The Masovians or Mazovians ( Polish: Mazowszanie '; Masovian: Masovsany) are a Lechitic tribe

Lechites

Lechites – an ethnic and linguistic group of West Slavs, the ancestors of modern Poles and the historical Pomeranians and Polabians.-History:...

 or an ethnic group associated with the region of Mazovia

Mazovia

Mazovia or Masovia is a geographical, historical and cultural region in east-central Poland. It is also a voivodeship in Poland.Its historic capital is Płock, which was the medieval residence of first Dukes of Masovia...

. They were first referenced by Nestor the Chronicler

Nestor the Chronicler

Saint Nestor the Chronicler was the reputed author of the Primary Chronicle, , Life of the Venerable Theodosius of the Kiev Caves, Life of the Holy Passion Bearers, Boris and Gleb, and of the so-called Reading.Nestor was a monk of the Monastery of the Caves in Kiev from 1073...

 in the 11th century. Originally, their main settlements were in the area of Płock, Łomża, Wizna

Wizna

Wizna is a village in Łomża County of Podlaskie Voivodeship, in north-eastern Poland. The Biebrza River flows through town. Wizna is also known for the battle of Wizna which took place in its vicinity during the 1939 Invasion of Poland. At present, farming and food production are the primary...

, Czersk

Czersk

Czersk is a town in northern Poland in Chojnice County, Pomeranian Voivodeship.On July 1, 2006 this municipality celebrated 80 years of granting this community the status of city....

, Ciechanów

Ciechanów

Ciechanów is a town in north-central Poland with 45,900 inhabitants . It is situated in Masovian Voivodeship . It was previously the capital of Ciechanów Voivodeship.-History:The grad numbered approximately 3,000 armed men....

, Płońsk, Zakroczym

Zakroczym

Zakroczym is a small town in the Masovian Voivodeship, Poland. It is located at around . The Vistula River flows through the town....

 and Grójec

Grójec

Grójec is a town in Poland. Located in the Masovian Voivodeship, about 40 km south of Warsaw, it is the capital of Grójec County. It has about 14,875 inhabitants . Grójec surroundings are considered to be the biggest apple-growing area of Poland. It is said, that the region makes up also for...

. Off-shoots include the Masurians and Kurpie

Kurpie

Kurpie is one of a number of ethnic regions in Poland, noted for its unique traditional customs, such as its own types of traditional costume, traditional dance, and distinctive type of architecture and livelihoods...

. Masurians settled the region of Masuria

Masuria

Masuria is an area in northeastern Poland famous for its 2,000 lakes. Geographically, Masuria is part of two adjacent lakeland districts, the Masurian Lake District and the Iława Lake District...

 which was named after them. Today, the term Mazovians can also be used to refer to the contemporary inhabitants of the Mazovian Voivodeship in Poland

Poland

Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...

. Mazovians were pagan before Christianisation. They formerly buried the dead toward the North Star.