Polabian Slavs

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
"Polabians" redirects here. For the tribe, see Polabians (tribe).

William R. Shepherd. The territory of the Polabian Slavs is outlined in purple near the top, with the Obotrite and Veleti groups in white and the Sorb
groups colored purple.

Polabian Slavs, also known as Elbe Slavs

Poland
in the east.

The Polabian Slavs were largely conquered by

Germanized and assimilated in the following centuries; the Sorbs
are the only descendants of the Polabian Slavs to have retained their identity and culture.

The Polabian language is now extinct. However, the two Sorbian languages are spoken by approximately 22,000–30,000 inhabitants[3] of the region and the languages are regarded by the government of Germany as official languages of the region.

Tribes

Polabian Slavic Tribes, green is uninhabited forested area

The Bavarian Geographer, an anonymous medieval document compiled in Regensburg in 830, contains a list of the tribes in Central Europe to the east of the Elbe. Among other tribes it lists the Uuilci (Veleti) with 95 civitates, the Nortabtrezi (Obotrites) with 53 civitates, the Surbi (Sorbs) with 50 civitates, the Milzane (Milceni) with 30 civitates, the Hehfeldi (Hevelli) with 14 civitates and so on. The Great Soviet Encyclopedia classifies the Polabian Slavs in three main tribes, the Obotrites, the Veleti, and the Lusatian Sorbs.

The main tribes

Lenzen, the Travnjane near the Trave, and the Drevani in the Hanoverian Wendland and the northern Altmark.[5]

The

Ucker and the Morici (Morizani, Müritzer) along the Müritz;[5] the former gave their name to the Uckermark. Smaller tribes included the Došane along the Dosse, the Zamzizi in the Ruppin Land, and the Rěčanen on the upper Havel. Along the lower Havel and near the confluence of the Elbe and the Havel lived the Nelětici, the Liezizi, the Zemzizi, the Smeldingi (Smeldinger), and the Bethenici.[5] The middle Havel region and the Havelland were settled by the Hevelli, a tribe loosely connected to the Veleti. East of the Hevelli lived the Sprevane of the lower Dahme and Spree rivers.[5]
Small tribes on the middle Elbe included the Morizani and the Zerwisti.

The Sorbs confederation in the Elbe-Saale region included Citici, Serimunt, Colodici, Siusler, Nizici, Glomaci (Daleminzier) and Nisanen who lived along the upper Elbe, while the Chutici, Plisni, Gera, Puonzowa, Tucharin, Weta, and groups of Nelětici lived near the Saale.[7] Joachim Herrmann considered that the core Sorbian tribes surely were Colodici, Siusler and Glomaci, and that they also settled and influenced around Magdeburg, Havelland, Thuringia and northeast Bavaria.[8] To the East possibly later included the Lusici of Lower Lusatia and the Milceni of Upper Lusatia,[5] while to the East of them were the Selpoli and the Besunzanen, and on the middle Oder the Leubuzzi who were associated with medieval Poland.[7]

Small groups of West Slavs lived on the Main and the Regnitz near Bamberg, in northeastern Bavaria.[7]

History

Main articles: Chronica Slavorum, Sorbs, Sorbian March, Obotrites, Veleti, and Hevelli
Primary source about history of Polabian Slavs - Chronica Slavorum of Helmold from the 12th century translated to Polish language by Jan Papłoński in 1862.

The Polabian Slavs partly replaced the

migration period.[9][10] According to radiocarbon dating, the first Slavs reached Southwestern Hungary, Suchohrad in Western Slovakia and Prague in Czechia in the first-third of the 6th century, and Regensburg of Northeast Bavaria in 568.[10] The earliest dating of Prague-type pottery and sites between Elbe and Saale and Sukow-type in Northeastern Germany was found to be from 590s.[10] However, palynology and other evidence show that the land in Germany became forested and not well resettled by the Slavs, with most material and sites dating since the 8th century.[9][10]

Slavic settlement area was largely stable by the 8th century.

Obodrite lands, with the Obodrites being allies of the Franks against the Saxons.[11][12]

German campaigns against the Slavs began in earnest during the

Meissen. Bishoprics such as Magdeburg, Brandenburg, and Havelberg were founded to support the conversion of the Slavs to Christianity
.

After the defeat of

pagan
.

The Obotrite prince

Kruto of Wagria. Gottschalk's son Henry
eventually killed Kruto in 1093.

Svantevit at Arkona in a painting by Laurits Tuxen
.
Reconstruction of Slavic gord near Neubrandenburg
Reconstruction of Slavic gord at the Burgwallinsel (Gord Island)

From 1140 to 1143

Racisburg. Impressed with the success of the First Crusade, Saxons began calling for a crusade against their Slav neighbors. The Wendish Crusade of 1147, concurrent to the Second Crusade, was largely unsuccessful, resulting in devastation to the Liutizi lands and forced baptisms. The campaign did secure Saxon control of Wagria and Polabia
, however. The Obotrites were largely at peace with the Saxons during the following decade, although Slavic pirates raided Denmark.

Beginning in the late 1150s, King

Valdemar the Great of Denmark enlisted the aid of Duke Henry the Lion of Saxony against the Slavs; their cooperation led to the death of the Obotrite prince, Niklot, in 1160. The two Christian lords distributed much of the conquered territory among their vassals. When Niklot's exiled son, Pribislav, engineered an Obotrite rebellion, the pair retaliated by occupying Demmin
and warding off Pribislav's Liutizian allies.

After conquering Wagria and Polabia during the 1140s, Saxon nobles attempted to expel the "native" Slavs and replace them with Saxon and Flemish settlers. The 1164 Obotrite revolt led by Niklot's son Pribislav convinced Henry the Lion that keeping the Slavs as allies would be less troublesome. The duke returned the Christian Pribislav to power as Prince of Mecklenburg, Kessin, and Rostock, and a vassal of the Saxons.

Tactics and weaponry were decisive in Denmark's campaigns against the eastern Polabian Slavs. The Danes utilized quick coastal and river raids, tactics similar to those of the

Rani stronghold of Arkona. Similar to Henry's reinstatement of Pribislav as a Saxon vassal, Valdemar allowed the Rani prince Jaromar
to rule as a Christian Danish vassal. After Valdemar refused to share Rugia with Henry, the Saxon duke enlisted the aid of the Obotrite confederacy and the Liutizi against the Danes; Valdemar ended the conflict by paying Henry in 1171.

Alarmed at the expansion of Henry the Lion's power, Emperor

Bogislaw I surrendered to King Canute VI
in 1185 to become the Danish king's vassal.

Pribislav, a Christian prince of the Hevelli, bequeathed his lands to the Saxon Albert the Bear upon his death, thereby leading to the establishment of the Margraviate of Brandenburg
.

The

Germanized and assimilated. However, the Sorbs, the descendants of the Milceni and the Lusici, have retained their identity within Lusatia, a region divided between the German states of Brandenburg and Saxony
.

The Slavic language was spoken by the descendants of the Drevani in the area of the lower Elbe until the early 18th century.

Society

gord in Groß Raden, Mecklenburg
Reconstruction of Slavic gord in Lusatia - Raddusch, Vetschau
The Limes Saxoniae border between the Saxons and the Lechites Obotrites, established about 810 in present-day Schleswig-Holstein

Princes

A Polabian prince was known as a knez. His power was relatively greater in Slavic society than those of Danish or Swedish kings in their kingdoms,[citation needed] although it was not absolute. He was the general leader of his tribe and was foremost among its nobles, holding much of the forested hinterland and expecting reverence from his warriors.[14] However, his authority largely extended only to the territory controlled by his governor, or voivod. Each voivod governed small territories based around fortifications.

Princely power often differed between tribes. The Obodrite prince Henryk was able to maintain a sizable army ca. 1100 at the expense of the towns, and the importance of knez within the Obodrites only increased after his death.[15] The prince of the Rani, on the other hand, was limited by the local senate, which was led by the high priest at Cape Arkona; the Rani knez was essentially first among the tribe's landowners.[16]

Towns

The power of the prince and his governors was often restricted by the river towns, known to

Slavic gods within the urbs. Outside of the walls were homes for the peasantry.[17] With the exception of Arkona on Rügen, few Polabian towns on the Baltic coast were built near the shore, out of concern for pirates and raiders. While not highly populated compared to Flanders or Italy, the Polabian towns were relatively large for the Baltic region, such as in comparison to those of Scandinavia.[15]

Peasantry

The majority of Polabian Slavs were

Latin: uncus), for which peasants paid grain taxes to the voivot.[14]

Military

Polabian society developed during the 9th and 10th centuries under pressure from the

Catholic bishops, and imperial margraves. Polabian society became militarized and its leaders began organizing armed forces and defenses. Many Polabian magnates lived in forest fortresses, while towns were inhabited by warriors and burghers.[14]

The magnates often raided Germanic territories or engaged in piracy. In times of large-scale war, the knes took overall command. The prince's

Swedes.[19]

From a distance, Polabian fleets resembled those of the Scandinavians, although targets would recognize the Slavs' closely cropped hair and shrieking battle cries when they grew close.[20] Polabian cavalry used small horses which were effective in quick raiding campaigns, but less effective against the Saxon and Danish heavy cavalry.[21]

Religion

Main article:
Slavic mythology

Religion was an important aspect of Polabian society. Much of their territory was dotted with holy places in nature to which the Slavs could pray and make offerings to Slavic gods. The priesthood was an important class which developed images and objects of worship. Polabian towns often included elaborate temples often visited for offerings and pilgrimages. In contrast, priests in the countryside often lived meagerly.[16]

See also

Notes

  1. ^
    • Lower Sorbian: Połobske Słowjany, pronounced [ˈpɔwɔpskɛ ˈswɔwʲanɨ];
    • German: Elbslawen;
    • Polish: Słowianie połabscy, Połabianie;
    • Czech: Polabští Slované;
    • Latin: Slavi Polabicae

References

  1. ^ De Vere, 353
  2. ^ Christiansen, 18
  3. ^ Heinz Kannenberg. "Peinliches Hickhack". moz.de.
  4. ^ Herrmann, 7
  5. ^ a b c d e f Herrmann, 8
  6. ^ a b Christiansen, 27
  7. ^ a b c Herrmann, 9
  8. ^ Herrmann, 26–27, 32
  9. ^ a b Brather, Sebastian (2004). "The beginnings of Slavic settlement east of the river Elbe". Antiquity, Volume 78, Issue 300. pp. 314–329
  10. ^ a b c d Michel Kazanski (2020). "Archaeology of the Slavic Migrations". Encyclopedia of Slavic Languages and Linguistics Online. BRILL, pp. 13–16.
  11. ^ a b "Einhard: The Life of Charlemagne". Archived from the original on 9 October 2014. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  12. ^ Full Latin text Archived 12 April 2016 at the Wayback Machine at the Latin Library
  13. ^ Barkowski, 152–155
  14. ^ a b c d Christiansen, 28
  15. ^ a b Christiansen, 32
  16. ^ a b Christiansen, 33
  17. ^ Christiansen, 29
  18. ^ "p. 85" (PDF). Utlib.ee. Retrieved 16 December 2013.
  19. ^ Christiansen, 15
  20. ^ Christiansen, 34
  21. ^ Christiansen, 35

Bibliography

External links

Wikisource has original text related to this article:
Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article "Polabs".
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