The Chronicle Croats in Volyn: Deconstruction of the Hypothesis
Authors:   Volodymyr pedagogical  professional college named after Ahatanhel Krymskyi, Volodymyr, Ukraine, Nahirnyi Mykola 
Published: October 2024

In historiography, there is a prevailing opinion that medieval Volyn was inhabited by a number of chronicle tribes, primarily the Dulebes, the Buzhans, and the Volynians. However, there is a suggestion that the Croats, whose center of localization was in the Carpathian region, should also be inclu­ded in the list of such ethno-tribal formations. There are few written sources about the settlement of the Croats in Ukrainian lands, and they don’t localize them in the territory of Volyn or don’t provide clear information about the location of the Croat tribes. Based on written sources, some authors localize the Lendians and other ancient tribes in Volyn, but they don’t associate them with the Croat ethnic group. The vast majority of historians from various countries don’t see the Croats in the territory of Volyn. At the same time, it is suggested that certain Croat tribes might have been part of larger intertribal unions led by the Volynians at a certain period, but this did not result in the migration of the Croats to the north. The lands of the Buzhans and the Chervians might have been the zone of mixed population and intertribal contacts between the Volynians and the Croats, but not Volyn itself. Proponents of the idea of Croatian presence in Volyn use arguments from mythology, genetics, anthropology, material culture, toponymy, and historiography of previous epochs. However, their evidence base is weak and insufficiently substantiated. The hypothesis of Croatian presence in Volyn is mainly supported by geographers, philologists, and writers, but not by professional historians. References to earlier historiography are a weak argument, as upon closer examination, they also rely on unconvincing and dubious assertions. Constructions about the Volynian Croats today look too artificial and aren’t based on strong source evidence. If the Croats are identified with the Sarmatians, the Buzhans, or the Dulebes (or as part of each other), then we can talk about the traces of the Croats in Volyn. However, there are no or almost no traces of a tribe specifically under the name «the Croats» / «the White Croats». If the Croats are localized in the Volyn area, it is only on border territories that were zones of intertribal contacts. Even if the Buzhans and the Chervians are considered to be offshoots of the Volynians who migrated together with the Croats to Dalmatia, it is still the Volynians who migrated to modern Croatia, not the Carpathian Croats who migrated to Volyn. The identity or similarity of certain toponyms in Croatia and Volyn can be explained by the presence of the ancient Volynians and Croats in the common Dulebian union. The Croats didn’t bring their own names to Volyn but only spread their toponyms in the Balkans together with the Volynians. The Croats couldn’t have moved to Dalmatia through Volyn since it lies on the opposite side of their movement to the south. Even after the annexation of the Croatian lands to Rus’ and their inclusion into the Volynian province, there is no data suggesting that any part of the local Croat population could have ended up in Volyn. Theoretically, the idea of Croatian presence in Volyn can be attempted to be proven if approached thoroughly, objectively, and comprehensively. At present, it should be noted that the presence of the Croats to the northeast of the Western Bug, even as an intermediate point in their migration, remains hypothetical.