White Russia

The White Russia or Ruthénie white is a name which indicated various areas of Eastern Europe, but generally this name was given to the area which corresponds to modern the Bielorussia . Many languages continue to use this now obsolete name like reference to Bielorussia.

Name

The name of “White Russia” is the literal translation, although incorrect, of Belaya Rus (БелаяРусь). The problem of this translation is that the name of “White Russia” suggests that this territory refers to modern the Fédération of Russia, whereas it has nothing to do with it, but refers to the old territories of the Ruthénie (or Rus' - to see Étymologie of Rus and its derivatives).

Ruthénie is the Latinized version of the Rus' of Kiev, a State which existed on the territories of modern Bielorussia, of the Ukraine, the Western zones of the Russia, of the east of the Poland and the Slovakia.

Although Bielorussia results in White Russia in much of modern languages for historical reasons (of the Russian : Belorussiya with the majority of the Germanic languages), the correspondence between Rus' and Russia is prone to controversy today and does not have basic history. Many Belorusses feel ulcerated by his impact on their national self-determination, particularly because of the rhetoric of imperial Russia and the Soviet Russia calling with the reunification of “single and indivisible Russia”.

Moreover, there exists in certain languages a clear difference between the two words (" Russie" and old the " Rus'"). For example:

in Polish: Białoruś (white Rus), but Rosja (Russia);
in Ukrainian: Білорусь Bilorus (Rus white), but Росія Rosia (Russia);
in German before 1945: Weißruthenien (white Rus), but Russland (Russia) .

History

Many alternatives appear on old charts: for example, Russia Alba, Russija Alba, Wit Rusland, Weiss Reussen, White Russia, Weiss Russland, Ruthenia Alba, Ruthénie white and Weiss Ruthenien (Weißruthenien), names given to various territories, often far away from current Bielorussia. For example, this name was given once to Novgorod.

It is only at the end of the 16th century that this name was fixed to indicate the zone of current Bielorussia. Front, the Belorusse were known like Litvins (Lituaniens), name of the Grand-Duché of Lithuania to which the grounds belonged to XIIIe and XIVe centuries.

The origins of the name are dubious, but those could come from the efforts made by the tsar of Russia to be distinguished from its predecessors of Rome and Byzance (in the idea that Russia was the third Rome ). The Rerum Moscoviticarum Commentarii of Sigismund von Herberstein explains why the Muscovite sovereigns wore a white dress to be different from the dresses crimsons of the Roman sovereigns and red dresses of the Byzantine sovereigns. The tsar of Russia was called the " tsar blanc" : Sunt which principem Moscovuiae nuncupant Regem Album. Ego quidem causam diligenter quaerebam, cur Regis Albi nominates appellaretur , or Weisse Reyssen oder weissen Khünig nennen etliche unnd wöllen damit Ain underscheid der Reyssen machen (of the Rerum Moscoviticarum Commentarii ).

The tsar himself was often called the " Large Tsar blanc" , in its official titles (literal translation): " the sovereign of all Rus': Large the, Small the, and Blanche" . This name, combined at the end solemn of " Tsarity blanche" , until the end of the Russian Empire was of use. Lastly, this color was applied in the name of the army counter-revolutionary, the white Armée which fought the Red Army .

Why the name of " Russia blanche" did it finally apply to Bielorussia? It is not clear. It is useful to note that other populations were indicated by colors. There were Croatian white, red and black (Croatian white and white Croatia was in current the Croatia, the west of the Bosnia-Herzégovine and in the south-east of the Poland and in the west of the Ukraine, until the Carpates; Croatian reds and red Croatia were in the south-east of current the Bosnia-Herzégovine and in the south of the Montenegro, and in the zone which extends until the Don; Croatian blacks in the North-East of current the Czech Republic); Serb white in the east of current the Germany. One knows in China the Miao red, black and green.

In XIIe and XIVe centuries there was on the territory of current Bielorussia a zone known as Ruthénie black (Rus' black).

See too

Bielorussia|Bielorussia

External bonds

the 21 names of Bielorussia
Pourquoi Russia is white?
Battle off Grunwald
National Belarusian Republic
National Belarusian Republic…
National Belarus Republic
Communication from the Commissar for White Ruthenia, Kube, to Rosenberg, Concerning Appropriation off Farming Objects by the S and the Wehrmacht
Large Duchy off Lithuania
Litvania
MILITARY COURT II SITTING IN THE DE LUXE HOTEL OFF NUREMBERG JUSTICE, GERMANY
The Ruthenian Rite
Whiteruthenia

Be-X-old: БелаяРусь

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