Bavaria Slavica

The Bavaria Slavica in what is now northeastern Bavaria is a part of the designated in historical research as Germania Slavica settlement area of Slavic populations in Germany.

In Upper Franconia and the Upper Palatinate lived in the spring and early Middle Ages in addition to the local, Franconian embossed population also Slavs, who had immigrated between the 6th and 9th centuries from the Danube region and the Bohemian region. These groups meet in the written sources of the 8th to the 10th century as a main, Regnitz and Naabwenden. The internal colonization and the development of the land in the 10th/11th. Century took place in the Upper Main area probably using additional Slavic settlers. In the course of compensatory and adaptive process, they have their own language and cultural tradition but largely abandoned in the 10 th and 11 th centuries.

Their presence is still reflected today in several types of sources are the subject of various research disciplines. They require different methods of analysis and interpretation, and allow different statements.

The written sources

The earliest reliable mention of Slavs in the Main area has been handed down in connection with the foundation of the diocese of Würzburg in the year 741. To 790 Charlemagne commissioned the Bishop of Würzburg Berowelf to build as part of the so-called Slavs Slavs Mission 14 churches for the Christianized Slavs on the Main and Regnitz whose position, however, usually can only be guessed. In Diedenhofener Kapitular ( 805) are mentioned in Burglengenfeld and Regensburg as a customs locations for trade between Franks and Slavs Hall city, Forchheim, Premberg. 863 Slavs are mentioned in the Upper Palatinate for the first time. Mentioned in connection with donations to the monastery of Fulda and churches in Würzburg and Ansbach are in the 8th to 10th centuries also several " Slavs in the country " lying places. At the foundation of the Diocese of Bamberg in 1007 was expressly advised of the Christianization of the Slavs. Even with the Bamberg Diocesan Synod in 1059 were the refusals of the Slavs to pay the tithes, and continue running pagan practices issue. On the next Episcopal Synod 1087 Slavs, however, were not mentioned. Overall, the tradition is strongly conditioned by accident. It is the area around Bamberg illuminated, while more remote regions rarely appear in the documents above.

The onomastic sources

At the local, corridor and water names in Upper Franconia and the Upper Palatinate Slavic names or parts of names are often recognizable. Among other aspects, the onomastic ( onomastic ) analyzes also allow statements to the Slavic population. In this case, however, the less concrete settlement of a single location by a Slavic or German population can be determined, taken as conclusions to a larger area, the name landscape. Settlers can, for example, have adopted an older name of the place or of a neighboring village. In the opposite case Slavic place names may also have been later translated or replaced by a new German name. A separate group represent the place-names that start with " Windisch " or " wind " or with " wind" end and are often associated with a German personal names or official titles as abbot or bishop. This was already pointed out by the wording on the Slavs known as winches or Wends, who lived in this place. A typical part of the name of Slavic origin, for example, the suffix "- itz ".

The archaeological sources

Archeological finds, especially pottery with typical wave ornaments and metal jewelry, have close parallels to the Slavic -populated Central Europe. They show that they were produced in the same tradition, and there were close relations especially to the Sorbian area between the Elbe and Saale and Bohemia. However, their chronology often allows for a wide latitude of dating to a century. At the same time, the excavation finds from reading or just a specific area in which lived a Slavic population without that at present more accurate information on the origin or time of immigration of individual groups can be made. Important insights can be gained from their graves, their precise place in time between the 8th and 11th centuries, however, still presents difficulties. Unlike in the more westerly areas of the Empire the dead nor objects such as clothing, jewelry and food were placed in the grave in northeast Bavaria. This grave manners differ significantly from the usual Christian grave custom and show still pagan relics. The cemeteries and burial sites from Carolingian- Ottonian period shared by Franks and Slavs support the assumption that the integration of the Slavic immigrants was largely peaceful.