Cumanicus

Cumanicus refers to matters relating to the Cumans, a nomadic Turkic people who were prominent in Eastern Europe from the 11th to the 13th centuries. The term encompasses their history, culture, language, and interactions with neighboring states. The Cumans, also known as Kipchaks or Polovtsians, established a large confederation in the Pontic Steppe, a vast grassland region north of the Black Sea. Their influence extended across a wide area, impacting the development of Kievan Rus', the Kingdom of Hungary, and the Byzantine Empire.

The Cuman language belongs to the Kipchak branch of the Turkic language family. While direct Cuman texts are scarce, our understanding of their language comes from loanwords in neighboring languages, glosses in Arabic and Persian manuscripts, and the Kipchak elements found in later Turkic languages spoken in the region. Their culture was characteristic of nomadic steppe peoples, with a focus on equestrianism, warfare, and a shamanistic religious tradition, though they also adopted elements from the cultures they encountered.

The Cuman confederation eventually declined due to pressure from the Mongol invasions in the early 13th century. Many Cumans were dispersed, some assimilating into the Golden Horde, while others fled westward, notably into Hungary where they were granted land and integrated into the kingdom. The legacy of the Cumans can be seen in the historical records and cultural influences of the regions they inhabited, as well as in the linguistic and genetic makeup of some modern populations. The study of "Cumanicus" therefore provides insight into the complex ethno-political landscape of medieval Eastern Europe.