Who were Slavs and where did they come from?
where Slavs come from;
when and where the first Slavic states came into being;
the culture of the first Slavs;
what Slavs had in common.
Slavs appear in historical sources quite late. One of the first writers to mention them was Jordanes, who lived in the 6th century. The reasons for this can be said to be, among other things, the fact that the first Slavs did not organize states. It is also difficult to unambiguously identify their place of origin. Most often it is assumed that it was the area of today’s Ukraine, between the Carpathian Mountains and the Dnieper River.
Also, we cannot really speak of a common Slavic culture. Undoubtedly, what they had in common was the language. Unfortunately, due to the lack of sources, we do not know what dialects it had and how they differed from one another. There were also common objects of everyday use and no visible divisions of property in society. Religious life, as well as the appearance of settlements, still remains a big mystery for us. Since there were no stone buildings, their traces have not survived to this day.
At the end of the 5th century, the first Slavs left their previous bases and began their expansion into Western and Southern Europe. Over the next two hundred years, they occupied significant areas of the eastern and central part of the continent. This journey was forced by the invasions of peoples from the depths of Asia, and became a part of the great period of migration called The Migration PeriodThe Migration Period. At that time, they reached the lands inhabited by Germans and occupied a large part of the Balkan Peninsula. It was there that the first known Slavic states were established: Samo’s Empire (7th century), probably including Moravia, Bohemia and Carinthia, which was the tribal union. However, Samo, a Frankish merchant, did not create permanent structures and after his death the state he ruled ceased to exist.
Of great significance for the history of Slavs was the state established in the 9th century called Great Moravia by researchers. Some of them believe that it was a continuation of Samo’s Empire. Its founder and leader, Mojmir I of Moravia, as well as his successors, carried out a policy of expansion to the neighboring lands. They also had close contacts with Byzantium, which resulted in, among other things, Mojmir’s baptism in 831 as well as the missionary activity of Cyril and Methodius. Great Moravia was the first effectively‑operating Slav monarchy. Its collapse was connected with the invasions of Hungarian peoples at the beginning of the 10th century, as well as dynastic disputes.
Dukes of the Přemyslid dynasty took over a part of the Great Moravia lands. They gained control over the people living in the Bohemian Basin and then the neighboring lands, thus creating, in the middle of the 10th century, one of the most powerful states in the region – the Duchy of Bohemia.
At the same time, a state with its capital in Kiev was formed in the east. Its founder was Oleg, who conquered and united the tribes in this area. His heir, Vladimir the Great, took control of the neighboring lands (including the Cherven Cities) and, in 988, was baptized through the Byzantium. In return for helping Emperor Basil II, he received his sister as a wife, which was not only a great honor but which, above all, strengthened his position both domestically and internationally.
Slavs were mentioned in the work of Jordanes written down in the 6th century and devoted to the history of the Goths. Read an excerpt from the text and do the exercise.
O pochodzeniu Słowian[Król Gotów] Hermanaryk po pokonaniu Herulów zwrócił swą broń przeciw Wenetom, którzy choć w orężu marni, to jednak liczebnością potężni, początkowo umieli stawić opór. [...] Oni to, jak zaczęliśmy o tym mówić we wstępie lub katalogu ludów, z jednego rodu zostali zrodzeni, lecz trzy teraz noszą imiona, to jest Weneci, Antowie, Sclaveni. Chociaż teraz, z powodu naszych grzechów, wszędzie sieją spustoszenie, to wówczas wszyscy służyli władzy Hermanaryka.*
Source: Jordanes, O pochodzeniu Słowian.
Mark the correct sentence.
- Jordanes knew little about the genesis of Slavs, who were divided into three main groups.
- According to Jordanes, Slavs were an ancient people with a well-known past.
- According to Jordanes, Slavs were conquered by the Romans.
Look at the interactive map and learn more about Samo’s Empire.
Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, Ukraine, Poland, Austria, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovakia
| The early Samo’s Empire covered the territories of the following present-day countries | |
|---|---|
| The early Great Moravia covered the territories of the following present-day countries |
Indicate the present names of the countries where Slavs settled.
| Country | 7th–8th century |
| England | □ |
| Belarus | □ |
| Bulgaria | □ |
| Croatia | □ |
| Czech Republic | □ |
| Greece | □ |
| Lithuania | □ |
| Latvia | □ |
| Germany | □ |
| Poland | □ |
| San Marino | □ |
| Serbia | □ |
| Slovenia | □ |
| Ukraine | □ |
Read the source text and do the exercise.
In the 6th century, the Byzantine historian Procopius of Caesarea described the customs of Slavs. Among other things, he mentioned the way in which they made political decisions.
O Antach i SklawinachTe nacje, to jest Sklawini i Antowie, nie są rządzeni przez jednego człowieka, ale od dawna żyją według zasad demokracji. I dlatego wszystko, co dotyczy ich dobrostanu, czy to złego, czy dobrego, jest przedstawiane [do oceny] ludowi.
Source: Prokopiusz z Cezarei, O Antach i Sklawinach.
Match the beginnings and endings of the sentences.
all the matters that concerned their prosperity, both good and bad, they were presented to the people [for evaluation], they were not ruled by a single man
| Were Slavs ruled by a duke? | |
| Who was to make the most important decisions? | |
| What did the members of the assembly discuss? |
Keywords
Slavs, Samo, origins, allochthons, autochthons, nomads
Glossary
Wielka wędrówka ludów – migracja plemion barbarzyńskich na tereny Cesarstwa Rzymskiego w okresie od IV do VI w. Doprowadziła do licznych zmian etnicznych w Europie przyczyniając się do upadku cesarstwa zachodniorzymskiego. Była jedną z przyczyn, które doprowadziły do końca starożytności.
Allochtoni - grupa osób lub lud, który rdzennie nie zamieszkiwał obszaru, na którym się osiedlili.
Autochtoni – tubylcy, rdzenni mieszkańcy danego obszaru.
Kaganat – jedna z form monarchii popularna na Wschodzie w okresie średniowiecza, oznaczająca związek pleniom lub ludów.
Koczownik – inaczej nomada, członek plemienia prowadzący wędrowny (koczowniczy) tryb życia, nie posiadający własnego państwa.
Chrystianizacja – proces przyjmowania symboli i wiary chrześcijańskiej oraz zastępowanie nią wierzeń pogańskich.
Misjonarz – osoba, duchowny wysłany przez Kościół w celu głoszenia i szerzenia wiary chrześcijańskiej (działalność misyjna).