history of vlachs

This article is about the history of Vlachs from South of Danube. For the history of Northern Vlachs (Romanians), see History of Romania.

Origins

Main article: Origin of Romanians Vlachs were the romanized people of South-Eastern Europe. Most common theories say their ancestors were Dacians/Thracians, but some theories asserting that they could be even romanized Illyrians or Greeks. Their place of origin is hard to be determined as they can be found all over the Balkan peninsula. Aromanians can be found in Greece, Bulgaria, Albania and the Republic of Macedonia, while Romanians in Romania, Moldova, Ukraine, Serbia and Hungary. However, most historians agree that their original land was somewhere North of the Jirecek Line. Their occupations were mostly trading, shepherding and craftmanship, but judging from the variety of ancient vocabulary related to agriculture we can assume that in the Roman period they were mostly farmers.

Byzantine Period

The first record of Balkan Romanic settlement in the Byzantine age can be found in the writings of Procopius, in the 5th century: the forts named Skeptekasas (Seven Houses), Burgulatu (Broad City), Lupofantana (Wolf's Well) and Gemellomuntes (Twin mountains). In 586, the first written record of their name and their language appears on a Byzantine chronicle about an incursion against the Avars in the Eastern Balkans. When the baggage of a mule slips, the muleteer shouts "Torna, torna, fratre" (Return, return, brother!), although it might just be the last appearance of Latin. Blachernae, the suburb of Constantinople was named after a "Scythian" Duke Blachernos, whos name is believed to be linked with the name of "Blachs" (Vlachs). The Byzantine writer Cecaumenos, in his Strategicon of 1066 wrote that the Vlachs of Epirus and Thessalia came from North of the Danube and from along the Sava and that they were the descendents of the Dacians and the Bessi.

In the 10th century the Hungarians arrive in the Pannonian plain and, according to the anonymous chancellor of King Bela III of Hungary, the plain was inhabited by Slavs, Bulgars, Vlachs and "pastores Romanorum" (Roman shepherds), although this late writing (1146) might be slightly inaccurate. In 1185 a leading Vlach noble, Peter Asen, led a Bulgarian revolt against Byzantine rule and declared himself Tsar Peter II (also known as Theodore Peter). The following year the Byzantines were forced to recognise Bulgaria's independence. Peter styled himself "Tsar of the Bulgars, Greeks and Vlachs". (to be written)

Ottoman period

In the 18th century, as many of the Vlachs became involved in the trade between the Occident and Orient, their main city, Moscopole, became one of the most important and prosperous cities of the Balkans, until it was sacked and pillaged by the Ottomans in 1788. (to be written)

Modern history

Today, the official position of the Greek government is that the Vlachs are only Greeks speaking a Latin dialect (so they are not admitted to be a national minority -- in fact, Greece does not recognise any minorities), although there is not enough evidence in favour of this claim, and as a consequence they are not encouraged to keep their language and traditions, but encouraged to "return" in speaking "the language of their ancestors".