Which Slavic peoples are the most “clean”. Countries of the Slavic group

Huge space between the two major powers early medieval- the empire of Charlemagne and Byzantium - was occupied by the barbarian tribes of the Slavs.

At the beginning of our era, the Slavs, according to most scientists, lived between the Vistula and the Dnieper, primarily in the Carpathian region (Proto-Slavic territory, or the territory of the ancient Slavs). From there they began to spread throughout Europe. One part of the Slavs headed west - to the Elbe River, another moved to the lands of present-day Russia, displacing the tribes of the Finno-Ugric peoples, and the third came close to the borders of the Byzantine Empire on the Danube.

Slavic invasions of Byzantium

At the end of the 5th century South Slavs begin invading Byzantine Empire across its Danube border. Emperor Justinian managed to stop the Slavs and prevent them from entering the Balkans. To do this, he built many fortresses along the Danube border. However, the South Slavs became more and more formidable force. In subsequent centuries, they not only conquered the northern regions of the Balkan Peninsula from Byzantium, but also settled in large groups in the central and southern parts of the Balkans, in the heart of Byzantium. From these Slavic tribes came the South Slavic peoples: Bulgarians, Serbs, Croats, etc.

The ancient Slavs, like all barbarians, were pagans. Franks and Greeks often argued for influence over these tribes. There was even a rivalry between Rome and Constantinople over who would convert the Slavs to Christianity first. That church, which in missionary work among the Slavs will outstrip its rival, will receive power over vast lands.

The rivalry between East and West for influence on Slavic world largely determined the fate of the Slavic peoples and their states.

Principality of Samo?

Historians often call the principality of Samo on the land of present-day Czech Republic and Moravia the first Slavic state. Information about him is extremely scarce and uncertain. In sparing words, the chronicler reports that a certain man named Samo rallied the Slavic tribes and raised them to fight first with the Avars, and then with the Franks. In 627, Samo was elected prince, and he ruled for 35 years. Apparently, immediately after his death, the state he created collapsed. Most likely, it was not yet a real state, but an unstable union of tribes. It is not entirely clear whether Samo was a Slav. According to some reports, he is a Frank by birth, who for some reason left his homeland. The second major political formation among the Slavs arose in the same century, but already in the south.

The first Bulgarian kingdom of the 7th-11th centuries.

In 681, Khan Asparukh from the Turkic tribe of the Bulgarians, who had moved shortly before that from the Volga region to the Danube, united the Danubian Slavs and created a powerful state, the so-called First Bulgarian Kingdom. Very soon, the newcomer Turks dissolved among the numerous Slavs, while the name "Bulgarians" passed to the Slavic people. Neighborhood with Byzantium greatly contributed to their cultural development. In 864 Tsar Boris accepted Christianity from the Byzantines. The Patriarch of Constantinople did not insist that the language of worship and Christian literature in Bulgaria must be Greek. Therefore, all Christian literature translated from Greek into Slavic, understandable to both noble and simple Bulgarians. Ancient Bulgarian literature flourished in the reign of Simeon, son of Boris. The tsar in every possible way encouraged theologians, poets, historians who wrote in the Slavic language.

In foreign policy Bulgarian kings competed with Byzantium for a long time. But in 1018, the Byzantine basileus from the Macedonian dynasty, Vasily II the Bulgar Slayer, won a complete victory over the Bulgarians and annexed the Bulgarian kingdom to Byzantium. Vasily II treated the captured Bulgarian soldiers very cruelly - he blinded 15 thousand soldiers, leaving one guide for every hundred blind, who could see in one eye. It was the end of the first Bulgarian kingdom.

Saints Cyril and Methodius. Great Moravia

In the ninth century north of the Bulgarian kingdom, approximately where the legendary principality of Samo was, another Slavic power arose - Great Moravia. The Moravian prince Rostislav was very afraid of his neighbor - the East Frankish kingdom, and therefore sought support from the Byzantines. Rostislav asked to send a spiritual mentor from Byzantium to Moravia: he thought that Greek teachers would help weaken the influence of the East Frankish Church in his lands.

In response to the request of Rostislav in 865, two brothers arrived in Moravia - Constantine and Methodius. It must be said that Konstantin is better known under the name Cyril, which he took just before his death when he was tonsured a monk. Cyril (Konstantin) and Methodius came from the city of Solun (in Greek - Thessaloniki). Both received a very good education in Constantinople. Although they were Greeks, both brothers were fluent in the Slavic language from childhood. In order to more successfully spread Christianity among the Slavs, they created Slavic alphabet. Cyril and Methodius were the first to translate the Bible into Slavic, writing the translation in a new Slavic script. The first Slavic alphabet was called Glagolitic.

The brothers took part of the letters of the Glagolitic alphabet from the Greek alphabet, part from the Semitic languages, and several signs were new. Subsequently, Cyril's students created another Slavic alphabet, now exclusively based on the Greek alphabet with the addition of a few new signs. In honor of their teacher, they named it Cyrillic. We still use this alphabet. It is also common in Bulgaria, Serbia, Belarus, Ukraine and some other countries.

The activities of the brothers Cyril and Methodius are of great importance for the entire Slavic culture. The Slavic writing and translation of the Bible they brought to Moravia quickly spread throughout Slavic lands. Therefore, Cyril and Methodius are considered the enlighteners of the Slavs, who brought them Christianity, and the founders of their literature. IN Slavic countries ah they are revered as "equal-to-the-apostles" saints, that is, equal to the apostles themselves.

Byzantium and Rus'

Pagan Rus from the 9th century. organized robbery campaigns against Byzantium.

One of these Rus attacks on Constantinople turned out to be so sudden that the residents of the Byzantine capital, not ready for defense, no longer hoped to save the city. Desperate Romans with prayers carried around the walls of the city the main shrine of Constantinople - a cover that once belonged, as they believed, to the Mother of God. Immediately after this, the barbarian army lifted the siege from the city. The Byzantines considered the inexplicable departure of the Rus as a miracle, accomplished thanks to the intercession of the Mother of God.

The Rus not only fought, but also traded with the Romans. An important trade route "from the Varangians to the Greeks" passed through the lands of the Eastern Slavs, which connected the northern regions of Rus' and Scandinavia with Byzantium. The Varangians - immigrants from Rus', as well as the Rus themselves served as mercenaries in the Byzantine army and even once saved the basil from the rebels. However, during the reign of Emperor Basil II Bulgar-Slayers, relations between the Romans and the Rus deteriorated. In 988 Kyiv prince Vladimir laid siege to the Byzantine fortress of Kherson in the Crimea. Although the Byzantines made concessions to the Slavs, passing off the emperor's sister Anna as Vladimir, the Byzantines also managed to achieve their goals. Vladimir accepted Christianity from them and spread the new religion in Rus'. Now the prince of Kiev became a true ally of Byzantium.

The value of Byzantium in the history of the Slavs

Byzantium had the strongest influence on the culture of the southern and eastern Slavic peoples. They adopted Christianity from Byzantium, joined the high and refined Greco-Roman culture. Architecture, art, literature, many customs came to the Slavs from Byzantium. Byzantium, itself gradually fading away, seemed to give strength to the Slavic peoples. In this sense, the history of Byzantium is closely connected with the history of all the southern and eastern Slavs, in particular, with the history of the peoples of Russia.

From the "Strategikon" ("Strategikon" - instruction on military affairs) unknown author(Pseudo-Mauritius) about the Slavs

The tribes of the Slavs are similar in their way of life, in their customs, in their love of freedom; they can in no way be persuaded into slavery or submission in their own country. They are numerous, hardy, easily endure heat and cold, rain, nakedness, lack of food. Foreigners who come to them are treated kindly and, showing them signs of their location (when they move) from one place to another, guard them if necessary ...

They have a large number of different livestock and fruits of the earth lying in heaps, especially millet and wheat.

The modesty of their women exceeds all human nature, so that most of them consider the death of their husband their death and voluntarily strangle themselves, not counting being a widow for life.

They settle in forests, near impassable rivers, swamps and lakes, arrange many exits in their dwellings due to the dangers they encounter, which is natural. They bury the things they need in hiding places, do not openly own anything superfluous and lead a wandering life ...

Each is armed with two small spears, some also have shields, strong but difficult to carry. They also use wooden bows and small arrows soaked in a poison special for arrows, which is potent if the wounded person does not take an antidote first, or (does not use) other aids, known to experienced doctors, or immediately cut off the wound with a steep so that the poison does not spread throughout the body.

Byzantine chronicler about the meeting of the Byzantine basileus Roman I and the Bulgarian king Simeon

In September (924) ... Simeon with his army moved to Constantinople. He devastated Thrace and Macedonia, set fire to everything, destroyed it, cut down trees, and approaching Blachernae, he asked to send Patriarch Nicholas and some nobles to him for peace negotiations. The parties exchanged hostages, and the first to go to Simeon was Patriarch Nikolai (followed by other messengers) ... They began to talk with Simeon about the world, but he sent them away and asked for a meeting with the tsar (Roman) himself, heard about his intelligence, courage and mind. The king was very happy about this, for he longed for peace and wanted to stop this daily bloodshed. He sent people ashore ... to build a reliable pier in the sea, to which the royal trireme could approach. He ordered to enclose the pier on all sides with walls, in the middle to build a partition where they could talk to each other. Simeon, meanwhile, sent soldiers and burned the temple Holy Mother of God, showing by this that he does not want peace, but fools the king empty hopes. The tsar, having arrived in Blachernae together with Patriarch Nicholas, entered the holy tomb, stretched out his hands in prayer ... asked the All-Glorious and Immaculate Mother of God to soften the unbent and inexorable heart of proud Simeon and convince him to agree to peace. And so they opened the holy kivot, ( Kivot (kiot) - a special cabinet for icons and relics) where the holy omophorion (i.e. cover) of the Holy Mother of God was kept, and, throwing it on, the king seemed to cover himself with an impenetrable shield, and instead of a helmet he set up his faith in the Immaculate Mother of God and so left the temple, defended by a reliable weapon. Having supplied his retinue with weapons and shields, he appeared at the appointed place for negotiations with Simeon ... The king was the first to appear at the mentioned pier and stopped in anticipation of Simeon. The parties exchanged hostages, and the Bulgarians. They carefully searched the pier: was there any trick or ambush, only after that Simeon jumped off his horse and entered the king. After greeting each other, they began to negotiate for peace. They say that the king said to Simeon: “I heard that you are a pious man and true christian However, as I see it, words do not match with deeds. After all, a pious person and a Christian rejoices in peace and love... but a wicked and unfaithful person enjoys murders and unrighteously shed blood... What account will you give God, having departed to another world, for your unrighteous murders? With what face will you look at the formidable and just Judge? If you do this for the love of wealth, I will feed you your fill of it, just hold on to your right hand. Rejoice in the world, love harmony, so that you yourself live a peaceful, bloodless and calm life, and Christians will get rid of misfortunes and stop killing Christians, for it is not worth it for them to raise a sword against fellow believers. So the king said and fell silent. Simeon was ashamed of his humility and his speeches and agreed to make peace. Having greeted each other, they dispersed, and the king pleased Simeon with luxurious gifts.



The territory of modern Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Romania was inhabited in the period of the ancient Paleolithic, as evidenced by archeological data. The first people in this territory, about which written sources have been preserved, were the Celts, who came here in the 4th-2nd centuries.

BC. One of these tribes - the battles - occupied the northern part of Bohemia and Moravia, and subsequently penetrated to the south. Another Celtic tribe, the Kotini, settled in the southern part of Slovakia. At the dawn of our era, the Celts were driven out by the Germans, who came from the north and west. From the 1st to the 4th centuries AD Roman legions were located in the Danube region. They led constant wars with the Germans. The Lombards passed through the Czech Republic to Italy, and the Goths through Slovakia. At the end of the 5th and in the 6th c. came to this area Slavic population. In essence, it was an agricultural colonization of almost deserted convenient lands. The main occupation of the Slavs was agriculture and cattle breeding, they occupied previously inhabited territories, and also expanded them by uprooting forests. The agricultural technique of the Slavs was sufficiently developed to ensure life and some population growth. The Slavs grew wheat and millet, as well as rye, peas, lentils, hemp, vegetables, and collected wild fruits. They bred mainly cattle, knew the processing of wood, clay, bones and horns, elementary textile production. Enough high level reached metal processing. The Slavs lived mainly in rural-type settlements, but when the soil was depleted (15-20 years) they moved to other areas. As for the social system, the Slavs, apparently, were going through a period of transition from tribal system to military democracy. The main cell of society was a community of several families, only 50-60 people.

At the beginning of the VI century. V Central Europe infiltrated nomads Avars(obra in "The Tale of Bygone Years"). In the second half of the century, they occupied the Roman province of Pannonia, from where they attacked the Franks, Byzantium, and especially the Slavs, from whom they took tribute, forced them to take part in their military actions, etc. In 623-624 the Slavs revolted. They were joined by a Frankish merchant Samo with his squad. The only source about these events is the chronicle of Fredegar (c. 660) tells about the defeat of the Avars and the election of Samo as the leader of the Slavs. In 631, a conflict arose between Samo and the Frankish king Dagobert I (629-638), as a result of which the Slavs defeated the Franks and their allies, the Lombards and Alemans, invaded the Frankish kingdom and attracted the prince of the Lusatian Serbs, Drevan, to their side. State of Samo, located partly on the territory of the Czech Republic and also the Lusatian Serbs, was a tribal union, both defending itself against enemies and making predatory raids on neighbors. According to Fredegar's chronicle, Samo ruled for 35 years. At present, the opinion is expressed that the core of the territory of the state was South Moravia and parts of Lower Austria adjacent to it. The question is still open.

During the 8th and 9th centuries the area of ​​​​settlement of the Slavs is expanding. South Moravia becomes the most developed, where fortified castles and entire districts are created. The county centered in Mikulčice was probably a princely center, and the county of Nitra in Slovakia was also important. Between the territories of the Czech Republic and Slovakia there was a wide belt of uninhabited lands. Fortified castles also arose in the Czech region, in particular the Prague fortified castle in the 9th century. This indicates the stabilization of the settlement of the territory and further development productive forces. Judging by the data of archeology, in the VIII-IX centuries. agriculture reached a high level, which was also ensured by the development of handicrafts, which came to European level. Archaeologists have discovered 24 furnaces for steel smelting, blacksmithing and woodworking have developed in the city, from which dwellings have already been built. Cooperage and pottery production became widespread. There was also the production of jewelry made of gold, silver, glass, concentrated in the main centers. Jewelry and small items domestic purposes were made from bone and horn, fabric - from flax, hemp, wool. In the ninth century construction industry developed. 18 stone churches of that era are known.

All this implies a significant property differentiation of society, which is also evidenced by the development of internal exchange and trade. Imported items were precious metals, amber, expensive fabrics, weapons - for the rich strata of society. Salt was also imported. Money was already used, but irregularly, and the price was expressed, probably, in weight units of the precious metal (solidus). The main trade route of the Danube River connected the Arab Caliphate of Cordoba through the Frankish Empire with the lands of Asia.

There is no information about the political history of society in the indicated territory after the disappearance of the Samo tribal union. The Slavs of these regions belonged to the same ethnic group, but, having settled in different places, they developed public relations with some differences. The most favorable conditions were Moravia. In written sources of the IX century. Moravans always act under a single name and at the head of a single prince, whose power was hereditary. Ruled genus Moimirovtsy(according to prince Mojmir, c. 830-846). In 822, Moravian and Czech nobles already participated in the Frankfurt Diet, being, however, still dependent on the Frankish Empire. In Western Slovakia, the Principality of Pribina arose in Nitra. As a result of the struggle between Mojmir and Pribina, the Principality of Nitra c. 833 - 836 was annexed to the possessions of Mojmir, and Pribina was expelled from Nitra. This completed the integration of the possessions north of the middle reaches of the Danube. The crystallization of the state, named later Great Moravia.

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• Series "Millennium of Russian History" (set of 18 books), . How much do we know about the history of our own country? The country in which we live? The books in the Millenniums of Russian History series present the history of our country as a series of mysteries and mysteries, each volume…
• Educational and methodological complex on the history of the Middle Ages. In 5 books. Book 4. The author's program of the course. Seminar plans. Reader, Edited by V. A. Vedyushkin. The purpose of the program is to give teachers the opportunity to build work in such a way that students get the most complete picture of the subject being studied. The purpose of the reader is to provide…

Slavic countries are states that have existed or still exist, with most of their population of Slavs (Slavic peoples). The Slavic countries of the world are those countries in which the Slavic population is about eighty to ninety percent.

What countries are Slavic?

Slavic countries of Europe:

But still, to the question “the population of which country belongs to the Slavic group?” The answer immediately suggests itself - Russia. The population of the Slavic countries today is about three hundred million people. But there are other countries in which Slavic peoples live (these are European states, North America, Asia) and speak Slavic languages.

Countries Slavic group can be divided into:

• West Slavic.
• East Slavic.
• South Slavic.

The languages ​​in these countries are descended from one common language(it is called Proto-Slavic), which once existed among the ancient Slavs. It was formed in the second half of the first millennium AD. It is not surprising that most words are consonant (for example, Russian and Ukrainian languages very similar). There are also similarities in grammar, sentence structure, and phonetics. This is easy to explain if we take into account the duration of contacts between the inhabitants of the Slavic states. The lion's share in the structure of the Slavic languages ​​is occupied by Russian. Its carriers are 250 million people.

Interestingly, the flags of the Slavic countries also have some similarities in color scheme, in the presence of longitudinal stripes. Does it have something to do with their common origin? More likely yes than no.

The countries where Slavic languages ​​are spoken are not so numerous. Nevertheless, Slavic languages ​​still exist and flourish. And it's been hundreds of years! This only means that the Slavic people are the most powerful, steadfast, unshakable. It is important that the Slavs do not lose the originality of their culture, respect for their ancestors, honor them and keep traditions.

Today there are many organizations (both in Russia and abroad) that revive and restore Slavic culture, Slavic holidays, even names for their children!

The first Slavs appeared in the second or third millennium BC. Of course, the birth of this mighty people took place in the region modern Russia and Europe. Over time, the tribes developed new territories, but still they could not (or did not want to) go far from their ancestral home. By the way, depending on the migration, the Slavs were divided into eastern, western, southern (each branch had its own name). They had differences in lifestyle, agriculture, some traditions. But still the Slavic "core" remained intact.

A major role in the life of the Slavic peoples was played by the emergence of statehood, war, mixing with other ethnic groups. The emergence of separate Slavic states, on the one hand, greatly reduced the migration of the Slavs. But, on the other hand, from that moment on, their mixing with other nationalities also fell sharply. This allowed the Slavic gene pool to firmly gain a foothold on the world stage. This affected both the appearance (which is unique) and the genotype (hereditary traits).

Slavic countries during World War II

Second World War brought great changes to the countries of the Slavic group. For example, in 1938 the Czechoslovak Republic lost its territorial unity. The Czech Republic ceased to be independent, and Slovakia became a German colony. IN next year The Commonwealth came to an end, and in 1940 the same thing happened with Yugoslavia. Bulgaria sided with the Nazis.

But there were also positive aspects. For example, the formation of anti-fascist trends and organizations. A common misfortune rallied the Slavic countries. They fought for independence, for peace, for freedom. Especially such movements gained popularity in Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia.

The Soviet Union played a key role in World War II. Citizens of the country selflessly fought against the Hitler regime, with cruelty German soldiers with the fascists. The country has lost a huge number of its defenders.

Some Slavic countries during the Second World War were united by the All-Slavic Committee. The latter was created by the Soviet Union.

What is Pan-Slavism?

The concept of pan-Slavism is interesting. This is a direction that appeared in Slavic states in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. It was aimed at uniting all the Slavs of the world on the basis of their national, cultural, everyday, linguistic community. Pan-Slavism promoted the independence of the Slavs, praised their originality.

The colors of Pan-Slavism were white, blue and red (the same colors appear on many national flags). The emergence of such a direction as pan-Slavism began after the Napoleonic wars. Weakened and "tired", the countries supported each other in Hard time. But over time, Pan-Slavism began to be forgotten. But now there is again a tendency to return to the origins, to the ancestors, to Slavic culture. Perhaps this will lead to the formation of the Neo-Pan-Slavist movement.

Slavic countries today

The twenty-first century is a time of some kind of discord in the relations of the Slavic countries. This is especially true for Russia, Ukraine, EU countries. The reasons here are more political and economic. But despite the discord, many residents of countries (from the Slavic group) remember that all the descendants of the Slavs are brothers. Therefore, none of them wants wars and conflicts, but only warm family relations, as our ancestors once had.