The Wends
Identity - Who are the Wends?
The Wends or Sorbs are members of the slavic race of people who were originally located in the area north of the Black sea near the River Dnieper in Asia. In about 500CE, they moved westward mainly along river valleys to northern-central Europe where they settled between the Rivers Elbe and Oder.
Geography - Where did the Wends originate from?
This article describes the geography of the Wends, from 500CE until the time of steady migration to Australia in the 1850s.
History - Background and Context
The European and Asian background up to the emigration in the 1850s can be divided into fourteen distinct historical sections. These include the Wends' prehistory, their early "classical" history, the Slavic migration, the Germanic expansion, unity with Poland, Christianisation, Czech control, the Reformation, the Thirty Years' War, Peace of Prague, the Napoleonic era, the growth of Capitalism, national consciousness and the Revolutions of 1848.
Customs and Beliefs
As humans formed into families, tribes and nations, various social customs, legends and beliefs arose and were maintained. For the Wends, these have included both traditional slavic/wendish and, later, Christian beliefs and customs.
Bibliography
A Brief History of the Wends/Sorbs.
This article is the work of Marlene Fennel and was published in the November 2007 Newsletter of the 'South East Family History Group Inc' (South Australia). We thank them for permission to reprint the article on our website....
