When asked what the names of the tribes mean: Polyans, Drevlyans, Vyatichi. given by the author Black Hundred the best answer is Tribal names can and should be deciphered using etymology, which studies the true meaning of words. Glade. Sometimes they think that this tribe lived in the clearings. However, this is not so, the glades are those who cultivated the fields, in short, the farmers.
Drevlyans. Here is the root of the tree from which the word tree comes. Common Slavic *dervo is derived from der, which is preserved in the Russian language in the word tear. But this tribe did not live in trees, as is generally believed by Westerners and enemies. This tribe lived near the forest and provided wood to Ancient Greece, the countries of the Middle East, as they are now called.
Vyatichi, these are the easiest to deal with; they lived in the floodplain of the Vyatka River, which still exists today.
Tribal names, like surnames, are associated with the tribe’s occupation, toponyms (names of rivers, mountains, seas, etc.), and places of residence.
Answer from Horoscope[guru]
Historians, chroniclers, travelers described what they saw (often through the eyes of others) each in their own way, and often from other people’s words.. Their works, letters, compositions were rewritten and translated into other languages. Therefore, it is not the facts that have reached us, but their interpretations. For example, the Romans called the Celts Gauls. The Ipatiev Chronicle calls the Germans who lived south of Moscow Golyad (in Roman style, like Gauls). The Drevlyans with their prince Mal (Amal) are none other than the remnants of the Goths-Greutung, recorded by Varangian (Scandinavian) tribute collectors from Kyiv in the Slavs. The Vyatichi, the Vyatichi-eastern branch of the Vandals, also became Slavs, as did the Baltic Krivichi tribes. History is written as it is profitable, not as it was. Otherwise, you will have to recognize the bloody violence of the seizure of foreign lands by your ancestors, which is unpleasant.
Answer from Imma Tlenshieva[active]
I liked the first answer. The names of peoples are indeed associated for the most part with occupations - crafts, trade, military affairs. More details here
“We will try to consider the names of tribes from the point of view of the “professional affiliation” of population groups and their place of residence in a certain region or locality.
DREGOVICHS specialized in derivation work: they drained swamps or supplied water to fields (from the Latin derivatio diversion, diversion; derivo to divert, conduct water).
1. Derivagovichi - Derigovichi - Dregovichi (here we observe metathesis - rearrangement of sounds or syllables).
The proposed model of word formation is confirmed by Belarusians. dregva - a quagmire in a swamp; Ukrainian Dryagovina - swamp; lit. dregnas - damp, damp.
2. Dregva, Dregnas - Dregovichi.
POLYAN (from the field, field workers, grain growers, farmers) plowed and sowed the fields prepared for them by the Dregovichs.
RADIMICI. Lat. radix 1) root, root fruit; 2) radish, radish; 5) root, spine.
Radix - radimichi - vegetable growers. The Slavic suffix -ici was added to the Latin root.
DREVLYANE built buildings from wood, like modern carpenters/architects.
VENEDS, Vendas, Venets. Lat. vendo 1) to sell; 2) exhibit, praise.
Venda merchants of different nationalities followed the pioneers and conquerors, explored new territories, took root among the local population, developed a commodity-money system and were known since the times of Pliny and Tacitus (by their way of life) under the names Vendas, Wends, Veneti.
GOLYAD - from lat. olea olive, olive tree, olive tree.
Ole - olyad - golyad (in Latin-Russian dictionaries hol... = ol...). The change in the sound shell occurred under the influence of servants, ice, etc.
Golyad are butter makers."
Etc. - see link
Answer from Andrey Cherapkin[newbie]
The glades come from the Western Alans, the Alans who were in alliance with the Germans between the Elbe and the Bug, as well as the Getae, the Celts, the future Balts... on the Morava River an alliance was formed of the Croats and also the Volans, as the Germans called them, they lived on the Bug and Vistula next to the Balts, the Pomors, etc., and began to be called Polane (glades), but Volyn has remained to this day. in the 11th century there was a single Polish state and Kyiv was part of it, although it was founded by Viking Rus (Novgorodians). At the beginning of the 12th century, Byzantium, with the help of the Polovtsians, installed Monomakh in Kyiv and introduced Orthodoxy to the Bug (beyond the Bug, the glades had already adopted Catholicism). To free itself from Byzantium, the capital of the eastern glades was moved from Kyiv (where the Byzantine metropolitan sat) to Galich.. the Galician-Volyn kingdom was formed, Lithuania, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, but Orthodoxy in the east (Ukraine, Smolensk, Polotsk) remained, unfortunately.. so no Eastern Slavs do not exist; there are Orthodox (dependent on Byzantium and enslaved by its successor, the Russian Empire.. along with the Rus)
Buzhans (Volynians) - tribe Eastern Slavs, living in the basin of the upper reaches of the Western Bug (from which they got their name); Since the end of the 11th century, the Buzhans have been called Volynians (from the area of Volyn).
Volynians
-East Slavic tribe
or a tribal union mentioned in the Tale of Bygone Years and in the Bavarian chronicles. According to the latter, the Volynians owned seventy fortresses at the end of the 10th century. Some historians believe that the Volynians and Buzhans are descendants of the Dulebs. Their main cities were Volyn and Vladimir-Volynsky
. Archaeological research indicates that the Volynians developed agriculture and numerous crafts, including forging, casting and pottery.
In 981, the Volynians were subjugated by the Kyiv prince Vladimir I and became part of Kievan Rus. Later, the Galician-Volyn principality was formed on the territory of the Volynians.
Drevlyans - one of the tribes of Russian Slavs, lived in Pripyat, Goryn, Sluch and Teterev. The name Drevlyans, according to the chronicler’s explanation, was given to them because they lived in the forests.
From archaeological excavations in the country of the Drevlians, we can conclude that they had a well-known culture. A well-established burial ritual testifies to the existence of certain religious ideas about the afterlife: the absence of weapons in the graves testifies to the peaceful nature of the tribe; finds of sickles, shards and vessels, iron products, remains of fabrics and leather indicate the existence of arable farming, pottery, blacksmithing, weaving and tanning among the Drevlyans; many bones of domestic animals and spurs indicate cattle and horse breeding; many items made of silver, bronze, glass and carnelian, of foreign origin, indicate the existence of trade, and the absence of coins gives reason to conclude that trade was barter.
The political center of the Drevlyans in the era of their independence was the city of Iskorosten;
in later times the political center moved to the city Vruchy (Ovruch).
Dregovichi
- East Slavic tribal union,
lived between Pripyat and Western Dvina. Most likely the name comes from the Old Russian word dregva or dryagva, which means “swamp”.
Let's call the Drugovites (Greek δρονγονβίται) the Dregovichi were already known to Constantine the Porphyrogenitus as a tribe subordinate to Rus'. Being away from the “Road from the Varangians to the Greeks,” the Dregovichi did not play a prominent role in the history of Ancient Rus'. The chronicle only mentions that the Dregovichi once had their own reign. The capital of the principality was the city of Turov
. The subordination of the Dregovichi to the Kyiv princes probably occurred very early. On the territory of the Dregovichi it was subsequently formed Principality of Turov,
and the northwestern lands became part of the Principality of Polotsk.
Duleby (not fools) - union of East Slavic tribes on the territory of Western Volyn in the VI-early X centuries. In the 7th century they were subjected to an Avar invasion (obry). In 907 they took part in Prince Oleg’s campaign against Constantinople. The Duleb tribal union broke up into tribes Volynians and Buzhanians and in the middle of the 10th century finally lost their independence, becoming part of Ancient Rus' with its center in Kyiv.
Krivichi - numerous East Slavic tribe (tribal association), which occupied the upper reaches of the Volga, Dnieper and Western Dvina in the 6th-10th centuries, the southern part of the Lake Peipsi basin and part of the Neman basin. Sometimes the Ilmen Slavs are also considered to be Krivichi.
The Krivichi were probably the first Slavic tribe to move from the Carpathian region to the northeast. Limited in their distribution to the northwest and west, where they met stable Lithuanian and Finnish tribes, the Krivichi spread to the northeast, assimilating with the living Tamfinns.
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 Krivichi make boats on which the Rus go to Constantinople.
They took part in Oleg and Igor’s campaigns against the Greeks as a tribe subordinate to the Kyiv prince; the treaty of Prince Oleg mentions the Krivichi city of Polotsk.
In the era formation of the Old Russian state among the Krivichi
political centers already existed: Izborsk, Polotsk and Smolensk.
It is believed that the last tribal prince of the Krivichs, Rogvolod, along with his sons, was killed in Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavich.
In the Ipatiev list the Krivichi were mentioned for the last time in 1128, and Polotsk princes were called Krivichi (Russians) under 1140 and 1162.
After this, the Krivichi are no longer mentioned in the East Slavic chronicles. However tribal name Krivichi
It was used in foreign sources for quite a long time, until the end of the 17th century. In modern Latvian word krievs
- means Russians,
and the word Krievija - Russia.
Southwestern, Polotsk branch of the Krivichi
also called Polotsk residents
. Together with Dregovichi, Radimichi
and some Baltic tribes the Krivichi branch (Russians) formed the basis of the Belarusian ethnic group.
Northeastern branch of the Krivichi
, settled mainly in the territory of modern Tver, Yaroslavl and Kostroma regions,
was in close contact with Finno-Ugric tribes. The border between the settlement territory Krivichi and Novgorod Slovenes
is determined archaeologically by the types of burials: long mounds among the Krivichi and hills among the Slovenes.
Polotsk residents
- East Slavic tribe,
inhabited the lands in the middle reaches in the 9th century Western Dvina
in today's Belarus.
Polotsk residents are mentioned in the Tale of Bygone Years, which explains their name as living near the Polota River, one of the tributaries of the Western Dvina. In addition, the chronicle claims that the Krivichi were descendants of the Polotsk people. The lands of Polotsk extended from the Svisloch along the Berezina to the lands of the Dregovichi. The Polotsk people were one of the tribes from which the Principality of Polotsk was later formed. Polotsk residents
- one of the founders of the modern Belarusian people.
Glade (poly)
- the name of the Eastern Slavs who settled along the middle reaches Dnieper,
on its right bank.
Judging by the chronicles and the latest archaeological research, the territory of the land of the glades before the Christian era was limited by the current Dnieper, Ros and Irpen;
in the northeast it was adjacent to the village land, in the west - to the southern settlements of the Dregovichi, in the southwest - to the Tivertsy, in the south - to the streets.
The chronicler defines the East Slavic tribe Polyan as "Sadyahu is lying in the field."
The Polyans differed sharply from the neighboring Slavic tribes and in moral properties, and according to forms of social life:“For his father’s customs are quiet and meek, and he is ashamed of his daughters-in-law and sisters and mothers... I have marriage customs.”
History finds the glades already at a rather late stage of political development: the social system is composed of two elements - communal and princely squad
, and the former is strongly suppressed by the latter. With the usual and most ancient activities of the Slavs - hunting, fishing and beekeeping - the Polans, more than other Slavs, had cattle breeding, agriculture, “timber farming” and trade. Extensive tradenot only with Slavic neighbors, but also with foreigners in the West and East:
It is clear from the coin hoards that trade with the East began in the 8th century
- stopped during the strife of the appanage princes.
At first, about half 8th century, paying tribute to the Khazars in the glade
, thanks to cultural and economic superiority, from a defensive position in relation to their neighbors, they soon went on the offensivee; By the end of the 9th century, the Drevlyans, Dregovichs, northerners and others were already subject to the glades.
Gladeearlier than other Slavic tribes adopted Christianity. The center of the Polyanskaya (“Polish”) land was Kyiv; its other settlements - Vyshgorod, Belgorod on the Irpen River (now the village of Belogorodka), Zvenigorod, Trepol (now the village of Tripolye), Vasilyev (now Vasilkov) and others.
The chronicler also calls the Slavic tribe Polyana on the Vistula
, mentioned for the last time in the Ipatiev Chronicle in 1208.
The land of glades with the city of Kiev became the center of the Rurikovich possessions from 882. The last time in the chronicle the name of the glades is mentioned under 944, on the occasion of Igor’s campaign against the Greeks, and is replaced, probably already in the end of the 10th century, named Rus (Ros) and Kiyane. Explanation from all points of view as a derivative of the Old Russian personal name Kyi, Kiy , also known among the rest of the Slavs, especially in earlier times, and how name, nickname of a person, and as a common noun “stick”, “bludgeon”, “what one beats with” (Fasmer M. Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language, 2nd ed. M., 1986. T. II. P. 230; Nikonov V.A. Brief toponymic dictionary. M., 1966. P. 189 – 190;). The adjective Kyyiv means “belonging to Kiy.” Since ancient times, it has been perceived as a flattering comparison of a strong male figure with a club, with an oak trunk.
Radimichi
- the name of the population that was part of the union of East Slavic tribes that lived in the interfluves of the upper reaches Dnieper and Desna.
Around 885 the Radimichi became part of the Old Russian state, and in the 12th century they mastered most of the Chernigov and southern part of the Smolensk lands. The name comes from the name of the ancestor of the tribe, Radim.
Northerners (more correctly - North) - tribal union of the Eastern Slavs, inhabited the territories east of the middle reaches of the Dnieper, along the Desna and Seimi Sula rivers.
The origin of the name of the north is not completely clear. The name goes back to obsolete an ancient Slavic word meaning “relative”. The explanation from the Slavic word siver - north, despite the similarity of sound, is considered extremely controversial, since the north has never been the most northern of the Slavic tribes.
Slovenes (Ilmen Slavs) - East Slavic tribe , who lived in the second half of the first millennium in the basin of Lake Ilmen and the upper reaches and made up the bulk of the population Novgorod land.
Tivertsy - an East Slavic tribe that lived between the Dniester and Danube near the Black Sea coast. They were first mentioned in the Tale of Bygone Years along with other East Slavic tribes of the 9th century. The main occupation of the Tiverts was agriculture. Tivertsy took part in campaigns of Prince Oleg to Constantinople in 907, and Prince Igor in 944 . In the middle of the 10th century, the lands of the Tiverts became part of Ancient Rus' with its center in Kyiv. The descendants of the Tivers in the western territories became part of the Ukrainian people, and the southwestern part of the Tivers tribes underwent Romanianization.
Ulichi
- East Slavic tribe,
inhabiting the lands along the lower reaches of the Dnieper, Southern Bug and the Black Sea coast during the 8th-10th centuries.
The capital of the streets was the city of Peresechen. In the first half of the 10th century, the Ulichi fought for independence from Kievan Rus, but were nevertheless forced to recognize its supremacy and become part of it. Later, the Ulichi and neighboring Tivertsy were pushed north by the arriving Pecheneg nomads, where they merged with the Volynians. The last mention of the streets dates back to the chronicle of the 970s. 
Croats - East Slavic tribe I, who lived in the vicinity of the city of Przemysl on the San River. Called themselves white Croatians, in contrast to the tribe of the same name who lived in the Balkans. The name of the tribe is derived from the ancient Iranian word - “shepherd, guardian of livestock”, which may indicate its main occupation - cattle breeding.
Bodrichi
(encouraged, rarogi
) - Polabian Slavs (lower Elbe) in the 8th-12th centuries. - union of Vagrs, Polabs, Glinyaks, Smolyans. Rarog (from the Danes Rerik) is the main city of the Bodrichis. Mecklenburg State in East Germany. Deep ancient differences are evident at all levels.
According to one version, Rurik - Slav from the Bodrichi tribe
, grandson of Gostomysl, son of his daughter Umila and Bodic prince Godoslav (Godlava).
Vistula -a Western Slavic tribe that lived at least from the 7th century in Lesser Poland. In the 9th century, the Vistula people formed a tribal state with centers in Krakow, Sandomierz and Stradow. At the end of the century they were conquered by the king of Great Moravia Svyatopolk I and were forced to accept baptism. In the 10th century, the lands of the Vistula were conquered by the Polans and included in Poland.
Zlićane (Czech Zličane, Polish Zliczanie) - one of the ancient Bohemian tribes. Inhabited the territory adjacent to the modern city of Kourzhim (Czech Republic). It served as the center of formation of the Zlichan principality, which covered the beginning of the 10th century. Eastern and Southern Bohemia and the region of the Duleb tribe. The main city of the principality was Libice. The Libice princes Slavniki competed with Prague in the struggle for the unification of the Czech Republic. In 995, Zlicany was subordinated to the Přemyslids.
Lusatians, Lusatian Serbs, Sorbs
(German: Sorben), Vendians are an indigenous Slavic population living in the territory of Lower and Upper Lusatia - regions that are part of modern Germany. The first settlements of Lusatian Serbs in these places are recorded in VI century AD e.
The Lusatian language is divided into Upper Lusatian and Lower Lusatian.
The Brockhaus and Euphron Dictionary gives the definition: “Sorbs - the name of the Vends and the Polabian Slavs in general.” Slavic people inhabiting a number of regions in Germany, in the federal states of Brandenburg and Saxony.
Lusatian Serbs
- one of the four officially recognized national minorities in Germany (along with the Gypsies, Frisians and Danes). It is believed that about 60 thousand German citizens now have Serbian roots, of which 20,000 live in Lower Lusatia (Brandenburg) and 40 thousand in Upper Lusatia Lusatia
(Saxony).
Lyutici (Viltsy, Velety)
-a union of Western Slavic tribes who lived in the early Middle Ages in the territory of what is now eastern Germany. The center of the Lutich union was the “Radogost” sanctuary, in which the god Svarozhich was revered. All decisions were made at a large tribal meeting, and there was no central authority.
The Lutici led the Slavic uprising of 983 against German colonization of the lands east of the Elbe, as a result of which colonization was suspended for almost two hundred years. Already before this The Luticians were ardent opponents of the German king Otto I.
It is known about his heir, Henry II, that he did not try to enslave them, but rather lured them with money and gifts to his side in the fight against Boleslaw the Brave Poland.
Military and political successes strengthened in Lutich adherence to paganism and pagan customs,
which also applied to the related Bodriches. However, in the 1050s, an internecine war broke out among the Lutichs and changed their position. The union quickly lost power and influence, and after the central sanctuary was destroyed by the Saxon Duke Lothar in 1125, the union finally disintegrated. Over the next decades, the Saxon dukes gradually expanded their possessions to the east and conquered the lands of the Luticians.
Pomeranians, Pomeranians
- Western Slavic tribes who lived from the 6th century in the lower reaches of the Odryna coast of the Baltic Sea. It remains unclear whether there was a residual Germanic population before their arrival, which they assimilated. In 900, the border of the Pomeranian range ran along the Odra in the west, the Vistula in the east and Notech in the south. They gave the name to the historical area of Pomerania.
In the 10th century, the Polish prince Mieszko I included the Pomeranian lands into the Polish state. In the 11th century, the Pomeranians rebelled and regained independence from Poland. During this period, their territory expanded west from the Odra into the lands of the Lutich. On the initiative of Prince Wartislaw I, the Pomeranians adopted Christianity.
From the 1180s, German influence began to increase and German settlers began to arrive on the Pomeranian lands. Due to the devastating wars with the Danes, the Pomeranian feudal lords welcomed the settlement of the devastated lands by the Germans. Over time, the process of Germanization of the Pomeranian population began.
The remnant of the ancient Pomeranians who escaped assimilation today are the Kashubians, numbering 300 thousand people.
the gloomy idea of posthumous retribution was alien. The terms of the Pre-Christian pagan cult - saint, faith, God, heaven, spirit, soul, sin, law - were taken over by Christianity. For example, the word God was known back in the Scythian era, that is, more than a thousand years before the baptism of Rus'. The new Christian faith wisely used the fruits of the culture of the Slavic spirit and the Slavic word. From now on, what had served the old faith for centuries and even millennia began to serve the new faith in Christ. 2018-01-22
Ancient Rus'! 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 Rus'. 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 figure it out.
History of the names of the tribes of the ancient Slavs
- Many tribes got their name by area where they lived.
Buzhans - lived along the banks of the Western Bug River
Volynians – local name – Volyn
Drevlyans - lived in a forest area (northwest of Kyiv)
Dregovichi - inhabitants of swamps (dregva is a swamp in ancient Russian). They lived on the left bank of the Pripyat
Ilmen tribes or Slovenes - lived on the shore of Lake Ilmen, their center was Novgorod.
Polotsk (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 (previously it was called Tiras, that is, fast)
Ulichi - from the word “angle”, they lived on the shores of the Black Sea along the Dnieper and Bug, which made up the “angle”. They lived in the Dniester region.
- Another group of tribes was called according to the founder of the clan
Vyatichi - named after the ancestor of the family - Vyatko (Vyata). They lived in the area of the Oka and Moskva rivers.
Radimichi - the founder of the clan is Radim or Radimir. They lived between the Dnieper and Sozh.
Krivichi - according to the founder of the family, 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 Huns tribe - Savirs, with which this tribe merged. Other researchers suggest that the name is related to the Old Russian word meaning “relative.” But this tribe is in no way connected with the north, since it lived in the center of Rus'. 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 most doubt among scientists. But the most common explanation of the origin of this word is “separated”, “selected”, “piece, part of something”.
Settlement of ancient Slavic tribes
Material prepared by: Melnikova Vera Aleksandrovna
We touched a little on the description of the Slavic tribes and their settlement in ancient Rus'. In this article we will look in more detail Slavic tribes, so that you can get acquainted with an important component of the life of our ancestors.
It is worth saying that in all written sources that have survived to this day, the mention of the Slavs dates back to the 5th-6th centuries. However, archeology indicates that Slavic culture originated and spread throughout modern Russia much earlier. Academician V.V. Sedov talks about the so-called under-klesh burials in the area between the Oder and Vistula rivers, which date back to 400-100. BC. Kyiv archaeological culture dates back to the beginning of the 2nd century AD. There are also more ancient finds: on the banks of the Don, archaeologists found human remains and other artifacts about 45 thousand years old.
All the tribes that lived to the west of the headwaters of the Dnieper River, between the Oder and Vistula rivers, were designated as Wends until the 4th-6th centuries. After this date, another name was attached to them - Sklavins or Slavs. A certain Tacitus, who left behind descriptions of various peoples and tribes, wrote that unlike the Sarmatians, who were nomads, the Wends led a more sedentary lifestyle, built strong houses, were engaged in crafts, agriculture, cattle breeding, etc. Among these tribes, communalism was preserved a system where all members of society took equal part in labor and where there was no social inequality. However, as already mentioned, by the 5th century this system began to slowly collapse, since it was opposed by an economic system, where the one who is stronger, richer and who has more power rules. The Ant tribes also belonged to the Slavs. Although the Antovs and the Slavs were distinguished and classified as different tribes, most likely this division was only based on territoriality. The Ants and Slavs had the same language, way of life, customs and beliefs. Historians suggest that they were once one and the same tribe, but after settling throughout Rus' over large territories they became isolated. There is an assumption that the Ants were completely destroyed by the Avars in 602. Extremely scanty information has been preserved about that war, but after this event the Antes are not mentioned anywhere else.
Historians of Slavic culture count several tribes that existed in the vastness of our country in the period from the 6th to the 11th centuries:
Duleby. They are considered one of the earliest groups of Eastern Slavs. They lived in the basin of the Bug and tributaries of the Pripyat. It is believed that the Volynians and Drevlyans later descended from Duleb. It is worth saying that the Dulebs took part in Prince Oleg’s campaign against Constantinople in 907.
Volynians. Some researchers disagree about Volynyan and Buzhan. Some say that these are different names for one tribal union, others claim that these are two different tribes. The Volynians lived on the banks of the western Bug and at the source of the Pripyat River. As already mentioned, the Volynians descended from the Dulebs. According to some information, the Volynians had from 70 to 231 cities.
Vyatichi. A union of tribes that lived along the banks of the upper and middle reaches of the Oka and along the banks of the Moscow River. Vyatichi is mentioned in. The PVL says that the Vyatichi descended from the ancestor Vyatko, who was born Lyakh or Polyak. His brother Radim founded the Radimichi tribe. At the beginning of the 12th century, Vladimir Monomakh fought with Prince Khodota, who was the leader of the Vyatichi. For a long time they maintained pagan beliefs.
Drevlyans. The name itself, as explained by one chronicler, suggests that the Drevlyans lived in forests. They lived in the territory of Polesie, the right bank of the Dnieper, near rivers such as Teterev, Uzh, Ubort, Stviga. Judging by archaeological excavations, the Drevlyans lived a peaceful life. Their main business was arable farming, various trades, and cattle breeding. The Drevlyans were a peaceful people and practically did not fight. However, one well-known story is connected with the Drevlyans: in 945 they killed the Kyiv prince Igor, to whom they did not want to pay a large tribute. After the murder, the entire Drevlyan people paid heavily for the crime. Igor's widow Olga burned their capital Iskorosten, many were killed, others were sold into slavery or became slaves.
Dregovichi. The Dregovichi, judging by excavations, lived in the middle of the Pripyat River, in the watershed of the Drut and Berezina rivers, as well as in the upper reaches of the Neman River.
Krivichi. The Tribal Union lived in the territories of Vitebsk, Mogilev, Pskov, Bryansk and Smolensk regions. The Krivichi are also divided into two large groups: Pskov and Polotsk-Smolensk. The Tale of Bygone Years says that the cities of the Krivichi were Smolensk and Polotsk. Part of the Krivichi tribal union were the Polochans (Polotsk), whom some researchers classify as a separate group.
Glade. The Polyans lived on the territory of modern Kyiv and on the Dnieper. One of the most important theories about the origin of Rus' is associated with the glades. According to some sources, the Polyano-Russian legend is much older than the Varangian legend. The glades that came from Norik on the Danube were the first to be called Rus, “The glades that are now called Rus'.”
The Polyans were a very developed culture, and because of this superiority, the Drevlyans, Dregovichi and other tribes became subject to the Polyans by the 9th century. Their cities are Kyiv, Vyshgorod, Belgorod, Zvenigorod, Trepol (Tripolye village), Vasilyev (Vasilkov).
Video. Ancient Slavs. Origins. Part 1
Ancient authors were sure that on the lands that were subsequently occupied by the Old Russian state, there lived wild and warlike Slavic tribes, who were constantly at enmity with each other and threatened more civilized peoples.
Vyatichi
The Slavic tribe of Vyatichi (according to the chronicle, its ancestor was Vyatko) lived on a vast territory, which today is the Smolensk, Kaluga, Moscow, Ryazan, Tula, Voronezh, Oryol and Lipetsk regions. According to anthropologists, the Vyatichi were outwardly similar to their northern neighbors, but differed from them in the higher bridge of their nose and in the fact that most of their representatives had light brown 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 ancient Slavic “vęt” (large). Some historians see the kinship of the Vyatichi with the German tribal union of the Vandals; there is also a version linking 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 engaging in gathering, cattle breeding and shifting agriculture. Nestor the Chronicler writes that the Vyatichi mostly lived in forests and were distinguished by their “beastly” disposition. They resisted the introduction of Christianity longer than other Slavic tribes, preserving pagan traditions, including “bride kidnapping.”
The Vyatichi fought most actively with 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 ardor. However, not for long. His son Vladimir (the Saint) again had to conquer the obstinate Vyatichi, but this tribe was finally conquered by Vladimir Monomakh in the 11th century.
Slovenia
The northernmost Slavic tribe - the Slovenes - lived on the shores of Lake Ilmen, as well as on the Mologa River. The history of its origin has not yet been clarified. According to a widespread 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 Sloven, as legend tells, power was inherited by Prince Vandal, who married the Varangian maiden Advinda. The Scandinavian saga tells us that Vandal, as the ruler of the Slovenes, went north, east and west, by sea and land, conquering all the surrounding peoples.
Historians confirm that the Slovenes fought with many neighboring peoples, including the Varangians. 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 Burivoy was defeated by the Varangians, who imposed tribute on his people. However, the son of Burivoy Gostomysl regained his 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
By 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 extensive 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 Lutich, characterized by an aggressive and ferocious disposition.
Krivichi settlements were always located on the banks of rivers along which the famous route “from the Varangians to the Greeks” went. Historians have established that the Krivichi interacted quite closely with the Varangians. Thus, the Byzantine Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus wrote that the Krivichi made ships on which the Rus sailed to Constantinople.
According to information that has reached us, the Krivichi were active participants in many Varangian expeditions, both trade and military. In battles they were not much inferior to their warlike comrades - the Normans.
After joining the Principality of Kyiv, the Krivichi took an active part in the colonization of the vast northern and eastern territories, known today as the Kostroma, Tver, Yaroslavl, Vladimir, Ryazan and Vologda regions. In the north they were partly assimilated by Finnish tribes.
Drevlyans
The territories of 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 Dregovich neighbors.
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 were noticeably different from those who lived to the east of the meek glades: “The Drevlyans live in a bestial manner, they live bestially: they kill each other, eat everything uncleanly, and they have never had a marriage, but they snatch a maiden from the water.”
Perhaps for some time the glades were even tributaries of the Drevlyans, who had their own reign. At the end of the 9th century, the Drevlyans were subjugated by Oleg. According to Nestor, they were part of the army with which the Kiev prince “went against the Greeks.” After Oleg's death, the Drevlyans' attempts to free themselves from Kyiv's rule became more frequent, but in the end they only received an increased amount of tribute imposed on them by Igor Rurikovich.
Arriving to the Drevlyans for the next portion of tribute, Prince Igor was killed. According to the Byzantine historian Leo the Deacon, he was captured and executed, torn in two (they were tied by his hands and feet to the trunks of two trees, one of which had been strongly bent before and then released). The Drevlyans paid dearly for the terrible and daring murder. Driven by a thirst for revenge, the wife of the deceased prince Olga destroyed the Drevlyan ambassadors who had come to woo her, burying them alive in the ground. Under Princess Olga, the Drevlyans finally submitted, and in 946 they became part of Kievan Rus.
