TheVistulans, orVistulanians[1][2][3] (Polish:Wiślanie), were an early medievalLechitictribe inhabiting the western part of modernLesser Poland.[4]
Their name derives from the hydronym of the riverVistula, meaning "inhabitants of Vistula"; the region is mentioned asUuislane by theBavarian Geographer,v Vislè andv Vislèh in theVita Methodii, andVisleland byAlfred the Great in the 9th century.[5][6]
Even though some historians, such asPrzemysław Urbańczyk, claim that the Vistulans did not exist, there are three documents from the 9th century which can be tied to this tribe. First is the so-calledVita Methodii orPannonian Legend (The Life ofSt. Methodius), second is theBavarian Geographer, and third isAlfred the Great'sGermania.[5] Scholars consider that the Vistulans could also have been mentioned in the Old English and Nordic epic poems.King Alfred'stranslation of Orosius contains a description of Europe which statesbe eastan Maroara londe is Wisle lond, ⁊ be eastan þæm sint Datia, þa þe iu wæron Gotan ('To the east of the Moravians' land is the Vistula land, and to the east of them are the Dacians, that formerly were Goths'.)[7]
A verse in Old English poemWidsith (10th century):
| Wulfhere sohte ic ond Wyrmhere; ful oft þær wig ne alæg, | I visited Wulfhere and Wyrmhere; there battle often raged, |
| þonne Hræda here heardum sweordum, | when the Hræda with their sharp swords, |
| ymb Wistlawudu wergan sceoldon | in theVistula woods/wooden hills had to defend |
| ealdne eþelstol Ætlan leodum. | their ancestral seat againstAttila's host. |
It is considered that parts of the epic poem could be dated to the 6th century. The syntagmaymb Wistlawudu has seen different translations by the scholars depending on the consideration whetherWistla is a borrowing from a German, Latin, or Slavic language. As such*Wīstle could be identified with the people, whileWistlawudu interpreted as "by the Vistulan woods" or "by the Vistulan wooden hills" (Beskids andWestern Carpathians). However, the Hræda which is genitive plural of*Hraede, gives further insight to the meaning and age of the poem. Although it is usually related with theGoths from the same poem (Hred-Gotum,Hreth-Gotan,Hreidhgotar),[5] this verse is similar to the one inHervarar saga ok Heiðreks (13th century), where prior the battle between Goths and Huns,Heidrek died inHarvaða fjöllum (Carpathian Mountains) which is sometimes translated as "beneath the mountains of Harvathi", considered somewhere beneath Carpathian Mountains near riverDnieper.[5][8]
Tadeusz Lewicki argued thatAnglo-Saxons, as in the case of Alfred the Great who called CroatsHorithi, often distorted foreign Slavic names and it was not uncommon for the same Slavic tribe to be known by different names, in this case, Vistulans being another name for theWhite Croats.[5]Henryk Łowmiański also argued that both the Vistulans and theLendians were tribes of White Croats,[8] but other scholars disagree.[9][10]Leontii Voitovych believed that the Vistulans were the main tribe among those Silesian and Lechitic tribes who invaded this territory, dividing the Croatian lands into Eastern and Western parts.[11]
Based onLubor Niederle's thesis that the Vistulans are remnants of the once strong alliance of Croatian tribes which fell apart after the migration of the Croats to the Western Balkans in the 7th century,Tadeusz Lehr-Spławiński additionally noted that the name Vistulans was only known among Western Slavs and Germans, while in the East, in Byzantine and Arabian sources, the older name of Croats was retained for the same territory.[12] Such an interpretation of the reference toymb Wistlawudu ("in the Vistula woods") in the Anglo-Saxon poemWidsith argues that instead of 5th century events, the poem instead intended to refer to 6th century events contemporaneous with theLombard kingAlboin , when thePannonian Avars led byBayan I (Attila's people) expanded between 568 and 595 into thePannonian Basin and extended their influence northward on the Slavs (Vistulans, Croats) in the Upper Vistula valley, seen in Avarian archaeological remains up toGniezno in central-western Poland.[5]
Little is known about early history of the Vistulans. Their territory might have been conquered byGreater Moravia, though no conclusive evidence exists to prove this theory. According to archaeological findings, in the late 9th century several gords in southern Lesser Poland were destroyed. This might have been during the conquest of the Vistulans by Great Moravia, but it might have been the result of a conflict between the Vistulans and other tribes, like theGolensizi. In the 950s, the land of the Vistulans was probably conquered by Czech DukeBoleslaus I, which is confirmed byAbraham ben Jacob, whose work was used by Muslim geographeral-Bakri in hisBook of Roads and Kingdoms.
It is not known when and how the land of the Vistulans joined into the state of the Polans. Archaeological research has not found any evidence of armed conflicts between the Polans and the Vistulans. Most likely,Bolesław I the Brave, future king of Poland, was named the ruler of Kraków by his grandfather, Boleslaus I. After the death of his fatherMieszko I of Poland (992), Chrobry united Kraków with Poland, with the consent of the Vistulan ruling class.
So far historians have not been able to name any Vistulan dukes, butVita Methodii does mention a "very powerful pagan prince settled on the Vistula" who "began mocking the Christians and doing evil" because of which was contacted by Saint Methodius who said it would be better to be baptized of one's own free will than as a prisoner in foreign land.[13] Furthermore, little is known about their religious rituals and the date of baptism of the tribe. It was possibly around the same period, c. 874, when they were subjugated by kingSvatopluk I of Moravia, and the Vistulan duke was forced to acceptbaptism.[13]
The area inhabited by the Vistulans probably ranged from the foothills of theCarpathian Mountains in the south, to the sources of thePilica andWarta in the north. In the east, it reached theDunajec, and in the west, theSkawa. The first Slavicgords were not built here until the mid 8th century, which means that the Vistulans probably frequently migrated, changing locations.
Since the 8th century, the Vistulans began construction of spacious gords, whose areas frequently reached over 10hectares. Most gords were ring-shaped, and located on hills. Among major ones were the gords at Kraków, Stradów,Demblin,Naszczowice,Podegrodzie,Stawy,Trzcinica,Wiślica and on Bocheniec hill inJadowniki. Most probably, the capital of the Vistulans was located in Kraków, which is confirmed by the size of the local gord, together with a fortified stronghold, located on theWawel hill. Furthermore, the Vistulans probably built severalmounds, such as theKrakus Mound, but historians argue whether these are of earlier, Celtic origin.
In the 9th century, they created a tribal state, with probable major centers inKraków,Wiślica,Sandomierz, andStradów. Probably around 874 they were subjugated by king Svatopluk I of Moravia, who was a contemporary of the emperorArnulf. After a later period ofCzech domination, the Vistulan lands became controlled by thePolans in the late tenth century, and were incorporated intoPoland.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)