Severians
Encyclopedia
The Severians or Severyans or Siverians were a tribe or tribal union of early East Slavs
occupying areas to the east of the middle Dnieper river
around the rivers Desna, Sejm
and Sula
on the territory of the archaeological Romny culture.
The Etymology of the name of Severians is controversial. Though it is similar to the Slavic word for "north" (sěver), the Severians never were the northernmost tribe of Slavs. More probable is that the name is of an Iranian
(the Sarmatian
tribe of "Seuer", from Iranian "seu" = black). Alternatively, the name may be derived from a Proto-Slavic word for "family member", compare Serbs
. The modern names are Сiверяни in the Ukrainian
and Северяне in the Russian
.
Their neighbours were the tribes of Viatich
and Radimich
in the north, and the Derevlian and Polian
tribes in the west. The eastern and southern borders of the tribe's habitat were never permanent and would sometimes reach the upper reaches of the Seversky Donets
.
Their existence as a political unit can be proven for the 8th to 11th century and thought to be sprang from the Krivich
i. They had to pay tribute to the Khazars
in the 8th and 9th century, were annexed by Oleg of Novgorod
to the Kiev state together with the Polans
in the late 9th century, and participated in Oleg's campaign
against Constantinople
in 907. Finally they became part of the Grand Principality of Chernigov. The last reference to them stems from 1024. For subsequent history of the region, see Severia
(whose name is derived from "Severians").
They are mentioned especially by Geographus Bavarus (9th century, "Zeriuani"), by Constantine VII
Porphyrogennetos, by the khazar
khagan
Joseph (c. 960) and by the Primary Chronicle
.
The principal cities of the Severians were Chernigov (modern Chernihiv), Kursk
, Novgorod-Seversky (modern Novhorod-Siverskyi) and others. Archaeologists also found numerous rural settlements of the 8th - 10th centuries, inhabited by the Severians, and burial mounds with cremated
bodies. The Severians were mostly engaged in agriculture
, cattle breeding and different handicraft
s.
Part of the Severians also migrated to the south-west and settled in the areas of the southern Pannonian plain (the Banat
region) and southern Carpathians
. The Severin region of the medieval Kingdom of Hungary
situated in south-eastern Banat was named after Severians. Another branch of Severians also settled in the territory of present-day north-eastern Bulgaria
.
East Slavs
The East Slavs are Slavic peoples speaking East Slavic languages. Formerly the main population of the medieval state of Kievan Rus, by the seventeenth century they evolved into the Russian, Ukrainian, and Belarusian peoples.-Sources:...
occupying areas to the east of the middle Dnieper river
Dnieper River
The Dnieper River is one of the major rivers of Europe that flows from Russia, through Belarus and Ukraine, to the Black Sea.The total length is and has a drainage basin of .The river is noted for its dams and hydroelectric stations...
around the rivers Desna, Sejm
Seym River
Seym is a river in Russia and Ukraine. Its length is 748 km and its basin area about 27,500 km². It is the largest tributary of the Desna....
and Sula
Sula River
The Sula River is a left tributary of the Dnipró or Dnieper River with a total length of 365 km and a drainage basin of 19,600 km²....
on the territory of the archaeological Romny culture.
The Etymology of the name of Severians is controversial. Though it is similar to the Slavic word for "north" (sěver), the Severians never were the northernmost tribe of Slavs. More probable is that the name is of an Iranian
Iranian languages
The Iranian languages form a subfamily of the Indo-Iranian languages which in turn is a subgroup of Indo-European language family. They have been and are spoken by Iranian peoples....
(the Sarmatian
Sarmatians
The Iron Age Sarmatians were an Iranian people in Classical Antiquity, flourishing from about the 5th century BC to the 4th century AD....
tribe of "Seuer", from Iranian "seu" = black). Alternatively, the name may be derived from a Proto-Slavic word for "family member", compare 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...
. The modern names are Сiверяни in the Ukrainian
Ukrainian language
Ukrainian is a language of the East Slavic subgroup of the Slavic languages. It is the official state language of Ukraine. Written Ukrainian uses a variant of the Cyrillic alphabet....
and Северяне in the Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
.
Their neighbours were the tribes of Viatich
Vyatichs
The Vyatichi or Viatichi were a tribe of East Slavs who inhabited a part of the Oka basin.The Primary Chronicle names a certain tribal leader Vyatko as the forefather of the tribe, but the modern etymology places the word as a cognate to Veneti and Vandals. The Vyatichi were mainly engaged in...
and Radimich
Radimichs
The Radimichs , were a tribe of West Slavs of the last few centuries of the 1st millennium, which inhabited upper east parts of the Dnieper down the Sozh River and its tributaries...
in the north, and the Derevlian and Polian
Polans
Polans may refer to two Slavic tribes:* Polans , in the area of Dnieper river* Polans , in the area of Warta. The tribe unified most of the lands of present-day Poland under the Piast dynasty....
tribes in the west. The eastern and southern borders of the tribe's habitat were never permanent and would sometimes reach the upper reaches of the Seversky Donets
Seversky Donets
Seversky Donets is a river on the south of the East European Plain. It originates in the Central Russian Upland, north of Belgorod, flows south-east through Ukraine and then again through Russia to join the Don River, about from the Sea of Azov...
.
Their existence as a political unit can be proven for the 8th to 11th century and thought to be sprang from the Krivich
Krivich
The Krivichi was one of the tribal unions of Early East Slavs between the 6th and the 12th centuries. They migrated to the mostly Finnic areas in the upper reaches of the Volga, Dnieper, Western Dvina, areas south of the lower reaches of river Velikaya and parts of the Neman basin.-Etymology:Many...
i. They had to pay tribute to the Khazars
Khazars
The Khazars were semi-nomadic Turkic people who established one of the largest polities of medieval Eurasia, with the capital of Atil and territory comprising much of modern-day European Russia, western Kazakhstan, eastern Ukraine, Azerbaijan, large portions of the northern Caucasus , parts of...
in the 8th and 9th century, were annexed by Oleg of Novgorod
Oleg of Novgorod
Oleg of Novgorod was a Varangian prince who ruled all or part of the Rus' people during the early 10th century....
to the Kiev state together with the Polans
Polans (eastern)
The Polans ; also Polianians; were a Slavic tribe between the 6th and the 9th century, which inhabited both sides of the Dnieper river from Liubech to Rodnia and also down the lower streams of the rivers Ros', Sula, Stuhna, Teteriv, Irpin', Desna and Pripyat...
in the late 9th century, and participated in Oleg's campaign
Rus'-Byzantine War (907)
The Rus'–Byzantine War of 907 is associated in the Primary Chronicle with the name of Oleg of Novgorod. The chronicle implies that it was the most successful military operation of the Kievan Rus' against the Byzantine Empire. Paradoxically, Greek sources do not mention it at all.- Primary Chronicle...
against Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
in 907. Finally they became part of the Grand Principality of Chernigov. The last reference to them stems from 1024. For subsequent history of the region, see Severia
Severia
Severia or Siveria is a historical region in present-day northern Ukraine and southwestern Russia, centered around the city of Novhorod-Siverskyi in Ukraine.-Severians:...
(whose name is derived from "Severians").
They are mentioned especially by Geographus Bavarus (9th century, "Zeriuani"), by Constantine VII
Constantine VII
Constantine VII Porphyrogennetos or Porphyrogenitus, "the Purple-born" was the fourth Emperor of the Macedonian dynasty of the Byzantine Empire, reigning from 913 to 959...
Porphyrogennetos, by the khazar
Khazars
The Khazars were semi-nomadic Turkic people who established one of the largest polities of medieval Eurasia, with the capital of Atil and territory comprising much of modern-day European Russia, western Kazakhstan, eastern Ukraine, Azerbaijan, large portions of the northern Caucasus , parts of...
khagan
Khagan
Khagan or qagan , alternatively spelled kagan, khaghan, qaghan, or chagan, is a title of imperial rank in the Mongolian and Turkic languages equal to the status of emperor and someone who rules a khaganate...
Joseph (c. 960) and by the Primary Chronicle
Primary Chronicle
The Primary Chronicle , Ruthenian Primary Chronicle or Russian Primary Chronicle, is a history of Kievan Rus' from about 850 to 1110, originally compiled in Kiev about 1113.- Three editions :...
.
The principal cities of the Severians were Chernigov (modern Chernihiv), Kursk
Kursk
Kursk is a city and the administrative center of Kursk Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Kur, Tuskar, and Seym Rivers. The area around Kursk was site of a turning point in the Russian-German struggle during World War II and the site of the largest tank battle in history...
, Novgorod-Seversky (modern Novhorod-Siverskyi) and others. Archaeologists also found numerous rural settlements of the 8th - 10th centuries, inhabited by the Severians, and burial mounds with cremated
Cremation
Cremation is the process of reducing bodies to basic chemical compounds such as gasses and bone fragments. This is accomplished through high-temperature burning, vaporization and oxidation....
bodies. The Severians were mostly engaged in agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
, cattle breeding and different handicraft
Handicraft
Handicraft, more precisely expressed as artisanic handicraft, sometimes also called artisanry, is a type of work where useful and decorative devices are made completely by hand or by using only simple tools. It is a traditional main sector of craft. Usually the term is applied to traditional means...
s.
Part of the Severians also migrated to the south-west and settled in the areas of the southern Pannonian plain (the Banat
Banat
The Banat is a geographical and historical region in Central Europe currently divided between three countries: the eastern part lies in western Romania , the western part in northeastern Serbia , and a small...
region) and southern Carpathians
Carpathian Mountains
The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians are a range of mountains forming an arc roughly long across Central and Eastern Europe, making them the second-longest mountain range in Europe...
. The Severin region of the medieval Kingdom of Hungary
Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary comprised present-day Hungary, Slovakia and Croatia , Transylvania , Carpatho Ruthenia , Vojvodina , Burgenland , and other smaller territories surrounding present-day Hungary's borders...
situated in south-eastern Banat was named after Severians. Another branch of Severians also settled in the territory of present-day north-eastern 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...
.