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In this video, I explore the history of European countries and/or regions that have undergone name changes, focusing on seven examples: Bohemia - now Czechia, Dacia - Romania, Livonia - Latvia / Estonia, Caledonia - Scotland, Ruthenia - Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, Castille - Spain, and Illyria - Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro, Bosnia, Croatia. I explore the origins of these historical names, often rooted in ancient tribes or geographical features, and discuss the cultural, political, and historical factors that led to their transformation into the modern names we recognize today. For instance, Bohemia's transition to Czechia reflects a unification of regions and a desire for a name representing all Czech lands. Similarly, Dacia's evolution into Romania signifies the region's Roman heritage.
Timestamps:
00:00 Europe's Old Names
00:45 Countries or Regions?
01:24 Bohemia to Czechia
03:43 Learning Languages
05:44 Dacia to Romania
07:33 Livonia to Latvia
09:08 Caledonia to Scotland
09:52 Ruthenia to Ukraine?
11:13 Castille to Spain
12:22 Illyria to Croatia?
14:00 Summary
14:26 Patreon Credits
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0:00
Every country has a name. Usually it is named after the region in which it is located, or the
0:06
people that live there, or at least once lived there. But languages change and people move around
0:12
and because of that, the names of countries or regions do too. There are hundreds, if not thousands
0:19
of examples of this throughout the world, but in this video I want to focus on Europe and take a
0:24
look at six or seven regions slash countries that used to be known by different names than
0:30
the ones we know them by today and understand why that changed
0:45
Now, before I tell you the seven that we're going to look at, I need to preface it by explaining that they fit into different categories
0:51
Most countries that we have today are recent, and while they have long histories throughout
0:56
which they had different names, the title of the video may be a little misleading in
1:00
that regard. These aren't necessarily countries that existed continuously throughout all of history and
1:05
at one point thought, let's change our name. Those exist too, like Burma becoming Myanmar or Dahomey becoming Benin
1:13
But in this video we're focusing more on the historical predecessors of European countries
1:17
in their same regions or on the regions themselves and comparing their names to the names of the countries today
1:23
So enough with this disclaimer. First, let's understand when Bohemia was used, what it meant, why it changed to Czechia
1:31
and in turn what Czechia means too. I'm going to use that format for all of these examples
1:36
The name Bohemia traces back to the Celtic tribe of the Boi, who inhabited the region during antiquity
1:42
The Romans adopted this name as Bojoheimum, meaning the home of the boy
1:48
Later, the name referred specifically to the western part of modern Czechia with the establishment of the Kingdom of Bohemia
1:55
a major kingdom in Central Europe during medieval times, taking an especially important role within the Holy Roman Empire
2:02
It also had a very cool lion coat of arms and a pretty cool flag too
2:06
Over the centuries, Bohemia, despite referring to the region and its original boy inhabitants
2:12
became associated with the Czech-speaking Slavic population, despite being influenced by German culture as well during that medieval period
2:20
Bohemia then became a part of the Habsburg and Austro-Hungarian Empire, but they had also expanded their influence over the East
2:29
incorporating the regions of Moravia and Silesia, and so a more united identity began to exist between these three regions, uniting around the Czech nationality
2:41
The transition to Czechia is therefore rooted in the desire for a unified name representing all the historical lands of the Czech people, Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia
2:51
The term Czechia first appeared in Latin during the 16th century and became popular in scholarly and literary works by the 17th and 18th centuries
3:01
However, it wasn't widely adopted in English until the 19th century. After the collapse of Austria-Hungary, Czechoslovakia was born, uniting Bohemia, Moravia, Silesia, but also Slovakia
3:13
And so after the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1993, Czechia was reintroduced as a shorthand for the Czech Republic
3:21
which united the original three regions, although the name gained official recognition only in 2016 to harmonize with international naming conventions
3:30
And so what was once Bohemia became Czechia with the addition of Moravia and Silesia
3:37
And they chose this name due to the development over time of a united Czech nationality
3:43
Now a lot of these old names came from Latin or some other old European language that was spoken by the native tribes at the time And while it is very difficult for us to learn those languages today it is much easier to learn a modern language especially with the help of today sponsor Lingopi
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especially in a way that is going to be fun. Now let's get back to the video
5:44
Next, how Romania used to be called Dacia. They actually still have a car brand that uses its name and I think comes from Romania
5:53
Tracia refers to the land inhabited by the Dacians, so it's a similar origin to Bohemia
5:57
They were a Thracian tribe in present-day Romania and Moldova, mentioned by Herodotus and other
6:03
ancient historians. Tracia or Trace is actually an older place name. This area is now part of Turkey, Bulgaria, Greece, it's also named after the Thrac tribe
6:13
Herodotus is quoted as having written, the Dacians are the most law-abiding and bravest
6:19
of the Thracians. They believe they are immortal, forever living on the following sense
6:24
They think they do not die, and that the one who dies joins Zalmoxis, a divine being
6:29
While Dacians may have believed in eternal life, the name for their region didn't last forever
6:36
The Romans conquered Dacia in the year 106 under Emperor Trajan, incorporating it into
6:41
the Roman Empire. Latin heavily influenced the region's culture and language during this time
6:46
why Romania has the name that it does today and why its language is essentially a Romance and
6:52
Latin language, differing from the other Slavic languages of the countries around it
6:56
The name Romania officially emerged during the 19th century as a symbol of unity and desire for
7:03
independence during the National Awakening. They began using it in reference to their ancestors
7:07
that had migrated there. It is said that the Romans massacred about two-thirds of the Dacians
7:13
and replaced the population with their own migrants that came from Italy, almost replacing
7:18
the region's entire population and thus justifying the future name change too
7:23
It became formalized with the unification of the principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia
7:28
in 1859 and later with the inclusion of Transylvania after World War I Then the path from Livonia to Latvia and Estonia The name Livonia again originates from the Livs a Finnick tribe that lived along the Gulf of Riga
7:45
It really seems to be a common element in the origin of these old place names
7:48
that they were named after a tribe that existed there and then as that tribe moved away
7:53
or as the region became controlled by other entities that weren't as connected to the tribe
7:59
a name change became justified. During the medieval period, Livonia referred to the territories controlled by the Livonian order
8:05
a branch of the Teutonic Knights, covering parts of modern Latvia and Estonia
8:10
who dedicated themselves to the Christianization and to the crusades that took place in Europe
8:16
attempting to conquer lands or convert the pagan people that lived there
8:21
Its formal name was actually Teha Mariana, which I guess we can also consider an old abandoned name for the region
8:27
named as Land of Lady Mary due to the religious nature of the Livonian order
8:32
The transition to Latvia began around the 19th century, also at a time of a national awakening
8:37
when the people of what is today Latvia wanted to be independent once again
8:42
It derives from another tribe, the Latgallians. They are one of the four Baltic tribes forming the modern Latvian people
8:49
along with the Koronians, Selonians, and Semigallians, chosen instead of these due to their prominence and higher influence when compared to the other three
8:58
After World War I, the Republic of Latvia was established and broke away from the Russian Empire
9:02
and so this name was adopted instead of the old Livonia. Caledonia is, like I mentioned, a similar case for Scotland but some key differences also exist
9:13
Caledonia was the Roman name for the land north of their province Britannia, corresponding to modern Scotland
9:19
The term likely derives from the Caledoni tribe and the Latin root caledo, meaning hard or rocky, reflecting the rugged terrain
9:28
The shift to Scotland comes from another Latin term, Scotia, which interestingly was actually initially used to describe the Gaelic-speaking regions of Ireland
9:37
and later the Scots who migrated to Caledonia. By the Middle Ages, Scotland was firmly established as the name of the Northern Kingdom
9:45
The etymological connection highlights the integration of Gaelic culture with those local traditions
9:52
And another interesting case is Ruthenia. At the start I mentioned that a lot of people associate it with being the old name of Ukraine
9:59
but in reality it's the old name for a specific region which encompasses a lot of current countries
10:05
Ruthenia derives from Rus, the name for the medieval East Slavic state of the Kievan Rus
10:11
It was a term used to refer to the East Slavic and East Orthodox people of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the Kingdom of Poland, later the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, parts of Austria-Hungary, but mainly to the people that lived in what is now Ukraine and sometimes Belarus and also Russia
10:30
Historically, in a broader sense, the term was used to refer to all of the territories under the dominion of the Kievan Rus
10:36
And so here the argument comes in a little bit. Which state is the successor of the Kievan Rus
10:42
Is it Ukraine? Is it Belarus? Is it Russia? I think saying that it's Russia is reasonably wrong
10:48
Of course they have a common heritage, but the Kievan Rus broke up after the Mongol invasion
10:53
and it's an historical fact that Russia evolved from the later principality of Moscow further north
10:59
Whether or not Ukraine can claim a direct connection to the Kievan Rus is, I guess
11:03
debatable but Kiev is the Ukrainian capital today so either way the name of Ruthenia was
11:08
abandoned and others like Belarus, Russia and Ukraine were introduced. Another interesting one is Kasteel which then became Spain and while this may seem like
11:19
a transition like the ones that I mentioned at the start from the Homi to Benin of a country that exists continuously and at one point changes its name it a little more complicated than that Castile refers to a medieval kingdom in the Iberian Peninsula
11:33
deriving its name from the Latin castella, meaning fortress, due to its numerous castles
11:38
It played a central role in the Reconquista and later in the unification of Spain
11:43
which is, I think, why we could maybe claim a direct change
11:48
The dynastic union of Castile and Aragon in 1469, when Ferdinand II wed Isabella I
11:55
would eventually lead to the formal creation of Spain as a single entity in 1516
12:00
when their grandson Charles V assumed both thrones. And then the name became more widely used as time went on
12:07
The name Spain originates from the Latin Hispania, which the Romans used for the entire peninsula, including what is today Portugal
12:14
So the name Spain was always kind of around, It just became common to use it for the country at a specific point, leaving Castile behind
12:22
And finally, the region of Illidia, or as you may know it today, Croatia
12:27
although again, the region encompassed other countries that also exist now under a different name
12:32
Illidia was the name given by the Greeks and Romans to the Western Balkans in general
12:37
inhabited by the Illidian tribes. The Romans in fact established the province of Illidicum within their empire after their conquest in the 2nd century BC
12:45
The territory was then ruled by the Byzantines and the Ottomans, and the name Illyria only
12:50
disappears from the historical record after the Ottoman expansion into the Balkans, in
12:55
around the 15th century. The name was actually revived by Napoleon, for the Illyrian provinces that were incorporated
13:02
into the French Empire from 1809 to 1813, and the Kingdom of Illyria, which existed
13:08
from 1816 to 1849, was a part of Austria until that year, after which it was not used in the
13:14
reorganized territories of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The transition to Croatia would go on to
13:20
become Yugoslavia. By the 9th century, the region was already recognized as the Duchy of Croatia and
13:25
later the Kingdom of Croatia, marking its distinct Slavic identity. And it is true that Illyria
13:31
occupied other parts of the West Balkans, namely parts of Bosnia and Esgovina, even Montenegro
13:37
parts of Albania or Kosovo. So perhaps here we have a similar situation to Ruthenia. Illyria was
13:43
the name of a region which encompassed a territory that now belongs to several different countries
13:49
but regardless of that fact, it is an old name that was used for a region, even a kingdom
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and then was completely abandoned and replaced by other ones that we know today. So, those are some
14:01
of Europe's old country or region names and why they changed. Understanding why they were first
14:07
implemented, what they meant, why they were used, and why they fell into disuse with the people that
14:12
lived there going away or new people coming in, making way for the country names or region
14:17
names that we know today. What other old names do you know about that are interesting and were abandoned either
14:23
in Europe or anywhere else in the world? Let me know in the comments. Also, thank you so much to my patrons for supporting me directly on Patreon
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14:42
to subscribe if you want to catch future ones and I will see you next time for more general knowledge
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I realized when I was editing this that I forgot to include a Moomin Cup ending for the video
15:01
so you can just look at this picture of Socks, our dog, wearing a Christmas outfit. Thank you
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