Ostsiedlung; medieval German eastward expansion
Historical term referring to the migration and settlement of German-speaking peoples into Eastern Europe during the Middle Ages.
The Ostsiedlung is an important theme in medieval German history.
Compound of 東方 (tōhō, 'eastward') and 植民 (shokumin, 'colonization, settlement'). The term is a direct translation of the German 'Ostsiedlung'.