The Sorbs or Sorabi or Surbi were a medieval Early Slavic tribe, who settled between Saale and Elbe, and as a tribal confederation a region encompassing much of present-day Saxony and Thuringia. They were part of a larger group called Polabian Slavs.
Their history has been transmitted mainly via Frankish medieval chronicles, beginning with the Chronicle of Fredegar. Said chronicle reports that in 631 under their first named ruler, Dervan, the Sorbs relinquished fealty to the Frankish king and joined a wider Slavic tribal polity led by Samo. It is commonly believed that they are related to the so-called White Serbs and their 7th-century migration to the Balkans, mentioned in the Constantine VII's De Administrando Imperio (10th century), being ancestors of the Serbs.
The Sorbs were consequently mentioned by 8th–10th century chroniclers mainly in relation to border conflicts with neighboring populations. The tribe first accepted the suzerainty of the Carolingian Empire under Tunglo in 826. By the middle of the 9th century, an imperial frontier district known as the Sorbian March had been established by the Carolingians.
Despite prolonged resistance, Sorbian territories were gradually integrated into the administrative system of the Holy Roman Empire. An expansionary process which occurred through the further establishment and expansion of additional marches and which had been concluded fully by the 12th century. The region subject to this process—and much of its population—was Germanized during the Ostsiedlung. Populations which maintained their Slavic identity and use of local Slavic languages came to constitute the contemporary Sorbs of Lusatia.
Etymology
Early Sorbs are mentioned between the 6th and 10th century as Cervetiis (Servetiis), gentis (S)urbiorum, Suurbi, Sorabi, Soraborum, Sorabos, Surpe, Sorabici, Sorabiet, Sarbin, Swrbjn, Servians, Zribia, and Suurbelant. It is generally considered that their ethnonym *Sŕbъ (plur. *Sŕby) originates from Proto-Slavic language with an appellative meaning of a "family kinship" and "alliance", while other argue a derivation from Iranian-Sarmatian language.
History
Origin
According to the old theorization by Joachim Herrmann, the Serbian tribe characterized by Rüssen-type of Leipzig group pottery arrived from the Middle Danube in the beginning of the 7th century and settled between Saale and Elbe river, but only since the 10th century their ethnonym was transferred to the Luzici, Milceni and other tribes of Sukow-Dziedzice and Tornow group who supposedly were present from the late 5th and early 6th century (Tornow since the 7th century, as was also argued that to the West were present some Slavs with Prague-Korchak culture). Herrmann also considered that the Sorbs settled and influenced around Magdeburg, Havelland, Thuringia and northeast Bavaria, and alongside them immigrated Croats and Bulgars from Middle Danube escaping the pressure of Pannonian Avars. However, since the 1980s, Herrmann's theory about waves of several archaeological cultures carried by distinctive ethnic groups is outdated and rejected by archaeologists, historians and other scholars because it was found to be completely unfounded and based on wrong data and chronologies among others.Brather, 2004, p. 316–326; 2008, pp. 47–48, 56–58; 2011, p. 455; 2020, p. 219 Pottery of similar quality to the Rüssen-type in the rest of Polabia appears only since the second half of the 8th century. Dendrochronology also showed that the wooden building material was from the late 8th to the beginning of the 10th century, while the material from the 6th and 7th century is almost non-existent. This is also doubting the accuracy of the historical sources and their interpretation. Peter Heather, in conclusion, stated that it is an "old theory" with seriously erroneous dating of the ceramics and sites, which in reality date to the 8th and 9th century. The archaeological data and historical sources indicate earliest Slavic migration along the Carpathians and the Alps since the late 6th century with Korchak-type material,Michel Kazanski (2020). "Archaeology of the Slavic Migrations". Encyclopedia of Slavic Languages and Linguistics Online. BRILL, pp. 15–16 and "the Serbs, most likely, were already carriers of ceramics of the Prague-Korchak type". Heinz Schuster-Šewc deemd as "unfounded" the idea that the Luzici and Milceni did not ethnically belong to the same group as the Sorbs living west of the Elbe river and adopted the Sorbian ethonym since the 10-11th century.
According to some researchers the archaeological data cannot confirm the thesis about a single proto-linguistic group yet supports the claim about two separated ethno-cultural groups with different ancestries whose respective territories correspond to Tornow-type ceramics (Lower Sorbian language) and Leipzig-type ceramics (Upper Sorbian language). Upper Sorbian is more similar to Czech, Slovak and Ukrainian, while Lower Sorbian to Lechitic dialects, with Schuster-Šewc arguing a migration from northeastern Bohemia to Lusatia. However, linguistic research does see a loose connection between Sorbian languages (specifically Upper Sorbian language) and South Slavic languages, particularly the Late Common Slavic *-nū->-nq- // -ny->-ni- verb suffix which is also present in Polabian language dialect, Cieszyn Silesian dialect, and Western South Slavic languages (most of Slovenian dialects and Western part of Serbo-Croatian dialects including Kajkavian, Čakavian, Western Štokavian) which could indicate a northward migration from the south or pointing to a single common area of Slavic pre-migratory period. However, it could be also an in situ development and analogies unrelated to historical migrations. Aleksandar Loma considered that the supposed South Slavic linguistic connection actually "implies that before the 7th century the ancestors of Sorbs came from the east of the Slavic territory to their later homeland, where they subsequently mingled with the West-Slavs. Thus, if the southern Serbs stem from the west and the western from the east, we have a good reason to assume existence of a former East-Slavic tribe under the same name", and that "any further refutation of their ethnogenetic connection by the diversity of their [Sorbian and Serbian] dialects becomes pointless".
It is considered that the ancient homeland of the Sorbs probably was near other Slavs somewhere in Southeastern Poland and Western Ukraine, from where migrated westward along the Carpathians to Silesia, Bohemia and eventually Saxony. The appearance of the Slavs in Polabia is usually interpreted as a migration with or without Avar influence (either independent arrival with or without Avar pressure, or under decision by the Avars as anti-Frankish border guards, or under patronage of the Franks as anti-Avar border guards in Thuringia). However, as the Sorbs probably were present around Bohemia already by the mid-6th century, it excludes their relation with first two Frankish-Avar conflicts (562, 566), and Avars in general, and supports the initiative of the Franks.
The original settlement area of the tribe of Sorbs was between Saale and Elbe river valleys and the Ore Mountains, possibly also expanding to the Lower Havel river in the north, and from the Ilm and Saale in the southwest in Thuringia to the Gera river and city of Erfurt. Based on historical and archaeological evidence, they most probably arrived there from North(-western) Bohemia being part of same ethnocultural area alongside Bohemian tribes of Pšované, Litoměřici, Lemuzi and Děčané. According to a fringe theory their area of settlement possibly also included part of Chebsko (the northwestern edge of the Czech Republic), but it is a baseless claim without a source, and scholars, including E. Simek proved only Czechs lived there. Henryk Łowmiański concluded that there's no mention of Sorbs/Serbs living in the territory of Bohemia in Czech and German historical sources. The area of White Serbs in the Saale-Elbe valley had flat-graves with cremations in urns, while the area of Upper Lusatia and partly Lower Lusatia also had kurgan cremation burials, which was more common in neighboring area of Northeastern Bohemia and Lower Silesia (inhabited by White Croats and Polish tribes), assumed by Rostyslav Vatseba as an indication of a Lechitic-Croatian contact zone in the eastern part of Saxony.
It is often considered that the earliest mention of the Sorbs is from the 6th century or earlier by Vibius Sequester, who recorded Cervetiis (Servetiis) living on the other part of the river Elbe which divided them from the Suevi (Albis Germaniae Suevos a Cerveciis dividiit). According to one theory, the original Serbs were not of Slavic origin and such an early mention is related to possible westward migration of a Sarmatian tribe of Serboi with the Huns who later as an elite subjugated Slavic population giving it their name, and that those who remained in the Caucasus region, were mentioned by Constantine VII in De Ceremoniis as Sarban (Serbs) and Krevatades (Croats). According to Lubor Niederle, that Serbian district in Polabia was located somewhere between Magdeburg and Lusatia, and was later mentioned by the Ottonians as Ciervisti, Zerbisti, and Kirvisti.
7th century According to the Chronicle of Fredegar, the Surbi lived in the Saale-Elbe valley, having settled in the Thuringian part of Francia at least since the second-half of the 6th century and were vassals of Merovingian dynasty. The Saale-Elbe line marked the approximate limit of Slavic westward migration. It is described that they since long time ago were "attached" or "belonged" to the Frankish kingdom, which would be possible at the latest in the interval of Theudebert II's of Austrasia (595–612), probably helping the Franks in the conquest of Thuringia and later siding with Theudebert II during princely rebellion of Theuderic II.
Fredegar recounts that under the leadership of dux (duke) Dervan (Dervanus dux gente Surbiorum que ex genere Sclavinorum), they joined the Slavic tribal union of Samo, after Samo's decisive victory against Frankish King Dagobert I in 631. Afterwards, these Slavic tribes continuously raided Thuringia. The fate of the tribes during and Samo's death and dissolution of the union in 658 is undetermined, but it is considered that subsequently returned to Frankish vassalage, under semi-independent Radulf, King of Thuringia (632–642) until around 700 AD.
8th century In 782, the Sorbs, inhabiting the region between the Elbe and Saale, plundered Thuringia and Saxony. Charlemagne sent Adalgis, Worad and Geilo into Saxony, aimed at attacking the Sorbs, however, they met with rebel Saxons who destroyed them.
In 789, Charlemagne launched a campaign against the Wiltzi; after reaching the Elbe, he went further and successfully "subjected the Slavs". His army also included the Sorbs and Obotrites led by chieftain Witzan. The army reached Dragovit of the Wiltzi, who surrendered, followed by other Slavic magnates and chieftains who submitted to Charlemagne.
9th century