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Cumans

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Also known as Cuman people, Polovtsi

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.

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.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

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

~108 min read

Encyclopedic overview

37 sections
Contents
  • 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.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Cumans” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

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