Dervan
Encyclopedia
Dervan or Derwan was an early prince of the Sorbs
and Serbs
(fl.
631–632).
He is mentioned by Fredegar in his Latin chronicle as dux gente Surbiorum que ex genere Sclavinorum: "ruler of the people of the Serbs (Sorb autonym: Serby, Serb autonym: Srbi) from the nation of the Slavs". He is the first ruler of the tribe mentioned by name. Fredegar records him being subordinate to the Franks
for a long time and then joining the Slavic union of Samo. After the defeat of the Frankish king Dagobert I
by the Slavic king Samo
near Wogastisburg
in 631 or 632, Dervan declared independence from the Franks and "placed himself and his people under the rule of Samo".
Dervan joined Samo in his subsequent wars against the Franks. Further reports of Fredegar imply that Dervan and his people lived to the east of the Saxon Saale
. The reference to Dervan in 631/632 is also the first written confirmation of the presence of Slavs north of the Ore Mountains.
He was fighting against Thuringia
631-634 and Derwan was finally defeated by duke Randulf, governor of Thuringia.(636)
Sorbs
Sorbs are a Western Slavic people of Central Europe living predominantly in Lusatia, a region on the territory of Germany and Poland. In Germany they live in the states of Brandenburg and Saxony. They speak the Sorbian languages - closely related to Polish and Czech - officially recognized and...
and Serbs
Serbs
The Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...
(fl.
Floruit
Floruit , abbreviated fl. , is a Latin verb meaning "flourished", denoting the period of time during which something was active...
631–632).
He is mentioned by Fredegar in his Latin chronicle as dux gente Surbiorum que ex genere Sclavinorum: "ruler of the people of the Serbs (Sorb autonym: Serby, Serb autonym: Srbi) from the nation of the Slavs". He is the first ruler of the tribe mentioned by name. Fredegar records him being subordinate to the Franks
Franks
The Franks were a confederation of Germanic tribes first attested in the third century AD as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul. Only the Salian Franks formed a...
for a long time and then joining the Slavic union of Samo. After the defeat of the Frankish king Dagobert I
Dagobert I
Dagobert I was the king of Austrasia , king of all the Franks , and king of Neustria and Burgundy . He was the last Merovingian dynast to wield any real royal power...
by the Slavic king Samo
Samo
Samo was a Frankish merchant from the "Senonian country" , probably modern Soignies, Belgium or Sens, France. He was the first ruler of the Slavs whose name is known, and established one of the earliest Slav states, a supra-tribal union usually called Samo's empire, realm, kingdom, or tribal...
near Wogastisburg
Battle of Wogastisburg
According to the contemporary Chronicle of Fredegar, the battle of Wogastisburg was a battle between Slavs under King Samo and Franks under King Dagobert I in 631. The Frankish armies were advancing the area of Slavic tribal union in three streams - Alamanni, Lombards, and Austrasian Franks...
in 631 or 632, Dervan declared independence from the Franks and "placed himself and his people under the rule of Samo".
Dervan joined Samo in his subsequent wars against the Franks. Further reports of Fredegar imply that Dervan and his people lived to the east of the Saxon Saale
Saale
The Saale, also known as the Saxon Saale and Thuringian Saale , is a river in Germany and a left-bank tributary of the Elbe. It is not to be confused with the smaller Franconian Saale, a right-bank tributary of the Main, or the Saale in Lower Saxony, a tributary of the Leine.-Course:The Saale...
. The reference to Dervan in 631/632 is also the first written confirmation of the presence of Slavs north of the Ore Mountains.
He was fighting against Thuringia
Thuringii
The Thuringii or Toringi were a Germanic tribe which appeared late during the Völkerwanderung in the Harz Mountains of central Germania around 280, in a region which still bears their name to this day — Thuringia. They evidently filled a void left when the previous inhabitants — the...
631-634 and Derwan was finally defeated by duke Randulf, governor of Thuringia.(636)