Cumans
Sign in to saveThe Cumans or Kumans were a Turkic nomadic people from Central Asia comprising the western branch of the Cuman–Kipchak confederation who spoke the Cuman language. They are referred to as Polovtsians (Polovtsy) in Rus' chronicles, as "Cumans" in Western sources, and as "Kipchaks" in Eastern sources.
AI overview
The Cumans were a Turkic nomadic people from Central Asia who formed the western branch of the Cuman–Kipchak confederation and spoke their own language. They matter historically because they appear prominently in medieval records across different regions—known as Polovtsians in Russian chronicles, Cumans in Western sources, and Kipchaks in Eastern sources—reflecting their significant interactions with multiple civilizations.
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Key facts
- Ethnic group.group
- Cumans
- Ethnic group.image
- Cumania_(1200)_eng.png
- Ethnic group.image_caption
- The Cuman–Kipchak confederation in Eurasia, 1200
- Ethnic group.regions
- Cumania
- Ethnic group.languages
- Cuman
- Ethnic group.religions
- Tengrism, but later Christianity and Islam
- Ethnic group.related_groups
- Kipchaks, Pecheneg, Tatars, Manavs, Bulgarian Turks, Bashkirs, Nogais, Kazakhs, Kumyks
via Wikipedia infobox
Article
37 sectionsContents
- Names and etymology
- Cuman
- Cumania
- Polovtsy
- Folban, Vallani, Valwe
- Kipchak
- Tribes
- History
- Origins
- Qun
- Kipchak relationship
- Conquests
- Political organization
- Battles in Kievan Rus', in Hungary, and in the Balkans
- Mongol invasions
- Settlement on the Hungarian plain
- Cuman involvement in Serbia
- Golden Horde and Byzantine mercenaries
- Traces of Cumans in Anatolia
- Traces of Cumans in Romania
- Culture
- Military tactics
- Religion
- Codex Cumanicus
- Cuman leaders
- Appearance
- Legacy
- Genetics
- In popular culture
- Gallery
- See also
- References
- Footnotes
- Citations
- Sources
- Further reading
- External links
The Cumans or Kumans were a Turkic nomadic people from Central Asia comprising the western branch of the Cuman–Kipchak confederation who spoke the Cuman language. They are referred to as Polovtsians (Polovtsy) in Rus' chronicles, as "Cumans" in Western sources, and as "Kipchaks" in Eastern sources.
Related to the Pechenegs, they inhabited a shifting area north of the Black Sea and along the Volga River known as Cumania, from which the Cuman–Kipchaks meddled in the politics of the Caucasus and the Khwarazmian Empire. The Cumans were fierce and formidable nomadic warriors of the Eurasian Steppe who exerted an enduring influence on the medieval Balkans. They were numerous, culturally sophisticated, and militarily powerful.