tribal confederation · Germany and Central Europe
Samo's Empire
Origins
Around 623 the Slavs of central Europe, called Wends in the Chronicle of Fredegar, rebelled against their Avar overlords. Samo, a Frankish merchant trading with them, fought so well that they chose him as king. The location of his realm is debated, but it probably covered Bohemia, Moravia, parts of Slovakia and Lower Austria.
Rule and society
Fredegar, the only substantial source, reports that Samo ruled for 35 years, had twelve Slavic wives and won every battle against the Avars. In 631 a dispute over murdered Frankish merchants led King Dagobert I to invade; Samo defeated the Franks at Wogastisburg, and the Sorb prince Dervan then joined him.
Decline and legacy
After Samo's death around 658 his union seems to have dissolved, and nothing more is heard of it; the Avars regained influence in the region. It is remembered as a forerunner of later Slavic states such as Great Moravia and Carantania, though no direct continuity is known.
Few sources survive for this state; details are uncertain.
Lineage
On the connections map
Open the full map →Connections (1)
- Sorbs was part of Samo's Empire631 CE – 658 CE
More states of Germany and Central Europe →
Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Samo's Empire. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/samos-empire
- MLA
- “Samo's Empire.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/samos-empire. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Samo's Empire.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/samos-empire.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Samo's Empire’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/samos-empire (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻