Polish tribes

Map showing the approximate location of Polish tribes

"Polish tribes" is a term used sometimes to describe the tribes 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 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. These five tribes "shared fundamentally common culture and language and were considerably more closely related to one another than were the Germanic tribes."

Tribes

Listed by the Bavarian Geographer (c. 845)

The following tribes today identified as Polish are listed by the anonymous Bavarian Geographer, who wrote in the mid-9th century:

Latin namePolish nameEnglish name (if separate)Amount of civitates
GlopeaniGoplanieGoplans400
LendiziLędzianieLendians98
PrissaniPyrzyczanie70
VelunzaniWolinianieWolinians70
SleenzaneŚlężanieSilesians15
DadosesaniDziadoszanie or Dziadoszyce20
BesunzaneBieżuńczanie [pl]2
Lupiglaa [pl]Głubczyce [pl] (uncertain)30
OpoliniOpolanieOpolans20
GolensiziGołęszycy5

Listed in the Prague document (1086)

The Prague document [pl] lists the following tribes, located in Silesia:

Latin namePolish nameEnglish name (if separate)
ZlasaneŚlężanieSilesians
TrebouaneTrzebowianie [pl]
PoboraneBobrzanie or PoobranieBobrans
DedosizeDziadoszanie or Dziadoszyce

Other sources and tribes

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). Widukind of Corvey mentions a tribe called Licikaviki [pl] in his work, The Deeds of the Saxons, thought to be the Lubuszans [pl], or possibly the Lendians or Pomeranians. Furthermore, the following tribes have been identified through other sources or inference:

See also

References

  1. ↑ 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
  2. ↑ 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
  3. ↑ Kosiński, Tomasz (2022). ""Geograf Bawarski" o Słowianach -przegląd, analiza, weryfikacja i nowe wyjaśnienia nazw". researchgate.net. Retrieved 5 June 2026.
  4. ↑ Labuda, Gerard (2003). Słowiańszczyzna starożytna i wczesnośredniowieczna [Ancient and early medieval Slavic lands]. Poznań: WPTPN. p. 63–64. ISBN 83-7063-381-1.
  5. ↑ Jedlicki, Marian Zygmunt; Ozóg, Krzysztof (2012). Kronika Thietmara [Thietmar's Chronicle]. Kraków: Towarzystwo Autorów i Wydawców Prac Naukowych Universitas. ISBN 83-7063-381-1.
  6. ↑ 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.
  7. ↑ Łowmiański, Henryk (1967). Początki Polski. Warsaw: Polskie Wydawnictwo Naukowe. Retrieved 4 June 2026.
  8. ↑ Matuszewski, Józef; Strzelczyk, Jerzy (1974). Helmolda Kronika Słowian [Helmold's Slavic Chronicle]. Warsaw: Polskie Wydawnictwo Naukowe. ISBN 83-01-00995-0.
  9. 1 2 Sielicki, Franciszek (1999). Powieść minionych lat [Tale of Bygone Years]. Kraków: Zakład Narodowy imienia Ossolińskich – Wydawnictwo. ISBN 830404448X.

Further reading