1.
Ruthenia or
Carpato-Ruthenia is the name of a region in
Central Europe comprising the southern slopes of the
Carpathian Mountains. It is now part of the
Ukraine. It takes its name from the
Ruthenes[?] or Russniaks, a
Slavonic people who were ancestors of the Ukrainians.
Before
World War I Ruthenia was part of
Hungary. It became part of
Czechoslovakia after the
Treaty of Trianon in
1920. Following
Adolf Hitler's seizure of the country in
1939, Ruthenia briefly proclaimed its independence, before being annexed by Hungary. After
World War II it was ceded to the
Soviet Union. It became part of newly independent Ukraine in
1991.
2. Latinized form of Rus. Until modern times it was applied to territories inhabited by speakers of East Slavic languages (Russian, Ukrainian, Belorusian) or to territories of contemporary Ukraina only.