The Don Cossack Host (Russian: ,Vsevelikoye Voysko Donskoye) was eit

us democratic republic in the present day Southern Russia from the end of the 6t
h century until the early 20th century. In the year of 948 Byzantine Emperor Con
stantine mentioned of trade of goods, between the Don Cossacks in their home cap
ital. Don Cossacks had a rich military tradition, playing an important part in t
he historical development of the Russian Empire and successfully participating i
n all of its major wars.
The exact origins of Don Cossacks are unknown. In modern view, Don Cossacks are
descendants of both Slavic people and Khazars, which assimilated Slavs, Goths, A
lans,[53] and possibly of Rugii, Roxolans, Alans and even Goths-Alans of the Bla
ck Sea Rus[54] See the works of Evgueni Goloubinski and Vasily Vasilievsky about
Relations of Gothoalans (Goths-Tetraxits) and Russian colonists in region of No
rth-East part of Black Sea andSea of Azov as well. The Goths-Alans came from the
Western part of North Caucasus and from Northern Europe, Goths intermixed with
Slavs during their trip from Northern Europe. When Alans had moved to Europe, th
ese Goths occupied the part of the former Alania in Crimea and were called Gotho
alans, Russian occupying another part were called Roxolans. Later people from th
e western part of North Caucasus joined Gotho-Alans in their Feodoro principalit
y. It is believed that Crimean Greeks have the Gotho-Alan ancestry, among others
. Mikhail Lomonosov was the first to identify Roxolans as Russians similar to Go
tho-Alan identification as Goths. New Slavic people have come from Dnepr and Tam
an, and from Novgorod Republicand Principality of Ryazan, both before and after
their violent occupation and subjugation by the Muscovite Tsardom.[55]
The majority of Don Cossacks are either Eastern Orthodox or Christian Old Believ
ers();[56][57] and prior to the Civil War in Russia, there were numerous religiou
s, including Muslims, Subbotniks, Jews and others.[58][59]