German clan

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources.
Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. (help, get involved!)
Any material not supported by sources may be challenged and removed at any time. This article has been tagged since September 2006.

The German clan Sippe or (Sibba) in Old Germanic, was a social group based on common descent. It includes all members living in their houses and close surroundings. “Stamm” tribe includes many houses of the same ancestry to band together for the prosperity of all.

In the absence of centralized military forces, the clan was the primary force of security in Old Germanic society. The Germanic clan may or may not be tied to a certain territory in the same way as a Scottish clan, where the chief owned the territory. As central government gradually was established in Germany, the Sibba, Sippe or Stamm lost its relevance. For royalty and nobility, however, it remained in use as the name for line and dynasty.

In German historical writings, most scholars refer to the multiple tribes and various migrations into and within Germany. This is because Germany is in central Europe where many invasions occurred and many tribes entered and settled. The Germanic clan does not mean territoriality, as does a Scottish clan, but to the fact to belong to a same warrior group Noble Brotherhood. For that reason, there are hundreds of different families in the same clan and all of them were are entitled to use the same ancient coat of arms.

Historically in Germanic Europe, there are Germanic speaking clans from Scandinavia and Scotland all the way to eastern Europe. Furthermore, the migrations and emergence of a number of large West Germanic tribes — Alemanni, Franks, Chatti, Saxons, Frisians, Thuringians occurred in the 3rd century.