East Slavic tribes peoples 8th 9th century

The Drevlians, Derevlians or Derevlianians ( or , ) were a

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 ...

East Slavs The East Slavs are the most populous subgroup of the Slavs. They speak the East Slavic languages, and formed the majority of the population of the medieval state Kievan Rus', which they claim as their cultural ancestor.John Channon & Robert Huds ...

between the 6th and the 10th centuries, which inhabited the territories of

Polesia Polesia, also called Polissia, Polesie, or Polesye, is a natural (geographic) and historical region in Eastern Europe within the East European Plain, including the Belarus–Ukraine border region and part of eastern Poland. This region shou ...

and

right-bank Ukraine The Right-bank Ukraine is a historical and territorial name for a part of modern Ukraine on the right (west) bank of the Dnieper River, corresponding to the modern-day oblasts of Vinnytsia, Zhytomyr, Kirovohrad, as well as the western parts o ...

, west of the eastern Polans and along the lower reaches of the rivers

Teteriv The Teteriv () is a right tributary of the Dnieper River in Ukraine. It has a length of and a drainage basin of . The Teteriv flows generally in northeastern direction through geographic regions of Podolian Upland, Dnieper Upland, and Polesia. T ...

, Uzh,

Ubort The Ubort (Russian and Ukrainian: Уборть; , ''Ubarć'') is a river in Zhytomyr Oblast (Ukraine) and Gomel Region (Belarus), a right tributary to the Pripyat in the Dnieper river basin. It is long, and has a drainage basin of . The Ubort ...

, and

Stsviha The Stsviha or Stvyha (, ) is a river of Ukraine and Belarus. It is a tributary of the Pripyat River in the Dnieper basin. A notable marsh wetland known as the Polesia, home to about 265 different species of bird, lies between the Pripyat, Stsviha ...

. To the west, the Drevlians' territories reached the Sluch River, where the

Volhynians The Volhynians (, ) were an East Slavic tribe of the Early Middle Ages and the Principality of Volhynia in 987–1199. Historiography Russian perspective Russian historiography on regions like Volhynia, specifically before the emergence ...

(related to the territory of

Volhynia Volhynia or Volynia ( ; see #Names and etymology, below) is a historic region in Central and Eastern Europe, between southeastern Poland, southwestern Belarus, and northwestern Ukraine. The borders of the region are not clearly defined, but in ...

) and

Buzhans The Buzhans were a tribal union of Early Slavs, which supposedly formed the East Slavs in southern Russia and the Volga region. They are mentioned as ''Buzhane'' in the ''Primary Chronicle''. Several localities in Russia are claimed to be connected ...

(related to the name of

Southern Bug The Southern Bug, also called Southern Buh (; ; ; or just ), and sometimes Boh River (; ),

) lived. To the north, the Drevlians' neighbors were the

Dregoviches The Dregoviches, also called the ''Dregovichi'', were an East Slavic tribal union. They inhabited the territories along the lower Pripyat River and the northern parts of the right bank of the Dnieper River The Dnieper or Dnepr ( ), a ...

Etymology

Their name is derived from Slavic ''drevo/древо'' or ''derevo/дерево'', meaning "wood" and "tree", because they lived in the forests. Their name may be rendered "the dwellers in the forest". They possibly were mentioned as ''Forsderen-Liudi'' by

Bavarian Geographer The epithet "Bavarian Geographer" () is the conventional name for the anonymous author of a short Latin medieval text containing a list of the tribes in Central and Eastern Europe, headed . The name "Bavarian Geographer" was first bestowed (in its ...

in the 9th century. The ''

Primary Chronicle The ''Primary Chronicle'', shortened from the common ''Russian Primary Chronicle'' (, commonly transcribed ''Povest' vremennykh let'' (PVL), ), is a Rus' chronicle, chronicle of Kievan Rus' from about 850 to 1110. It is believed to have been or ...

'' (PVL) mentioned that those Slavs who settled in open fields had been called ''Polyani'' (after the Slavic ''pole/поле'', meaning "field"), and those in forest areas ''Drevlyani''.

Settlements

The Drevlians left many archaeological traces, such as agricultural settlements with semi- dugouts (or earth-houses), moundless burial grounds and barrows, fortified towns like Vruchiy (present-day

Ovruch Ovruch (, ) is a city in Korosten Raion, Zhytomyr Oblast, northern Ukraine, first mentioned as Vruchiy in 977. It was the capital city of the Drevlians in the 900s, later conquered by the Mongols in the 13th century, then later part of the Grand D ...

), Horodske, site of an ancient settlement near

Malyn Malyn (, ) is a city in Zhytomyr Oblast (province) of Ukraine located about northwest of Kyiv. It served as the administrative center of Malyn Raion until the administrative reform in 2020, when it was merged into Korosten Raion. Population: ...

(supposedly, a residence of the Drevlian

prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...

Mal), and others. The principal city of the Drevlians was Iskorosten (today's

Korosten Korosten (, ), also historically known as Iskorosten (), is a historic city and a large transport hub in Zhytomyr Oblast, northern Ukraine. It is located on the Uzh (Pripyat), Uzh River. Korosten serves as the Capital city, administrative center ...

), where one can still see a group of compact ancient settlements. After 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 ...

conquered the Drevlians, Iskorosten was burned to the ground and the capital transferred to Ovruch. By the end of the

first millennium File:1st millennium montage.png, From top left, clockwise: Depiction of Jesus, the central figure in Christianity; The Colosseum, a landmark of the once-mighty Roman Empire; Kaaba, the Great Mosque of Mecca, the holiest site of Islam; Chess, a ne ...

, the Drevlians already had well-developed

farming Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

and

handicraft A handicraft is a traditional main sector of craft making and applies to a wide range of creative and design activities that are related to making things with one's hands and skill, including work with textiles, moldable and rigid material ...

History

The Drevlians initially fervently opposed the

. According to a number of

chronicle A chronicle (, from Greek ''chroniká'', from , ''chrónos'' – "time") is a historical account of events arranged in chronological order, as in a timeline. Typically, equal weight is given for historically important events and local events ...

s, in the times of

Kyi, Shchek and Khoryv Kyi, Shchek and Khoryv were three legendary brothersoften mentioned along with their sister Lybеd who, according to the ''Primary Chronicle'', founded the city of Kiev (modern Kyiv), which eventually became the capital of Kievan Rus', and is the ...

(supposedly, founders of

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, ...

), the Drevlians had their own princely rule and were frequently at war with the ''Polyani''. In 883, Prince

Oleg of Novgorod Oleg (), Oleh (), or Aleh () is an Slavic peoples, East Slavic given name. The name is very common in Russia, Ukraine, and Belаrus. Origins ''Oleg'' derives from the Old Norse ''Helgi'' (Helge (name), Helge), meaning "holy", "sacred", or "ble ...

made the Drevlians pay tribute to Kiev. In 907, the Drevlians took part in the Kievan military campaign against the

Eastern Roman Empire The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

. After Oleg's death in 912, the Drevlians stopped paying tribute. The

Varangian The Varangians ( ; ; ; , or )Varangian
," Online Etymology Dictionary were

Sveneld Sveneld (also called Svenald or Sveinald; ; or ), is a semi-legendary 10th-century Varangian warlord in the service of Sviatoslav I and his family. Most of the information about Sveneld is scarce. He is described as a rich man and a '' voevoda ...

made them pay tribute to himself. Oleg's successor Igor attempted to levy the tribute after Sveneld, but the Drevlians revolted and killed him in 945. Igor's widow Olga avenged her husband's death in an extremely harsh manner, killing Drevlian

ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or so ...

s and

nobility Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally appointed by and ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. T ...

, burning their capital of Iskorosten to the ground, and leveling other towns. After having subjugated the Drevlians, Olga transformed their territories into a Kievan

appanage An appanage, or apanage (; ), is the grant of an estate, title, office or other thing of value to a younger child of a monarch, who would otherwise have no inheritance under the system of primogeniture (where only the eldest inherits). It was ...

with the center in Vruchiy. The last contemporary mention of the Drevlians occurred in a chronicle of 1136, when Grand Prince Yaropolk Vladimirovich of Kiev gave their lands to the Church of the Tithes.

In literature

The Drevlians are depicted in works dedicated to Kniaz Igor and Kniaginia Olga, including: * Leopold von Sacher-Masoch's ''Bloody Wedding in Kiev'',Sacher-Masoch, L. and Haivoronskyi, P., 2016
''Bloody Wedding in Kyiv: Two Tales of Olha, Kniahynia of Kyivan Rus''
, Sova Books, Sydney (Engl. transl.) 1866; * Petro Haivoronskyі's ''The Kniahynia's Comb'', 2015 and also *

References

{{Slavic ethnic groups (VII-XII century)

Etymology

Settlements

History

In literature

See also

References