Samo's Empire

Samo's Empire
631–658
Borders of the Slavic territories under King Samo's rule in 631
Borders of the Slavic territories under King Samo's rule in 631
CapitalMorava, most likely Dowina (present Devín in Slovakia)
Common languagesProto-Slavic
Religion
GovernmentMonarchy
Historical eraEarly Middle Ages
• Victory against Dagobert I
631
• Death of King Samo
658
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Francia
Avar Khaganate
Francia
Carantania
Avar Khaganate
Great Moravia
Principality of Nitra

Samo's Empire (also known as Samo's Kingdom or Samo's State) is the historiographical term[note 1] for the West Slavic tribal union established by King ("Rex") Samo. It existed between 623/631 and 658 in Central Europe.[1][2] The extent of Samo's power before and after 631 is disputed.[3]

The centre of the union was most likely in Moravia and Nitravia (Nitra); additionally, the union included Czech tribes, Slovak tribes, Sorbian tribes (under Dervan), and other West Slavic tribes along the river Danube (present Lower Austria and Hungary). The polity has been called the first Slavic state.[4][5]

  1. ^ Schmauder, Michael; Schuster, Jan (2020). "Between the Rhine, the Danube and the Oder from the 5th to the End of the 7th century: a Sketch". The Migration Period between the Oder and the Vistula. Vol. 1. BRILL. p. 801. ISBN 9789004422421.
  2. ^ Balcárek, Petr (2022). Byzantium in the Czech Lands (4th–16th centuries): Historical and Art Historical Perspectives. BRILL. p. 79. ISBN 9789004527799.
  3. ^ Pohl, Walter (2018). The Avars: A Steppe Empire in Central Europe, 567–822. Ithaca and London: Cornell University Press. pp. 306–310. ISBN 978-1-5017-2940-9.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).