Ulichs

Ulichs (also spelled Ulics or Uglichi) was a medieval East Slavic tribe or tribal union that inhabited the area near the lower Dnieper River, along the Southern Bug, and possibly reaching the coast of the Black Sea. They are believed to have existed roughly from the 9th to the 12th centuries.

The Ulichs are mentioned in the Primary Chronicle as being independent and resisting subjugation by the Kievan Rus'. According to the chronicle, they moved westward under pressure from the Pechenegs, settling in the region around Pereyaslavl and later further west, near the Tivertsi. They were known for their fierce resistance to Kievan attempts to incorporate their territories.

Their primary center was Pereyaslavl (not to be confused with Pereyaslavl-Khmelnytskyi). Sviatoslav I of Kiev is recorded as besieging their city of Pereyaslavl for three years before finally capturing it. This event marked a significant point in their decline.

After being defeated by Kiev, the Ulichs were gradually absorbed into the larger political entities of the Kievan Rus' and later principalities. Their distinct tribal identity eventually faded, and they became integrated into the broader East Slavic population.

Archaeological evidence related to the Ulichs is limited, making it difficult to definitively ascertain the specifics of their culture and lifestyle. Historical accounts, mainly the Primary Chronicle, provide the primary source of information about them. Their language would have been a dialect of Old East Slavic.