Is there anything "White" about Belarus/ White-Russia that can explain the translation of "belu"/ "bielo" as a colour adjective, or could Belu/Bielo also have another meaning?

edmund80

It refers not to the color but to the Tatar word for the state of being free and non-taxable. "Belays Rus( White Rus ) -- this expression was mainly used to refer to Moscovy after Tatar yoke had ended as well as to the Novgorod principality in the 14th-15th centuries for it had been less dependent on Tatars. The meaning of the word stems from Tatars using word "white" to mean "free", "non-taxable", etc. Then it is clear that this expression could be used in Moscovy for the GDL (Grand Duchy of Lithuania) as having religious connotations; however, it is nowhere to be found within the GDL up to the 17th century. During the war of 1654-1667 between Moscovy and the GDL the tzar Alexei I proclaimed himself "The emperor of Great, Minor, and White Rus". Here we have a precise reference to the lands of the GDL as "Belaya Rus" inspired by etymological and religious reasons. "Belaya"(White) appeared because the lands of the GDL were deemed by Moscowy as occupied(and now "freed"?!) whereas Rus was associated with Rusian church." http://www.belarusguide.com/history1/belname.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Ruthenia Dec 14 08, 6:05 PM

satguru

That is ironic as they are now one of the last dictatorships in Europe. How history seems to go in circles. (and I thought it was from the snow!). Dec 14 08, 6:36 PM

author

The origins of the name are somewhat unclear, but it may have had its origins in the efforts made by Russia's tsars to distinguish themselves from their predecessors in Rome and Byzantium (on the basis that Russia was the "Third Rome"). Muscovite rulers wore white robes to distinguish themselves from the purple of the Roman rulers and the red of the Byzantines. The Tsar himself was often called the "Great White Tsar", while he included among his official titles the style (literal translation): "The Sovereign of all Rus': the Great, the Little, and the White". This appellation, together with the solemn wording "White Tsardom", was in use till the very end of the Russian Empire. Ultimately, this colour was transferred onto the name of the counter-revolutionary White Army that fought against the Red Army. Alternatively, it may have its origins in the four colored cardinal directions used in many central Asian cultures, where white is an indicator for west. It is noteworthy that some other peoples have been referred to by colour. There have been White, Red and Black Croats. (White Croats and White Croatia were in today's Croatia and in south-east Poland and western Ukraine, beyond the Carpathians; Red Croats and Red Croatia were in area beyond the Don river; Black Croats in today's north-east Czech Republic); White Serbs in today's East Germany. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Rus Dec 14 08, 9:16 PM