Milceni
Encyclopedia
The Milceni or Milzeni were a West Slavic
tribe, who settled in the present-day Upper Lusatia
region. They were first mentioned in the middle of the 9th century AD by the Bavarian Geographer
, who wrote of 30 civitates
which possibly had fortifications. They were gradually conquered by Germans
during the 10th century. Modern descendents of the Milceni are the Sorbs
of the Free State of Saxony, Germany
.
. The exact borders of their settlement area are disputed. It is generally accepted that their fielded land had fruitful loess
soil and had dimensions of approximately 50 km from east to west and 20 km from north to south. The northern border was in swampy and partially unfertile terrain, while the southern border formed part of the Lausitzer Bergland
. The hills of Burkau
near Kamenz
formed a natural boundary for the Milceni in the west, while their territory bordered that of the Besunzane in the east. The boundaries of the tribe have also been given as the Pulsnitz River in the west and the Kwisa
River in the east.
The Ortenburg castle of Bautzen
is built around fortifications originally constructed by the Milceni. Charles the Younger, son of Charlemagne, defeated the Milceni and burnt their fortress in 806. Henry the Fowler, King of the Germans, defeated the Slavic tribe in 932 and demanded conversion to Christianity
, although this was only partially successful. Emperor Otto I
defeated the Lusatians in 963 and placed them under the rule of Margrave Gero
. The Milceni were finally subjugated by Margrave Ekkehard I of Meissen
ca. 990 and had their territory incorporated into the Holy Roman Empire
. The Milceni were then gradually Germanized or merged with the Lusatians of Lower Lusatia into the Sorbian
ethnic group.
During the 10th–12th centuries, the region of Bautzen was known in written sources (e.g. Thietmar of Merseburg
) as Gau
Milsca, followed by Land Budissin. In Polish, Upper Lusatia was known as Milsko until the 15th century. The Milceni are also mentioned in the 12th century Song of Roland
("the second of big-headed men from Misnes– along the vertebrae all down their backs these men have tufted bristles, just like hogs").
West Slavs
The West Slavs are Slavic peoples speaking West Slavic languages. They include Poles , Czechs, Slovaks, Lusatian Sorbs and the historical Polabians. The northern or Lechitic group includes, along with Polish, the extinct Polabian and Pomeranian languages...
tribe, who settled in the present-day Upper Lusatia
Upper Lusatia
Upper Lusatia is a region a biggest part of which belongs to Saxony, a small eastern part belongs to Poland, the northern part to Brandenburg. In Saxony, Upper Lusatia comprises roughly the districts of Bautzen and Görlitz , in Brandenburg the southern part of district Oberspreewald-Lausitz...
region. They were first mentioned in the middle of the 9th century AD by the Bavarian Geographer
Bavarian Geographer
The Bavarian Geographer is a conventional name given by Jan Potocki in 1796 to the author of an anonymous medieval document Descriptio civitatum et regionum ad septentrionalem plagam Danubii ....
, who wrote of 30 civitates
Civitas
In the history of Rome, the Latin term civitas , according to Cicero in the time of the late Roman Republic, was the social body of the cives, or citizens, united by law . It is the law that binds them together, giving them responsibilities on the one hand and rights of citizenship on the other...
which possibly had fortifications. They were gradually conquered by Germans
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
during the 10th century. Modern descendents of the Milceni are the Sorbs
Sorbs
Sorbs are a Western Slavic people of Central Europe living predominantly in Lusatia, a region on the territory of Germany and Poland. In Germany they live in the states of Brandenburg and Saxony. They speak the Sorbian languages - closely related to Polish and Czech - officially recognized and...
of the Free State of Saxony, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
History
The Milceni travelled to Upper Lusatia in the 7th century during the Migration PeriodMigration Period
The Migration Period, also called the Barbarian Invasions , was a period of intensified human migration in Europe that occurred from c. 400 to 800 CE. This period marked the transition from Late Antiquity to the Early Middle Ages...
. The exact borders of their settlement area are disputed. It is generally accepted that their fielded land had fruitful loess
Loess
Loess is an aeolian sediment formed by the accumulation of wind-blown silt, typically in the 20–50 micrometre size range, twenty percent or less clay and the balance equal parts sand and silt that are loosely cemented by calcium carbonate...
soil and had dimensions of approximately 50 km from east to west and 20 km from north to south. The northern border was in swampy and partially unfertile terrain, while the southern border formed part of the Lausitzer Bergland
Lausitzer Bergland
The Lusatian Highlands is a hilly and low mountainous region in Germany and the Czech Republic. A western extension of the Sudetes range, it is located on the border of the German state of Saxony with the Czech Bohemian region...
. The hills of Burkau
Burkau
Burkau is a municipality in the east of Saxony, in the district of Bautzen in Germany.- Geography :Burkau is in the northern part of the Bautzen district in a region rich of woods in Upper Lusatia. It is about 6 km away - in northern direction - from the city of Bischofswerda and about 16 km - in...
near Kamenz
Kamenz
Kamenz is a Lusatian town in eastern Saxony, Germany, with a population of 18,243, and is part of the Bautzen district. The town is located about northeast of Dresden and about northwest of Bautzen....
formed a natural boundary for the Milceni in the west, while their territory bordered that of the Besunzane in the east. The boundaries of the tribe have also been given as the Pulsnitz River in the west and the Kwisa
Kwisa
The Kwisa is a river in south-western Poland, a left tributary of the Bóbr, which itself is a left tributary of the Oder river.It rises in the Izera Mountains, part of the Western Sudetes range, where it runs along the border with the Czech Republic...
River in the east.
The Ortenburg castle of Bautzen
Bautzen
Bautzen is a hill-top town in eastern Saxony, Germany, and administrative centre of the eponymous district. It is located on the Spree River. As of 2008, its population is 41,161...
is built around fortifications originally constructed by the Milceni. Charles the Younger, son of Charlemagne, defeated the Milceni and burnt their fortress in 806. Henry the Fowler, King of the Germans, defeated the Slavic tribe in 932 and demanded conversion to Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
, although this was only partially successful. Emperor Otto I
Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor
Otto I the Great , son of Henry I the Fowler and Matilda of Ringelheim, was Duke of Saxony, King of Germany, King of Italy, and "the first of the Germans to be called the emperor of Italy" according to Arnulf of Milan...
defeated the Lusatians in 963 and placed them under the rule of Margrave Gero
Gero
Gero I , called the Great , ruled an initially modest march centred on Merseburg, which he expanded into a vast territory named after him: the marca Geronis. During the mid-10th century, he was the leader of the Saxon Drang nach Osten.-Succession and early conflicts:Gero was the son of Count...
. The Milceni were finally subjugated by Margrave Ekkehard I of Meissen
Meissen
Meissen is a town of approximately 30,000 about northwest of Dresden on both banks of the Elbe river in the Free State of Saxony, in eastern Germany. Meissen is the home of Meissen porcelain, the Albrechtsburg castle, the Gothic Meissen Cathedral and the Meissen Frauenkirche...
ca. 990 and had their territory incorporated into the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
. The Milceni were then gradually Germanized or merged with the Lusatians of Lower Lusatia into the Sorbian
Sorbs
Sorbs are a Western Slavic people of Central Europe living predominantly in Lusatia, a region on the territory of Germany and Poland. In Germany they live in the states of Brandenburg and Saxony. They speak the Sorbian languages - closely related to Polish and Czech - officially recognized and...
ethnic group.
During the 10th–12th centuries, the region of Bautzen was known in written sources (e.g. Thietmar of Merseburg
Thietmar of Merseburg
Thietmar of Merseburg was a German chronicler who was also bishop of Merseburg.-Life:...
) as Gau
Gau (German)
Gau is a German term for a region within a country, often a former or actual province. It was used in medieval times, when it can be seen as roughly corresponding to an English shire...
Milsca, followed by Land Budissin. In Polish, Upper Lusatia was known as Milsko until the 15th century. The Milceni are also mentioned in the 12th century Song of Roland
The Song of Roland
The Song of Roland is the oldest surviving major work of French literature. It exists in various manuscript versions which testify to its enormous and enduring popularity in the 12th to 14th centuries...
("the second of big-headed men from Misnes– along the vertebrae all down their backs these men have tufted bristles, just like hogs").
See also
- SorbsSorbsSorbs are a Western Slavic people of Central Europe living predominantly in Lusatia, a region on the territory of Germany and Poland. In Germany they live in the states of Brandenburg and Saxony. They speak the Sorbian languages - closely related to Polish and Czech - officially recognized and...
- LusatiaLusatiaLusatia is a historical region in Central Europe. It stretches from the Bóbr and Kwisa rivers in the east to the Elbe valley in the west, today located within the German states of Saxony and Brandenburg as well as in the Lower Silesian and Lubusz voivodeships of western Poland...
- Margraviate of Meissen
- List of Medieval Slavic tribes