Brodnici

The Brodnici (Russian: Бродники, Brodniki) were a tribe of uncertain origin.

In some opinions, the name, as used by foreign chronicles, means a person in charge of a ford (water crossing) in Slavic language (cf. Slavic brodŭ). The probable reason for the name is that the territory of the Brodniks constituted the link between the mountain passes in the Carpathians and the mouths of the Danube, having a major economical importance, assuring the access to the Genovese colonies. According to other opinions, their name is related to Slavic бродить ("to wander"), probably referring to the nomadic way of life of this population. Other opinions claim that the name came from the river Prut or from its purportedly old name Brutus

The territory of Brodnici consisted of the southwestern part of today's Republic of Moldova, the southern part of today's Vrancea and Galaţi counties of Romania, the southern part of Ukraine Budjak and probably the coastline between the Dniester and the Dnieper.

Attempts have been made to associate them to better known neighbouring populations, different authors classifying them as Romanians,Iranian, or a mixed ethnic stock (Romanian-Jassic; Romanian-Slavic, or Turko-Slavic).

Some authors have identified them with the "Bordinians" mentioned by Byzantine chronicler Niketas Choniates as a branch of "Tauroscythians," a term apparently applying to the Rus people in order to distinguish them from the Cumans/Polovtsians and from Vlachs.

In 1216 they were in the service of the knyaz of Suzdal.

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