Cumans facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

The Cumans were a group of people who traveled a lot and lived in the wide open lands (called steppes) near the Black Sea and the Volga River. They were part of a larger group known as the Kipchaks, and they were very important in Eastern European history for several centuries. They were skilled horse riders and warriors, and they often moved their homes to find new pastures for their animals.

Who Were the Cumans?
- Their Lifestyle and Culture
Where Did the Cumans Live?
- Their Influence on Neighbors
The Cumans and Kievan Rus'
- Important Battles and Alliances
The Cumans in Hungary
The Mongol Invasion and Cuman Decline
- Cuman Legacy in Other Lands
Images for kids
See also

Who Were the Cumans?

The Cumans were a Turkic nomadic people. This means they spoke a Turkic language and moved from place to place instead of settling down. They were known for their distinctive appearance, often described as having fair hair and blue eyes, which was unusual for many other nomadic groups of the time. They were also famous for their unique hats made of sheepskin.

Their Lifestyle and Culture

The Cuman way of life was centered around their animals, especially horses, sheep, and cattle. They lived in portable tents called yurts, which they could easily pack up and move. Their main food was meat and milk products.

They were excellent horsemen and archers.
Their society was organized into different tribes.
They often formed alliances with or fought against neighboring states.
They had a rich oral tradition, including epic poems and songs.
They left behind stone statues called balbals or babas, which represented their ancestors.

Where Did the Cumans Live?

The Cumans controlled a vast area of steppes, stretching from what is now southern Ukraine and Russia all the way to Central Asia. This large territory was sometimes called Cumania.

Their Influence on Neighbors

Because they controlled such a large area, the Cumans had a big impact on the countries around them. They often raided settled lands, but they also traded with them. Many rulers in Eastern Europe, like those in Kievan Rus' (early Russia and Ukraine) and Hungary, had to deal with the Cumans. Sometimes they fought, and sometimes they made peace treaties or even married into Cuman families.

The Cumans and Kievan Rus'

The Cumans had a long and complex relationship with the princes of Kievan Rus'.

They often raided Rus' lands, taking goods and people.
Rus' princes sometimes fought back against the Cumans.
Other times, Rus' princes hired Cuman warriors to help them in their own wars.
There were also marriages between Cuman princesses and Rus' princes.

Important Battles and Alliances

One famous story involving the Cumans and Rus' is The Tale of Igor's Campaign. This epic poem tells about a Rus' prince's unsuccessful campaign against the Cumans. Despite the conflicts, both sides learned from each other and sometimes even formed strong alliances.

The Cumans in Hungary

Many Cumans eventually moved into the Kingdom of Hungary.

They were invited by Hungarian kings to settle there, especially after the Mongol invasions.
The kings hoped the Cumans would help defend the kingdom.
The Cumans in Hungary kept some of their traditions but slowly adopted Hungarian customs.
King Ladislaus IV of Hungary was even known as "Ladislaus the Cuman" because his mother was a Cuman princess.

The Mongol Invasion and Cuman Decline

The arrival of the Mongols in the 13th century changed everything for the Cumans.

The Mongols, led by Genghis Khan and his successors, swept across Eurasia.
Many Cumans were defeated by the Mongols.
Some Cumans joined the Mongol armies.
Others fled to different regions, like Hungary, Bulgaria, or even Egypt.

Cuman Legacy in Other Lands

In Egypt, many Cuman warriors were sold into slavery and became part of the Mamluk army. These Mamluks were powerful warrior-slaves who eventually ruled Egypt for a long time. Many of them were of Cuman or Kipchak origin. In Bulgaria, a Cuman noble family founded the Second Bulgarian Empire.

Over time, the Cumans either blended into the populations of the lands they settled in or were absorbed by other groups. Their language and distinct culture gradually faded, but their history left a lasting mark on Eastern Europe and beyond.

Images for kids

Asia, circa 1200
Pecheneg and Cuman raids into Hungary in the 11th century
Ivan Bilibin's illustration to The Tale of Igor's Campaign shows the Cumans fighting against the Rus'.
Central, Southern and Eastern Europe, 1190
Cuman statue, 12th century, Luhansk
Eurasia before the Mongol invasions
Cumans arriving to Hungary.
Kingdom of Hungary, 13th century
King Ladislaus IV of Hungary. Ladislaus' mother, Elizabeth the Cuman, was the daughter of a Cuman chief.
Steppe nomads fighting the Hungarians, Chronicon Pictum, 14th century
The division of the Mongol Empire, c. 1300, with the Golden Horde in yellow
Cuman camp
Cuman representation in the Radziwiłł Chronicle
The Mamluks were warrior-slaves in the Islamic world. Many Mamluks were of Cuman origin.
A modern reenactment of Cumans
Battle between the Cumans and Grand Duke Andrei Bogolyubsky
Monument to the Asen dynasty in their capital Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria. The dynasty was of Cuman origin and was responsible for establishing the Second Bulgarian Empire. Sculptor: prof. Krum Damianov
Kunság (Cumania) in the 18th century within the Kingdom of Hungary. It was divided into Greater Cumania and Little Cumania.
Historical coat of arms of Cumania. Stained glass window in the southern nave of the St Elisabeth Cathedral, Košice, Slovakia.
Cuman sculpture in Kharkiv, Ukraine.
Cuman statue "Baba" in Nieborów, Poland
"Baba" 11th century, Luhansk
"Baba" 11th century, Luhansk
"Baba" 11th century, Luhansk
"Baba" 11th century, Luhansk
Cuman statue
Cuman statue
Cuman sculpture
Cuman statue in Stadnitsja Kiev c. 12th century
Cuman battle mask
Cuman statue at the Donetsk local history museum
Equestrian statue of a Cuman warrior, Kunhegyes, Hungary
Cuman, 12th century, Hermitage Museum
Cuman statues near the museum on Akademik Yavornitskyi Prospekt, Dnipro
Cuman statue
"Baba" at the Open Air Museum, Prelesne
Chormukhinsk Madonna, Luhansk
Cuman Stone statue "baba"
Cuman Stone statue "baba"
Ladislas IV "The Cuman" of Hungary, 14th century
Ladislaus IV of Hungary "the Cuman"
Samuel Aba king of Hungary
Elizabeth the Cuman mediaeval seal
Kunkereszt ("Cuman cross") in Belez, periphery of Magyarcsanád, Hungary
Cuman statues from Ukraine in Neues Museum, Berlin
Cumans
Cuman chain mail
Cuman statue
Cuman prairie art, as exhibited in Dnipro
Cumans in Hungary
Cuman burial mound in Hungary
Cuman stone statues in Donetsk damaged in fighting (22 September 2014)
Pursuit of Cuman horsemen (right) by the Hungarian King Ladislaus I (left), church of Kraskovo, Slovakia, 14th century