Berendei

The Berendei or Berindei (in Turkish: Berendi, pl. Berendiler; Romanian: Berindei; Ukrainian: Берендеї, Berendeyi; Russian: берендеи, berendei; in Hungarian: berendek; in Polish: Berendejowie) were a medieval Turkic tribe, most likely of Kipchak-Oghuz origin. They were part of the tribal confederation of the "peak caps" or the "black hats" (in Turkic "karakalpak").

The Berindeis were semi-nomadic and have been documented as holding various military positions, such as that of "frontier guards" on the payroll of Rus' lords. The Berindeis are mentioned in the chronicles of the Kievan Rus' in the 11th and 12th centuries as "Chornye Klobuki" and, together with the Pechenegs and Uzs, became settled along the borders of the Russian steppes. Some rebel Berindei tribes took refuge in territories which are part of today’s Romania. Most of the Berindeis remained on the territories of the Kiev and Pereiaslavl principalities, where they functioned as cavalry troops in the region of the lower Dniepr river.

During the 12th century the Berindeis were assimilated, maintaining however their own military aristocracy. The Berindei nobility were accepted by the elite of the Kiev Rus state, and towns created by them started to flourish. The Berindei cavalry continued to remain active against the raids undertaken by the Cumans. Over the course of the 12th century, the Berendeis became assimilated and their state evolved into a feudal principality with its own military aristocracy. Berendei nobles were accepted by the elite of Kievan Rus' on equal terms. Berendei cities and towns emerged. Rus' princes continued to hire Berendei cavalry to defend against Cumans, and also in their civil wars. In 1177, a Cuman-Kipchak army, allied with Ryazan, sacked six cities belonging to the Berendei and Torkil.

After the great Mongol invasion of 1241, some Berindeis moved to Bulgaria and others joined those who had taken refuge in Hungary. The rest of the tribes mixed with the nomad population of the Golden Horde, after which they cease being mentioned by the Berindei tribe name by the historians of the time.

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Wikipedia