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Polochans (Belarusian: Палачане, Russian: Полочане) were a tribe of early East Slavs, who inhabited the area in the middle of the Western Dvina in the 9th century. Alternative meaning: inhabitants of Polotsk.[1][2]
They are mentioned in the Primary Chronicle, which explains that the name "polochans" derived from the Polota River, Western Dvina's tributary.[1][2] It further says that Krivichs were descendants of Polochans. The lands of the Polochans spanned towards the upper reaches of the Svislach on the south and along the left bank of the Biarezina River to the lands of the Dregovichs. The Polochan lands bordered with the following tribes:
- To the southeast - Smolensk Krivichs[3]
- To the north and east - Izborsk Krivichs and Novgorod Slavs
- To the west - Lithuanian tribes
The Polochan tribe was one of the tribes which would later form the Principality of Polotsk.[4]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b Cross, Samuel Hazzard; Sherbowitz-Wetzor, Olgerd P. (1953). "The Russian Primary Chronicle: Laurentian Text" (PDF). Cambridge, Massachusetts: Mediaeval Academy of America. Retrieved 23 April 2025.
- ^ a b Chernetsov, A. V.; Turilov, A. A. (January 2017). "An Occult Version of the Early Medieval History of Russia and Description of Arctic Navigation Routes in the Pskov Chronicle of 1689" (PDF). The Journal of the Hakluyt Society. Retrieved 23 April 2025.
- ^ "Historical Guide". Government of Smolensk Region. Retrieved 2025-04-23.
- ^ "History - Полоцкий районный исполнительный комитет". Polotsk Regional Executive Committee. Retrieved 2025-04-23.