Knowra West Slavs West Slavs The West Slavs are a branch of Slavic peoples whose languages and historical communities developed in Central Europe. They include Czechs, Poles, Slovaks, and Sorbs.
West Slavic languages : A branch of the Slavic language family comprising Czech, Polish, Slovak, Sorbian, and related languages. These languages provide the clearest linguistic basis for grouping West Slavic peoples.
Slavic migrations : The migrations and settlement of Slavic-speaking populations across much of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe in the early medieval period. These movements brought Slavic-speaking communities into the region where West Slavs formed.
East Slavs : A branch of Slavic peoples associated chiefly with Belarusian, Russian, and Ukrainian languages and histories. Their languages and historical centers distinguish them from the Central European West Slavs.
Czechoslovakia : A Central European state formed in 1918 that united Czech and Slovak lands until its peaceful dissolution in 1993. Its history shows how two West Slavic peoples shared a state without becoming one nation.
Slavic peoples : Ethnolinguistic peoples whose languages descend from Proto-Slavic and form the East, West, and South Slavic branches. West Slavs are one of the three principal branches of Slavic peoples.
Samo's Empire : A seventh-century polity led by Samo that united several Slavic groups in parts of Central Europe. It is an early recorded political formation associated with communities ancestral to West Slavs.
South Slavs : A branch of Slavic peoples associated with languages and histories of the Balkans and adjacent regions. Their southeastern European development contrasts with West Slavic formation in Central Europe.
Poland : A Central European country whose predominant language is Polish and whose population is mainly Polish. The Polish state became the principal modern political home of the largest West Slavic people.
Proto-Slavic : The reconstructed common ancestor of the Slavic languages, spoken before their differentiation into regional branches. Its descendants include the languages that define West Slavic linguistic kinship.
Great Moravia : A ninth-century Slavic polity centered in the middle Danube region, influential in the history of Moravia, Slovakia, and neighboring lands. Its expansion and Christianization shaped several West Slavic communities.
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