White Serbs
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| White Serbs | |||||||||
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| White Serbia (northwest part of the map) bordered by Poland, Bohemia, Bavaria | |||||||||
| Total population | |||||||||
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~20,000 |
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| Regions with significant populations | |||||||||
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| Proto-Slavic | |||||||||
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| Monotheists, later Greek Orthodox | |||||||||
| Related ethnic groups | |||||||||
| Lusatian Sorbs, Poles (West Slavs) |
White Serbs (Serbian: Бели Срби, Beli Srbi) were a Polabian Slavic tribe, which lived in the region around river Elbe (today in eastern Germany and western Poland) in the Early Middle Ages. The direct descendants of White Serbs are present-day Lusatian Serbs (Sorbs). The land where White Serbs lived is known as White Serbia.[1]
De Administrando Imperio reports that "these Serbs come from the non-Christianized Serbs, called the White Serbs, living beyond the Turks (Hungary) in the area which they call Bojki (Bohemia). The Franks and Great Croats i.e. non-Christianized Croats, also called White Croats, are their neighbours. There, then, have these Serbs lived from olden times."
Some White Serbs migrated to the Balkans in 610-641 led by the Unknown Archont. The White Serbs were first given and settled in the province of Thessalonica (Serbian: Солун, Solun) by the Roman emperor Heraclius as a gift because of their victory against the Avars of Dalmatia[2]. They settled in an area called "Servia, Greece" situated in Greek Macedonia, west of Thessalonica. Later, they resettled in today's Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia and Montenegro (Pagania, Zahumlje, Travunia, Doclea, Rascia, later parts of the 14th-century Serbian Empire).
The Greek Serbs stayed in the area of Thessalonica. But with the passing of time they assimilated with the Greeks, however the town of where they stayed 1,400 years ago still exists and bears the name: Servia, the translation of Serbia in Greek language. The Serbian name (etymology) and Serbdom (culture) was preserved by the descendants of those Serbs who wished to return to the Serbian homeland of today's Poland, but resettled in Central Balkans.
[edit] Names
Zerwisti/Serbiszcze In Polabian/Polish. (Inhabitants of Sorbia)
The name of the first Serbian state "Rascia" has a connection with the word "Rus-", as there was an area called Boyko which inhabited Rusyns/Ruthenians, the Serbs may also have a separate slavic origin in Ukraine.
[edit] References
- ^ Paul Stevenson: Byzantium's Balkan Frontier
- ^ Illustrated History of the Serbs
