Information on the thesis

The study deals with political system of the Slavic Polabya political units and
touches upon the issue of causes & nature of its transformations between the end of the
8 th and first decades of the 10 th century AD. The main essence of those changes was the
emergence of early state, considered within the framework of the early dryht-type state
formation & hierarchization model.
It has been shown that the region of Polabya was originally settled by three major
groups of the Slavic people: the West Lechites in the North, the White Serbs in the
South-West and probably the White Croats in present day Oberlausitz. In addition, two
zones of interaction emerged in course of migration: one – in Havel basin, where the
Veleti settlers met the people of the White Serbian descent, and second, the Lechite-
Croatian, – in Niederlausitz.
The study revealed that emergence of the Tornow Interaction Sphere (TIS) small
“lowland” ringforts in the Northern Polabya territory during the 9 th and early 10 th
centuries is capable to be considered as a result of internal processes, related to
centralization of heterarchical political units, deliberately carried out by high princes
and directed towards the formation of more hierarchical political system.
The author argues that between the Elbe & Saale rivers the heterarchical dryht-type
state existed during the reign of Miliduch (before 806). The local society of the White
Serbs was of clan character. The Sorbian “civitates” are equal to simple chiefdoms, the
particular clan regions correspond with complex chiefdoms. Later on in the 9 th & early
10 th century the political unity of the Sorbi region was lost, despite of presumably more
hierarchical mode of government in the Colodici’s principality of Czimislav (830s).
The obtained results make it possible to conclude the northern (sub-Baltic) and the
southern (the Havel basin) part of the Veleti land in the 8 th –10 th centuries passed through
quite different trajectories of political development. The principalities of Dragovit &
Liub were localized on the Hevelli–Stodorans territory. The author suggests, the
appreciable ethno-cultural diversity of the Middle and Lower Havel region with a major
ethno-cultural border passing across its territory, as well as Charles Martel’s or
Charlemagne’s policy could have a significant influence on the early state development
of the Hevelli principality with its presumably military background and unifying
tendencies.
It has been found the Charlemagne’s Veleti military expedition of 789 has a dual
focus: primarily directed upon the South Veleti – Hevelli to obtain guarantees of their
indifference regarding the possible Saxon uprising, it subsequently turned against the
North Veleti to prevent their raids on the Obotrites, who at the time were the main
Frankish allies in the region. After being subdued by Charlemagne, the high king of the
South Veleti lands – Dragovit apparently took part in the continuation of the campaign
towards the Peene river basin, he didn’t control.
There is considerable evidence for the political structure of the Hevelli principality
becoming more hierarchic in the 9 th – first decades of the 10 th century, while the
centralizing transformations, which also spread over the neighbouring Sprevane area,
changed the traditional internal political subdivisions. Despite this on the local level the
petty kings and aristocracy still possessed their old influence. They also played a major
role during the proceedings of the assembly, which at least until 820s preserved the
right to elect and depose the high king. On the other hand, hereditary rights of the high
king’s heirs on the forts network ensured the persistence of the high rule over this
relatively hierarchic dryht-type state in the hands of one dynasty. It also appears that in
the first half of the 10 th century the governmental mode of the Hevelli–Stodorans
principality heavily influenced the political organization of the early Přemyslid state,
providing a prototype for the later castellany system in Bohemia.
The study demonstrates, the crisis of the Norh Veleti society at the end of 9 th – in
the first half of 10 th century and destruction of more complex power structures in the
area of the later Lutician federation formation, were caused by collapse of norse trading
centers in Menzlin-Görke & Rostock-Dierkow combined with a series of military
defeats during the conflicts of 929–955. The results of analysis of the assembly in
Radgosc functioning principles suggest that the Lutician federation of the mid-10 th –
early 11 th century can be typologized as chiefdom confederacy with aristocratic form of
government.
The author states that during the late 8 th – first half of the 9 th century the main
center of state formation in the Obotrite lands was Starigard-Oldenburg – the capital of
Thrasco’s & Ceadrag’s principality. Thrasco’s reign was characterized by efficient
cooperation with Charlemagne, which in 804 enabled him to obtain the supremacy over
the Eastern Obotrite petty kings. In the aftermath the same position was possessed by
Thrasco’s successors – Slavomir and Ceadrag. Once being involved to the Danish
economic system through the emporium of Reric, the Eastern Obotrite lands persisted in
heterarchical mode of government until the late 9 th century, while the political system of
the West Obotrite lands passed through gradual centralization. In their internal policy
Thrasco and Slavomir relied mostly on their military retinue (dryht). It can be assumed
that relations between the high king and the rest of society became more symbiotic
during the reign of Ceadrag and his probable successor Goztomuizl, when the detached
from system of norse emporia and centered around Starigard trade network was
installed in the later land of Wagri. In the first decades of the 10 th century the
Starigard’s princes apparently made up economic losses caused by general crisis of the
Baltic trade through establishing more hierarchical political system in the Obotrites
proper and the Warnower lands.
Keywords: the Polabian Slavs, the Obotrites, the Veleti, the White Serbs, Polabya,
state formation, political system, chiefdom, early state, dryht-type state.
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