Meshchera / Mordvin subgroups of the Mordvin ( Ezyra / Moksha)
Formed By: a Finno-Ugric group
First Recorded:
Purgaz was named in the Russian chronicles several times
The first Russian document mentioning the Meshchera is Tolkovaya Paleya (13c. AD). The tribe was also
often mentioned in Russian chronicles and other documents before the 16th century.
The Will of the Moscow prince Ivan Ivanovich (1358) mentions the village of Meshcherka which, as we can
learn from another document, had been purchased from the indigenous Meshcherian prince Alexander
Ukovich.
Changes and Migrations:
evidence suggests that some broke off into smaller groups and migrated to other areas in the 10th and
11th century...form that point on they were assimilated into other cultures but still retained their own
language and ethnic identity
Recorded Names:
male: Prince Purgaz, Prince Puresh, Mordvin Prince Malyy , Meshcherian prince Alexander Ukovich
1300's,
Cities and Towns:
Neighbors:
Slavonic tribes on the West end, Bulghars to the East, Khazars to the South, Merya to the North
Language: Finno-Ugric
Moksha
Erzya
Resources to explore:
Primary Russian Chronicle
Interesting Links:
article with some interesting background and info on archaeological finds
www.hunmagyar.org/turan/mordvin/meshchera.html