Mesh scissors

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Map of the Finno-Ugric Peoples in the Early Middle Ages

The ethnonym Meschtscheren (also Meschtschora, Meschtschjora, Russian: мещёра) describes an early medieval Finno-Ugric population who inhabited the same or similarly named landscape Meschtschora southeast of Moscow. Presumably it was an ethnic group of the Volga-Finns very close to the Mordvins . They spoke the Meshchian language . Some linguists attribute the name of the language and the people to the word mesh (“bee” in Mokschanic ) and eritsia (“inhabitant” in Ersjanic ).

Information about the mesh scissors

The Meschtscheren are first mentioned in sources from the 13th century. It was last mentioned in the 16th century. In many of these texts it is difficult to distinguish between the designation of the landscape and its inhabitants and the parts of this population who have used their own Meschian language.

1152 the city or the fortified place Gorodez Meschtschorski (literally: Meschtschorisches town ) in the immediate vicinity of the later Kassimow is mentioned on the Oka . In the 15th century, the area belonged as a Tatar principality ( Khanate Kassimow 1452-1618) to the Grand Duchy of Moscow . The process of changing the language of the population to Russian and Tatar or the displacement or emigration of the Finno-Ugric population assumed by some historians was already underway at this time. Still Andrey Kurbsky (1528-1583), however, mentioned that was in the Meshchera Lowlands "Mordvin" in use.

Russian Meshchora, Mixer Tatars and Magyars

The Meshcheren identity may have survived the language change and left its mark on the Russians and Tatars of the region. Parts of the west of the Volga living Tatars call themselves mixer ( Mischeren , Mischär , Tatar: мишәр, mişər) and parts of the Russian-speaking rural population identify themselves today turn as Meshchera Lowlands ( Russian Meschtschjora, Meschtscherjaken , Russian: русская мещёра, мещера, мещеряки). Despite the obvious similarity of the self-names of these groups, it is difficult to draw a clear conclusion about a common origin. The reference to the commonly inhabited landscape can be a reason for the consonance. There are also hypotheses that see rather coincidental name parallels here. In any case, the first census of 1897 in the Russian Empire counted 35,000 Russian meshchora and 622,500 Tatar mixers.

Additional confusion about the origin and linguistic classification of the Meshchers creates the discussion about the possible connection of the very similar sounding and possibly actually distantly related names of the mentioned population groups with the ethnonym of the Magyars ( Magyor ). The speculative Russian-Soviet ethnologist and historian Lev Nikolajewitsch Gumiljow connected all the ethnic groups mentioned with the Magna Hungaria , a stopover on the western migration of some of the ancestors of today's Hungarians. Such considerations lead to the thesis, which can neither be proven nor undoubtedly refuted, that the medieval Meshchers were "Ugren" or were descended from them. A serious conceptual confusion arises at this point from a mixture of linguistic classifying features (alleged belonging to the speakers of the Ugric languages ​​of the Ural language family ) with an interpretation of late ancient tribal confederations as clearly delimited and closed ethnic units.

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