The Slavic Peoples A brief history

Origin of the Slavic People There is some debate among historians about where the Slavs originated. Many believe that they were early farmers who cultivated the fertile lands around the Black Sea. Others believe that they came from present day eastern Poland. They are one of the largest ethnic groups in Europe today.

Origin of the Slavic People By 500 A.D., the Slavs had separated into three main groups. Each of these three groups shared a similar set of beliefs & a similar lifestyle. West Slavs South Slavs Eastern Slavs

West Slavs They fought & won wars against Germanic & Scandinavian tribes & still live in the same area today. They live in Poland, Czech Republic, & Slovakia They are mostly Roman Catholic.

South Slavs Invaded the Balkan Peninsula & took it from the Byzantine Empire. Bosnia, Serbia, Bulgaria, etc. (Bulgars = mix of Slavs & Thracians) The three most common religions are Roman Catholic because they were close to Rome, Greek Orthodox because they were by the Byzantine Empire and Muslim, because the area was conquered by Muslims. You can see the effects of the division of the Roman Empire into two parts because the line passed through this area. This area has seen lots of ethnic & religious tension over the centuries.

East Slavs The largest Slavic groups. Russia & the Ukraine Are mostly Greek Orthodox because of missionaries from the Byzantine Empire. Because of their location between western Europe, the Byzantine Empire & Asia, they are a unique mix of all three groups.

Slavic Lifestyle They lived in small villages consisting mostly of relatives. They farmed the land, growing a variety of grains & vegetables. They also hunted their thick woodlands for meat. They lived in log cabins which were nice, even by today’s standards. Usually a peaceful people, only fighting to preserve their land.

Russia In 860 AD the Eastern Slavs asked the Vikings to help them keep law & order. Rurik the Rus came over to rule & that’s where we get the name Russia. In 880 AD, Rurik’s successor conquered the small village of Kiev on the Dnieper River. It became a powerful center for trade. This is the origin of the Ukrainian peoples. The Ukraine is one of the richest farmlands in the world.

Mixing of Culture In 911 AD the Kieven Rus & the Byzantine Empire signed a peace treaty opening the door for trade & the spreading of culture & religion & science & technology. Before they became Christian they worshipped many spirits & their ancestors.

Conquered In the 13th century, a series of disagreements over who should rule led to them being conquered by the Mongol Empire under Genghis Khan & were ruled by them for 200 years. This kept the East Slavs from adopting western culture. Over time, Moscow became a center for the East Slavs to unite against Mongol rule & gradually spread throughout Asia. This would culminate with Russia moving east & becoming the world’s largest country.

Moscow When Ivan the Great married the niece of the last Byzantine Emperor, he became Czar (Caesar). Moscow was nicknamed the “Third Rome” when the Byzantine Empire fell in 1453 AD. All Czars from Ivan the Great until the 20th century claimed to rule through their ancestry leading back to the Roman Empire.

Cyrillic Alphabet St. Cyril, a Christian Byzantine missionary created an alphabet so they could translate Greek religious texts to Slavic. It was widely used by the 10th century. It’s a mixture of Greek letters & new letters to represent Slavic sounds. Writing was done in all capital letters until the 18th century. Today Cyrillic is the 3rd official script of the European Union, along with Latin & Greek scripts. It’s used in over 50 different languages, especially those of Slavic origin, mainly in Russia, Central Asia & Eastern Europe.

Words from Slavic Languages East Slavic slave robot parka gulag knish paprika mammoth Siberian babushka steppe West Slavic Polonium dollar kolache polka South Slavic vampire tesla red = Slavic; green = Germanic; blue = romance

Displaced Peoples The Balts were pushed into the area east of the Baltic Sea (Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania). They’re mostly Christian. The Circassians lost their sovereignty to Russia & the Ottoman Empire (Turkey). They’re native to the northeast Black Sea coast. They are a mix of Orthodox Christians & Muslims. Ossetians are native to the area east of the Black Sea. They lost much of their land during the Hun migrations & Russian expansion. They are a mix of Orthodox Christians & Muslims. There are many other groups that were displaced by the Russians & Turks in the modern era (Assyrians, Kurds, Udmurtians, etc.).

The Slavic Peoples A brief history

Origin of the Slavic People There is some among historians about where the Slavs . Many believe that they were early farmers who cultivated the fertile lands around the Sea. Others believe that they came from present day eastern . They are one of the largest groups in today.

Origin of the Slavic People By A.D., the Slavs had separated into main . Each of these three groups shared a similar set of & a similar . Slavs

West Slavs They fought & won wars against & tribes & still live in the same today. They live in , Republic, & . They are mostly Roman .

South Slavs Invaded the Peninsula & took it from the Empire. , , , etc. ( = mix of Slavs & Thracians) The three most common religions are Roman because they were close to Rome, Greek because they were by the Byzantine Empire & , because the area was conquered by Muslims. You can see the effects of the of the Roman Empire into two parts because the passed through this area. This area has seen lots of & over the centuries.

East Slavs The Slavic groups. & the Are mostly Greek because of from the Empire. Because of their between western Europe, the Byzantine Empire & Asia, they are a unique of all three groups.

Slavic Lifestyle They lived in small consisting mostly of . They farmed the land, growing a variety of grains & vegetables. They also hunted their thick woodlands for meat. They lived in cabins which were nice, even by today’s standards. Usually a people, only fighting to their .

Russia & the Ukraine In AD the Slavs asked the to help them keep law & . Rurik the came over to rule & that’s where we get the name . In 880 AD, Rurik’s successor conquered the small village of on the River. It became a powerful center for . This is the origin of the peoples. The Ukraine is one of the richest in the world.

Mixing of Culture In 911 AD the Kieven & the Empire signed a treaty opening the door for trade & the spreading of & & & . Before they became they worshipped many spirits & their .

Conquered In the th century, a series of disagreements over who should rule led to them being by the Empire under Khan & were ruled by them for years. This kept the East Slavs from adopting culture. Over time, became a center for the East Slavs to against Mongol rule & gradually throughout Asia. This would culminate with Russia moving east & becoming the world’s country.

Moscow When the Great married the of the last Emperor, he became (Caesar). Moscow was nicknamed the “ ” when the Byzantine Empire fell in AD. All from Ivan the Great until the 20th century claimed to rule through their ancestry leading back to the Empire.

Cyrillic Alphabet St. , a Christian missionary created an alphabet so they could Greek religious texts to . It was widely used by the th century. It’s a of Greek & new letters to represent Slavic . Writing was done in all letters until the th century. Today Cyrillic is the rd official script of the Union, along with & scripts. It’s used in over different languages, especially those of origin, mainly in Russia, Central & Eastern .

Words from Slavic Languages East Slavic West Slavic South Slavic red = Slavic; green = Germanic; blue = romance

Displaced Peoples The were pushed into the area east of the Sea (Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania). They’re mostly Christian. The lost their sovereignty to & the Ottoman Empire ( ). They’re native to the northeast Sea coast. They are a of Orthodox Christians & Muslims. are native to the area of the Black Sea. They lost much of their land during the Hun migrations & Russian expansion. They are a mix of Orthodox Christians & Muslims. There are many groups that were displaced by the Russians & Turks in the era (Assyrians, Kurds, Udmurtians, etc.).