tribal confederation · Poland, Lithuania and Russia

Krivichs

600 CE – 882 CE (approx.) · capital Smolensk

A large East Slavic tribal union on the upper Dnieper, Dvina and Volga, whose towns became Smolensk and Polotsk.

Origins

The Krivichs settled the forested watershed between the Dnieper, the Western Dvina and the upper Volga between the 6th and 8th centuries, mixing with the Baltic and Finnic peoples already there. Archaeologists link them with the culture of long burial mounds. The Primary Chronicle names their towns Smolensk, Polotsk and Izborsk.

Rule and society

They were organised in clans and districts around fortified centres, governed by elders and tribal assemblies. Their lands lay on the river route from the Baltic to the Black Sea, so trade with Scandinavians brought silver and goods. According to the chronicle, the Krivichs joined the Ilmen Slavs and Finnic tribes in inviting Rurik and his Varangians to rule them.

Decline and legacy

In 882 Prince Oleg took Smolensk on his way south to Kiev, and the Krivichs were drawn into Kievan Rus', paying tribute and serving in its armies. Their territory later formed the Principality of Polotsk and the Principality of Smolensk, and their name survives in Latvian as the word for Russians, krievi.

Lineage

KrivichsKievan Rus' 882 CE – 1240 CE

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Krivichs. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/krivichs
MLA
“Krivichs.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/krivichs. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Krivichs.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/krivichs.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Krivichs’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/krivichs (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻