Prehistory of Poland (until 966)

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History of Poland

Chronology
Until 966 966–1385 1385–1569 1569–1795 1795–1918 1918–1939 1939–1945 1945–1989 1989–present
Topics
Culture Demographics (Jews) Economics Politics (Monarchs and Presidents) Military (Wars) Territorial changes (WWII)

The prehistory of Poland, or the history of Poland before 966 CE, is a period about which relatively little is known, especially when compared to the later eras.

[edit] Myths and legends

According to a Polish myth, the Slavic nations trace their ancestry to three brothers, Lech, Czech and Rus, who parted in the forests of Central Europe, each moving in a different direction to found a family of distinct but related peoples (Lech founded Gniezno, the first capital of Poland, Czech founded Bohemia, and Rus founded Ruthenia).

[edit] Prehistory

The tale of Lech, Czech and Rus, despite being of doubtful historicity, accurately describes the westward migration and gradual differentiation of the early West Slavic tribes following the collapse of the Roman Empire. Little is known about the actual origins of these tribes: it is inferred that West Slav tribes came into lands between the Oder and Vistula River from areas of the upper and middle regions of the Dnepr River. They lived from cultivation of crops and were generally farmers, contesting with the similar Germanic tribes for land. The causes for their migration were probably the pursuit of more fertile soils and the constant attacks on Eastern Europe by waves of people and armies from the far East, such as Huns, Avars, Magyars and later Mongols, Tatars, and Turks. About twenty such tribes formed small states between 800 and 960: Vistulans, Obodrites, Lendians, Lekhites, Goplans and others, but the most prominent turned out to be Polanes (Polans or Polanie, lit. "people of the plain"). The Polanes settled in the flatlands that eventually formed the heart of Poland, lending their name to the country. Over time the modern Poles emerged as the largest of the West Slavic groupings, establishing themselves to the east of the Germanic regions of Europe with their ethnic cousins, the Czechs and Slovaks, to the south.