Slavs on the Balkan

Around 77 B.C., Gay Pliniy - the Older (Historica Naturalis), Tatsit (Germania) and Ptolomei speak about the Slavs, (maybe with an ancient Indian origin) known under the Celtic name Veneti (Venedi). They are referred to as Sklavini in the work "Pseudo-Tsezariy" (by an unknown author) at the beginning of the 5th century. In the 6th century, the Byzantine author Prokopi (565) called them Sklabeoni (Sklabonoi or Sklaboi). According to Yordanes, the name Anti appears in the 6th and the 7th century. Yordanes includes the Anti and the Slavs in the group of Veneti and places the Anti between Dnestar and the coast of the Black Sea to Dnepar. The Arab travel writers in the 10th century named them Artanya. Various tribal names existed among the Slavs. The ancient fatherland of the Slavs was situated between the rivers Visla, Dnepar, Desna, West Drina and Karpati or in Polesye, in the triangle Brest - Litovsk - Mohilev - Kiev. The Slavs used to live in tribal organizations in their ancient fatherland. They used to hunt and they raveshed the places they lived in. They organized sieges in larger groups. They were good carpenters and they had knowledge of metal tools. The migrations that occurred between the 2nd to the 6th century represent an offensive of the Barbarian people and their alliances against the Roman Empire. In the last phase of this offensive in the second half of the 6th century, the Slavonic people also joined the offensive against The Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire. The offensive did not destroy the Empire, but it did weaken its power. According to Yordanes, all the Slavs (Anti and Veneti) were subjugated by the Eastern Goths. When the Huni appeared, the Anti began an uprising, but they were defeated and their ruler Bozh (the first Slav mentioned in history) was executed together with his sons and the tribe leaders. The Huni subjugated the Slavs, which were situated in present-day Russia and Hungary, between Danube and Tisa. After the state of the Huni declined, the Slavs along Tisa, fell under the jurisdiction of the Gepidi and the Slavs on the East went along the coast of Danube, free or governed by a ruler, or allianced with the Huni and Bulgarians (by the end of the 8th century the Bulgarians appeared around the utokata of Danube). The Byzantine authors named the settlers on the left of Danube Slavs and the settlers on the east to Danube Anti. They called these regions Sklavinia.

The Slavs in Macedonia

Numerous Slavonic tribes inhabited Macedonia in the twenties of the 7th century. The Dragovites settled along the river Bistritsa and west of Thessalonika. the Velegisites settled next to them and to the north of them, between Ohrid, Bitola and Veles, settled the Versites (Brsyaks). The Sagoudats lived close to Thessalonika, east of them lived the Rinchininies, along the valley of the river Struma and Strumeshnitsa lived the Strumyans and on the east of the river Mesta lived the Smolyans. In the 6th century Thessalonika was an important military-strategic point of the Byzantine Empire on the Balkans, the biggest city on the Peninsula and, after Constantinople - the second biggest city one on the Balkans. The Macedonian Slavs attacked Thessalonika together with the Avars. According to the work of archbishop John in The wonders of Dimitry Solunski five siedges were incredibly strong. In the first half of the 7th century, many important leaders and princes (Hatson, Pribond, Akamir) appeared among the Macedonian Slavs. According to Teofan Konfesor (760-818) and Anastasiy Bibliotekar (800-880) these regions were called "Sklavinii in Macedonia". In the second half of the IX century the Dragovites, the Sagoudats, theVelegisites, the Vayunites, the Versites had their own sklavinii. The sklavini were governed by arhonti (egsarhi) and some Slavonic tribes were ruled by regesi.

The Christianization of the Macedonian Slavs

According to the work of the Tivertiopol Martyrs, the Slavs came to Macedonia bringing their polytheism, manners and entity. The Macedonian Slavs received the Christianity from the old inhabitants, the Byzantine State and the church. The strongest Christianization process was during the reign of the emperors' - iconfighters. It is said in one chronic of the Monastery Kastamoni at Mt.Athos that " during the reign of the iconfighters Vasilevsi, the so-called Rinhini, Vlachorini and Sagudati were christenized ". In the 8th century, an epiarchy already existed in Macedonia. The Epiarchy was ruled by the Metropolitan, with a seat in Thessalonika. It included 18 Macedonian towns, which were centers of the epischopies that were subordinated to the metropolitan of Thessaloniki.

The Beginning of Literacy of the Macedonian Slavs

According to Crnorizets Hrabar and his tractate O pismenah, the Slavs even when they were polytheists used lines and reshki for writing. After their christening, they used Roman and Greek letters to write Slavonic letters, without any rules.

Composing of the Slavonic Alphabet

The Slavonic Alphabet was completed by Constantin (Cyril) and his brother Methodius, with the help of Cyril and some other pupils, translated the books needed for the church service, from Greek into the language spoken by the Macedonian Slavs from the district of Thessaloniki, which, in the ancient Slavonic translations is called, Slavonic language. By composing the the Glagolitic and, by using the old Macedonian language that Cyril and his brother knew well, they sublimed the Macedonian speech from the district of Thessaloniki on the level of a first literate Slavonic language and translated the books needed for the church service. Unlike today, in that time, there was no significant difference between the languages of the other Slavonic tribes. Cyril and Methodius left for Great Moravia with a group of pupils. Cyril died in 869 and Methodius in 885. A number of their pupils which were a part of the Moravian mission were sold as slaves and, the more crucial ones, like Clement, Naum, Angelerey were exiled from Great Moravia (and Panonia) with the consent of the Prince of Moravia, Svetolik.

The Ohrid Literary School

Clement was a teacher in the region of Kutmichevitsa (a part of Macedonia, Albania, Greece). Clement educated about 3.500 people during a period of 23 years and he managed to introduce the Slavonic language in the church service. Clement was also the first original Slavonic and Macedonian poet, orator and educator. His biographer Teofilaht says that Clement of Ohrid did the translating of an official church text called: The Floriol Triod, that he composed many speeches, prayers, anthems, written commentations and other psalm fitted songs in honor of Jesus Christ, Saint Mary, Jovan the Baptizer and others of the Christian church. Clement composed a speech for all the holidays in the year.

Crnorizets Hrabar

His work O pismenah is the first polemical work dedicated to the Slavonic enlightenment. Crnorizets Hrabar claims that Cyril the Philosopher devised the Slavonic letters according to the Greeks, just as the Greeks composed their letters following the Jewish example. Cyril devised all the 38 letters of the Slavonic alphabet, following the example of the Greek letters and some of the Slavonic words. Defending that the Slavonic alphabet had many letters, Crnorizets Hrabar claims that the Greeks use 38 letters, too. Besides the 24 letters, they have 11 diphthongs and three letters for numerical value.

The Bogomil Movement

The Bulgarian ruler Simeon (893-927) extended the Bulgarian power 22 km near to Thessalonika and made Serbia a Bulgarian province (924), but, in 927, during the siege of Constantinople, he died. He was succeeded by his son Peter (927-969), who, in 927 reached a treaty with Byzantine, which proclaimed him as a Czar of the Bulgarian. In a return, he had to give up a big part of his occupied territories. In the work Tiveriopolskite Martyrs, Theophilact claims that the region of Strumitsa was revolutionary and impudent towards the Bulgarian government. The Bulgarians formed new military-administrative units called comita, ruled by comiti. There were some Macedonian comiti, which were the link between the submitted subordinated population and the Bulgarian government. There were also the so-called tarkani, which performed military duties in the comitati, judges, taxation officers and others. The Bulgarian rulers organized the religious administration by opening a great number of churches with Bulgarian clergy. The population worked for free for the state (building of roads, fortresses, bridges, churches, monasteries) and paid taxes. The revolt of the people was reflected through the Movement of the Bogomils, which had first appeared in Ereminia and then spread to Southern France. It was known under various names: patareni in Bosnia, strizheni in Russia, katari in France, babuni in Macedonia and so on. The admonishment of the Bogomils by Presbyter Cosmas is the only written document on this movement. According to Kozma, during the reign of Czar Peter, a priest by the name of Bogomil appeared in Bulgaria. He preached heresy under the influence of the pavlikijansko and mesalijansko especially the manihejsko lore (a dualistic realizing of the fight between the good and the evil). According to them, the rich people and the government were the servants of evil and the ones that subordinated to them, they practically opposed to God. God did not make the whole visible world. The world is a Satan's parturition. The Bogomils did not concede the Old Testament and they repudiated the rituals of the church. They did not believe in the wonders of the saints, they repudiated the myth of resurrection and they believed that the official church was a work of the Satan. They were fighting against the crosses, the icons and the holidays. The Bogomils had religious communities organized like the earlychristian communities. There were two such communities in Macedonia: Dragovichka and Melnichka. The Bogomils were divided into the perfect Bogomils, the ordinary believers and the listeners. The Bogomils Movement was lead by the priest Bogomil and his advisers. Czar Boris frightened, asked for a support from the Patriarch of Constantinople, Theophilact (933-956) who gave him permission to punish these heretics in any way. As a result of that, thousands of Bogomils were cruelly killed or sent to prison.

Czar Samuel's Kingdom

Macedonia became a part of Bulgaria during the time of Simeon's ruling (893-927) and during the reign of his son Peter (927-969). When Peter died, his sons Boris and Roman took his place. They had to terminate the spreading of the uprising which was organized by David, Moses, Aron and Samuel - komitopuli (young sovereigns) and sons of the sovereign Nikola. Because the danger of Russia and the sons of Nikola threatened Bulgaria, Byzantium ensured a czar throne for Boris in 969. Nevertheless, the Russian sovereign Svjatoslav captured Boris and his brother in the Bulgarian seat Pleslav (969). The young sovereigns succeeded initiating the uprising, because, in the meantime, a battle began between Svjatoslav and the Czar of Byzantium Ivan Tsimisko (969-976). Tsimisko defeated Svjatislav in Silistria (Drstar) at Danube. He surrendered and had to leave Bulgaria, resigning from all his plans (July 971). Byzantium annexed Bulgaria and dethroned Boris. Tsimisko died on January 11, 976. Vasilij succeeded him. In 976, when Tsimisko died, David, Moses, Aron and Samuel established a new state ruled by all four of them. David was killed by Vlashs-chobani and Moses was killed during the siege of Ser. After that, only Aron and Samuel ruled. Samuel arranged Aron to be eliminated in Razmetnitsa. The son of Samuel, Radomir Gavril saved his son Ivan Vladislav. Samuel used the engagement of the Byzantine army on the east against Skler and occupied Trakia, Macedonia, Thessalia, Greece and Peloponez and the closest surroundings of Salonica. Samuel occupied Larisa after a few years of sieges, and transferred the remainings of St. Achilleus to Prespa, where he built a seat and a castle (demolished in 1072 by the Germans and the Franks). Vasilij entered in a place called Shtipon, in the vicinity of Sofia, with a strong army. He was defeated at the so called Trajanova Porta (Ihtiman) on August 18, 986 and escaped to Filipolis (Plovdiv) where he remained, because Byzantium was again in a civil war in which Barda Foka proclaimed himself as Czar (987). However, with Russian support, Vasilij, defeated Foka at Abidos. In 989, Samuel occupied the town of Veria (Ber) and entered in Dalmatia, did not occupy Ultsinj, but burned Kotor and Dubrovnik and demolished Bosnia and Rashka and got to Zadar. He did not have a navy and therefore he did not occupy any of the Croatian seaside towns. Samuel was defeated for the first time by Nikifor Uran at Peloponez. Samuel promised obedience to Vasilij, but the Pope Inokentij III (1198-1216) proclaimed him as a Czar. Vasilij undertook a new offensive over the Samuel State. He sent an army headed by the army leaders Teodorokan and Ksifij to the fortified towns on the other side of Maritsa. They managed to occupy Pliska and Preslav. In 1001, Vasilij occupied the towns of Servia and Voler on the river Maritsa and Voden. Samuel entered in Adrene (Adrianopolis) to prevent Vasilij occupying parts of his Kingdom. Samuel retreated to Skopje, but Vasilij defeated him and occupied Skopje. Vasilij came to Pernik and did not occupy it, but via Plovdiv, returned to Constantinople. In 1014, Samuel with strong army besieged the valleys Kimbalong and Kladion in order to block Vasilij's new siege. According to the advice of the strateg Ksifijas, Vasilij with part of the army, attacked around the shafts and the strateg Botanijat perambulated the Belasitsa Mountain on the other side of the valley. The army of Samuel was attacked from the behind and was defeated on July 29, 1014. Samuel managed to escape with his son in Prilep. Vasilij ordered that the eyes of the captured soldiers (around 15.000) be taken out and every 100-th be left with one eye to lead the rest back home. When Samuel saw his blind soldiers, he died from a massive coronary attack on October 6, 1014.

Ohrid Archbishopricy

During the reign of Samuel, the Ohrid Archbishop was founded. It had its seat in Ohrid, where Samuel moved from Prespa. The Ohrid Archbishop was proclaimed by the Rome kurija, but not by the Byzantine power. The Archbishopric included the episcopacies of the following towns: Srdech (Sofia), Drstar, Meglen, Velbuzd, Glavinich, Belgrade, Nish, Prizren, Rashka, Skopje, Morozvitis, Bitola, Voden, Drama, Srbichka, Stag, Ver, Strumitsa, Kostur.

Collapse of the Samuel Empire

Samuel was succeeded by his son Gavril Radomir, who continued to fight against Byzantium, reaching even Consantinople. Vasilij, frightened, asked the son of Aron Ivan Vladislav to kill Gavril, promising him the state of Samuel and Drach. Vladislav killed Radomir and his wife and made his son blind in Pastrik on September 15, 1015. But, Vladislav joined the siege of the Pechenezi against Vasilij. After their betraying, Vladislav was defeated by Vasilij in Pelagonija (1018). He reoccupied his lost territories, sieged Drach, but during the siege, he was killed. Vasilij came in Strumica welcomed by the Ohrid Archbishop David who handed him over a letter from the Queen-widow Maria who assigned him the state. Vasilij entered into the Ohrid castle of Samuel, confiscating a great treasure, which he gave to the army. None of the sons of Vladislav, neither the sons of Gavril, which Vasilij spared, did not proclaim as Czar.