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Estonian

people

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Baltic region settlement and history

  • Baltic states
    In Baltic states: Early Middle Ages

    …the Finno-Ugrians who subsequently became Estonians lived in eight recognizable independent districts and four lesser ones. Their kinsmen, the Livs, inhabited four major areas in northern Latvia and northern Courland. The western Balts were divided into at least eight recognizable groupings. The westernmost, the Prussians, formed 10 principalities in what…

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comparison with Balts

  • In Balt

    Estonians, inhabiting the region north of Latvia, are not Balts; they are members of the Finnic peoples.

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Estonia

  • Estonia
    In Estonia: History of Estonia

    The Estonians are first mentioned by the Roman historian Tacitus (1st century ce) in Germania. Their political system was patriarchal, based on clans headed by elders. The first invaders of the country were Vikings, who from the mid-9th century passed through Estonia and Latvia on their…

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Finnic peoples

  • In Finnic peoples

    …representatives are the Finns and Estonians, who have maintained their languages. Other groups include the Karelians, living mainly in Karelia, in northwestern Russia; the Ingrians, Votes, and Veps, scattered around the Gulf of Finland and Lakes Onega and Ladoga; and the Livs, or Livonians, on the Estonian-Latvian border.

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Finno-Ugric peoples

  • In Finno-Ugric religion: The Finno-Ugric peoples

    The Estonians are one of the three most advanced of the Finno-Ugric peoples, the others being the Finns and the Hungarians. Small but interesting cultures are represented by the Greek Orthodox Votes and Izhora Ingrians, both nearly extinct groups living near the head of the Gulf…

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Introduction References & Edit History Related Topics

Volsci, ancient Italic people prominent in the history of Roman expansion during the 5th century bc. They belonged to the Osco-Sabellian group of tribes and lived (c. 600 bc) in the valley of the upper Liris River. Later events, however, drove them first westward and then south to the fertile land of southern Latium.

Knowledge of the Volsci depends largely upon Roman accounts of their mutual wars. To increase their pressure against Rome and the Latins, the Volsci allied themselves with the Aequi. Rome and the Latins in turn joined in alliance with the Hernici, who lived between the Aequi and the Volsci. For about 200 years campaigns dragged on intermittently between these opponents. The Volsci are said to have made peace with Rome in 396 but profited by Rome’s weakness after the Gauls sacked the city in 390 to renew their warfare. In the course of these struggles the Romans established several colonies in the 5th and 4th centuries to stem the advance of the Volsci. In 340 the Volsci joined the Latin revolt but were defeated (338), and they had finally submitted to Rome by 304. Thereafter they became Romanized so quickly and completely that it is difficult to ascertain their original culture. Their language is known from an inscription (early 3rd century) from Velitrae.