Great Perm
Great Perm (Permyak: Ыджыт Перем Öксуму, Ydžyt Perem Öksumu; Old Permic, 𐍨𐍓𐍖𐍨𐍢 𐍟𐍔𐍠𐍔𐍜 𐍞𐍚𐍡𐍣𐍜𐍣) or simply Perm, in Latin Permia, was a medieval historical region in what is now the Perm Krai of the Russian Federation. Cherdyn is said to have been its capital.
Principality of Great Perm Ыджыт Перем Öксуму, 𐍨𐍓𐍖𐍨𐍢 𐍟𐍔𐍠𐍔𐍜 𐍞𐍚𐍡𐍣𐍜𐍣 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1323–1505 | |||||||||
| Capital | Cherdyn, Pokcha | ||||||||
| Common languages | Komi Old East Slavic | ||||||||
| Religion | Komi polytheism, Russian Orthodox | ||||||||
| Government | Monarchy | ||||||||
| Prince of Great Perm | |||||||||
| History | |||||||||
• first mention | 1323 | ||||||||
• Annexed by Grand Duchy of Moscow | 1505 | ||||||||
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The origin of the name Perm is uncertain. Most common explanation derives the name "Perm" from "parma" ("forested highlands" in Komi language). While the city of Perm is a modern foundation named for Permia, the town of Cherdyn was reportedly itself known as the capital of "Great Perm" in the past. Cherdyn acted as a central market town, and it is sometimes suggested that perm was simply a term for "merchants" or "market" in a local language, but there have been other suggestions. The same name is likely reflected in the toponym Bjarmaland in Norse sagas. The general region of Great Perm was known as wisu (وِيسُو wīsū) in medieval Arab ethnography, so referred to in the works of Ahmad ibn Fadlan, Al-Gharnati, Zakariya al-Qazwini and Yaqut al-Hamawi (in his Dictionary of Countries). The term is perhaps derived from the name of the Ves' people who settled around Lake Ladoga and the upper Sukhona River.