The Golensizi (, , ) were a
tribe
The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide use of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. The definition is contested, in part due to conflict ...
of
West Slavs
The West Slavs are Slavic peoples who speak the West Slavic languages. They separated from the common Slavic group around the 7th century, and established independent polities in Central Europe by the 8th to 9th centuries. The West Slavic langu ...
, specifically of the
Lechitic tribes (one of the
Silesian tribes), living in the
Early Middle Ages
The Early Middle Ages (or early medieval period), sometimes controversially referred to as the Dark Ages (historiography), Dark Ages, is typically regarded by historians as lasting from the late 5th to the 10th century. They marked the start o ...
and inhabiting southern territories of what was later known as
Upper Silesia
Upper Silesia ( ; ; ; ; Silesian German: ; ) is the southeastern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia, located today mostly in Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic. The area is predominantly known for its heav ...
, on the upper
Oder
The Oder ( ; Czech and ) is a river in Central Europe. It is Poland's second-longest river and third-longest within its borders after the Vistula and its largest tributary the Warta. The Oder rises in the Czech Republic and flows through wes ...
River.
The area was settled by Slavs after it was abandoned by the Germanic tribes between the 5th and 6th century. Later the organised tribe of Golensizi according to
Bavarian Geographer The epithet "Bavarian Geographer" () is the conventional name for the anonymous author of a short Latin medieval text containing a list of the tribes in Central and Eastern Europe, headed .
The name "Bavarian Geographer" was first bestowed (in its ...
had 5 ''civitates'' (strongholds). Among them most notable were located in
Lubomia (the biggest),
Chotěbuz and
Hradec nad Moravicí which was in 1155 mentioned as ''Gradice Golenzicezke''. Some of them were most probably destroyed at the end of 9th century by
Svatopluk I, the king of
Great Moravia
Great Moravia (; , ''Meghálī Moravía''; ; ; , ), or simply Moravia, was the first major state that was predominantly West Slavic to emerge in the area of Central Europe, possibly including territories which are today part of the Czech Repub ...
. The settlement from the destroyed Chotěbuz moved to Castle Hill (Góra Zamkowa) in what is today a city of
Cieszyn
Cieszyn ( , ; ; ) is a border town in southern Poland on the east bank of the Olza River, and the administrative seat of Cieszyn County, Silesian Voivodeship. The town has 33,500 inhabitants ( and lies opposite Český Těšín in the Czech Repu ...
. Some historians claim that the area was then ruled by Great Moravia, however, that is now disputed.
[I. Panic, 2009, p. 249.] In 990 the area was adjoined by
Mieszko I of Poland
Mieszko I (; – 25 May 992) was Duchy of Poland (966–1025), Duke of Poland from 960 until his death in 992 and the founder of the first unified History of Poland, Polish state, the Civitas Schinesghe. A member of the Piast dynasty, he was t ...
to his state. The conflict between Polish and Czech states over the land was resolved in a
Treaty of Kłodzko in 1137. The smaller part of the area around
Opava
Opava (; , ) is a city in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 55,000 inhabitants. It lies on the Opava (river), Opava River. Opava is one of the historical centres of Silesia and was a historical capital of Czech Sile ...
found itself within Czech state, whereas the rest in Polish where it was subdivided into two
castellany
A castellan, or constable, was the governor of a castle in medieval Europe. Its surrounding territory was referred to as the castellany. The word stems from . A castellan was almost always male, but could occasionally be female, as when, in 1 ...
of Cieszyn and
Racibórz
Racibórz (, , , ) is a city in Silesian Voivodeship in southern Poland. It is the administrative seat of Racibórz County.
With Opole, Racibórz is one of the historic capitals of Upper Silesia, being the residence of the Duchy of Racibórz, Du ...
.
See also
*
List of Medieval Slavic tribes
This is a list of early Slavic peoples reported in Late Antiquity and in the Middle Ages, that is, before the year AD 1500.
Ancestors
*Proto-Indo-Europeans (Proto-Indo-European speakers)
** Proto-Balto-Slavs (common ancestors of Balts and Slav ...
Footnotes
References
* Jerzy Szydłowski, Werner Pierzyna: ''Lubomia gród plemienny Golęszyców'', Bytom 1970.
*
{{Slavic ethnic groups (VII-XII century)
Silesian tribes