Slavs

The Slavs or Slavic people are groups of people who speak Slavic languages. They live in many places, mainly in Central Europe, Eastern Europe, Southeastern Europe, and Northern Asia. You can also find Slavs in smaller numbers in the Baltic states, Central Asia, and far away in the Americas, Western Europe, and Northern Europe.

Long ago, during the Migration Period and the Early Middle Ages, the Early Slavs lived in parts of Central, Eastern, and Southeast Europe. By the 12th century, Slavs were important parts of many medieval Christian states, such as Kievan Rus' for the East Slavs, and places like the Bulgarian Empire, the Principality of Serbia, and the Kingdom of Poland.

Today, Slavs are divided into three main groups: West Slavs like Czechs and Poles, East Slavs like Russians and Ukrainians, and South Slavs like Bulgarians and Serbs. Most Slavs are Christians, but some, like many Bosniaks, are Muslims. Even though they share a common heritage, relationships between different Slavic groups can vary a lot.

Ethnonym

The oldest records about the Slavic name are from the 6th century AD. Writers like Procopius used names such as Sklaboi and Jordanes used Sclaveni.

Later, documents in Old Church Slavonic from the 9th century used the name Slověne.

The name Slověninъ likely comes from the word slovo, meaning "word". This suggests it described people who speak the same language and understand each other. This contrasts with the Slavic word for German people, which means "silent or mute people".

History

The Slavs are groups of people who speak Slavic languages. They live mainly in Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe, with some also in Northern Asia and other parts of the world.

Early Slavs lived between the 5th and 10th centuries AD. Ancient Roman writers called them "Veneti." Later, they were known as Antes and Sclaveni. These early Slavs lived near the Carpathian Mountains, the Danube River, and the Black Sea. They believed in one god, Perun. They were skilled in warfare.

During the 6th century, Slavs moved into new areas. They settled between the Oder and Elbe rivers, in Bohemia, Moravia, Austria, the Pannonian plain, and the Balkans.

In the Middle Ages, the first Slavic states began to form. One of the earliest was Samo's Empire in Central Europe. Other early states included Carantania, the Principality of Nitra, and the First Bulgarian Empire. The Bulgarian Empire helped spread Slavic literacy and Christianity. Other states such as the Duchy of Croatia, Principality of Serbia, Duchy of Bohemia, and Kievan Rus' also formed during this time.

In the modern era, ideas about Pan-Slavism — the unity of all Slavic peoples — became important in the 19th century, especially in the Balkans. After World War I, new Slavic states like Czechoslovakia, the Second Polish Republic, and the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes were created.

After the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, many former Soviet republics became independent countries. Today, countries like Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan still have large Slavic populations.

Languages

Main articles: History of the Slavic languages and Slavic languages

Many people speak languages that come from an old language called Proto-Slavic. This language came from an even older group of languages called Proto-Indo-European. Over time, it split into many different languages spoken today.

Some of the major Slavic languages include Belarusian, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Macedonian, Montenegrin, Polish, Russian, Serbian, Slovak, Slovene, and Ukrainian. Russian is one of the most widely spoken languages in Europe.

Different Slavic languages use different writing systems. For example, many Eastern Orthodox countries use the Cyrillic alphabet, while many Catholic countries use the Latin alphabet. Some countries, like Serbia and Montenegro, use both alphabets.

Ethno-cultural subdivisions

West Slavs started from early Slavic tribes in Central Europe after East Germanic tribes moved away. They mixed with Germans, Hungarians, Celts, Old Prussians, and the Pannonian Avars. They were shaped by the Western Roman Empire and the Catholic Church.

East Slavs began with early Slavic tribes who mixed with Finns, Balts, and the people of the Goths. Later, they felt the influence of the Byzantine Empire and the Eastern Orthodox Church. Their nations began with groups like Kievan Rus' from the 10th century.

South Slavs blended with local tribes in places such as Illyria, Dacia, Thrace, and Paeonia, plus Celts, Romans, and others. The Slovenes and Croats were shaped by the Western Roman Empire and the Catholic Church. Other South Slavs were influenced by the Eastern Roman Empire, the Ottoman Empire, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and Islam.

Genetics

Main articles: Early Slavs § Genetics, Genetic studies on Bosniaks, Genetic studies on Bulgarians, Genetic studies on Croats, Genetic studies on Russians, and Genetic studies on Serbs

Studies of genes show that groups like the East Slavs and West Slavs are very similar. They are different from nearby groups such as Finno-Ugric, Turkic, and North Caucasian peoples. This similarity is special because Slavic people live far apart. Together, they are part of a group called the "East European" gene cluster, which also includes Hungarians and Aromanians. However, Northern Russians belong to a different group called the "Northern European" gene cluster.

Research suggests that Slavs began their spread from the area of modern-day Ukraine. Genetic studies show that the spread of Slavic languages from Eastern Europe matches the patterns of certain genes. More recent studies found that during the sixth to eighth centuries, many people moved from Eastern Europe to places like Eastern Germany, Poland, and Croatia, changing the local population. These movements likely explain changes in culture and language during that time. The study suggests the original home of Slavs was in southern Belarus and northern Ukraine.

Religion

See also: Slavic paganism

Many Slavic people changed their religions over many years. Today, most East and South Slavs follow Orthodox Christianity, while most West Slavs and some western South Slavs follow Catholicism. This split started around the 11th century. Islam came to some Slavic groups in the 7th century and was slowly adopted by many in the Balkans.

Most Slavic people who follow a religion are either Orthodox Christian or Catholic Christian. A smaller group follows Islam, specifically the Hanafi school of the Sunni branch.

Relations with non-Slavic people

See also: Baltic Slavic piracy, Narentines, Germania Slavica, and Bavaria Slavica

Slavs met and interacted with many different groups of people. In their original homeland, which is now Ukraine, they had contact with the Iranian Sarmatians and the Germanic Goths. As Slavs spread out, they often mixed with and absorbed other peoples.

In areas like the Balkans, Slavs met people such as the Illyrians, Thracians, and Dacians, as well as Greeks. Because there were so many Slavs, most of these local groups gradually adopted Slavic ways. However, in places like Greece, the local population was larger and kept much of its culture.

Other groups, such as the Bulgars, also mixed with Slavs over time. In some areas, like parts of modern Romania and Hungary, Slavs settled but later adopted the cultures of these places.

Slavs also interacted with Germanic groups, such as the Gepids, and with peoples from Scandinavia and Finland. These groups, too, were often absorbed into Slavic communities.

Population

Winkler Prins (2002) said there were about 260 million Slavs at that time. Today, we think there are about 300 million Slavic people in Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe.

Historiography

Main article: List of Slavic studies journals

Historiography is the study of how people write about history. It looks at the ways historians gather and share information about the past. This helps us understand how our views of history can change over time.