The Berendei or Berindei (in Turkish: Berendi, pl. Berendiler; Russian: берендеи, berendei; in Hungarian: berendek; in Polish: Berendejowie) were a medieval Turkic tribe, most likely of kîpceac-oguz origin. They were part of the tribal confederation of the "peak caps" or the "black hats" (in Turkic "karakalpak").

Origins

The Berindeis were semi-nomadic and have been documented as holding various military positions, such as that of "frontier guards" on the payroll of Rus' lords. The Berindeis are mentioned in the chronicles of the Kievan Rus'

Kievan Rus'

Kievan Rus was a medieval polity in Eastern Europe, from the late 9th to the mid 13th century, when it disintegrated under the pressure of the Mongol invasion of 1237–1240....

 in the 11th and 12th centuries as "Chornye Klobuki" and, together with the Pechenegs and Uzs, became settled along the borders of the Russian steppes. Some rebel Berindei tribes took refuge in the kingdom of Hungary

Hungary

Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...

, which at the time included territories that are part of today’s Romania

Romania

Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...

. Most of the Berindeis remained on the territories of the Kiev

Kiev

Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....

 and Pereiaslavl principalities, where they functioned as cavalry troops in the region of the lower Dniepr river.

Assimilation

During the 12th century the Berindeis were assimilated, maintaining however their own military aristocracy. The Berindei nobility were accepted by the elite of the Kiev Rus state, and towns created by them started to flourish. The Berindei cavalry continued to remain active against the raids undertaken by the Cumans

Cumans

The Cumans were Turkic nomadic people comprising the western branch of the Cuman-Kipchak confederation. After Mongol invasion , they decided to seek asylum in Hungary, and subsequently to Bulgaria...

.
Over the course of the 12th century, the Berendeis became assimilated and their state evolved into a feudal principality with its own military aristocracy. Berendei nobles were accepted by the elite of Kievan Rus' on equal terms. Berendei cities and towns emerged. Rus' princes continued to hire Berendei cavalry to defend against Cumans, and also in their civil wars. In 1177, a Cuman-Kipchak army, allied with Ryazan

Ryazan

Ryazan is a city and the administrative center of Ryazan Oblast, Russia. It is located on the Oka River southeast of Moscow. Population: The strategic bomber base Dyagilevo is just west of the city, and the air base of Alexandrovo is to the southeast as is the Ryazan Turlatovo Airport...

, sacked six cities belonging to the Berendei and Torkil

Torkil

Torkils were a Turkic tribe of the Middle Ages, possibly of Kipchak or Oghuz origin. The Torkil were one of the tribes who formed the Chornye Klobuki , semi-nomadic tribes who fought as border guards for various princes of Kievan Rus.In 1177 a Cuman army, allied with Ryazan, sacked six cities...

.

After the great Mongol invasion of 1241, some Berindeis moved to Bulgaria

Bulgaria

Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...

 and others joined those who had taken refuge in Hungary. The rest of the tribes mixed with the nomad population of the Golden Horde

Golden Horde

The Golden Horde was a Mongol and later Turkicized khanate that formed the north-western sector of the Mongol Empire...

, after which they cease being mentioned by the Berindei tribe name by the historians of the time.

Placename connections

Some of Turkic placenames in south of Kiev Oblast

Kiev Oblast

Kyiv Oblast, sometimes written as Kiev Oblast is an oblast in central Ukraine.The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Kyiv , also being the capital of Ukraine...

 and in Cherkasy oblast

Cherkasy Oblast

Cherkasy Oblast is an oblast of central Ukraine located along the Dnieper River. The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Cherkasy).-Geography:...

, namely Tahancha, Koshmak, Taldyky, are believed to be connected to the Berendei. So is name of the city of Berdychiv

Berdychiv

Berdychiv is a historic city in the Zhytomyr Oblast of northern Ukraine. Serving as the administrative center of the Berdychiv Raion , the city itself is of direct oblast subordinance, and is located south of the oblast capital, Zhytomyr, at around .The current estimated population is around...

 in southern part of Zhytomyrska oblast, literally of "Berendychi".

Also there is a village called Berendei in the Serik town of the Antalya

Antalya Province

Antalya Province is located on the Mediterranean coast of south-west Turkey, between the Taurus Mountains and the Mediterranean sea.Antalya Province is the centre of Turkey's tourism industry, attracting 30% of foreign tourists visiting Turkey. The province of Antalya corresponds to the lands of...

 province in Turkey, the people of this village are known as settled people "coz"; it is one of the oldest villages in the area. Probably they are the descendants of Muslim Pechenegs coz, since they are not called by the name of the nomad cuz people Oghuz Turks (Yörüks).

Current status

On the territory of today’s Romania, the Berindeis are documented in the Teleorman

Teleorman County

Teleorman is a county of Romania, in the historical region Muntenia, with its capital city at Alexandria.The name Teleorman is of Cumanic origin. It literally means crazy forest and, by extension, "thick and shadowy forest" in the Cuman language...

 county, around the town of Roşiorii de Vede

Rosiorii de Vede

Roşiorii de Vede is a municipality in Teleorman, Wallachia, one of the oldest cities in Romania. It was first mentioned in a document which dates back to 1385, when the city was visited by two German pilgrims who were returning from Jerusalem and stopped for a few days in a town they called...

, together with de Pechenegs, Uzs and Cumans. In the Olt

Olt County

Olt is a county of Romania, in the historical regions of Oltenia and Muntenia . The capital city is Slatina.- Demographics :In 2002, it had a population of 489,274 and the population density was 89/km²....

 county there is a Berindei village. Berindei (occasionally spelled Berindey) as a family name has survived in the name of several noted Romanian personalities, such as the architects Ion. D. Berindey, Dimitrie I. Berindey and the general Anton Berindei, born in Roşiorii de Vede; the architects Ion (Johny) Berindei and Ion Berindei, the historians Dan Berindei and Mihnea Berindei; the jazz musicians Emil Berindey, Mihai Berindei and Stefan Berindei. During the communist regime in Romania

Communist Romania

Communist Romania was the period in Romanian history when that country was a Soviet-aligned communist state in the Eastern Bloc, with the dominant role of Romanian Communist Party enshrined in its successive constitutions...

(1945-1989), many Berindeis have emigrated to Europe and United States.