Polish tribes
 | You can help expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article in Polish. (June 2026) Click [show] for important translation instructions.
|
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (June 2026) |
_-_kultura_%C5%82u%C5%BCycka.JPG)
"Polish tribes" is a term used sometimes to describe the tribes of West Slavic Lechites that lived from around the mid-6th century in the territories that became Polish with the creation of the Polish state by the Piast dynasty. The territory on which they lived became a part of the first Polish state created by duke Mieszko I and expanded at the end of the 10th century, enlarged further by conquests of king Bolesław I at the beginning of the 11th century.
In about 850 AD a list of peoples was written down by the Bavarian Geographer. Absent on the list are Lechitic-speaking Polans, Pomeranians and Masovians, who became known later and were written about by Nestor the Chronicler in his Primary Chronicle (11th/12th century).
The most important tribes who were conquered by Polans were the Masovians, Vistulans, Silesians and Pomeranians.[1] These five tribes "shared fundamentally common culture and language and were considerably more closely related to one another than were the Germanic tribes."[2]
Tribes
[edit]Listed by the Bavarian Geographer (c. 845)
[edit]The following tribes today identified as Polish are listed by the anonymous Bavarian Geographer, who wrote in the mid-9th century:[3]
| Latin name | Polish name | English name (if separate) | Amount of civitates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glopeani | Goplanie | Goplans | 400 |
| Lendizi | Lędzianie | Lendians | 98 |
| Prissani | Pyrzyczanie | 70 | |
| Velunzani | Wolinianie | Wolinians | 70 |
| Sleenzane | Ślężanie | Silesians | 15 |
| Dadosesani | Dziadoszanie or Dziadoszyce | 20 | |
| Besunzane | Bieżuńczanie | 2 | |
| Lupiglaa | Głubczyce (uncertain) | 30 | |
| Opolini | Opolanie | Opolans | 20 |
| Golensizi | Gołęszycy | 5 |
Listed in the Prague document (1086)
[edit]The Prague document lists the following tribes, located in Silesia:[4]
| Latin name | Polish name | English name (if separate) |
|---|---|---|
| Zlasane | Ślężanie | Silesians |
| Trebouane | Trzebowianie | |
| Poborane | Bobrzanie or Poobranie | Bobrans |
| Dedosize | Dziadoszanie or Dziadoszyce |
Other sources and tribes
[edit]Other sources include Thietmar's Chronicle, which mentions the Diedesisi or Diedesi (identified with the Dadosesani or Dziadoszanie), and the Cilensi or Silensi (identified with the Silesians).[5] Widukind of Corvey mentions a tribe called Licikaviki in his work, The Deeds of the Saxons, thought to be the Lubuszans, or possibly the Lendians or Pomeranians.[6] Furthermore, the following tribes have been identified through other sources or inference:
- Polans – mentioned in the Gesta Hammaburgensis ecclesiae pontificum[7] and Chronica Slavorum[8]
- Masovians – mentioned in the Primary Chronicle[9]
- Pomeranians – mentioned in the Primary Chronicle[9]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Raymond Breton, National Survival in Dependent Societies: Social Change in Canada and Poland, McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP, 1990, p. 106,ISBN 0-88629-127-5 Google Books
- ^ John Blacking, Anna Czekanowska, Polish Folk Music: Slavonic Heritage - Polish Tradition - Contemporary Trends, Cambridge University Press, 2006, p. 3, ISBN 0-521-02797-7 Google Books
- ^ Kosiński, Tomasz (2022). ""Geograf Bawarski" o Słowianach -przegląd, analiza, weryfikacja i nowe wyjaśnienia nazw". researchgate.net. Retrieved 5 June 2026.
- ^ Labuda, Gerard (2003). Słowiańszczyzna starożytna i wczesnośredniowieczna [Ancient and early medieval Slavic lands]. Poznań: WPTPN. p. 63–64. ISBN 83-7063-381-1.
- ^ Jedlicki, Marian Zygmunt; Ozóg, Krzysztof (2012). Kronika Thietmara [Thietmar's Chronicle]. Kraków: Towarzystwo Autorów i Wydawców Prac Naukowych Universitas. ISBN 83-7063-381-1.
- ^ Derda-Guizot, Krzysztof Jan (2022). Historia Polskiego Średniowiecza i królów polskich. Tom 1 [History of the Polish Middle Ages and of the Polish kings, Volume I]. Ridero. ISBN 978-83-8273-501-7.
- ^ Łowmiański, Henryk (1967). Początki Polski. Warsaw: Polskie Wydawnictwo Naukowe. Retrieved 4 June 2026.
- ^ Matuszewski, Józef; Strzelczyk, Jerzy (1974). Helmolda Kronika Słowian [Helmold's Slavic Chronicle]. Warsaw: Polskie Wydawnictwo Naukowe. ISBN 83-01-00995-0.
- ^ a b Sielicki, Franciszek (1999). Powieść minionych lat [Tale of Bygone Years]. Kraków: Zakład Narodowy imienia Ossolińskich – Wydawnictwo. ISBN 830404448X.
