Which Slavic peoples are the “cleanest”. Countries of the Slavic group

Noun, number of synonyms: 1 Slavic (5) ASIS Dictionary of Synonyms. V.N. Trishin. 2013… Dictionary of synonyms

Slavic Taxon: branch Area: Slavic countries Number of speakers: 400 500 million Classification ... Wikipedia

S. languages ​​constitute one of the families of the Ario-European (Indo-European, Indo-Germanic) branch of languages ​​(see Indo-European languages). The names Slav, Slavic languages, not only cannot be considered etymologically related to the word man, but cannot even... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary F.A. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron

Slavic peoples Ethnopsychological Dictionary

SLAVIC PEOPLES- representatives of Slavic nations, Russians, Ukrainians, Belarusians, Bulgarians, Poles, Slovaks, Czechs, Yugoslavs, who have their own specific culture and unique national psychology. In the dictionary we consider only national psychological... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary of Psychology and Pedagogy

The German language belongs to the West Germanic subgroup of Germanic languages ​​and is the official state language of such states as the Federal Republic of Germany (about 76 77 million speakers), Austria (7.5 million people), ... ... Wikipedia

South Slavic countries in the XIII-XV centuries. Albania- Bulgaria after liberation from Byzantine rule During the period of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom (1187-1396), which began after the overthrow of the Byzantine yoke, Bulgaria entered without having overcome feudal fragmentation. This… … World history. Encyclopedia

This term has other meanings, see Slavs (meanings). Slavs ... Wikipedia

This term has other meanings, see Bulgaria (meanings). Republic of Bulgaria Republic of Bulgaria ... Wikipedia

Western Slavic countries ... Wikipedia

Books

• Series "Millennium of Russian History" (set of 18 books), . How much do we know about history? own country? The country we live in? The books in the series “Millenniums of Russian History” present the history of our country as a series of riddles and secrets, each volume…
• Educational and methodological complex on the history of the Middle Ages. In 5 books. Book 4. Author's course program. Seminar lesson plans. Reader, Edited by V. A. Vedyushkin. The purpose of the program is to give teachers the opportunity to structure work in such a way that students receive the most complete understanding of the subject being studied. The purpose of the anthology is to provide…

One of the largest cultural, linguistic and national communities of almost all the peoples of Europe are the Slavs. If we consider the origin of the name, it is worth clarifying that scientists divide its origin into several options. In the first, the word “Slavs” comes from “word”, that is, from a nationality that speaks one language that is understandable and accessible to them, and others were dumb, inaccessible, incomprehensible, alien to them.

Another existing version of the origin of the name speaks of “purification or ablution,” which implies origin from the people living near the river.

An equally popular theory says that “Slavs” came from the name of the first community of the people, which gave rise to the spread of this word to other territories during the process of emigration, especially during the Great Migration.

Today there are about 350 million Slavs across all territories of various states in the Western, Southern and Eastern regions of Europe, which gave them the division into varieties. Also, Slavic communities are partially located in the territory of modern Central Europe, some parts of America and in small areas throughout.

The largest number of Slavs are Russians and the value of this figure is about 146 million people, the second place in number is occupied by the Poles, whom today experts number about 57 and a half million people, and the third place was taken by the Ukrainians with a figure of about 57 million people.

Today the Slavs are characterized only as a single language family, which are partially united by religion, some cultural values ​​and the past unity of the entire Slavic people. Unfortunately, obvious antiquities, references and relics have not been preserved. One can only feel the unity in folklore, chronicles and epics, which are still relevant for many peoples today.

Eastern Slavs

Russians

Russians - as an independent people of the entire Slavic community, they appeared in the 14th-18th centuries. The main center of education for the entire Russian people is considered to be the Moscow State, which since its creation has united the territories of the Don, Oka, and Dnieper lands. Afterwards, expanding its borders and conquering new territories, it expanded and settled to the coast of the White Sea.

Delving into the history of life, it is important to note the location of Russian settlements. Most often, this affected their standard of living and their way of life. Mostly people were engaged in cattle breeding, agriculture, collecting gifts of nature, especially medicinal herbs, and fishing. Early peoples processed metal and wood, which helped in construction and everyday life. They also engaged in trade, expanding the routes.

Ukrainians

Ukrainians - the first mention of the word “Ukrainians” appeared around the end of the 12th century. Until the 17th century, the nation was located primarily on the steppe territory of the outskirts of Rus', in the Zaporozhye Sich, but due to the increased onslaught of Catholic Poland, the Ukrainians had to flee to the territory of Sloboda Ukraine. Around 1655-1656, Left Bank Ukraine united with Russian territories, and only in the 18th century did Right Bank Ukraine do the same, which determined the liquidation of the Zaporozhye Sich and the settlement of Ukrainians right up to the mouth of the Danube.

The traditional life of Ukrainians was often determined by the clay stucco of houses and the variety of household decorations. And a rich spiritual culture is defined and maintained to this day in national clothing, songs and decorations;

Belarusians

Belarusians are a nationality formed in the Polotsk-Minsk and Smolensk lands. During the main formation of the people, the life of culture was especially influenced by the Lithuanians, Poles and Russian nationalities, making the language, history and culture close in spirit to many.

According to some legends, the nationality got its name from the hair color of the indigenous population - “White Rus'” and only in 1850 they officially began to use “Belarus”.
The life and main occupations of the population did not differ from the Russian peoples, so agriculture was predominant. Today, Belarusians have preserved a rich cultural heritage expressed in holiday songs, famous national cuisine and decorations for traditional dresses of men and women.

Western Slavs

Poles

Poles - indigenous people modern Poland, belonging to the group of Western Slavs. Czechs and Slovaks are considered to be closest to the Poles in terms of the history of development and formation.

Until the 19th century, there was no single Polish nation; there were only nationalities that were divided according to ethnic characteristics, varieties of dialect and territorial features of residence. So the nationality was divided into Velikopolians, Krakows, Mazurs, Pomorians and others.

The main occupation of the Poles was hunting to provide themselves with food and good trade raw materials. Falconry was especially valued. In addition to hunting, pottery, bark weaving and charioteering were used in everyday life.
Chronicles have survived to this day with descriptions of richly decorated houses, finds in the form of painted pottery and, of course, bright outfits made of natural fabrics with painted patterns, which are actively used to celebrate national holidays;

Czechs

Czechs - the territory of the modern Czech Republic was occupied by small Slavic tribes back in the 4th century until the 10th century. After the annexation of these lands to the then strong and powerful Roman Empire, the Czech peoples were reunited as a single whole on fertile lands and began their intensive development in agriculture and pottery. A broad Czech culture has been preserved to this day, expressed in legends, famous folklore and applied art;

Slovaks

Slovaks - at the beginning of the 4th century, isolated tribes of Slavs appeared on the territory of modern Slovakia, beginning the gradual development of these lands. Already in the 5th century, the tribes united and created the Nitra Principality, which saved them from ruin from constant attacks by the Arabs. This unification gave rise to the future Czechoslovak Republic, in the division of which Slovenia appeared into independent states.

The life and occupations of the population were completely diverse, as they were divided depending on the location of the people. These included traditional farming and construction, whose existence is still confirmed by archaeologists throughout the country. Small-scale livestock raising was also popular;

Lusatians

Lusatians are the remaining Polabian-Baltic Slavs, who received their name from the location of their territories of residence, namely from the coast Baltic Sea and the Elbe River to the Lusatian Mountains. A certain number of Slavs emigrated to the territory of these lands, numbering only 8 thousand people.

In the new territory, the Lusatian people developed quickly and efficiently, engaging in handicrafts, fishing, farming and developing trade in many areas. The territorial location contributed to such good development. Trade routes passed to the East and Scandinavia through these fertile lands, which helped maintain trade relations and a decent standard of living for the population.

Southern Slavs

Bulgarians

Bulgarians - the first Slavic tribes on the territory of modern Bulgaria appeared in the 5-6th century. Unification and expansion began only in the 7th century thanks to the Bulgars who came from Central Asia. The unification of the two peoples by the then ruling khan made it possible in the future to create a strong state with a rich and eventful history.
The life and cultural heritage of Bulgarians was influenced by Roman, Greek and Ottoman cultures, which each left a visible mark on the history of the country in its own era. Today you can see architectural monuments from different time frames, enjoy folklore, where several varieties of cultures are mixed, which makes it unique and different from others;

Serbs

Serbs are the indigenous people of the South Slavs. It is the Serbs who are considered closest to the Croats in origin, development, and cultural values, since for a long time they were considered one common Serbo-Croatian tribe. The division of history began in the choice of faith - the Serbs adopted Orthodoxy, and the Croats adopted the Catholic faith.
The cultural heritage and development of Serbia as a whole is rich and multifaceted. In addition to folk, world-famous dances, impressive outfits, different bright colors and embroidery, in Serbia even today they honor some pagan rituals that took their foundation during the development of the people before the arrival of the main faith - Orthodoxy;

Croats

Croats - mass migration in the 6-8th century to the Adriatic coast made it possible for the Slavic peoples not only to expand the number of the first settlers who inhabited the territory of the future Croatia, but also to strengthen their position by uniting with local communities. The ancient Croatian tribes who came from the Vistula reconquered the coast, bringing their language, a different faith and radically changing the local way of life. The Adriatic Sea was considered a good opportunity for trade and expanding relations between peoples, so the area on the coast has always attracted various settlers.

In Croatia, ancient traditions and the modern rhythm of life are still wonderfully combined. Rich culture brings its own rules to modern life, decorations, traditional holidays and festivities;

Slovenians

Slovenes - the 6th century, as a time of active migration, became the basis for the peoples of Slovenia. The Slavs who moved to the territory founded practically the first Slavic state - Carantania. Later, the state had to give the reins of government to the Franks who conquered them, but despite this they retained their history and independence, which undoubtedly influenced further development and religion. Another important step in the development of Slovenia was the writing of the first chronicle around the year 1000 in the Slovenian language.
Despite periodic wars and periodic economic losses, the country was again and again able to resume its usual way of life and way of life thanks to widely developed agriculture and applied arts, which made it possible to establish trade with neighboring communities and states.

Today Slovenia is a country with a complex but rich history, maximum security and wide hospitality for every visitor who wants to experience beautiful views in the spirit of ancient Europe;

Bosnians

Bosnians - despite the fact that the territory future country Bosnia was also settled by the Slavs in the 6th-7th centuries; it was the last to form an integral and unified state, government and adopted Christianity as practically a single religion. Historians claim that isolation from neighboring countries - Byzantium, Italy, Germany - was a hindrance to this. But despite this, the country flourished thanks to extensive agriculture, which was facilitated by the location of its central part on the Bosna River.

Despite its rather difficult history, the country is distinguished by its vibrant cultural heritage and its maintenance for its descendants. Having visited the country, anyone can get acquainted with it and immerse themselves in its interesting history.

Disputes about the Slavic peoples and the unity of the Slavs.

Being largest nationality throughout Europe, scientists from different fields are still arguing about the true origin of the Slavic people. Some suggest their origin began with the Aryans and Germans, some scientists even suggest the ancient Celtic origin of the Slavs. One way or another, the Slavs are today Indo-European people, which, due to resettlement, has spread over a vast territory and unites many countries and peoples with its cultural heritage, despite their differences in mentality, nationality and the versatility of the development of history.

Customs and traditions have helped to form entire states, uniting and strengthening over the centuries, which has given us cultural diversity in the modern world.

All Slavic peoples It is customary to divide into 3 groups: Western Slavs (Czechs, Slovaks, Poles), Eastern Slavs (Russians, Ukrainians, Belarusians) and Southern Slavs (Serbs, Croats, Macedonians, Bulgarians).

East Slavic group

According to the 1989 census

There were 145.2 Russians in the USSR

million people, Ukrainians - 44.2 million people, Belarusians - 10 million people. Russians and Ukrainians have always been the most numerous nationalities in the USSR; Belarusians in the 1960s gave way to third place to the Uzbeks (16.7 million people in 1989).

Until recently, the name “Russians” was often indiscriminately assigned to all Eastern Slavs. Between the X and XIII centuries. the center of Rus' was Kyiv and its inhabitants were known as “Rusichi”. But as political conditions contributed to increasing linguistic and cultural differences between territorial groups Eastern Slavs, they were divided into Little Russians (Ukrainians), Belorussians (Belarusians) and Great Russians (Russians).

Over centuries of territorial expansion, the Russians assimilated the Varangians, Tatars, Finno-Ugrians and dozens of peoples of Siberia. All of them left their linguistic traces, but did not significantly influence Slavic identity. While Russians migrated throughout northern Eurasia, Ukrainians and Belarusians continued to inhabit their compact ethnic areas. The modern boundaries of the three states roughly correspond to ethnic boundaries, but all Slavic territories were never nationally homogeneous. Ethnic Ukrainians in 1989 made up 72.7% of the population of their republic, Belarusians - 77.9%, and Russians - 81.5%. 1

There were 119,865.9 thousand Russians in the Russian Federation in 1989. In other republics former USSR The Russian population was distributed as follows: in Ukraine it amounted to 1,1355.6 thousand people. (22% of the population of the republic), in Kazakhstan - 6227.5 thousand people. (37.8%, respectively), Uzbekistan - 1653.5 thousand people. (8%), Belarus - 1342 thousand people. (13.2% of the population of the republic), Kyrgyzstan - 916.6 thousand people. (21.5% of the population of the republic), Latvia - 905.5 thousand people. (37.6% of the population of the republic), Moldova - 562 thousand people. (13% of the population of the republic), Estonia - 474.8 thousand people. (30% of the population of the republic), Azerbaijan - 392.3 thousand people. (5.5% of the population of the republic), Tajikistan - 388.5

thousand people (7.6% of the population of the republic), Georgia - 341.2

thousand people (6.3% of the republic’s population), Lithuania - 344.5

thousand people (9.3% of the population of the republic), Turkmenistan - 333.9 thousand people. (9.4% of the population of the republic), Armenia - 51.5 thousand people. (1.5% of the republic's population). In non-CIS countries, the Russian population as a whole is 1.4 million people, the majority live in the USA (1 million people).

The emergence of regional differences among the Russian people relates to feudal period. Even among the ancient East Slavic tribes, differences in material culture between the north and south were noted. These differences intensified even more after active ethnic contacts and the assimilation of non-Slavic populations in Asia and Eastern Europe. The formation of regional differences was also facilitated by the presence of a special military population on the borders. According to ethnographic and dialectological characteristics, the most noticeable differences are between the Russians of the north and south of European Russia. Between them there is a wide intermediate zone - Central Russian, where northern and southern features are combined in spiritual and material culture. The Volgars, the Russians of the Middle and Lower Volga regions, form a separate regional group.

Ethnographers and linguists also distinguish three transitional groups: Western (residents of the Velikaya, Upper Dnieper and Western Dvina river basins) - transitional between the Northern and Central Russian, Central and Southern Russian groups and Belarusians; northeastern (Russian population of the Kirov, Perm, Sverdlovsk regions), formed after the settlement of Russian territories in the 15th-1st-17th centuries, according to the local dialect close to the North Russian group, but having Central Russian features due to the two main directions along which settlement took place edges - from the north and from the center of European Russia; southeastern (Russians of the Rostov region, Stavropol and Krasnodar territories), close to the southern Russian group in terms of language, folklore and material culture.

Other, smaller, historical and cultural groups of the Russian people include Pomors, Cossacks, old-timers Kerzhaks and Siberian mestizos.

In a narrow sense, Pomors are usually called the Russian population of the White Sea coast from Onega to Kem, and in a more in a broad sense- all residents of the coast of the northern seas washing European Russia.

The Pomors are the descendants of the ancient Novgorodians, who differed from the Northern Russians in the peculiarities of their economy and life associated with the sea and maritime industries.

The ethnic class group of the Cossacks is unique - Amur, Astrakhan, Don, Transbaikal, Kuban, Orenburg, Semirechensk, Siberian, Terek, Ural, Ussuri.

Don, Ural, Orenburg, Terek, Transbaikal and Amur Cossacks, although they had different origins, differed from peasants in their economic privileges and self-government. Don Cossacks, formed in the XVII-XVII centuries. of Slavic and Asian components, historically divided into Verkhovsky and Ponizovsky. Among the Verkhovsky Cossacks there were more Russians; among the Ponizovsky Cossacks, Ukrainians predominated. The North Caucasian (Terek and Greben) Cossacks were close to the mountain peoples. The core of the Ural Cossacks in the 16th century. were immigrants from the Don, and the core of the Transbaikal Cossacks, who appeared later, in XIX century, - formed not only Russians, but also Buryats and Evenks.

The old-timers of Siberia are the descendants of settlers from the 16th to 16th centuries. from Northern Russia and the Urals. Among Western Siberian old-timers, Okanye are more common, and in Eastern Siberia, in addition to Okanye Russians, there are also Akayas - people from the southern Russian lands. Akanye is especially widespread in the Far East, where descendants of new settlers of the late 19th century predominate.

Early 20th century

Many Kerzhaks - Siberian Old Believers - have retained their ethnographic characteristics. Among them are: “masons”, descendants of white Old Believers from the mountainous regions of Altai, living along the Bukhtarma and Uimon rivers; “Poles” speaking an Akai dialect, descendants of Old Believers resettled after the partition of Poland from the town of Vetki in the Ust-region

Kamenogorsk; “Semeyskie”, descendants of Old Believers evicted from European Russia to Transbaikalia in the 18th century

Among the Siberian mestizos, the Yakuts and Kolyma residents, the descendants of mixed Russian-Yakut marriages, the Kamchadals, the Karyms (Russified Buryats of Transbaikalia) and the descendants of the tundra peasants who adopted the Dogan language and customs, living along the Dudinka and Khatanga rivers, stand out.

Ukrainians (4362.9 thousand people) live mainly in the Tyumen region (260.2 thousand people), Moscow (247.3 thousand people), and in addition, in the Moscow region, in the areas bordering Ukraine , in the Urals and Siberia. Of these, 42.8% consider Ukrainian to be their native language, and another 15.6% are fluent in it, 57% of Russian Ukrainians consider Russian to be their native language. There are no Ukrainian ethnographic groups within Russia. Among the Kuban (Black Sea) Cossacks, the Ukrainian component predominates.

Belarusians (1206.2 thousand people) live dispersed throughout Russia and mainly (80%) in cities. Among them there is a special ethnographic group of Poleschuks.

Slavic peoples

The origin of the term “Slavs,” which has been of great public interest lately, is very complex and confusing. The definition of the Slavs as an ethno-confessional community, due to the very large territory occupied by the Slavs, is often difficult, and the use of the concept of “Slavic community” for political purposes over the centuries has caused a serious distortion of the picture of real relationships between the Slavic peoples.

The origin of the term “Slavs” itself is unknown to modern science. Presumably, it goes back to a certain pan-Indo-European root, the semantic content of which is the concept of “man”, “people”. There are also two theories, one of which derives the Latin names Sclavi, Stlavi, Sklaveni from the ending of names “-slav”, which in turn is associated with the word “slava”. Another theory connects the name "Slavs" with the term "word", citing in support the presence of the Russian word "Germans", derived from the word "mute". Both of these theories, however, are refuted by almost all modern linguists, who claim that the suffix “-Yanin” clearly indicates belonging to a particular locality. Since the area called “Slav” is unknown to history, the origin of the name of the Slavs remains unclear.

Basic knowledge available to modern science about the ancient Slavs, are based either on data archaeological excavations(which in themselves do not provide any theoretical knowledge), or on the basis of chronicles, usually known not in their original form, but in the form of later lists, descriptions and interpretations. It is obvious that such factual material is completely insufficient for any serious theoretical constructions. Sources of information about the history of the Slavs are discussed below, as well as in the chapters “History” and “Linguistics,” but it should immediately be noted that any study in the field of life, everyday life and religion of the ancient Slavs cannot claim to be anything more than a hypothetical model.

It should also be noted that in the science of the 19th-20th centuries. There was a serious difference in views on the history of the Slavs between Russian and foreign researchers. On the one hand, it was caused by the special political relations of Russia with other Slavic states, the sharply increased influence of Russia on European politics and the need for historical (or pseudo-historical) justification for this policy, as well as a backlash to it, including from openly fascist ethnographer theorists (for example, Ratzel). On the other hand, there were (and are) fundamental differences between the scientific and methodological schools of Russia (especially the Soviet one) and Western countries. The observed discrepancy could not but be influenced by religious aspects - the claims of Russian Orthodoxy to a special and exclusive role in the world Christian process, rooted in the history of the baptism of Rus', also required a certain revision of some views on the history of the Slavs.

The concept of “Slavs” often includes certain peoples with a certain degree of convention. A number of nationalities have undergone such significant changes in their history that they can be called Slavic only with great reservations. Many peoples, mainly on the borders of traditional Slavic settlement, have characteristics of both the Slavs and their neighbors, which requires the introduction of the concept "marginal Slavs". Such peoples definitely include the Daco-Romanians, Albanians and Illyrians, and the Leto-Slavs.

Most of the Slavic population, having experienced numerous historical vicissitudes, one way or another mixed with other peoples. Many of these processes occurred already in modern times; Thus, Russian settlers in Transbaikalia, mixing with the local Buryat population, gave birth to a new community known as the Chaldons. By and large, it makes sense to derive the concept "Mezoslavs" in relation to peoples who have a direct genetic connection only with the Veneds, Antes and Sclavenians.

It is necessary to use the linguistic method in identifying the Slavs, as suggested by a number of researchers, with extreme caution. There are many examples of such inconsistency or syncretism in the linguistics of some peoples; Thus, the Polabian and Kashubian Slavs de facto speak German, and many Balkan peoples have changed their original language several times beyond recognition in just the last one and a half millennia.

Such a valuable method of research as the anthropological one, unfortunately, is practically inapplicable to the Slavs, since a single anthropological type characteristic of the entire habitat of the Slavs has not been formed. The traditional everyday anthropological characteristic of the Slavs refers mainly to the northern and eastern Slavs, who over the centuries assimilated with the Balts and Scandinavians, and cannot be attributed to the eastern and especially the southern Slavs. Moreover, as a result of significant external influences from, in particular, Muslim conquerors, the anthropological characteristics of not only the Slavs, but also all inhabitants of Europe, changed significantly. For example, the indigenous inhabitants of the Apennine Peninsula during the heyday of the Roman Empire had an appearance characteristic of the inhabitants of the Central Russia XIX c.: blonde curly hair, blue eyes and round faces.

As mentioned above, information about the Proto-Slavs is known to us exclusively from ancient and later Byzantine sources of the early 1st millennium AD. The Greeks and Romans gave completely arbitrary names to the proto-Slavic peoples, referring them to the terrain, appearance or combat characteristics of the tribes. As a result, there is a certain confusion and redundancy in the names of the Proto-Slavic peoples. At the same time, however, in the Roman Empire the Slavic tribes were generally called by the terms Stavani, Stlavani, Suoveni, Slavi, Slavini, Sklavini, having obviously a common origin, but leaving wide scope for speculation about the original meaning of this word, as mentioned above.

Modern ethnography rather conventionally divides the Slavs of modern times into three groups:

Eastern, which includes Russians, Ukrainians and Belarusians; some researchers single out only the Russian nation, which has three branches: Great Russian, Little Russian and Belarusian;

Western, which includes Poles, Czechs, Slovaks and Lusatians;

Southern, which includes Bulgarians, Serbs, Croats, Slovenes, Macedonians, Bosnians, Montenegrins.

It is easy to see that this division corresponds more to linguistic differences between peoples than to ethnographic and anthropological ones; Thus, the division of the main population of the former Russian Empire into Russians and Ukrainians is very controversial, and the unification of the Cossacks, Galicians, Eastern Poles, Northern Moldovans and Hutsuls into one nationality relates more to politics than to science.

Unfortunately, based on the above, a researcher of Slavic communities can hardly rely on a research method other than the linguistic one and the classification that follows from it. However, despite all the richness and effectiveness of linguistic methods, in the historical aspect they are very susceptible to external influences, and, as a consequence of this, in a historical perspective they may turn out to be unreliable.

Of course, the main ethnographic group of the Eastern Slavs are the so-called Russians, at least due to its numbers. However, with regard to Russians, we can only speak in a general sense, since the Russian nation is a very bizarre synthesis of small ethnographic groups and nationalities.

Three ethnic elements took part in the formation of the Russian nation: Slavic, Finnish and Tatar-Mongolian. While asserting this, we cannot, however, definitely say what exactly the original East Slavic type was. Similar uncertainty is observed in relation to the Finns, who are united into one group only due to a certain similarity of the languages ​​of the Baltic Finns themselves, Lapps, Livs, Estonians and Magyars. Even less obvious is the genetic origin of the Tatar-Mongols, who, as is known, have a fairly distant relationship with modern Mongols, and even more so with the Tatars.

A number of researchers believe that the social elite of ancient Rus', which gave its name to the entire people, was made up of a certain people of Rus, who by the middle of the 10th century. subjugated the Slovenes, Polyans and part of the Krivichi. There are, however, significant differences in hypotheses about the origin and the very fact of the existence of the Rus. The Norman origin of the Rus is assumed to be from the Scandinavian tribes of the Viking expansion period. This hypothesis was described back in the 18th century, but was received with hostility by the patriotically minded part of Russian scientists led by Lomonosov. Currently, the Norman hypothesis is considered in the West as basic, and in Russia as probable.

The Slavic hypothesis of the origin of the Rus was formulated by Lomonosov and Tatishchev in defiance of the Norman hypothesis. According to this hypothesis, the Rus originate from the Middle Dnieper region and are identified with the glades. Many archaeological finds in the south of Russia were fitted under this hypothesis, which had official status in the USSR.

The Indo-Iranian hypothesis assumes the origin of the Rus from the Sarmatian tribes of the Roxalans or Rosomons, mentioned by ancient authors, and the name of the people comes from the term ruksi- "light". This hypothesis does not stand up to criticism, first of all, due to the dolichocephalic skulls inherent in the burials of that time, which is characteristic only of northern peoples.

There is a strong (and not only in everyday life) belief that the formation of the Russian nation was influenced by a certain nation called the Scythians. Meanwhile, in a scientific sense, this term has no right to exist, since the concept of “Scythians” is no less generalized than “Europeans”, and includes dozens, if not hundreds of nomadic peoples of Turkic, Aryan and Iranian origin. Naturally, these nomadic peoples, to one degree or another, had a certain influence on the formation of the Eastern and Southern Slavs, but it is completely wrong to consider this influence decisive (or critical).

As the Eastern Slavs spread, they mixed not only with the Finns and Tatars, but also, somewhat later, with the Germans.

The main ethnographic group of modern Ukraine are the so-called Little Russians, living in the territory of the Middle Dnieper and Slobozhanshchina, also called Cherkassy. There are also two ethnographic groups: Carpathian (Boikos, Hutsuls, Lemkos) and Polesie (Litvins, Polishchuks). The formation of the Little Russian (Ukrainian) people occurred in the XII-XV centuries. based on southwestern population Kievan Rus and genetically differed little from the indigenous Russian nation that had formed at the time of the baptism of Rus'. Subsequently, there was a partial assimilation of some Little Russians with Hungarians, Lithuanians, Poles, Tatars and Romanians.

Belarusians, calling themselves so by the geographical term “White Rus'”, they represent a complex synthesis of Dregovichi, Radimichi and partly Vyatichi with Poles and Lithuanians. Initially, until the 16th century, the term “White Rus'” was applied exclusively to the Vitebsk region and the northeastern Mogilev region, while the western part of the modern Minsk and Vitebsk regions, together with the territory of the current Grodno region, was called “Black Russia”, and the southern part of modern Belarus - Polesie. These areas much later became part of “Belaya Rus”. Subsequently, the Belarusians absorbed the Polotsk Krivichi, and some of them were pushed back to the Pskov and Tver lands. The Russian name for the Belarusian-Ukrainian mixed population is Polishchuks, Litvins, Rusyns, Rus.

Polabian Slavs(Vends) - the indigenous Slavic population of the north, north-west and east of the territory occupied by modern Germany. The Polabian Slavs include three tribal unions: the Lutichi (Velets or Welci), the Bodrichi (Obodriti, Rereki or Rarogi) and the Lusatians (Lusatian Serbs or Sorbs). Currently, the entire Polabian population is completely Germanized.

Lusatians(Lusatian Serbs, Sorbs, Vends, Serbia) - the indigenous Meso-Slavic population, lives in the territory of Lusatia - former Slavic regions, now located in Germany. They originate from the Polabian Slavs, occupied in the 10th century. German feudal lords.

Extremely southern Slavs, conventionally united under the name "Bulgarians" represent seven ethnographic groups: Dobrujantsi, Khurtsoi, Balkanjis, Thracians, Ruptsi, Macedonians, Shopi. These groups differ significantly not only in language, but also in customs, social structure and culture as a whole, and the final formation of a single Bulgarian community has not been completed even in our time.

Initially, the Bulgarians lived on the Don, when the Khazars, after moving to the west, founded a large kingdom on the lower Volga. Under pressure from the Khazars, part of the Bulgarians moved to the lower Danube, forming modern Bulgaria, and the other part moved to the middle Volga, where they subsequently mixed with the Russians.

Balkan Bulgarians mixed with local Thracians; in modern Bulgaria, elements of Thracian culture can be traced south of the Balkan Range. With the expansion of the First Bulgarian Kingdom, new tribes were included in the generalized Bulgarian people. A significant part of the Bulgarians assimilated with the Turks in the period of the 15th-19th centuries.

Croats- a group of southern Slavs (self-name - Hrvati). The ancestors of the Croats are the tribes Kačići, Šubići, Svačići, Magorovichi, Croats, who moved along with others Slavic tribes to the Balkans in the 6th-7th centuries, and then settled in the north Dalmatian coast, in southern Istria, between the Sava and Drava rivers, in northern Bosnia.

The Croats themselves, who form the backbone of the Croatian group, are most closely related to the Slavonians.

In 806, the Croats fell under the rule of Thraconia, in 864 - Byzantium, and in 1075 they formed their own kingdom.

At the end of XI - beginning of XII centuries the bulk of the Croatian lands were included in the Kingdom of Hungary, resulting in significant assimilation with the Hungarians. In the middle of the 15th century. Venice (which had captured part of Dalmatia back in the 11th century) took possession of the Croatian Littoral region (with the exception of Dubrovnik). In 1527, Croatia gained independence, falling under the rule of the Habsburgs.

In 1592, part of the Croatian kingdom was conquered by the Turks. To protect against the Ottomans, the Military Border was created; its inhabitants, border residents, are Croats, Slavonians and Serbian refugees.

In 1699, Turkey ceded to Austria the captured part, among other lands, under the Treaty of Karlowitz. In 1809-1813 Croatia was annexed to the Illyrian provinces ceded to Napoleon I. From 1849 to 1868. it constituted, together with Slavonia, the coastal region and Fiume, an independent crown land, in 1868 it was again united with Hungary, and in 1881 the Slovak border region was annexed to the latter.

A small group of South Slavs - Illyrians, the later inhabitants of ancient Illyria, located west of Thessaly and Macedonia and east of Italy and Raetia up to the Istra River in the north. The most significant of the Illyrian tribes: Dalmatians, Liburnians, Istrians, Japodians, Pannonians, Desitiates, Pyrustians, Dicyonians, Dardanians, Ardiaei, Taulantii, Plereians, Iapyges, Messapians.

At the beginning of the 3rd century. BC e. The Illyrians were subjected to Celtic influence, resulting in the formation of a group of Illyro-Celtic tribes. As a result of the Illyrian Wars with Rome, the Illyrians underwent rapid Romanization, as a result of which their language disappeared.

Modern Albanians And Dalmatians.

In formation Albanians(self-name shchiptar, known in Italy as arbreshi, in Greece as arvanites) tribes of Illyrians and Thracians took part, and it was also influenced by Rome and Byzantium. The Albanian community was formed relatively late, in the 15th century, but was subject to the strong influence of Ottoman rule, which destroyed economic ties between the communities. At the end of the 18th century. Two main ethnic groups of Albanians were formed: Ghegs and Tosks.

Romanians(Dakorumians), who until the 12th century were a pastoral mountain people who do not have a stable place of residence are not pure Slavs. Genetically they are a mixture of Dacians, Illyrians, Romans and South Slavs.

Aromanians(Aromanians, Tsintsars, Kutsovlachs) are descendants of the ancient Romanized population of Moesia. With a high degree of probability, the ancestors of the Aromanians lived in the northeast until the 9th – 10th centuries Balkan Peninsula and are not an autochthonous population in the territory of their current residence, i.e. in Albania and Greece. Linguistic analysis shows almost complete identity of the vocabulary of Aromanians and Dacoromanians, which indicates that these two peoples long time were in close contact. Byzantine sources also testify to the resettlement of the Aromanians.

Origin Megleno-Romanian not fully studied. There is no doubt that they belong to the eastern part of the Romanians, which was subject to a long-term influence of the Daco-Romanians, and are not an autochthonous population in the places of modern residence, i.e. in Greece.

Istro-Romanians represent the western part of the Romanians, currently living in small numbers in the eastern part of the Istrian peninsula.

Origin Gagauz, people living in almost all Slavic and neighboring countries (mainly in Bessarabia) is very controversial. According to one of the common versions, this Orthodox people, speaking a specific Gagauz language of the Turkic group, are Turkified Bulgarians who mixed with the Cumans of the southern Russian steppes.

Southwestern Slavs, currently united under the code name "Serbs"(self-name - srbi), as well as those isolated from them Montenegrins And Bosnians, represent the assimilated descendants of the Serbs themselves, the Duklans, the Tervunians, the Konavlans, the Zakhlumians, the Narechans, who occupied a significant part of the territory in the basin of the southern tributaries of the Sava and Danube, the Dinaric Mountains, the southern. part of the Adriatic coast. Modern southwestern Slavs are divided into regional ethnic groups: Sumadians, Uzicians, Moravians, Macvanes, Kosovars, Sremcs, Banachans.

Bosnians(Bosans, self-name - Muslims) live in Bosnia and Herzegovina. They are actually Serbs who mixed with Croats and converted to Islam during the Ottoman occupation. Turks, Arabs, and Kurds who moved to Bosnia and Herzegovina mixed with the Bosnians.

Montenegrins(self-name - “Tsrnogortsy”) live in Montenegro and Albania, genetically they differ little from the Serbs. Unlike most Balkan countries, Montenegro actively resisted the Ottoman yoke, as a result of which it gained independence in 1796. As a result, the level of Turkish assimilation of Montenegrins is minimal.

The center of settlement of the southwestern Slavs is the historical region of Raska, uniting the basins of the Drina, Lim, Piva, Tara, Ibar, Western Morava rivers, where in the second half of the 8th century. An early state emerged. In the middle of the 9th century. the Serbian Principality was created; in the X-XI centuries. center political life moved then to the southwest of Raska, to Duklja, Travuniya, Zakhumie, then again to Raska. Then, at the end of the 14th and beginning of the 15th centuries, Serbia became part of the Ottoman Empire.

Western Slavs, known by their modern name "Slovaks"(self-name - Slovakia), on the territory of modern Slovakia began to prevail from the 6th century. AD Moving from the southeast, the Slovaks partially absorbed the former Celtic, Germanic, and then Avar populations. The southern areas of settlement of the Slovaks in the 7th century were probably included within the borders of the state of Samo. In the 9th century. Along the Vah and Nitra rivers, the first tribal principality of the early Slovaks arose - Nitra, or the Principality of Pribina, which around 833 joined the Moravian Principality - the core of the future Great Moravian state. At the end of the 9th century. The Great Moravian Principality collapsed under the onslaught of the Hungarians, after which its eastern regions by the 12th century. became part of Hungary and later Austria-Hungary.

The term “Slovaks” appeared in the mid-15th century; Previously, the inhabitants of this territory were called “Sloveni”, “Slovenka”.

The second group of Western Slavs - Poles, formed as a result of the unification of the Western Slavic tribes of the Polans, Slenzans, Vistulas, Mazovshans, and Pomorians. Up to late XIX V. there was no single Polish nation: the Poles were divided into several large ethnic groups, differing in dialects and some ethnographic features: in the west - the Velikopolans (which included the Kujawians), Łęczycians and Sieradzians; in the south - the Malopolans, a group of which included the Gurals (population of mountainous regions), Krakowians and Sandomierzians; in Silesia - Slęzanie (Slęzak, Silesians, among whom were Poles, Silesian Gurals, etc.); in the northeast - the Mazurs (these included the Kurpies) and the Warmians; on the coast of the Baltic Sea - the Pomeranians, and in Pomerania the Kashubians were especially prominent, preserving the specificity of their language and culture.

The third group of Western Slavs - Czechs(self-name - Czechs). Slavs as part of the tribes (Czechs, Croats, Lucans, Zlicans, Decans, Pshovans, Litomerz, Hebans, Glomacs) became the predominant population in the territory of the modern Czech Republic in the 6th-7th centuries, assimilating the remnants of the Celtic and Germanic populations.

In the 9th century. The Czech Republic was part of the Great Moravian Empire. At the end of the 9th - beginning of the 10th centuries. The Czech (Prague) Principality was formed in the 10th century. which included Moravia in its lands. From the second half XII V. The Czech Republic became part of the Holy Roman Empire; Then German colonization took place in the Czech lands, and in 1526 Habsburg power was established.

At the end of the 18th – beginning of the 19th centuries. a revival of Czech identity began, culminating with the collapse of Austria-Hungary in 1918, with the formation of the national state of Czechoslovakia, which in 1993 split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

The modern Czech Republic includes the population of the Czech Republic itself and the historical region of Moravia, where regional groups of Horaks, Moravian Slovaks, Moravian Vlachs and Hanaks are preserved.

Leto-Slavs are considered the youngest branch of northern European Aryans. They live east of the middle Vistula and have significant anthropological differences from the Lithuanians living in the same area. According to a number of researchers, the Leto-Slavs, having mixed with the Finns, reached the middle Main and Inn, and only later were partially displaced and partially assimilated by Germanic tribes.

Intermediate people between the southwestern and western Slavs - Slovenes, currently occupying the extreme north-west of the Balkan Peninsula, from the headwaters of the Sava and Drava rivers to the eastern Alps and the Adriatic coast up to the Friuli Valley, as well as in the Middle Danube and Lower Pannonia. This territory was occupied by them during the mass migration of Slavic tribes to the Balkans in the 6th-7th centuries, forming two Slovenian regions - the Alpine (Carentanians) and the Danube (Pannonian Slavs).

From the middle of the 9th century. Most of the Slovenian lands came under the rule of southern Germany, as a result of which Catholicism began to spread there.

In 1918, the kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes was created under the common name of Yugoslavia.

3. Slavic Tale of Bygone Years: a) Ipatiev List, PSRL, T.P., Vol. 1 (3rd ed., Petrograd, 1923), 6) Laurentian list, PSRL, T. 1, Issue. 1 (2nd ed., Leningrad, 1926). Konstantin the Philosopher, see St. Cyril. George the Monk, Slavic version ed. V.M. Istrin: Chronicle of George Amartol