Silingi
Encyclopedia
The Silings or Silingi supposedly were an East
Germanic tribe, probably part of the larger Vandal
group. According to most scholars, examples Jerzy Strzelczyk
, Norman Davies
, Jerzy Krasuski, Andrzej Kokowski, Henryk Łowmiański, the Silingi may have lived in Silesia
. The name Silesia and Silingi may be related.
The Silingi were part of the migratory movements of the Vandals, into the Iberian peninsula
and later on to North Africa
, which was one of the causes of the fall of the Western Roman Empire
.
During the reign of Roman Emperor
Marcus Aurelius, (A.D. 161–180) the Silingi lived in the "Vandal mountains", later part of the former Sudetenland
which now is part of the Czech Republic
.
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According to some historians, the names of Silesia and the Silingi are related. Another hypothesis derives the name of the mountain and river, and hence the region, from the old Polish word "Ślągwa", meaning "humid" or "damp", reflecting the climate of the region.
The name of the territory Silesia
is often assumed to either derive from the river or the mountain now called the Ślęza River
or Mount Ślęża
. The hill was a religious center of the Silingi, situated south-south-east of modern day Wrocław (Breslau), although the religious importance of the location dates back to the sun-worshipping people of the Lusatian culture
, as early as 1300 B.C.
The Silingi lived north of the Carpathian Mountains
, in what now is Silesia. The name of Silesia can be traced back to the Silingi through intermediate Slavic
forms.
After the migratory movement of the 5th century, any Silingi remaining in Silesia were most likely slowly replaced in the sixth century by a influx of Slavic people.
) which has been operating since 1877, currently (2010) in Cologne
, Germany, as Corps Silingia Breslau zu Köln (Corps of Silings Wrocław).
East Germanic tribes
The Germanic tribes referred to as East Germanic constitute a wave of migrants who may have moved from Scandinavia into the area between the Oder and Vistula rivers between the years 600 and 300 BC. Later they went to the south...
Germanic tribe, probably part of the larger Vandal
Vandals
The Vandals were an East Germanic tribe that entered the late Roman Empire during the 5th century. The Vandals under king Genseric entered Africa in 429 and by 439 established a kingdom which included the Roman Africa province, besides the islands of Sicily, Corsica, Sardinia and the Balearics....
group. According to most scholars, examples Jerzy Strzelczyk
Jerzy Strzelczyk
Prof. Dr. Hab. Jerzy Strzelczyk is Polish historian, professor at the Adam Mickiewicz University.- Works :* Po tamtej stronie Odry. Dzieje i upadek Słowian połabskich, Warszawa 1968,* Drzewianie połabscy, Warszawa 1968,...
, Norman Davies
Norman Davies
Professor Ivor Norman Richard Davies FBA, FRHistS is a leading English historian of Welsh descent, noted for his publications on the history of Europe, Poland, and the United Kingdom.- Academic career :...
, Jerzy Krasuski, Andrzej Kokowski, Henryk Łowmiański, the Silingi may have lived in Silesia
Silesia
Silesia is a historical region of Central Europe located mostly in Poland, with smaller parts also in the Czech Republic, and Germany.Silesia is rich in mineral and natural resources, and includes several important industrial areas. Silesia's largest city and historical capital is Wrocław...
. The name Silesia and Silingi may be related.
The Silingi were part of the migratory movements of the Vandals, into the Iberian peninsula
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...
and later on to North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
, which was one of the causes of the fall of the Western Roman Empire
Western Roman Empire
The Western Roman Empire was the western half of the Roman Empire after its division by Diocletian in 285; the other half of the Roman Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire, commonly referred to today as the Byzantine Empire....
.
Ancient sources
Claudius Ptolemaeus wrote that they had lived south of the Suebi-Semnone tribe:During the reign of Roman Emperor
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
Marcus Aurelius, (A.D. 161–180) the Silingi lived in the "Vandal mountains", later part of the former Sudetenland
Sudetenland
Sudetenland is the German name used in English in the first half of the 20th century for the northern, southwest and western regions of Czechoslovakia inhabited mostly by ethnic Germans, specifically the border areas of Bohemia, Moravia, and those parts of Silesia being within Czechoslovakia.The...
which now is part of the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
.
The region Silesia
The name of the territory Silesia
Silesia
Silesia is a historical region of Central Europe located mostly in Poland, with smaller parts also in the Czech Republic, and Germany.Silesia is rich in mineral and natural resources, and includes several important industrial areas. Silesia's largest city and historical capital is Wrocław...
is often assumed to either derive from the river or the mountain now called the Ślęza River
Ślęza
Ślęza is a 78.6 km long river in Lower Silesia, southern Poland, a left tributary of the Oder. It starts in the Niemcza Hills , part of the Sudete Highlands , and flows near Mount Ślęża through the Silesian Lowland and enters the Oder in Wrocław.The most important tributary is: Mała...
or Mount Ślęża
Mount Sleza
Ślęża is a mountain in the Sudetes foothills in Lower Silesia, from Wrocław, southern Poland. This natural reserve built mostly of granite is 718 m high and covered with forests....
. The hill was a religious center of the Silingi, situated south-south-east of modern day Wrocław (Breslau), although the religious importance of the location dates back to the sun-worshipping people of the Lusatian culture
Lusatian culture
The Lusatian culture existed in the later Bronze Age and early Iron Age in most of today's Poland, parts of Czech Republic and Slovakia, parts of eastern Germany and parts of Ukraine...
, as early as 1300 B.C.
The Silingi lived north of the Carpathian Mountains
Carpathian Mountains
The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians are a range of mountains forming an arc roughly long across Central and Eastern Europe, making them the second-longest mountain range in Europe...
, in what now is Silesia. The name of Silesia can be traced back to the Silingi through intermediate Slavic
Slavic languages
The Slavic languages , a group of closely related languages of the Slavic peoples and a subgroup of Indo-European languages, have speakers in most of Eastern Europe, in much of the Balkans, in parts of Central Europe, and in the northern part of Asia.-Branches:Scholars traditionally divide Slavic...
forms.
After the migratory movement of the 5th century, any Silingi remaining in Silesia were most likely slowly replaced in the sixth century by a influx of Slavic people.
Legacy
Corps Silingia Breslau (de) is a student organization (StudentenverbindungStudentenverbindung
A Studentenverbindung is a student corporation in a German-speaking country somewhat comparable to fraternities in the US or Canada, but mostly older and going back to other kinds of...
) which has been operating since 1877, currently (2010) in Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
, Germany, as Corps Silingia Breslau zu Köln (Corps of Silings Wrocław).
See also
- List of Germanic tribes
- FredebalFredebalFredebal, also spelled as Fredbal or Fredbalus, was a king of the Vandals during the 5th century.King of the Siling Vandals, he was taken prisoner without any conflict in Baetica by a trick of Wallia, king of the Visigoths, in the imperial service. Fredebal was sent to Roman Emperor Honorius in...
- SilesiansSilesiansSilesians , are the inhabitants of Silesia in Poland, Germany and the Czech Republic. A small diaspora community also exists in Karnes County, Texas in the USA....
- Silesian tribesSilesian tribesSilesian tribes – are the European tribes of West Slavs that lived in the territories of Silesia. The territory they lived on became part of the Great Moravia in 875 and later, in 990, first Polish state created by duke Mieszko I and then expanded by king Boleslaw I at the beginning of the 11th...