats that could go to Constantinople itself.

According to the most common version, in 980 the last prince of the Krivichi, whose name was Rogvolod, was killed. This was done by the Novgorod prince Vladimir Svyatoslavich.

After the formation of Kievan Rus, the Krivichi took part in the colonization of the eastern lands, partially assimilated there.

Vyatichi

Another important East Slavic tribe is the Vyatichi. They settled in the Oka basin in the VIII-XIII centuries. From the "Tale of Bygone Years" we can learn that in the 9th century the Vyatichi began to live under the Khazars, who were paid tribute. Management, as in most other neighboring tribes, was carried out by the prince and veche. Judging by the archaeological finds, the Vyatichi actively participated in international trade.

The power of the prince among the East Slavic tribes was very limited by a powerful veche, that is, a popular assembly. Moreover, it was it that was the initial governing body in the tribes, because it was precisely such an "organization" that invited Rurik to reign.

Presumably, it included adult men. All those who were in the assembly were united not family ties, but public social functions. Most likely, it was a highly militarized community.

In the second half of the 10th century, the Vyatichi were subordinated to Kievan Rus after the campaigns of Prince Svyatoslav.

Drevlyans

The names of the East Slavic tribes are largely determined by their place of residence. One of them, which deserves special mention, is the Drevlyans. Mostly they lived in the Ukrainian Polissya (forest, tree strip).

Until they were subjugated by Kievan Rus, they had a very developed state organization. The political center of the tribe was based in the city of Iskorosten, eventually moved to Ovruch.

The Radimichi tribe is also known. They lived in the upper reaches of the Dniester and Dnieper. On the territory of modern Gomel and Mogilev regions of present-day Belarus. The first written evidence that confirms their existence dates back to the end of the 9th century.

As a result of archaeological excavations, a large number of graves of the Radimichi were discovered, which were carried out according to the rite of cremation. They are characterized by funeral pyres with oval outlines, while in such burial mounds the dead were laid on a fire in the direction from west to east. The structure of the funeral bonfires, which resembled the so-called domino-towers, is also noteworthy.

Most burial mounds do not contain the personal belongings of the deceased. Most likely, they burned to the ground on funeral pyres. By the way, the burial traditions were similar among other East Slavic tribes. For example, the Gnezdovsky burial mounds are known in the places where the Krivichi lived.

Kievan Rus

The ancient East Slavic tribes should include not only the Krivichi, Drevlyans and Vyatichi, but also the Polochans, Polyans, Pskov Krivichi, Zveryans, Bolokhovtsy, Buzhans, Narevyans, Severyans, Tivertsy, Radimichi.

Over time, they began to unite. The state, which included all the East Slavic tribes, is Kievan Rus.

It arose in the 9th century thanks to the dynasty of the princes of Rurik, who united the East Slavic and Finno-Ugric tribes.

At its peak, Kievan Rus occupied the territory from the Dniester in the west, the Taman Peninsula in the south, the Northern Dvina in the north, and the tributaries of the Volga in the east.

By the 12th century, feudal wars within the state began, in which about a dozen Russian principalities participated, led by representatives of different branches of the Rurik dynasty.

Kyiv lost its former grandeur and significance, the principality itself was in the collective possession of the princes, but Rus' also existed later as an ethno-cultural region, which played a decisive role in the unification of the Slavic lands.

East Slavic unity

The unification of the East Slavic tribes dates back to the end of the 9th century. It was then that the Novgorod prince Oleg, who, most likely, was a Varangian by origin, decided to unite power over Novgorod and Kiev in his hands. In the annals, this event dates back to 882.

As a result, a class of the early feudal Old Russian state is formed, from which Kievan Rus appeared. This moment was a turning point in the history of the Eastern Slavs. But not everything went smoothly. In some lands, the princes from Kyiv met fierce resistance from local feudal lords, which was suppressed only with the help of weapons.

Drevlyane resistance

The Drevlyans turned out to be one of the most stubborn, the longest struggle was waged with them. When, during the next campaign, Prince Igor decided to collect a double tribute from the Drevlyans, they defeated his squad and took his own life.

Instead of Igor, his wife Olga became the ruler, who finally, using harsh measures, subordinated the Drevlyans directly to Kyiv. Their capital, which was in the city of Iskorosten, was completely destroyed.

At the same time, the centers of the East Slavic tribes were formed, which, ultimately, were subject to Kyiv. So, under Vladimir Svyatoslavich, the lands of the Vyatichi and modern North Caucasus. When the early feudal state was finally formed, more favorable conditions were created for economic growth and maintaining security.

Soon, more favorable conditions began to form for economic growth and the maintenance of the country's security. But these processes were associated with restrictions on the freedoms of the peasants, as evidenced by numerous sources.

Neighbors of the Slavs

East Slavic tribes and their neighbors often cooperated with each other. In this article, we have already named several tribes with which the Slavs most often had to intersect.

Now let's look at this issue in more detail. In the west, the main neighbors of the Eastern Slavs were Germanic and Celtic tribes. Finno-Ugric peoples and Balts lived in the east, among them there were Sarmatians and Scythians, some of whom are considered the ancestors of modern Iranians. Over time, the Khazars and Bulgars began to oust them more and more actively.

From the south, the Greeks, Romans, Illyrians, and ancient Macedonians traditionally coexisted with the Slavs.

In the Byzantine chronicles, it was repeatedly emphasized that the proximity to the Slavic tribes turned into a real disaster. The neighborhood and numerous Germanic peoples were also hard pressed, as daring raids were regularly made, as a result of which the most fertile lands were seized, destroyed residential buildings and outbuildings.

The situation somewhat changed in the 6th century, when Turkic tribes arose in neighboring territories. They began to wage a fierce struggle with the Slavs for the lands located in the Danube and Dniester regions. Moreover, some Slavic tribes eventually went over to the side of the Turks, who set as their ultimate goal the capture of the Byzantine Empire. As a result long war the Byzantines completely enslaved the Western Slavs, but the southern ones were able to defend their independence.

East Slavic tribes

Tribal unions of the Eastern Slavs(East Slavic unions of tribes, tribes of Eastern Slavs) - a form of social organization of East Slavic society during the period of decomposition of the primitive communal system and the formation of statehood. Tribal unions were not only tribal, but also territorial and political in nature. The formation of unions is a stage on the way to the formation of the statehood of the Eastern Slavs.

The Tale of Bygone Years knows no "unions of tribes". After the death of Kiy and his brothers (before the mention of Heraclius and the obrovs), “their clan began to reign among the glades, and the Drevlyans had their own reign, and the Dregovichi had their own, and the Slavs had their own in Novgorod, and the other on the Polota River, where the Polochans” . That is, princely power was inherited. These are the northern archonships of the king of the Antes God (4th century), Ardagast, Pirogast, Musokia, Dobrent (6th century), etc., well known to the Byzantines.

1. The term used to refer to the East Slavic tribes mentioned in The Tale of Bygone Years and other written sources. Speaking of "unions", in this case, historians mean that the annalistic "tribes" were complex formations and consisted of several territorial or tribal groups.

1. An association of several tribes (“confederation”), which, as a rule, arises for joint protection against an external threat, and has allied supra-tribal authorities.

Ancestors of the Eastern Slavs in polyethnic tribal unions

The ancestors of the Eastern Slavs, according to various historians, could be part of the allied tribal organizations mentioned by the authors of the second half of the 1st millennium BC. e. - the first half of the 1st millennium.

The union of the Ants was ruled by the veche and the princes, led an independent foreign policy, had a common law that applied only to the Ants, had an allied militia. At the head of the union could be one prince, designated by a special title, whose power was hereditary.

In the VI-VIII centuries. the Eastern Slavs are often mentioned together with the Khazars, which is assessed by historians as evidence of their allied and, then, tributary relations.

Glade

The Tale of Bygone Years tells a legend about the princes of the Polyan tribe, which has much in common with the history of the Ants. The glades moved from place to place: their homeland is the Danube, they got their name from the fact that they "sat in the field", then they settled on the Dnieper "mountains" and again tried to gain a foothold on the Danube. The glade tribe consisted of several kindred "kinds", ruled by their own heads. According to legend, the brothers Kyi, Shchek and Khoriv united their clans under the rule of Prince Kyi, who led the squad and was in allied relations with the Byzantine emperor. The center of the Polyan tribe was the city of Kyiv, founded by the brothers. It played the role of a veche and religious center. A princely dynasty was established in the tribe: “And after these brothers, their clan began to reign at the glades”,

In the "Tale" there is also an indication of the existence of an alliance between the East Slavic tribes during the time of Prince Kiy: “And the glades, Drevlyans, northerners, Radimichi, Vyatichi and Croats lived among themselves in the world. The Dulebs lived along the Bug, where the Volynians are now, and the Ulichi and Tivertsy sat along the Dniester and near the Danube. Later, this union broke up into separate tribal "principles" and "the Drevlyans and other surrounding people began to oppress the glades." The Kiev veche, which consisted of the military nobility, decided to subjugate the glades to the Khazars and pay tribute to them.

In The Tale of Bygone Years, the question of the origins of the Russian land is connected with the legend of Kiya, and the glade is directly identified with the Rus people of the 10th-12th centuries.

"Power of the Volhynians", dulebs

"The Tale of Bygone Years" tells about the struggle of the Duleb tribe with the Avars (Obrams) (560s - VIII century): “In those days, there were obras, they fought against King Heraclius and almost captured him. These obry also fought against the Slavs and oppressed the dulebs - real Slavs, and did violence to the wives of the Duleb: it happened, when an obryn went, he did not allow a horse or an ox to be harnessed, but ordered three, four or five wives to be harnessed in a cart and to carry him - an obryn, - and so they tormented the dulebs. These obry were great in body and proud in mind, and God destroyed them, they all died, and not a single obry remained. And there is a saying in Rus' to this day: “They perished like a brute”, - they have neither a tribe nor offspring.

Medieval written documents recorded the residence of Dulebs in Volyn, in the Czech Republic, on the middle Danube between Lake Balaton and the Mursa River, as well as on the upper Drava. V.V. Sedov considers the Dulebs an ancient tribe that settled in the 6th-7th centuries. in the area of ​​the Prague-Korchak culture (sklavins).

The Tale of Bygone Years says that the Dulebs lived along the Western Bug, where "now the Volynians", and it also says that the Buzhans were nicknamed so because they "sat along the Bug", and then they "began to be called Volynians". Historians explain this place in the chronicle in different ways. Some see in the Buzhans and Volynians of the 9th-10th centuries. descendants of the dulebs of the 6th-7th centuries. Others see in the Volynians a collective polytonym, derived from the name of the city of Volyn, and denoting the union of several tribes.

The nature of the tribal organization

In historical literature, there are several points of view on the nature of the annalistic tribes of the Eastern Slavs:

1. These were exclusively territorial associations (S. M. Seredonin, V. O. Klyuchevsky, M. K. Lyubavsky).

2. Tribes are ethnographic groups (A. A. Spitsyn, A. V. Artsikhovsky and B. A. Rybakov), the same opinion is shared by philologists A. A. Shakhmatov, A. I. Sobolevsky, E. F. Karsky, D. N. Ushakov, N. N. Durnovo

3. The tribes were political entities (N. P. Barsov). According to the ideas of V. V. Mavrodin and B. A. Rybakov, the chronicle meadows, Drevlyans, Radimichi and others were unions of tribes that united several separate Slavic tribes.

The words "clan" and "tribe" in the Russian chronicle designate a consanguineous group. The word "language" also meant tribes speaking special languages.

Contemporaries distinguished East Slavic tribes according to a number of features: name, habitat, customs and "laws of the fathers", which concerned marriage and family relations and funeral rites, as well as legends. At the same time, according to contemporaries, the tribes did not differ linguistically, although in fact there were serious dialectal differences, and Rus' was bilingual and used the Scandinavian language. Archaeologists distinguish tribes by their characteristic decorations (temporal rings) and the type of burials. Ethnographers believe that the Eastern Slavic tribes differed in the religious preferences of one or another god (Perun is “our god” among Rus').

Each tribe had its own "city" (Tivertsy, Ulichi, Drevlyane, Rus) and one main "city": Kiev (Polyane), Novgorod (Slovene), Smolensk (Krivichi), Polotsk (Krivichi-Polotchan), Iskorosten (Drevlyane) . Archaeologists suggest that some tribes (Smolensk Krivichi) have a “nesting” structure of settlements: next to one fortified “city” there was a nest or two nests of unfortified settlements. "Grad" was a gathering place for veche, religious worship (the swamp settlements of the Smolensk Krivichi) and performed defensive functions.

The chronicler denotes the political organization of the tribes with the word “principality”, listing individual reigns: among the glades, among the Drevlyans, among the Dregovichi, among the Slovenes “in Novgorod” and “on the Polota River, where the Polochans are”. Under "reigning" in a narrow sense was understood the presence of the institution of hereditary princely power. The territorial designation of the tribe was the word "land" (Derevskaya land, Russian land). The power in the tribe belonged to the prince and vech. The chronicler tells about the adoption of a decision at a veche in the city of Iskorosten in 945 with the words “having thought with his prince Mal.” Mal is called the "Prince of the Woods". Also mentioned are the "best men" who "hold the Derevskaya earth". These men were sent to the embassy by the "Derevskoy zemlya" and talked about their "good princes" who "herd" the Derevskaya zemlya. The "elders of the city" are also mentioned. A similar political organization is also found among other East Slavic tribes of the 9th-12th centuries, as well as among the Ants and Polyans in the 6th-8th centuries.

Constantine Porphyrogenitus uses the term "Slavinia" in relation to the East Slavic tribes, which was first used in the 7th century. by Theophylact Simokatta in relation to the Slavs who settled in the Balkans. It meant both the area of ​​settlement of the Slavic tribe or tribal union, and the special pre-state socio-political organization of the Slavs, which allowed them to regulate internal relations, defend independence from external forces and organize military enterprises. At the head of each Slavinia was a leader ("archon" or "rix"), surrounded by tribal nobility.

Ibn Ruste (n. X century) describes a more developed system of power among the Slavs (information about different groups of tribes is mixed): “Their head is crowned, they obey him and do not deviate from his words. His seat is in the middle of the country of the Slavs. And the said head, whom they call “head of heads” (ra’is ar-ruasa), is called by them sweet-malik, and he is higher than supanej, and supanej is his deputy (viceroy). This king has riding horses ... He has beautiful, durable and precious chain mail. The city where he lives is called Jarvab... The king visits them every year. And if one of them has a daughter, then the king takes one of her dresses a year, and if a son, then he also takes one of her dresses a year. Whoever has neither a son nor a daughter, he gives one of the dresses of his wife or slave a year. And if the king catches a thief in his country, he either orders him to be strangled, or puts him under the supervision of one of the rulers on the outskirts of his possessions.

If “principalities” and “Slavinia” denote tribal formations of the period of “military democracy”, then in the description of Ibn Rust, historians see signs of an emerging state: the institutionalization of supra-tribal power, reliance on force, the existence of taxes and universally binding law.

Hierarchy of tribes

The tribal structure of the East Slavic society of the period of "military democracy" is characterized by the desire of one tribe to rise above other neighboring tribes.

In the 6th century, the Antian envoy Mezamir, who himself was called "an empty talker and a braggart", upon arrival at the Avars, "threw them with arrogant and even impudent speeches." The words of a similar speech by the Slavic leader Davrit have been preserved: “Was that person born into the world and warmed by a ray of the sun who would subdue our strength? Not others are our land, but we are accustomed to possessing someone else's.

The primordial Slavs in the legends called themselves the Polans, the Volynians and, mentioned by the Bavarian Geographer, the Dawns, “who alone have a kingdom and from whom all the tribes of the Slavs ... originate and lead their kind.” For other tribes, all sorts of offensive names were invented: “talkers” (Tivertsy), “carpenters” (residents of Novgorod), “Pishchantsy” (Radimichi), “finders”, “dromites”, “nomads” (Rus), “paktiots” ( Slavs according to Constantine Porphyrogenitus, X century), “Germans” (Drevlyans according to Leo the Deacon, X century), “fleeing slaves” (residents of Kiev according to Titmar of Merseburg, n. XI century), etc.

To designate a place in the tribal hierarchy, associations with shoes were used: “in boots” - the dominant tribe, “bast shoes” - tributaries, the custom of leaving the city of a barefoot elder is described, which meant submission to the conqueror (Smolensk, Vladimir Volynsky). Also important role the occupation of the tribe (“men of the blood” - Rus), the color of the tents, the material and size of clothes, sails, etc. played.

The Tale of Bygone Years tells that the meadows “have the custom of their fathers meek and quiet”, and the Drevlyans, Radimichi, Vyatichi, Northerners and Krivichi “lived the animal custom, lived like cattle”, “in the forest, like all animals” : "they killed each other, ate everything unclean, and they did not have marriages, and shamed them in the presence of their fathers and daughters-in-law."

Near the year 907, it is told about the Rus and Slovenes: “And Rus' raised the sails from the curtains, and the Slavs are kopriny, and the wind tore them apart; and the Slavs said: “Let’s take our thick ones, the sails from the curtains were not given to the Slavs.”

Tribal confederations

Historians believe that the tribes of The Tale of Bygone Years included several tribal groups (“clans”, “tribes”), whose names, unknown to the chronicler, are given by the Bavarian Geographer. The number of cities named in the source is compared with the number of tribal communities (100-150 people each) or their groups united around the “city”, in which city elders, representatives of the surrounding clans, gathered at the veche.

It is most likely that the Krivichi tribe, indeed, consisted of several groups: the annals mention "all Krivichi", Krivichi-Polotchan and Smolensk Krivichi, who pursued an independent foreign policy, are distinguished. Archaeologists separate the Pskov Krivichi from the Smolensk-Polotsk. In addition, the Latvians still call the Russians an ethnonym derived from the name of the Krivichi (krievs), which indicates its collective nature. Archaeologists call the Krivichi a "tribal group" formed as a result of the interaction of Slavic settlers with the local Baltic-speaking population. It is possible that the krivichi are political education, known from the Baltic legends about the Great Krivi.

The Ilmen Slovenes were also in confederate relations with neighboring peoples. It is believed that on the site of Novgorod there were settlements of various tribes that surrounded the empty space, which served as a gathering place for the allied council. From these settlements, the "ends" (self-governing districts) of the city arose, including the Slovenian and Nerevsky ends (Nereva - a Baltic tribe). In the middle of the 9th century, a confederation of tribes was formed, located on vast expanses, which included Chud, Slovene (Novgorod), Krivichi (Polotsk), Vesy (Beloozero), Merya (Rostov) and Muroma (Murom).

Northerners, according to historians, united three tribal groups. Uchi and Tivertsy acted in the union. Radimichi and Vyatichi are believed to have originally been one tribe (Vyatichi), and then separated, as the legend of the brothers Radim and Vyatko speaks of.

The institutionalization of power in tribal alliances

When tribes united into unions, supra-tribal power arose, which was not reduced to patriarchal tribal power. Since alliances were created in connection with the need to protect themselves from external enemies, the princes, who had the strongest squads of professional warriors, had special authority among the tribes. Such princes led the tribal militias and thus institutionalized their power. Ibn Ruste calls the chief prince of the union "light malik (ruler)", which can be understood as "bright prince". The treaty of 911 mentions the "light and great princes" of the Eastern Slavs. These titles denoted the “prince of princes” of the union, that is, an institution appeared that was not characteristic of a separate clan or tribe.

The union veche also differed from the usual people's assembly. The Scandinavian Olaf saga mentions people's assembly in Novgorod, which was attended by "people from all nearby areas", but in practice it was impossible, therefore, it should be assumed that at the veche of the union the tribes were represented by "the best men". If you literally trust the legend of the “Khazar tribute”, when the clearing at the veche decided to pay tribute with swords, then it can be argued that representatives of the military nobility were included in the veche.

The prince, squad and veche, consisting of military and tribal nobility, began to separate from ordinary fellow tribesmen. They personified tribal power. This power was denoted by the words "prince", "own" and "hold", and the ruling elite designated themselves with the words "lord" (Dobragast, Kelagast, Ardegast, Gostomysl) and "owner" (Volodislav, Volodimer).

Tribal relations

Unlike the state, tribal unions did not imply the establishment of tributary relations between tribes. Tribute was established, as a rule, when multilingual tribes were subjugated to each other. Scythian kings collected bronze tips and grain from subject tribes. Primitive taxes, judging by the German epic about Woden, existed among the Goths in the Black Sea region. Huns and Avars burdened neighbors with payments. Avars and Hungarians wintered in Slavic villages. In the 7th-10th centuries Slavs (Polyans, northerners, Vyatichi and Radimichi) paid tribute to the Khazars with fur "from the smoke" (at home) or money "from the ral" (from the plow). In the VIII-IX centuries. the northern confederation of tribes paid tribute to the Varangians.

The tribute arose from the payment of an indemnity to the winner. Since the 6th century, the Slavs and Antes themselves received cash payments in exchange for an alliance from Byzantium. East Slavic folklore mentions tribute by girls, the winners demanded women as prey from the defeated tribe (in the annals - Rogneda, Olga). Olga, having gained the upper hand over the Drevlyans, gave some of them into slavery to her soldiers. The capture of slaves with the subsequent demand for ransom has been known among the Slavs and Antes since the 6th century. Arab authors call the Slavic tribes the slaves of the Rus tribe. Probably, some tribes fell into collective slavery to others, so the Slavs, according to the annals, say to the Rus: "Come reign and rule over us."

There is a version of the appearance of tribute as sacred gifts to the prince, who personified the sun. The myth about the origin of the princes from Dazhbog (“the sun-king”), the winter time for the collection of tribute and its name “circling” the prince and his squad (Konstantin Porphyrogenitus) are pointed out.

With the separation of the tribal nobility and professional squads, tributary relations began to arise within the tribes as well. The tribute was natural. The tribute to dresses described by Ibn Rust is fixed by linguistic data about the “pay money” among the Slavs (cf. Russian “to pay”). In The Tale of Bygone Years, particular importance is given to the prince's right to hunt (including birds) in the lands of tributary tribes. The Scandinavians borrowed from the Slavs the word "polyudye", which meant the collection of tribute. The presence of a prince with a retinue in the lands of tributaries was called "feeding", and the place of residence of the prince was called "table". The traditional tribute from the Slavs was collected in fur, honey and wax. The Rus tribe established a monetary percentage form of tribute.

Formation of statehood among the Eastern Slavs

There are different points of view on the process of turning tribal unions into a state.

In the XI-XVI centuries. dominated by theological and dynastic concepts. According to the first, dating back to the Cyril and Methodius tradition, the state arose in the confrontation between paganism (“old”) and Christianity (“new”). The fertile Christian beginning was personified by the apostles (Paul, Andronicus, Andrew), Christian martyrs and Christian princes (Askold, Olga, Vladimir). Christians, "new people", were opposed to tribes, "not knowing the law God's, but making laws for themselves." Vladimir was considered the founder of the state, and the entire previous history acted only as a “shadow” of the Baptism of Rus' in 988. Ivan the Terrible wrote: “The autocracy of the Russian Tsardom, filled with this true Orthodoxy, began by God’s will from the Grand Duke Vladimir, who enlightened the Russian land with holy baptism ...”

The dynastic concept traces the foundation of the state to the establishment of a new Rurik dynasty in 862, when Rurik headed the East Slavic tribes. Special attention is given to the origin and dynastic ties of the first Russian princes.

According to the theory of social contract, the state among the Eastern Slavs arose as a result of the voluntary calling of the Varangians and the establishment of contractual relations between Russia and other tribes: the existence of a special “row” (“pact”) is noted. Such agreements are known not only in Novgorod, but also in Kiev (“Askold and Dir remained in this city and began to own the land of the glades”), Smolensk (“the Smolensk saw this, their elders went out to the tents” of Oleg), Severskaya land (laid a light tribute on them, and did not order them to pay tribute to the Khazars, saying: “I am their enemy and you (they) have no need to pay”), an agreement with the Radimichi (Oleg told them: “Don’t give the Khazars, but pay me”), and even in the Caucasus. The Russians, who took over the Caucasian city of Berdaa, declared: “There is no disagreement in faith between us and you. The only thing we want is power. It is our duty to treat you well, and it is your duty to obey us well.”

The patriarchal theory popularized in Soviet time as scientific, insists that the state arose when clans united into tribes, tribes - into unions, unions - into "super unions". At the same time, the power hierarchy became more complex. On the eve of the appearance of Rus' in Eastern Europe, the existence of " three parts Russ": Kuyavia (centered in Kyiv), Artania (east of Slovenian lands) and Slavia (Slovenian land). When they were united in 882, under the rule of Oleg, a state arose.

The concept of conquest explains the emergence of the state among the Eastern Slavs by their subjugation to the Scandinavians. At the same time, the process of state formation dragged on for a long time, until a single state was formed from the scattered Varangian possessions by the middle of the 10th century, headed by Prince Igor, the first authentically known ruler of the dynasty of Kievan princes. Since that time, the process of centralization of the "patchwork empire" began, consisting of Slavic tribes that paid tribute to the Varangians. Another point of view singles out, as a decisive, foreign policy factor. To fight the Khazars, the tribes of the Middle Dnieper united in an alliance and created in the 830s - 840s. own state, headed by a kagan and a squad of hired Varangians.

The sociological approach to this problem is based on the recognition of the formation of a retinue tribal stratum, which received the name of Rus, extending its power to the agricultural tribes, assuming the functions of the state.

Notes

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, social structure 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- 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 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 Kyiv 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 manners 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 possessed famous culture. A well-established burial rite testifies to the existence of certain religious ideas 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 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 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 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 Kyiv 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, the southern part of the Lake Peipsi basin and part of the Neman basin in the 6th-10th centuries. 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 Kyiv 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 prince of novgorod 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 in foreign sources for quite a long time (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 regions, 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 the annals 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 catches the meadows already at a rather late stage 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: the coin treasures show 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 was mentioned in 944, on the occasion of Igor's campaign against the Greeks, and was 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 Tivertsy became part of the 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 who lived in the early Middle Ages in the territory of the present East 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. Before that they were ardent opponents the German king Otto I. About his heir, Henry II, it is known 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 situation. 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 in 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 people became one of the constituent parts of the 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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