West Slavs

Reconstruction of the Slavic temple in Groß Raden

TheWest Slavs are Slavic peoples speaking West Slaviclanguages. These are the current Slovaks, Czechs,Kashubians, Poles and Sorbs. The northern or Lechiticgroup includes, along with Polish, the Kashubian and ex-tinct Polabian and Pomeranian languages. The languagesof Upper and Lower Lusatia have features in commonwith both the Lechitic and the Czecho-Slovak group.[1]

Culturally, West Slavs developed along the lines of otherWestern European nations due to affiliation with theRoman Empire and Western Christianity.[2] Thus, theyexperienced a cultural split with the other Slavic groups:while the East Slavs and most South Slavs converted toOrthodox Christianity, thus being culturally influencedby the Byzantine Empire, the West Slavs along with thewesternmost South Slavs (Slovenes and Croats) convertedto Roman Catholicism, thus coming under the cultural in-fluence of the Latin Church.

1 History

In the Middle Ages the name Wends (probably follow-ing Venedi or Venedae, taken from Jordanes and Tacitus)was applied to Western Slavic peoples. Mieszko I, thefirst historical ruler of Poland, also appeared as “Dagome,King of the Wends”.The early Slavic expansion began in the 5th century, andby the 6th century, the groups that would become theWest, East and South Slavic groups had probably be-come geographically separated. The first independentWest Slavic states originate beginning in the 7th century,with the Empire of Samo (623–658), the Principality ofMoravia (8th century–833), the Principality of Nitra (8thcentury–833) and Great Moravia (833–c. 907). TheSorbs and other Polabian Slavs like Obodrites and Veleti

Bishop Absalon topples the god Svantevit at Arkona

came under the domination of the Holy Roman Empireafter the Wendish Crusade[3] in the Middle Ages and hadbeen strongly Germanized by Germans at the end of the19th century. The Polabian language survived until thebeginning of the 19th century in what is now the Ger-man state of Lower Saxony.[4] At this time only 60,000Sorbs have survived, living predominantly in Lusatia, aregion in modern Germany in the states of Brandenburgand Saxony.[5]

The central Polish tribe of the Polans created their ownstate in the 10th century under the Polish duke MieszkoI. For many centuries Poland has had close ties withits western neighbors, with the Polish ruler Bolesław Ithe Brave declared by Holy Roman Emperor Otto III asFrater et Cooperator Imperii (“Brother and Partner in theEmpire”).[6]

The precursors of the Czechs (i.e. Bohemians) migratedinto Bohemia in the late 6th century and had establishedvarious fiefdoms by the 10th century when their rulerseventually became vassals (1002) of the Holy RomanEmperors. Kingdom of Bohemia stayed part of thatEmpire between 1002–1419 and 1526–1918. Predeces-sors of Slovaks came under Hungarian domination af-ter 907 (doom of the Great Moravia) – together withother Slavic groups as Croats, Slovenians, Dalmatians andRusyns. Both the Czechs and the Slovaks were underrule of the Habsburg monarchy from 1526 to 1804; thenin the Austrian Empire and between 1867–1918 part ofAustria-Hungary.

1

2 5 SEE ALSO

West Slavic languages

2 West Slavic groups

• Lechitic group

• Poles• Silesians• Kashubians

• Czech–Slovak group[7]

• Czechs• Bohemians• Moravians

• Slovaks

• Sorbs (Serbo-Lusatians)[7]

• Milceni (Upper Sorbs)• Lusatians (Lower Sorbs)

3 Historical West Slavic groups

• Lechitic group[7]

• Masovians• Polans• Lendians• Vistulans• Silesian tribes• Pomeranians[7]

• Slovincians• Polabians[7]

West Slav tribes in 9th/10th century

• Obodrites/Abodrites• Obotrites proper• Wagrians• Warnower• Polabians proper• Linonen• Travnjane• Drevani

• Veleti (Wilzi), succeeded by Lutici (Liu-tici)• Kissini (Kessiner, Chizzinen,Kyzziner)

• Circipani (Zirzipanen)• Tollensians• Redarier

• Ucri (Ukr(an)i, Ukranen)• Rani (Rujani)• Hevelli (Stodorani)• Volinians (Velunzani)• Pyritzans (Prissani)

4 West Slavs from the BavarianGeographer

In 845 the Bavarian Geographer made a list of WestSlavic tribes who lived in the areas of modern day Poland,Czech Republic, Germany and Denmark:

5 See also• West Slavic languages

• East Slavs

• South Slavs

• List of Medieval Slavic tribes

3

6 References[1] Bohemia and Poland. Chapter 20.pp 512-513. [in:] Tim-

othy Reuter. The New Cambridge Medieval History: c.900-c.1024. 2000

[2] Slav - Britannica Concise Encyclopedia

[3] Christiansen, Erik (1997). The Northern Crusades. Lon-don: Penguin Books. p. 287. ISBN 0-14-026653-4.

[4] Polabian language

[5] Die Sorben in Deutschland, M.Schiemann, Stiftung für dassorbische Volk, Görlitz 1997

[6] Rez. MA: M. Borgolte (Hg.): Polen und Deutschland vor1000 Jahren - H-Soz-u-Kult / Rezensionen / Bücher

[7] Jerzy Strzelczyk. Bohemia and Poland: two examples ofsuccessful western Slavonic state-formation. In: TimothyReuter ed. The New Cambridge Medieval History: c.900-c. 1024. Cambridge University Press. 1995. p. 514.

4 7 TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES

7 Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

7.1 Text• West Slavs Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Slavs?oldid=668100920 Contributors: The Anome, Space Cadet, Carlossuarez46,Juro, Wereon, Lysy, Piotrus, Balcer, Dbachmann, Pavel Vozenilek, Pokrajac, Grutness, Ghirlandajo, Adrian.benko, PANONIAN, Angr,Rjwilmsi, Erebus555, Olessi, Sbove, Volunteer Marek, RussBot, Molobo, Plk, Lockesdonkey, MStraw, Silar, Aelfthrytha, Kintetsubuffalo,Brianski, Deli nk, OrphanBot, Yulia Romero, Vina-iwbot~enwiki, SashatoBot, LUCPOL, JorisvS, A. Parrot, NeroN BG, Joseph Solisin Australia, Whhalbert, R9tgokunks, Cydebot, Thijs!bot, Smw ny90, MichaelCarl, JAnDbot, Pan Piotr Glownia, CommonsDelinker,Jolo Buki~enwiki, AndreasJSbot, TERIKATA~enwiki, Krzysztoflew~enwiki, WOSlinker, Aymatth2, DjiegerFT, ^demonBot2, VVVBot,Iaroslavvs, Skäpperöd, Pernambuko, Sun Creator, MacedonianBoy, Iohannes Animosus, SchreiberBike, Rossen4, DumZiBoT, Addbot,USchick, AndersBot, Luckas-bot, Yobot, Nallimbot, Noq, Савелий В А, Poetaris, FrescoBot, , HRoestBot, Yatzhek, Jirka.h23, To-beBot, Hedviberit, Mamalala, John of Reading, Нимтар, Look2See1, Dewritech, Wojgniew, Scythia, Piast93, Helpful Pixie Bot, Hmains-bot1, Franek K., Irji2012, Karel Hlaváček z Líbeznic, Samotny Wędrowiec, Michalite, KasparBot and Anonymous: 67

7.2 Images• File:Bishop_Absalon_topples_the_god_Svantevit_at_Arkona.PNG Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3f/Bishop_Absalon_topples_the_god_Svantevit_at_Arkona.PNG License: Public domain Contributors: hopegallery.com Original artist:Laurits Tuxen

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