- West Slavs
The West Slavs are
Slavic peoples speakingWest Slavic languages .Czechs ,Kashubians ,Poles ,Slovaks , andSorbs are the ethnic groups that originated from the original Western Slavic tribes. Of these, the Kashubians were assimilated by the Poles, while the Sorbs were integrated within German society; the others retained their cultural identity to this very day. The societies of the West Slavs developed along the lines of other western European nations by coming into political affiliation with theHoly Roman Empire . [http://www.britannica.com/ebc/article-9378866?query=slavs&ct= Slav - Britannica Concise Encyclopedia - The online encyclopedia you can trust! ] ] The West Slavs experienced a cultural split with the other two main Slavic groups: while the East and South Slavs converted toOrthodox Christianity, thus being culturally influenced by theByzantine Empire , the West Slavs converted to Roman Catholicism, thus coming under the cultural influence of the Latin Church and western europe.History
The first Slavic states known from written sources inhabited by West Slavs were the Empire of
Samo (623 -658 ), the Principality of Moravia (8th c. - 833), thePrincipality of Nitra (8th c. - 833) andGreat Moravia (833 - c. 907). The Sorbs and some of the other West Slavs came under directHoly Roman Empire domination and had been strongly assimilated byGermans at the end of 19th century. The (eastern) Poles created their own state in the 10th century, which in the 20th century assimilated the Kashubians. For many centuries Poland has had close ties with its western neighbours, with the Polish rulerBolesław I the Brave declared by Holy Roman EmperorOtto III as "Frater et Cooperator Imperii" ("Brother and Partner in the Empire") [http://hsozkult.geschichte.hu-berlin.de/rezensionen/id=1433a Rez. MA: M. Borgolte (Hg.): Polen und Deutschland vor 1000 Jahren - H-Soz-u-Kult / Rezensionen / Bücher ] ] . The Czechs created their own state,Bohemia , in the 10th century and became part of theHoly Roman Empire , but unlike Poland, Bohemia became dependent to the Empire. The Slovaks gradually came under Hungarian domination in the 10th - 11th century. Both the Czechs and the Slovaks were under theHabsburg monarchy from 1526 to 1918 (Austria-Hungary from 1867 to 1918).West Slavic ethnic groups ca. 10th c.
*Lechitic group
**Poles
***Masovians
***Polans
***Vistulans
***Lendians
***Silesians
**Pomeranians
***Kashubians
***Slovincians
**Polabians
***Obodrites /Abodrites
****Obotrites proper
****Wagrians
****Warnower
****Polabians proper
****Linonen
****Travnjane
****Drevani
***Veleti (Wilzi, Liutici)
****Kissini ("Kessiner", "Chizzinen", "Kyzziner")
****Circipani ("Zirzipanen")
****Tollenser
****Redarier
***Ucri ("Ukr(an)i, Ukranen")
***Rani (Rujani)
***Hevelli ("Stodorani)
***Volinians (Velunzani)
***Pyritzans (Prissani)
*Czech-Slovak group
**Czechs
**Moravians
**Slovaks
*Sorbs (Serbo-Lusatians)
**Milceni (Upper Sorbs)
**Lusatians (Lower Sorbs)West Slavs from the Bavarian Geographer
In
845 theBavarian Geographer listed several West Slavic ethnic groups in a territory(which is today, the country of Poland) and the surrounding area, including some non-Slavic groups:Gallery
See also
*
West Slavic languages
*East Slavs
*South Slavs
*Poland
*Czech Republic
*Slovakia
*Lusatia References
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