German is an Old Slavonic word that has nothing to do directly with Germany. Except for Russians, no one calls the inhabitants of this country Germans. Moreover, in the distant past, this word was also used in relation to representatives of other peoples.
Who are the Germans
The word "German" is derived from "dumb", that is, one who cannot even say a word in Russian. The fact is that foreigners who did not know the Russian language were all the same that they were dumb, so they were called that. For example, in the works of Gogol, all people of Western origin, including the French and the Swedes, are called Germans.
Gogol himself writes that “we call anyone who comes from another country a German,” and the countries themselves, where foreigners came from, are called “German land” or “non-metchina” (this is closer to the Ukrainian language). Gogol sometimes chuckles at this word, for example, in his work "Taras Bulba" his French engineer came from Nemetchina. And in "The Inspector General" a German doctor, who does not understand a word in Russian, remains silent all the time, as if he were really dumb.
Since in the 19th century the foreigners in Russia were predominantly Germans, this name was stuck in the Russian language for all the people of Germany. It is interesting that the Sloboda Kukai in Moscow has since been called the German Sloboda, in honor of the fact that it was on this territory that foreigners lived. There were representatives of both England and Holland, but they called it German, since they all did not speak Russian.
In the 19th century, the word "German" bore an abusive connotation, so they called all non-Orthodox Europeans, by analogy, as all Muslims were called "Basurmans".
There is another theory of the origin of the word "German". In the distant past, there was a tribe of Rus, which was distinguished by a special belligerence. This people lived along the river Neman or Nemen. They were called Germans. Later, these lands were conquered by Germanic tribes, and this tribe is sometimes also called "nemets".
What the Germans call themselves
The word "Germans" was also not invented by the Germans themselves. In ancient Rome, Germany was the name of the country located north of the Roman Empire itself. Since the Romans were the first to come up with a name for this country, it turned out that it stuck, and now the country is called Germany.
It is interesting that the Germans are called by a name unrelated to them not only in Russia. In France and Spain, Germans are called Alemanni, and in Italy they are called "Tedeschi".
Nevertheless, the Germans themselves call themselves quite differently - Deutsch. This word is derived from the ancient German word "people, people", which was pronounced as diot. It turns out that the Germans originally called themselves "the people". They called all other peoples in the same way, for example the British, Danes and others. Information about this can be found in Latin historical manuscripts.
