West Slav

people

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Last updated

July 15, 2026

Quick Summary

The West Slavs are a branch of the Slavic peoples, who are the most numerous ethnic and linguistic group in Europe. They primarily reside in Central and Eastern Europe. The West Slavic languages, part of the Indo-European family, are most closely related to Baltic languages.

The main subgroups within West Slavic languages are:
* Czech-Slovak
* Sorbian
* Lekhitic (including Polish)

Historically, West Slavs have been influenced by Western European cultural and political trends, such as feudalism and the Renaissance. Their religious affiliations are predominantly Roman Catholic, and they typically use the Latin alphabet. Unlike some other Slavic groups, they were not as heavily impacted by Mongol or Turkish invasions and maintained closer ties with the broader European sphere.123

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Poland
The early state
…land that the Poles, a West Slavic people, came to inhabit was covered by forests with small areas under cultivation where clans grouped themselves into numerous tribes. The dukes (dux) were originally the commanders of an armed retinue (drużyna) with which they broke the authority of the chieftains of the…
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…land that the Poles, a West Slavic people, came to inhabit was covered by forests with small areas under cultivation where clans grouped themselves into numerous tribes. The dukes (dux) were originally the commanders of an armed retinue (drużyna) with which they broke the authority of the chieftains of the…
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Slav
… (chiefly Russians, Ukrainians, and Belarusians), West Slavs (chiefly Poles, Czechs, Slovaks, and Wends, or Sorbs), and South Slavs (chiefly Serbs, Croats, Bosnians, Slovenes, Macedonians, and Montenegrins). Bulgarians, though of mixed origin like the Hungarians, speak a Slavic language and are often designated as South Slavs. (See Bulgar.)
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… (chiefly Russians, Ukrainians, and Belarusians), West Slavs (chiefly Poles, Czechs, Slovaks, and Wends, or Sorbs), and South Slavs (chiefly Serbs, Croats, Bosnians, Slovenes, Macedonians, and Montenegrins). Bulgarians, though of mixed origin like the Hungarians, speak a Slavic language and are often designated as South Slavs. (See Bulgar.)
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