Votians, also referred to as Votes, Vots and Vods (Votic: ва́ддялайзыд, vađđalaizõd; Russian: водь; Estonian: vadjalased; Finnish: vatjalaiset) are a Finnic ethnic group native to historical Ingria, the part of modern-day northwestern Russia that is roughly southwest of Saint Petersburg and east of the Estonian border-town of Narva.

The language is still spoken in three villages of historical Votia and by an unknown number of speakers in the countryside.

[5] In 1069, the Votes were mentioned taking part in an attack on the Novgorod Republic by the Principality of Polotsk.

After the collapse of Novgorod in the 1470s, the Grand Principality of Moscow deported many Votes from their homelands, and began more aggressive conversion of them.

Missionary efforts started in 1534, after Novgorod's archbishop Macarius complained to Ivan IV that Votes were still practicing their pagan beliefs.

Conversion was slow and the next archbishop Feodosii II of Novgorod [ru] had to send priest Nikifor to continue Ilja's work.

Religion separated the Lutheran Finns and Estonians and the Orthodox Izhorians and Votes, so intermarriage was uncommon between these groups.

[5] Most Votes were evacuated to Finland along with Finnish Ingrians during World War II, but were returned to the Soviet Union following the September 1944 Moscow Armistice.

As a distinct people, Votes have become practically extinct after Stalinist dispersion to distant Soviet provinces as 'punishment' for alleged disloyalty and cowardice during World War II.

In 2008 Votes were added to the list of Indigenous peoples of Russia, granting them some support to preserving their culture.

Historical sources indicate the Teutonic Knights led by Vinke von Overberg captured many people in Ingermanland during their attack there in 1444–1447, and moved them to Bauska, where a workforce was needed to build a castle.

After the castle was built, the Votes did not go back, but were settled in the vicinity of Bauska and became farmers.

Paul Ariste found that the Votic language influenced many Northern Estonian dialects.

Votians formed seine groups (artelli) and made fishing trips as far as the Finnish outer islands like Seskar.

The term came in use when people wanted to make a difference between Lutheran and Orthodox Finnic populations in Ingria.

When comparing the paternal lineages (combination of ancient haplogroups) of Votians to other Baltic-Finnic groups living in Russia and Slavic Central Russians, they are closer to the latter.