Western Civilization

The Slavic Peoples of Central

and Eastern Europe

Q FOCUSQUESTION: What patterns of development

occurred in central and eastern Europe as a result of

the Slavic peoples?

North of Byzantium and east of the Carolingian Empire

lay a spacious plain through which a number of Asiatic

nomads, including the Huns, Bulgars, Avars, and Mag-

yars, had pushed their way westward, terrorizing and

plundering the settled peasant communities. Eastern

Europe was ravaged by these successive waves of

invaders, who found it relatively easy to create large

empires that were in turn overthrown by the next

invaders. Over a period of time, the invaders them-

selves were largely assimilated with the native Slavic

peoples of the area.

The Slavs were an Indo-European-speaking people

who came to eastern Europe from the southeast. Origi-

nally a single people, the Slavs in late antiquity popu-

lated a large area in central and eastern Europe.

Beginning in the sixth century, through mass migra-

tions and nomadic invasions, they gradually divided

into three major groups: the western, southern, and

eastern Slavs (see Map 8.4).

Western Slavs

In the region east of the eastern Frankish or German

kingdom emerged the Polish and Bohemian kingdoms

of the western Slavs. The Germans assumed responsi-

bility for the conversion of these Slavic peoples, since

some German emperors considered it their duty to

spread Christianity to the barbarians. Of course, it also

gave them the opportunity to extend their political

authority. German missionaries had converted the

Czechs in Bohemia by the end of the ninth century,

and a bishopric eventually occupied by a Czech bishop

was established at Prague in the tenth. The Slavs in

Poland were not converted until the reign of Prince

Mieszko (MYESH-koh) (ca. 960–992). In 1000, an inde-

pendent Polish archbishopric was set up at Gniezno by

the pope. The non-Slavic kingdom of Hungary, which

emerged when the Magyars settled down after their

(HUNGARY)

(GERMANY)

(POLAND)

(RUSSIA)

(AUSTRIA)

(ROMANIA)

(UKRAINE)

SLAVS

( 450 )

CZE

CHS

(^600

)

SL

OV

AK

S

(^6

00

)

S

O

UT

H

ER

N^

SL

A

V

S

POLES

(600)

WESTERN

SLAVS

(500)

(500)

EASTERN SLAVS

(RUSSIANS,

BYELORUSSIANS,

UKRAINIANS)

(500)

SLOVENES

CROATS

(600) SERBS

(600)

(600)

(^) O
der
(^) R
.
(^) S
ava (^) R.
Danub
e R.
(^) Dniester
(^) R.
Vistul
a^ R.
Danube R.
(CZECH
REPUBLIC)
(SLOVAKIA)
(CROATIA)
(BOSNIA
(SERBIA)
(^) A
dr
ia
tic
(^) S
ea
Balt
ic Sea
AND
HERZEGOVINA)
(SLOVENIA)
(ITALY)
O
st^ R.
(MODERN STATE NAMES
ARE IN PARENTHESES)
(Approximate time
of movement)
B
la
ck
S
ea
Alp
s
Carpathian
(^)
(^) M
ts.
Kiev
(^) Elb
e (^) R
.
Dnieper
R.
0 100 200 Miles
0 100 200 300 Kilometers
MAP 8.4The Migrations of
the Slavs.Originally from
east-central Europe, the Slavic
people broke into three
groups. The western Slavs
converted to Catholic
Christianity, while the eastern
Slavs and southern Slavs, under
the influence of the Byzantine
Empire, embraced the Eastern
Orthodox faith.
Q What connections do
these Slavic migrations
have with what we
today characterize as
eastern Europe?
190 Chapter 8European Civilization in the Early Middle Ages, 750–1000
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