Bulgarians in Serbia
Encyclopedia
Bulgarians are an ethnic group
in Serbia
. This article focuses on Bulgarians in south-eastern Serbia, one of the two areas in which ethnic Bulgarians are concentrated.
Around 10,000 Bulgarians live in the city of Bosilegrad, the rest of them are found in the cities of Pirot
and Dimitrovgrad
(Tsaribrod) and surrounding areas, and other border cities. For information about the ethnic Bulgarians in Banat
, a region which straddles Serbia
and Romania
, see the article on Banat Bulgarians
.
With the conquest of the Pomoravlje
Region by Serbia in 1878, the Bulgarians living around the South Morava river, were terrorized and assimilated or forced to emigrate. Later, following World War I
, the so called Western Outlands passed to the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes from Bulgaria
as a war indemnity, and the remains of the old border can be seen at Vlasina lake
. In the Interwar Period, the Internal Western Outland Revolutionary Organisation
, countering Yugoslav rule in the region, was engaged in repeated attacks against the Yugoslav police and army. During World War II
Bulgaria retook the Western Outlands, as well as Pirot
and Vranje
. After the Second World War
, these regions were returned to Yugoslavia. After Serbia
's independence, these areas remained within the Serbian state.
conquest among Byzantine
, Bulgarian
and Serbian rulers. According to some authors during the Ottoman rule, the majority of native Torlakian Slavic population did not have national consciousness in ethnic sense. Therefore, both, Serbs and Bulgarians, considered local Slavs as part of their own people, while local population was also divided between sympathy for Bulgarians and Serbs. Other authors from the epoch, take a different view and maintain that during the Ottoman rule the inhabitants of Torlakian area had begun to develop predominantly Bulgarian national consciousness. The first known literary monument, influenced by Torlakian dialects is the Manuscript from Temska Monastery from 1762, in which its author, the Monk Kiril Zhivkovich from Pirot
, considered his language as: "simple Bulgarian". In the 19th century the region was one of the centres of Bulgarian national revival
and was included at a whole in the Bulgarian Exarchate
(1870-1878). It was also stipulated the area to be ceded to Bulgaria according to the Constantinople Conference
in 1876 and most of it according to the Treaty of San Stefano
in 1878.
The dominant religion among ethnic Bulgarians is Orthodoxy. Islam
never arrived in areas like Bosilegrad
because of the mountanous terrain and most inhabitants dwelled in high mountain villages where they were hard to reach. They use both Serbian
and Bulgarian
churches due to the low number of
Bulgarian clergymen present in the region. There is a church in every village around Bosilegrad
, and the oldest ones date to the 11th century.
Ethnic group
An ethnic group is a group of people whose members identify with each other, through a common heritage, often consisting of a common language, a common culture and/or an ideology that stresses common ancestry or endogamy...
in Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
. This article focuses on Bulgarians in south-eastern Serbia, one of the two areas in which ethnic Bulgarians are concentrated.
Around 10,000 Bulgarians live in the city of Bosilegrad, the rest of them are found in the cities of Pirot
Pirot
Pirot is a town and municipality located in south-eastern Serbia. According to 2011 census, the town has a total population of 38,432, while the population of the municipality is 57,911...
and Dimitrovgrad
Dimitrovgrad, Serbia
Dimitrovgrad is a town and 483 km² large municipality located in the Pirot District of the Republic of Serbia. According to 2011 census, the municipality of Dimitrovgrad has a population of 10,056 people and the town 6,247.-Name:...
(Tsaribrod) and surrounding areas, and other border cities. For information about the ethnic Bulgarians in Banat
Banat
The Banat is a geographical and historical region in Central Europe currently divided between three countries: the eastern part lies in western Romania , the western part in northeastern Serbia , and a small...
, a region which straddles Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
and Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
, see the article on Banat Bulgarians
Banat Bulgarians
The Banat Bulgarians are a distinct Bulgarian minority group which settled in the 18th century in the region of the Banat, which was then ruled by the Habsburgs and after World War I was divided between Romania, Serbia, and Hungary...
.
History
Pomoravlje
Pomoravlje may refer to:* Pomoravlje , a geographical area around the Morava river, Serbia* Pomoravlje District, a district in Serbia...
Region by Serbia in 1878, the Bulgarians living around the South Morava river, were terrorized and assimilated or forced to emigrate. Later, following World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, the so called Western Outlands passed to the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes from Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
as a war indemnity, and the remains of the old border can be seen at Vlasina lake
Vlasina
Vlasina may refer to:* Vlasina , a river in Serbia* Vlasina Lake, a lake in Serbia* Vlasina, a region in southeastern Serbia* Vlasina , a village and a mine in Serbia...
. In the Interwar Period, the Internal Western Outland Revolutionary Organisation
Internal Western Outland Revolutionary Organisation
The Internal Western Outland Revolutionary Organization , IWORO, was a Bulgarian revolutionary organization active in the Western Outlands between 1921 and 1941 in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes , and then its successor, the Kingdom of...
, countering Yugoslav rule in the region, was engaged in repeated attacks against the Yugoslav police and army. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Bulgaria retook the Western Outlands, as well as Pirot
Pirot
Pirot is a town and municipality located in south-eastern Serbia. According to 2011 census, the town has a total population of 38,432, while the population of the municipality is 57,911...
and Vranje
Vranje
Vranje is a city and municipality located in southern Serbia. In 2011 the city has total population of 82,782, while the urban area has 54,456...
. After the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, these regions were returned to Yugoslavia. After Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
's independence, these areas remained within the Serbian state.
Torlaks
The regional names once used by many people in the Torlakian-speaking region was Torlaci and Šopi. The borders in the region frequently shifted before the OttomanOttoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
conquest among Byzantine
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
, Bulgarian
History of Bulgaria
The history of Bulgaria spans from the first settlements on the lands of modern Bulgaria to its formation as a nation-state and includes the history of the Bulgarian people and their origin. The first traces of human presence on what is today Bulgaria date from 44,000 BC...
and Serbian rulers. According to some authors during the Ottoman rule, the majority of native Torlakian Slavic population did not have national consciousness in ethnic sense. Therefore, both, Serbs and Bulgarians, considered local Slavs as part of their own people, while local population was also divided between sympathy for Bulgarians and Serbs. Other authors from the epoch, take a different view and maintain that during the Ottoman rule the inhabitants of Torlakian area had begun to develop predominantly Bulgarian national consciousness. The first known literary monument, influenced by Torlakian dialects is the Manuscript from Temska Monastery from 1762, in which its author, the Monk Kiril Zhivkovich from Pirot
Pirot
Pirot is a town and municipality located in south-eastern Serbia. According to 2011 census, the town has a total population of 38,432, while the population of the municipality is 57,911...
, considered his language as: "simple Bulgarian". In the 19th century the region was one of the centres of Bulgarian national revival
Bulgarian National Revival
The Bulgarian National Revival , sometimes called the Bulgarian Renaissance, was a period of socio-economic development and national integration among Bulgarian people under Ottoman rule...
and was included at a whole in the Bulgarian Exarchate
Bulgarian Exarchate
The Bulgarian Exarchate was the official name of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church before its autocephaly was recognized by the Ecumenical See in 1945 and the Bulgarian Patriarchate was restored in 1953....
(1870-1878). It was also stipulated the area to be ceded to Bulgaria according to the Constantinople Conference
Constantinople Conference
The 1876–1877 Constantinople Conference of the Great Powers was held in Constantinople from 23 December 1876 until 20 January 1877...
in 1876 and most of it according to the Treaty of San Stefano
Treaty of San Stefano
The Preliminary Treaty of San Stefano was a treaty between Russia and the Ottoman Empire signed at the end of the Russo-Turkish War, 1877–78...
in 1878.
Religion
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
never arrived in areas like Bosilegrad
Bosilegrad
Bosilegrad is a town and municipality in Pčinja District of Serbia. The municipality comprises an area of 571 km². According to 2011 census, it has total population of 7,979 inhabitants, while the town has 2,530.-1991 census:...
because of the mountanous terrain and most inhabitants dwelled in high mountain villages where they were hard to reach. They use both Serbian
Serbian Orthodox Church
The Serbian Orthodox Church is one of the autocephalous Orthodox Christian churches, ranking sixth in order of seniority after Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem, and Russia...
and Bulgarian
Bulgarian Orthodox Church
The Bulgarian Orthodox Church - Bulgarian Patriarchate is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Church with some 6.5 million members in the Republic of Bulgaria and between 1.5 and 2.0 million members in a number of European countries, the Americas and Australia...
churches due to the low number of
Bulgarian clergymen present in the region. There is a church in every village around Bosilegrad
Bosilegrad
Bosilegrad is a town and municipality in Pčinja District of Serbia. The municipality comprises an area of 571 km². According to 2011 census, it has total population of 7,979 inhabitants, while the town has 2,530.-1991 census:...
, and the oldest ones date to the 11th century.
See also
- Western Outlands
- Bulgarians in the Republic of MacedoniaBulgarians in the Republic of MacedoniaBulgarians are a non-recognised ethnic minority in the Republic of Macedonia. Bulgarians are mostly found in the Strumica area, but over the years, the absolute majority of southwestern Republic of Macedonia have declared themselves Macedonian...
- BulgariansBulgariansThe Bulgarians are a South Slavic nation and ethnic group native to Bulgaria and neighbouring regions. Emigration has resulted in immigrant communities in a number of other countries.-History and ethnogenesis:...