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TheDrevlians,Derevlians orDerevlianians[1] (Ukrainian:Древляни,romanized: Drevliany orДеревляни,Derevliany,Russian:Древля́не,romanized: Drevlyane) were atribe ofEast Slavs between the 6th and the 10th centuries, which inhabited the territories ofPolesia andright-bank Ukraine, west of theeastern Polans and along the lower reaches of the riversTeteriv,Uzh,Ubort, andStsviha. To the west, the Drevlians' territories reached theSluch River, where theVolhynians (related to the territory ofVolhynia) andBuzhans (related to the name ofSouthern Bug) lived. To the north, the Drevlians' neighbors were theDregoviches.
Their name is derived from Slavicdrevo/древо orderevo/дерево, meaning "wood"[2] and "tree",[3] because they lived in the forests.[2] Their name may be rendered "the dwellers in the forest".[3] They possibly were mentioned asForsderen-Liudi byBavarian Geographer in the 9th century.[4] ThePrimary Chronicle (PVL) mentioned that those Slavs who settled in open fields had been calledPolyani (after the Slavicpole/поле, meaning "field"), and those in forest areasDrevlyani.[5]
The Drevlians left many archaeological traces, such as agricultural settlements with semi-dugouts (or earth-houses), moundless burial grounds andbarrows, fortified towns like Vruchiy (present-dayOvruch), Horodske, site of an ancient settlement nearMalyn (supposedly, a residence of the DrevlianprinceMal), and others. The principal city of the Drevlians was Iskorosten (today'sKorosten), where one can still see a group of compact ancient settlements. After theKievan Rus' conquered the Drevlians, Iskorosten was burned to the ground and the capital transferred to Ovruch. By the end of thefirst millennium, the Drevlians already had well-developedfarming andhandicrafts.[citation needed]
The Drevlians initially fervently opposed theKievan Rus'. According to a number ofchronicles, in the times ofKyi, Shchek and Khoryv (supposedly, founders ofKiev), the Drevlians had their own princely rule and were frequently at war with thePolyani. In 883, PrinceOleg of Novgorod made the Drevlians pay tribute to Kiev. In 907, the Drevlians took part in theKievan military campaign against theEastern Roman Empire.
After Oleg's death in 912, the Drevlians stopped paying tribute. TheVarangian warlordSveneld made them pay tribute to himself. Oleg's successorIgor attempted to levy the tribute after Sveneld, but the Drevlians revolted and killed him in 945. Igor's widowOlga avenged her husband's death in an extremely harsh manner, killing Drevlianambassadors andnobility, burning their capital of Iskorosten to the ground, and leveling other towns. After having subjugated the Drevlians, Olga transformed their territories into a Kievanappanage with the center inVruchiy.
The last contemporary mention of the Drevlians occurred in a chronicle of 1136, when Grand PrinceYaropolk Vladimirovich of Kiev gave their lands to theChurch of the Tithes.
The Drevlians are depicted in works dedicated toKniaz Igor andKniaginia Olga, including:
and also