The Berendei or Berindei (Romanian: ''Berindei''; Ukrainian: ''Берендеї'', ''Berendeyi''; Russian: ''берендеи'', ''berendei'', ''перендеи'', ''perendei'', ''перендичи''; in Hungarian: ''berendek''; in Polish: ''Berendejowie'') were a medieval Turkic

tribe The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide usage of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. This definition is contested, in part due to confl ...

, most likely of Kipchak origin. They were part of the tribal confederation of the "peak caps" or the "black hats" (the

Chorni Klobuky Chorni Klobuky or Chornye Klobuki, meaning "black hats" (from russian: Чёрные клобуки, Chërnyye klobuki and uk, Чорні клобуки, Chorni klobuky) was a generic nameRus' lords. The Berindeis are mentioned in the chronicles of the

Kievan Rus' Kievan Rusʹ, also known as Kyivan Rusʹ ( orv, , Rusĭ, or , , ; Old Norse: ''Garðaríki''), was a state in Eastern and Northern Europe from the late 9th to the mid-13th century.John Channon & Robert Hudson, ''Penguin Historical Atlas o ...

in the 11th and 12th centuries as " Chornye Klobuki" and, together with the

Pechenegs The Pechenegs () or Patzinaks tr, Peçenek(ler), Middle Turkic: , ro, Pecenegi, russian: Печенег(и), uk, Печеніг(и), hu, Besenyő(k), gr, Πατζινάκοι, Πετσενέγοι, Πατζινακίται, ka, პა� ...

and Uzs, became settled along the borders of the Russian steppes. Some rebel Berindei tribes took refuge in territories which are part of today’s

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

. Most of the Berindeis remained on the territories of the

Kiev Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the seventh-most populous city in Europe. Ky ...

and Pereyaslavl principalities, where they functioned as cavalry troops in the region of the lower

Dnieper } The Dnieper () or Dnipro (); , ; . is one of the major transboundary rivers of Europe, rising in the Valdai Hills near Smolensk, Russia, before flowing through Belarus and Ukraine to the Black Sea. It is the longest river of Ukraine an ...

river.

Assimilation

During the 12th century the Berindeis were assimilated, maintaining however their own military aristocracy. The Berindei nobility were accepted by the elite of the Kievan Rus' state, and towns created by them started to flourish. The Berindei cavalry continued to remain active against the raids undertaken by the

Cumans The Cumans (or Kumans), also known as Polovtsians or Polovtsy (plural only, from the Russian exonym ), were a Turkic nomadic people comprising the western branch of the Cuman–Kipchak confederation. After the Mongol invasion (1237), many so ...

. Over the course of the 12th century, the Berendeis became assimilated and their state evolved into a feudal principality with its own military aristocracy. Berendei nobles were accepted by the elite of Kievan Rus' on equal terms. Berendei cities and towns emerged. Rus' princes continued to hire Berendei cavalry to defend against Cumans, and also in their civil wars. In 1177, a

Cuman The Cumans (or Kumans), also known as Polovtsians or Polovtsy (plural only, from the Russian exonym ), were a Turkic nomadic people comprising the western branch of the Cuman–Kipchak confederation. After the Mongol invasion (1237), many sough ...

-Kipchak army, allied with

Ryazan Ryazan ( rus, Рязань, p=rʲɪˈzanʲ, a=ru-Ryazan.ogg) is the largest city and administrative center of Ryazan Oblast, Russia. The city is located on the banks of the Oka River in Central Russia, southeast of Moscow. As of the 2010 Cens ...

, sacked six cities belonging to the Berendei and Torkil. After the great Mongol invasion of 1241, some Berindeis moved to

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedo ...

and others joined those who had taken refuge in Hungary. The rest of the tribes mixed with the nomad population of the

Golden Horde The Golden Horde, self-designated as Ulug Ulus, 'Great State' in Turkic, was originally a Mongol and later Turkicized khanate established in the 13th century and originating as the northwestern sector of the Mongol Empire. With the fragmen ...

, after which they cease being mentioned by the Berindei tribe name by the historians of the time.

Placename connections

Some of Turkic placenames in south of

Kyiv Oblast Kyiv Oblast ( uk, Ки́ївська о́бласть, translit=Kyïvska oblast), also called Kyivshchyna ( uk, Ки́ївщина), is an oblast (province) in central and northern Ukraine. It surrounds, but does not include, the city of Kyiv, ...

and in

Cherkasy Oblast Cherkasy Oblast ( uk, Черка́ська о́бласть, Cherkaska oblast, ), also referred to as Cherkashchyna ( uk, Черка́щина, ) is an oblast (province) of central Ukraine located along the Dnieper River. The administrative center ...

, namely Kaharlyk, Karapyshi, Tahancha, Koshmak, are believed to be connected to the Berendei. So is name of the city of

Berdychiv Berdychiv ( uk, Берди́чів, ; pl, Berdyczów; yi, באַרדיטשעװ, Barditshev; russian: Берди́чев, Berdichev) is a historic city in the Zhytomyr Oblast (province) of northern Ukraine. Serving as the administrative center ...

in southern part of

Zhytomyr Oblast Zhytomyr Oblast ( uk, Жито́мирська о́бласть, translit=Zhytomyrska oblast), also referred to as Zhytomyrshchyna ( uk, Жито́мирщина}) is an oblast (province) of northern Ukraine. The administrative center of the obla ...

, literally of "Berendychi". Also there is a village called Berendi in the Serik town of the

Antalya province Antalya Province ( tr, ) is located on the Mediterranean coast of south-west Turkey, between the Taurus Mountains and the Mediterranean Sea. Antalya Province is the centre of Turkey's tourism industry, attracting 30% of foreign tourists visi ...

in Turkey, the people of this village are known as settled people "coz"; it is one of the oldest villages in the area. Probably they are the descendants of Muslim Pechenegs coz, since they are not called by the name of the nomad cuz people Oghuz Turks (Yörüks). There are two villages called ''Berende'' in

which name according to the linguist Anna Choleva–Dimitrova stems from the tribe of the Berendei.

Berendei names in Romania

On the territory of today’s Romania, the Berindeis are documented in

Teleorman County Teleorman County () is a county (județ) of Romania on the border with Bulgaria, in the historical region Muntenia, with its capital city at Alexandria. The name ''Teleorman'' is of Cumanic ( Turkic) origin. It literally means ''crazy forest'' ...

, around the town of Roșiorii de Vede, together with the

, Uzs, and

.History of the city of Rosiorii de Vede: origin of names In

Olt County Olt County () is a county (județ) of Romania on the border with Bulgaria, in the historical regions of Oltenia and Muntenia (the regions are separated by the Olt river). The capital city is Slatina. History On 24 August 2017, the Olt County ...

there is a Berindei village. Berindei (occasionally spelled Berindey) as a family name has survived in the name of several noted Romanian personalities, such as the architects Ion. D. Berindey and Dimitrie I. Berindey and the general

Anton Berindei Anton Berindei (January 6, 1838–October 31, 1899) was a Wallachian-born Romanian soldier. Born in Roșiorii de Vede, he was descended from ''boyar'' families on both sides; his mother was born ''Isvoranu''.Mihai Sorin Rǎdulescu, ''Elita ...

, born in Roșiorii de Vede; the architects Ion (Johny) Berindei and Ion Berindei, the historians

Dan Berindei Dan Berindei (3 November 1923 – 23 December 2021) was a Romanian historian. He was a titular member of the Romanian Academy from 1992 until his death. Biography A descendant of Prince Constantin Brâncoveanu, he was born in Bucharest on 3 Nov ...

and

Mihnea Berindei Mihnea Berindei (22 March 1948 – 19 June 2016) was a Romanian-born French historian. He was born in Bucharest, the son of historian Dan Berindei, and studied at the Faculty of History of the University of Bucharest from 1966 to 1970. Under the ...

; the jazz musicians Emil Berindey, Mihai Berindei, and Ștefan Berindei. During the communist regime in Romania (1945–1989), many Berindeis have emigrated to Europe and the United States.

References

Turkic peoples of Europe Extinct Turkic peoples {{Turkic peoples