The Berendei or Berindei (Romanian: ''Berindei''; Ukrainian: ''Берендеї'', ''Berendeyi''; Russian: ''берендеи'', ''berendei'', ''перендеи'', ''perendei'', ''перендичи''; in Hungarian: ''berendek''; in Polish: ''Berendejowie'') were a medieval Turkic

tribe The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide use of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. The definition is contested, in part due to conflict ...

, most likely of Kipchak origin. They were part of the tribal confederation of the "peak caps" or the "black hats" (the Chorni Klobuky, 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', also known as Kyivan Rus,. * was the first East Slavs, East Slavic state and later an amalgam of principalities in Eastern Europe from the late 9th to the mid-13th century.John Channon & Robert Hudson, ''Penguin Historical At ...

in the 11th and 12th centuries as " Chornye Klobuki" and, together with the

Pechenegs The Pechenegs () or Patzinaks, , Middle Turkic languages, Middle Turkic: , , , , , , ka, პაჭანიკი, , , ; sh-Latn-Cyrl, Pečenezi, separator=/, Печенези, also known as Pecheneg Turks were a semi-nomadic Turkic peopl ...

and Uzs, became settled along the borders of the Rus' steppes. Some rebel Berindei tribes took refuge in territories which are part of today’s

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

. Most of the Berindeis remained on the territories of the

Kiev Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

and Pereyaslavl principalities, where they functioned as cavalry troops in the region of the lower

Dnieper The Dnieper or Dnepr ( ), also called Dnipro ( ), is one of the major transboundary rivers of Europe, rising in the Valdai Hills near Smolensk, Russia, before flowing through Belarus and Ukraine to the Black Sea. Approximately long, with ...

river.

Assimilation

During the 12th century, the Berindeis were already assimilated, but also maintained their own military aristocracy. After the Berindei nobility were accepted by the elite of the Kievan Rus' state, towns were created by the new nobility and started to flourish. The Berindei cavalry continued to remain active against the raids undertaken by the

Cumans The Cumans or Kumans were a Turkic people, Turkic nomadic people from Central Asia comprising the western branch of the Cumania, Cuman–Kipchak confederation who spoke the Cuman language. They are referred to as Polovtsians (''Polovtsy'') in Ru ...

. In 1177, a

Cuman The Cumans or Kumans were a Turkic nomadic people from Central Asia comprising the western branch of the Cuman–Kipchak confederation who spoke the Cuman language. They are referred to as Polovtsians (''Polovtsy'') in Rus' chronicles, as " ...

-Kipchak army, allied with

Ryazan Ryazan (, ; also Riazan) is the largest types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and administrative center of Ryazan Oblast, Russia. The city is located on the banks of the Oka River in Central Russia, southeast of Moscow. As of the 2010 C ...

, sacked six cities belonging to the Berendei and Torkil. After the great Mongol invasion of 1241, some Berindeis and other Turkic peoples moved to

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

to join with those who had already taken refuge in Hungary. The rest of these tribes mixed with the nomad population of the

Golden Horde The Golden Horde, self-designated as ''Ulug Ulus'' ( in Turkic) was originally a Mongols, Mongol and later Turkicized khanate established in the 13th century and originating as the northwestern sector of the Mongol Empire. With the division of ...

, where after, the historians at this time ceased with the usage of the Berindei tribal name.

Placename connections

Some of Turkic placenames in south of

Kyiv Oblast Kyiv Oblast (, ), also called Kyivshchyna (, ), is an Administrative divisions of Ukraine, oblast (province) in central and northern Ukraine. It surrounds, but does not include, the city of Kyiv, which is administered as a city with special sta ...

and in

Cherkasy Oblast Cherkasy Oblast (, ), also referred to as Cherkashchyna (, ) is an administrative divisions of Ukraine, oblast (province) in central Ukraine located along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. The Capital city, administrative center of the oblast is the cit ...

, namely Kaharlyk, Karapyshi, Tahancha, Koshmak, are believed to be connected to the Berendei. Additionally, so is the name of the city of

Berdychiv Berdychiv (, ) is a historic city in Zhytomyr Oblast, northern Ukraine. It serves as the administrative center of Berdychiv Raion within the oblast. It is south of the administrative center of the oblast, Zhytomyr. Its population is approximat ...

in southern part of

Zhytomyr Oblast Zhytomyr Oblast (), also referred to as Zhytomyrshchyna (), is an Administrative divisions of Ukraine, oblast (province) in northwestern Ukraine. The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Zhytomyr. Its population is approximately H ...

, which is founded by the "Berendychi". Also, there is a village called Berendi in the town of Serik, located in the

Antalya province Antalya Province () is a Provinces of Turkey, province and Metropolitan municipalities in Turkey, metropolitan municipality of Turkey. It is located on the Mediterranean Region, Turkey, Mediterranean coast of south-west Turkey, between the Taur ...

of Turkey. The people of this village are known as "coz", or settled people. Berendi is one of the oldest villages in the region, and since the word for non-settled people in Turkish is "cuz", the villagers of Berendi are conjectured to be the descendants of Muslim Pechenegs who were also designated as "coz" historically. An example of a "cuz" or nomadic people, are the

Yörüks The Yörüks, also Yuruks or Yorouks (; , ''Youroúkoi''; ; , ''Juruci''), are a Turkish ethnic subgroup of Oghuz descent, some of whom are nomadic, primarily inhabiting the mountains of Anatolia, and partly in the Balkan peninsula. On the Bal ...

of Antalya, who are direct descendants of the Oghuz Turks. There are two villages called ''Berende'' in

, which names, according to the linguist Anna Choleva–Dimitrova, stem from the Berendei tribe.

Berendei names in Romania

In modern-day Romania, the Berindeis were documented to have lived in

Teleorman County Teleorman County () is a county ( județ) of Romania on the border with Bulgaria, in the historical region Muntenia, with its capital city at Alexandria. The name ''Teleorman'' is of Cumanic ( Turkic) origin. It literally means ''wild/crazy for ...

, around the town of Roșiorii de Vede together with the

, Uzs, and

.History of the city of Rosiorii de Vede: origin of names In

Olt County Olt County () is a county (județ) of Romania on the border with Bulgaria, in the Historical regions of Romania, historical regions of Oltenia and Muntenia (the regions are separated by the Olt River, Olt river). The capital city is Slatina, Roma ...

, there is also a Berindei village. Berindei (occasionally spelled Berindey) survives into modern times, designated as a family name. This is the surname of several noted Romanian personalities such as the architects Ion. D. Berindey, Dimitrie I. Berindey, and the general Anton Berindei born in Roșiorii 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 Ștefan Berindei. During the communist regime in Romania (1945–1989), many Berindeis have emigrated to Europe and the United States.

References

Turkic peoples Extinct Turkic peoples {{Turkic peoples