The Megleno-Romanians, also known as Meglenites (), Moglenite Vlachs or simply

Vlachs Vlach ( ), also Wallachian and many other variants, is a term and exonym used from the Middle Ages until the Modern Era to designate speakers of Eastern Romance languages living in Southeast Europe—south of the Danube (the Balkan peninsula ...

(), are an

Eastern Romance The Eastern Romance languages are a group of Romance languages. The group comprises the Romanian language (Daco-Romanian), the Aromanian language and two other related minor languages, Megleno-Romanian and Istro-Romanian. The extinct Dalmatia ...

ethnic group An ethnicity or ethnic group is a group of people with shared attributes, which they collectively believe to have, and long-term endogamy. Ethnicities share attributes like language, culture, common sets of ancestry, traditions, society, re ...

, originally inhabiting seven villages in the

Moglena Almopia (), or Enotia (Greek: Ενωτία), also known in the Middle Ages as Moglena (Greek: Μογλενά, Macedonian and Bulgarian: Меглен or Мъглен), is a municipality and a former province (επαρχία) of the Pella regional ...

region spanning the

Pella Pella () is an ancient city located in Central Macedonia, Greece. It served as the capital of the Ancient Greece, ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia (ancient kingdom), Macedon. Currently, it is located 1 km outside the modern town of Pella ...

and

Kilkis Kilkis () is a city in Central Macedonia, Greece. As of 2021 there were 24,130 people living in the city proper, 27,493 people living in the municipal unit, and 45,308 in the municipality of Kilkis. It is also the capital city of the regional un ...

regional units of

Central Macedonia Central Macedonia ( ; , ) is one of the thirteen Regions of Greece, administrative regions of Greece, consisting the central part of the Geographic regions of Greece, geographical and historical region of Macedonia (Greece), Macedonia. With a ...

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

, and one village, Huma, across the border in

North Macedonia North Macedonia, officially the Republic of North Macedonia, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe. It shares land borders with Greece to the south, Albania to the west, Bulgaria to the east, Kosovo to the northwest and Serbia to the n ...

. These people live in an area of approximately 300 km² in size. Unlike the

Aromanians The Aromanians () are an Ethnic groups in Europe, ethnic group native to the southern Balkans who speak Aromanian language, Aromanian, an Eastern Romance language. They traditionally live in central and southern Albania, south-western Bulgari ...

, the other Romance-speaking population in the same historic region, the Megleno-Romanians are traditionally sedentary agriculturalists, and not traditionally

transhumant Transhumance is a type of pastoralism or nomadism, a seasonal movement of livestock between fixed summer and winter pastures. In montane regions (''vertical transhumance''), it implies movement between higher pastures in summer and lower ...

s. Sometimes, the Megleno-Romanians are referred as "Macedo-Romanians" together with the Aromanians. They speak a

Romance language The Romance languages, also known as the Latin or Neo-Latin languages, are the languages that are Language family, directly descended from Vulgar Latin. They are the only extant subgroup of the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-E ...

most often called by linguists Megleno-Romanian or Meglenitic in English, and βλαχομογλενίτικα (''vlakhomoglenítika'') or simply μογλενίτικα (''moglenítika'') in

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

. The people themselves call their language ''vlahește'', but the Megleno-Romanian diaspora in

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

also uses the term ''meglenoromână''. Unlike the other Eastern Romance populations, over time Megleno-Romanians have laid aside a name for themselves which originates in the

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

''Romanus'', and instead have adopted the term ''Vlasi'' or ''Vlashi'', derived from "

", a general term by which, in the Middle Ages, non-Romance peoples designated Romance peoples and shepherds. The term ''Megleno-Romanians'' was given to them in the 19th century by the scholars who studied their language and customs, based on the region in which they live. Their number is estimated between 5,213 (P. Atanasov, most recent estimate), and 20,000 (P. Papahagi, 1900). There is a larger Megleno-Romanian diaspora in Romania ( 1,500 people), a smaller one in

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

( 500 people) and an even smaller one in

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

does not recognize

national minorities The term "minority group" has different meanings, depending on the context. According to common usage, it can be defined simply as a group in society with the least number of individuals, or less than half of a population. Usually a minority g ...

, thus this approximately 4,000-strong community does not have any official recognition from Greece. Another 1,000 Megleno-Romanians live in North Macedonia. It is believed, however, that there are up to 20,000 people of Megleno-Romanian descent worldwide (including those assimilated into the basic populations of these countries).

History

Origins

The

region (

Turkish Turkish may refer to: * Something related to Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities in the former Ottoman Empire * The w ...

: ''Karacaova'') is located in the north of Greece at the border with North Macedonia. It is roughly bounded by the

Vardar The Vardar (; , , ) or Axios (, ) is the longest river in North Macedonia and a major river in Greece, where it reaches the Aegean Sea at Thessaloniki. It is long, out of which are in Greece, and drains an area of around . The maximum depth of ...

river to the east, by the

Kožuf Kožuf Mountain () or Tzena / Zona () is a mountain situated in the southern part of North Macedonia and northern part of Greece. Associated village names are Konopište, North Macedonia, Konopište, Kavadarci and Gevgelija. is a mineral springw ...

and

Voras mountains The Voras Mountains (; also Boras), also known as Nidže (, ) are a mountain range situated on the border between Greece and North Macedonia. It separates the Pella regional unit on the Greek side in the south from the Mariovo region on the No ...

to the west, by the plains of

Giannitsa Giannitsa ( , in English also Yannitsa, Yenitsa) is the largest city in the regional unit of Pella and the capital of the Pella municipality, in the region of Central Macedonia in northern Greece. The municipal unit Giannitsa has an area of 2 ...

and

Edessa Edessa (; ) was an ancient city (''polis'') in Upper Mesopotamia, in what is now Urfa or Şanlıurfa, Turkey. It was founded during the Hellenistic period by Macedonian general and self proclaimed king Seleucus I Nicator (), founder of the Sel ...

to the south, and by the Mariansca Mountains to the north. Historians

Ovid Densusianu Ovid Densusianu (; also known under his pen name Ervin; 29 December 1873, Făgăraș – 9 June 1938, Bucharest) was a Romanian poet, philologist, linguist, folklorist, literary historian and critic, chief of a poetry school, university professor ...

and

Konstantin Jireček Konstantin Josef Jireček (24 July 1854 10 January 1918) was an Austro-Hungarian Czech historian, politician, diplomat, and Slavist. He was the founder of Bohemian Balkanology (or Balkan Studies) and Byzantine studies, and wrote extensively on ...

considered that Megleno-Romanians descended from a mixture of

Romanians Romanians (, ; dated Endonym and exonym, exonym ''Vlachs'') are a Romance languages, Romance-speaking ethnic group and nation native to Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. Sharing a Culture of Romania, ...

with

Pechenegs The Pechenegs () or Patzinaks, , Middle Turkic languages, Middle Turkic: , , , , , , ka, პაჭანიკი, , , ; sh-Latn-Cyrl, Pečenezi, separator=/, Печенези, also known as Pecheneg Turks were a semi-nomadic Turkic peopl ...

, settled in Moglen by the Byzantine Emperor

Alexios I Komnenos Alexios I Komnenos (, – 15 August 1118), Latinization of names, Latinized as Alexius I Comnenus, was Byzantine Emperor, Byzantine emperor from 1081 to 1118. After usurper, usurping the throne, he was faced with a collapsing empire and ...

in 1091. They argued this on the basis in part of the Asian-like facial appearance (more prominent cheek bones) of Meglen Vlachs. By contrast,

Gustav Weigand Gustav Weigand (1 February 1860 – 8 July 1930) was a German linguist and specialist in Balkan languages, especially Romanian and Aromanian. He is known for his seminal contributions to the dialectology of the Romance languages of the Balkans ...

and

George Murnu George Murnu (; ; 1 January 1868 in Veria, Salonica Vilayet, Ottoman Empire – 17 November 1957 in Bucharest, Romania) was a Romanian university professor, archaeologist, historian, translator, and poet of Aromanian origin. After attending th ...

believed that Megleno-Romanians were descendants of the Romanian-Bulgarian Empire who retreated to Moglen. This view was opposed by Jireček.

Pericle Papahagi Pericle Papahagi (1872 – January 20, 1943) was an Aromanian literary historian and folklorist. He was born into an Aromanian family in Avdella (), a village that formed part of the Ottoman Empire's Manastir Vilayet and is now in Greece. Aft ...

argued another version, according to which the Megleno-Romanians are descendants of a group of Romanians who were incorrectly called Vlachs and who came to Meglen area during the times of

Dobromir Chrysos Dobromir Chrysos (, , ) was a Vlach warlord in eastern Macedonia during the reign of the Byzantine emperor Alexios III Angelos.Florin Curta, Southeastern Europe in the Middle Ages, 500-1250, Cambridge University Press, 2006, , p. 363.Panos Sophou ...

Strez Strez ( Bulgarian and ; original spelling: Стрѣзъ; fl. 1207–1214) was a medieval, semi-independent Bulgarian ''sebastokrator''. He was a member of the Asen dynasty and a cousin or a brother of Boril of Bulgaria. A major contender for ...

, another Vlach member of the Asan family, amplified Chrysos' lands by adding Macedonian territories for his principality. Megleno-Romanians used to have a traditional custom, called ''bondic'', where the head of a household would take an oak log and place it in the hearth just before

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...

, burning it bit by bit until

Epiphany Epiphany may refer to: Psychology * Epiphany (feeling), an experience of sudden and striking insight Religion * Epiphany (holiday), a Christian holiday celebrating the revelation of God the Son as a human being in Jesus Christ ** Epiphany seaso ...

. The resulting charcoal would be put under fruit trees to make them fertile. A similar custom called ''bavnic'', but with specific variations, also existed among

, some Romanians and

Latvians Latvians () are a Baltic ethnic group and nation native to Latvia and the immediate geographical region, the Baltics. They are occasionally also referred to as Letts, especially in older bibliography. Latvians share a common Latvian language ...

. This custom is found in Orthodox South Slavic cultures (Serbian ''

badnjak Badnjak may refer to: *Badnjak (Serbian), a Christmas tradition in Serbia *Badnjak (Croatian) Badnjak (), refers to a log brought into the house and placed on the fire on the evening of Christmas Eve, a central tradition in Croatian Christmas cel ...

'', Bulgarian '' budnik'', Macedonian ''badnik''). Some believe that these customs and other cultural archetypes discovered by scientists are proof that Megleno-Romanians come from a traditional mountainous region.

Theodor Capidan Theodor Capidan ( – September 1, 1953) was an Ottoman-born Romanian linguist. An ethnic Aromanian from the Macedonia region, he studied at Leipzig before teaching school at Thessaloniki. Following the creation of Greater Romania at the end of ...

, studying the resemblance of the Megleno-Romanian language with

Romanian Romanian may refer to: *anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania **Romanians, an ethnic group **Romanian language, a Romance language ***Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language **Romanian cuisine, traditional ...

and other languages, concluded that Megleno-Romanians must have spent some time in the

Rhodope Mountains The Rhodopes (; , ; , ''Rodopi''; ) are a mountain range in Southeastern Europe, and the largest by area in Bulgaria, with over 83% of its area in the southern part of the country and the remainder in Greece. Golyam Perelik is its highest peak ...

before moving on to Moglen (due to the presence of elements similar to those found in the language of the

Bulgarians Bulgarians (, ) are a nation and South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Bulgaria and its neighbouring region, who share a common Bulgarian ancestry, culture, history and language. They form the majority of the population in Bulgaria, ...

in the Rhodopes). Both Papahagi and Capidan observed that Aromanian and Megleno-Romanian lack a

Slavic Slavic, Slav or Slavonic may refer to: Peoples * Slavic peoples, an ethno-linguistic group living in Europe and Asia ** East Slavic peoples, eastern group of Slavic peoples ** South Slavic peoples, southern group of Slavic peoples ** West Slav ...

influence, but show Greek influence instead. The study of Megleno-Romanian and other

varieties led Capidan to believe that during the establishment of the Romanian language in the

Early Middle Ages The Early Middle Ages (or early medieval period), sometimes controversially referred to as the Dark Ages (historiography), Dark Ages, is typically regarded by historians as lasting from the late 5th to the 10th century. They marked the start o ...

, there was an ethnic Romanian continuity on both banks of the

Danube The Danube ( ; see also #Names and etymology, other names) is the List of rivers of Europe#Longest rivers, second-longest river in Europe, after the Volga in Russia. It flows through Central and Southeastern Europe, from the Black Forest sou ...

(north and south). There were several small hamlets and cottage settlements at high elevations at the

Mount Paiko Mountain Paiko in (Greek language, Greek: Πάικο; in Bulgarian language, Bulgarian: Паяк or Pajak) is a small mountain range (surface area: 399 km2) that lies on the border of the Pella (regional unit), Pella and Kilkis (regional un ...

before the founding of today's Megleno-Romanian villages. From the medieval and modern periods, it is known that Megleno-Romanians had an administration of their own. Each village was led by a ''captain''. Their economic and social centre was the town of '' Nânta''. After the incursions of the

Pomaks Pomaks (; Macedonian: Помаци ; ) are Bulgarian-speaking Muslims inhabiting Bulgaria, northwestern Turkey, and northeastern Greece. The strong ethno-confessional minority in Bulgaria is recognized officially as Bulgarian Muslims by th ...

of Moglen against the

Ottomans Ottoman may refer to: * Osman I, historically known in English as "Ottoman I", founder of the Ottoman Empire * Osman II, historically known in English as "Ottoman II" * Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empir ...

, the latter started a persecution campaign against villages in the area, including those of the Megleno-Romanians. Most of the villages were put under the administration of an Ottoman ''bei'', who exploited them to the extreme in exchange for their security. The village of '' Oșani'', however, resisted much longer before submitting to Ahmed Beg around 1790, having benefitted from the leadership of an able captain and a willingness from the population to put up an armed resistance even after his murder.

Demographic history

The number of Megleno-Romanians was estimated by different authors as follows: Romanian Schools for Aromanians and Meglenoromanians

*14,000 in 1892 *21,700 in 1895 *11,960 in 1900 *20,000 in 1902 *14,720 in 1925 In 1900, the then province of

Gevgelija Gevgelija (; ) is a town with a population of 15,685 located in the very southeast of North Macedonia along the banks of the Vardar River, situated at the country's main border with Greece (Bogorodica-Evzoni), the point which links the motorway f ...

, which contained most of the Megleno-Romanian settlements, had a population of 49,315, of which 20,643

Slavs The Slavs or Slavic people are groups of people who speak Slavic languages. Slavs are geographically distributed throughout the northern parts of Eurasia; they predominantly inhabit Central Europe, Eastern Europe, Southeastern Europe, and ...

, 14,900

Turks Turk or Turks may refer to: Communities and ethnic groups * Turkish people, or the Turks, a Turkic ethnic group and nation * Turkish citizen, a citizen of the Republic of Turkey * Turkic peoples, a collection of ethnic groups who speak Turkic lang ...

, 9,400 Christian Aromanians and Megleno-Romanians, 3,500 Muslim Megleno-Romanians, 655

Romani Romani may refer to: Ethnic groups * Romani people, or Roma, an ethnic group of Indo-Aryan origin ** Romani language, an Indo-Aryan macrolanguage of the Romani communities ** Romanichal, Romani subgroup in the United Kingdom * Romanians (Romanian ...

, and 187

Circassians The Circassians or Circassian people, also called Cherkess or Adyghe (Adyghe language, Adyghe and ), are a Northwest Caucasian languages, Northwest Caucasian ethnic group and nation who originated in Circassia, a region and former country in t ...

. The villages of Meglen Vlachs had in 1900 the following populations: Capidan Megleno

¹ Aromanian village surrounded by the Megleno-Romanian ones.

20th century

Most Meglen Vlachs are Orthodox Christians, but the population of the village of Nânti (Nótia), which in 1900 had a population of 3,660, of which 3,500 Megleno-Romanians, in the Upper Karadjova Plain converted to

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

in the 17th or 18th century. It is the only case among Eastern Romance populations of an entire community converting to Islam. The entire population of this village was expelled by force to

in 1923, as part of the

population exchange between Greece and Turkey The 1923 population exchange between Greece and Turkey stemmed from the "Convention Concerning the Exchange of Greek and Turkish Populations" signed at Lausanne, Switzerland, on 30 January 1923, by the governments of Greece and Turkey. It involv ...

, where they mostly settled in

Kırklareli Kırklareli () is a city in the East Thrace, European part of Turkey. It is the seat of Kırklareli Province and Kırklareli District.Şarköy Şarköy is a municipality and district of Tekirdağ Province, Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe ...

, and became known as ''Karadjovalides'' () after the Turkish name of Moglen (). Since 1913, after the

Second Balkan War The Second Balkan War was a conflict that broke out when Kingdom of Bulgaria, Bulgaria, dissatisfied with its share of the spoils of the First Balkan War, attacked its former allies, Kingdom of Serbia, Serbia and Kingdom of Greece, Greece, on 1 ...

, there was a general policy of the Balkan states to achieve greater ethnic uniformity through exchange of population. On September 29, 1913, a first such treaty was signed between Turkey and

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

regarding exchange of population up to a range of 15 km from their border. The

Treaty of Neuilly-sur-Seine The Treaty of Neuilly-sur-Seine (; ) was a treaty between the victorious Allies of World War I on the one hand, and Bulgaria, one of the defeated Central Powers in World War I, on the other. The treaty required Bulgaria to cede various territor ...

(November 27, 1919) led to an exchange of 40,000 Greeks for 80,000 Bulgarians between the two countries. After the Greek-Turkish War, by the

Treaty of Lausanne The Treaty of Lausanne (, ) is a peace treaty negotiated during the Lausanne Conference of 1922–1923 and signed in the Palais de Rumine in Lausanne, Switzerland, on 24 July 1923. The treaty officially resolved the conflict that had initially ...

, 500,000 of Turks and other Muslims were exchanged for a comparable number of

Asia Minor Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...

Greeks. Muslim Megleno-Romanians, despite all their protests were forcefully deported to Turkey because of their religion. A significant number of incoming Greeks were settled in

Greek Macedonia Macedonia ( ; , ) is a geographic and former administrative region of Greece, in the southern Balkans. Macedonia is the largest and geographic region in Greece, with a population of 2.36 million (as of 2020). It is highly mountainous, wit ...

and Greek

Thrace Thrace (, ; ; ; ) is a geographical and historical region in Southeast Europe roughly corresponding to the province of Thrace in the Roman Empire. Bounded by the Balkan Mountains to the north, the Aegean Sea to the south, and the Black Se ...

, including in traditional Aromanian and Megleno-Romanian areas. Economic and social consequences soon ensued, and local conflict between Aromanians and Greeks appeared. Acts of intimidation by the Greek authorities led to the formation in 1921–1923 of a national movement among Aromanians and Megleno-Romanians favourable to the idea of emigration to Romania, especially from

Veria Veria (; ), officially transliterated Veroia, historically also spelled Beroea or Berea, is a city in Central Macedonia, in the geographic region of Macedonia, northern Greece, capital of the regional unit of Imathia. It is located north-nor ...

and Vodena. In 1926, about 450 families of Megleno-Romanians of Greece moved to

, and settled in

Southern Dobruja Southern Dobruja or South Dobruja ( or simply , ; or , ), also the Quadrilateral (), is an area of north-eastern Bulgaria comprising Dobrich and Silistra provinces, part of the historical region of Dobruja. It has an area of 7,412 square km an ...

(the "Cadrilater" or "Quadrilateral"), a region which became Romanian in 1913. They originated from the villages of Oșani, Liumnița, Cupa, Lundzini, Birislav, and Livezi, and were settled in villages around the city of

Silistra Silistra ( ; ; or ) is a town in Northeastern Bulgaria. The town lies on the southern bank of the lower Danube river, and is also the part of the Romanian border where it stops following the Danube. Silistra is the administrative center of the ...

such as Cocina (Turkish: "Koçina", now Profesor-Ishirkovo), Cazimir (Turkish: "Kazemir", now Kazimir), Capaclia (Turkish: "Kapaklı", now Slatina), Bazarghian (Turkish: "Bezirgan", now Miletich), Aidodu (Turkish: "Aydoğdu", now Zvezdel), Tatar Admagea (Turkish: "Tatar Atmaca", now Sokol), Uzungi Ozman (Turkish: "Uzunca Orman", now Bogdantsi), Strebarna Viskioi (Now Sreburna), Cadichioi (Turkish: "Kadıköy", now Maluk Preslavets), Haschioi (Turkish: "Hasköy", now Dobrotitsa). After Bulgaria re-acquired Southern Dobruja from Romania in 1940, the Megleno-Romanians were deported during the

population exchange between Bulgaria and Romania The population exchange between Bulgaria and Romania was a population exchange carried out in 1940 after the transfer of Southern Dobruja to Bulgaria by Romania. It involved 103,711 Romanians, Aromanians and Megleno-Romanians living in Southern Do ...

to other regions of Romania, most of them to the village of

Cerna In molecular biology, competing endogenous RNAs (abbreviated ''ceRNAs'') regulate other RNA transcripts by competing for shared microRNAs (miRNAs). Models for ceRNA regulation describe how changes in the expression of one or multiple miRNA targets ...

in the

Tulcea County Tulcea County () is a county (județ) of Romania, in the historical region Dobruja, with the capital city at Tulcea. It includes in its northeast corner the large and thinly-populated estuary of the Danube. Demographics In 2021, Tulcea Coun ...

, in northern

Dobruja Dobruja or Dobrudja (; or ''Dobrudža''; , or ; ; Dobrujan Tatar: ''Tomrîğa''; Ukrainian language, Ukrainian and ) is a Geography, geographical and historical region in Southeastern Europe that has been divided since the 19th century betw ...

. 270 families of Megleno-Romanians and 158 families of Aromanians settled in this village in 1940. However, between 1940 and 1948, the Aromanian families moved to other localities of Dobruja. In 1947–1948, the new Communist authorities deported 40 Megleno-Romanian families from Cerna to Ialomița and Brăila Counties, and to

Banat Banat ( , ; ; ; ) is a geographical and Historical regions of Central Europe, historical region located in the Pannonian Basin that straddles Central Europe, Central and Eastern Europe. It is divided among three countries: the eastern part lie ...

. Only a few of them returned to Cerna, where about 1,200 continue to speak Megleno-Romanian. Another wave of Megleno-Romanians emigrated to Romania and to other countries during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and the

Greek Civil War The Greek Civil War () took place from 1946 to 1949. The conflict, which erupted shortly after the end of World War II, consisted of a Communism, Communist-led uprising against the established government of the Kingdom of Greece. The rebels decl ...

, due to the heavy fighting in the Moglena region.

Geographical distribution

The following is a list of the Megleno-Romanian settlements.

Greece

In seven villages (including one already assimilated by Greeks) and the small town of

Notia Nótia (, formerly Νώτια; or ; ) is a village in the Exaplatanos municipal unit of the Pella regional unit, Macedonia, Greece. Notia was once the largest Megleno-Romanian village, whose population underwent mass conversion to Islam in t ...

, 4,000 Moglen Vlachs still speak their language today, while several thousand others are already assimilated: Archangelos (Megleno-Romanian: ''Oșani'')
Karpi (Megleno-Romanian: ''Tarnareca'')
Koupa (Megleno-Romanian: ''Cupa'')
Langadia (Megleno-Romanian: ''Lugunța, Lundzini'')

(Megleno-Romanian: ''Nânti, Nânta'')
Perikleia (Megleno-Romanian: ''Birislav'')
Skra (Megleno-Romanian: ''Liumnița'') :Former Megleno-Romanian village Kastaneri (Megleno-Romanian: ''Barovița'') In the 1990s, the

European Commission The European Commission (EC) is the primary Executive (government), executive arm of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with a number of European Commissioner, members of the Commission (directorial system, informall ...

Euromosaic The Euromosaic project is a study and survey of minority and regional languages in member states by the European Commission of the European Community (EC) and its successor, the European Union (EU). The study documented the linguistic diversity of t ...

Project documenting minority languages recorded the geographic distribution and language status of Megelo-Romanians and Megelo-Romanian in Greece. In the administrative division of

, 3 historic villages, in 3 other villages and in the city of

. In the administrative division of

, 3 historic villages, in 2 other villages, half the population in the village of

Exaplatanos Exaplatanos (; Macedonian: Капињани, ''Kapinjani'';Todor Hristov Simovski, ''The Inhabited Places of the Aegean Macedonia'' (Skopje 1998), , p. 90. ) is a village and a former municipality in the Pella regional unit, Greece. Since the 201 ...

and some in the town of

Aridaia Aridaía (, , ) is a town and a former Municipalities and communities of Greece, municipality in the Pella (regional unit), Pella regional unit, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform, it is part of the Almopia municipality, of which ...

North Macedonia

Less than 1,000 people of Megleno-Romanian descent, most of whom are already

Slavicized Slavicisation American and British English spelling differences#-ise, -ize (-isation, -ization), or Slavicization, is the acculturation of something non-Slavic into a Slavs, Slavic culture, cuisine, region, or nation. The process can either be v ...

, live in one village and in the town of Gevgelija. 200, mostly old people, still speak the Megleno-Romanian: * Huma (Megleno-Romanian: ''Uma'') :Former Megleno-Romanian villages *

Konsko Konsko (; ) is a village located in the Gevgelija Municipality of North Macedonia North Macedonia, officially the Republic of North Macedonia, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe. It shares land borders with Greece to the south, Al ...

(Megleno-Romanian: ''Coinsco'') * Sermenin (Megleno-Romanian: ''Sirminia'')

Diaspora

Turkey

The first emigration from Nanti was in 1912 to Soğucak, Vize and

Demirköy, Kırklareli Demirköy (, "iron village"; known as Малък Самоков, ''Malak Samokov'' in Bulgarian) is a town in Kırklareli Province, in the Marmara region of Turkey. It is the seat of Demirköy District.Nânti (Nótia), the only case among Eastern Romance populations with an entire community converting to

, was expelled by force to

, as part of the

. These 3,700 people mostly settled in the

Edirne Edirne (; ), historically known as Orestias, Adrianople, is a city in Turkey, in the northwestern part of the Edirne Province, province of Edirne in Eastern Thrace. Situated from the Greek and from the Bulgarian borders, Edirne was the second c ...

area (mainly in

) of Turkish

East Thrace East Thrace or Eastern Thrace, also known as Turkish Thrace or European Turkey, is the part of Turkey that is geographically in Southeast Europe. Turkish Thrace accounts for 3.03% of Turkey's land area and 15% of its population. The largest c ...

, and became known as ''Karacaovalılar'' in Turkish or ''Karadjovalides'' in Greek after the region of Almopia or Meglen, known in Turkish as ''Karadjova''. The Muslim Megleno-Romanians from the village Notia call thelmselves Nantinets and their language as Nantinești; in Turkish, they are known as Nutyalı. They converted to Islam in 1759. In Turkey, marriage between them and

was common.

Kırklareli Kırklareli () is a city in the East Thrace, European part of Turkey. It is the seat of Kırklareli Province and Kırklareli District.Edirne Edirne (; ), historically known as Orestias, Adrianople, is a city in Turkey, in the northwestern part of the Edirne Province, province of Edirne in Eastern Thrace. Situated from the Greek and from the Bulgarian borders, Edirne was the second c ...

. The number of families settled in Turkish cities and villages were:

(100),

Şarköy Şarköy is a municipality and district of Tekirdağ Province, Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe ...

(80),

Babaeski Babaeski (Greek: Αρτεσκός) is a town in Kırklareli Province in the Marmara region of Turkey. It is the seat of Babaeski District.

(70),

Lüleburgaz Lüleburgaz (; Modern Greek: Λουλέ Μπουργκάς ''Lule Burgas''; Bulgarian: Люлебургаз ''Lyuleburgaz''), Bergoule (Ancient Greek: Βεργούλη) or Arcadiopolis (Ancient Greek: Ἀρκαδιούπολις ''Arkadiópolis'') ...

(80),

Uzunköprü Uzunköprü is a town in Edirne Province in Turkey. It is named after a historical stone bridge, claimed to be the world's longest, on the Ergene River. It is a strategically important border town, located on the routes connecting Turkey to the B ...

(100),

Çorlu Çorlu () is a municipality and district of Tekirdağ Province, northwestern Turkey. Its area is 531 km2, and its population is 300,296 (2024). It is a rapidly growing industrial center built on flatland located on the motorway Otoyol 3 and ...

(100),

Malkara Malkara () is a municipality and district of Tekirdağ Province, Turkey. Its area is 1,243 km2 (the largest in Tekirdağ Province), and its population is 50,988 (2022). It is located at 55 km west of Tekirdağ and 190 km from Ist ...

(50), (10), Gözsüzköy (50), Kalamiş (50), Hoşköy (20),

Mürefte Mürefte is a neighbourhood of the municipality and district of Şarköy, Tekirdağ Province, Turkey. Its population is 2,412 (2022). Before the 2013 reorganisation, it was a town (''belde''). It is on the Sea of Marmara about 51 km southwe ...

(5), according to the German scholar

Thede Kahl Thede Kahl (born 30 March 1971 in Hamburg) is a German ethnographer and ethnolinguist. He is the head of the Institute of South Slavic Studies in the University of Jena (in which he is a professor), in Germany. His research focuses are the Slavs, ...

. At present they number only 500 Karacaovalılar, concentrated in

Kırklareli Kırklareli () is a city in the East Thrace, European part of Turkey. It is the seat of Kırklareli Province and Kırklareli District.Turkish language Turkish ( , , also known as 'Turkish of Turkey') is the most widely spoken of the Turkic languages, a member of Oghuz languages, Oghuz branch with around 90 million speakers. It is the national language of Turkey and one of two official languag ...

Romania

They adopted the Megleno-Romanian

exonym An endonym (also known as autonym ) is a common, name for a group of people, individual person, geographical place, language, or dialect, meaning that it is used inside a particular group or linguistic community to identify or designate them ...

promoted by the Romanian authorities. As of 1996, in the whole of Romania there were about 820 families claiming Megleno-Romanian origin.

, a commune in

, Situated in a hilly landscape 55 km from the city of

Tulcea Tulcea (; also known by #Names, alternative names) is a city in Northern Dobruja, Romania. It is the administrative center of Tulcea County, and had a population of 65,624 . One village, Tudor Vladimirescu, is administered by the city. It is one ...

and 25 km from

Măcin Măcin () is a town in Tulcea County, in the Northern Dobruja region of Romania. Location Măcin is located in the north-western part of the Northern Dobruja region, in Tulcea County. The city is located at the intersection of the DN22 ( E87) an ...

, the village of Cerna had at the time of the 2002 Romanian census a population of 2,427, and together with three smaller villages the population of the entire commune was 4,227. Estimates of the number of Megleno-Romanians in this village vary from 1,200 to 2,000. In this locality, Megleno-Romanians settled according to the villages they originate from in

: ''lumnicianii'', those from ''Lumnița'' in the South-East, ''lunzaneții'', those from ''Lugunța'' in the North, ''usineții'', those from ''Oșani'' in the Center, North and North-East, ''cupineții'', those from ''Cupa'' in the West, while Romanians and Bulgarians that lived in the village before them are concentrated in the Western part of the village. Megleno-Romanians in that village preserved their Megleno-Romanian language very well. 1,200 people speak the language today. However, their small overall number meant that after 1950 mixed marriages with

became more frequent, unlike the

who by the nature of their traditional occupations have developed a special psychology, gaining importance in Romanian society and preserving the identity of their people (very few mixed marriages with Romanians occur). However, due to the hardships this small community has endured, Megleno-Romanians in Romania remain very united, with a very acute sense of nation. During their weddings, they use the Romanian tricolor as a ''furglița'' (wedding flag), and very rarely the traditional white-red colors. This illustrates the fact that despite their distinct (albeit also Eastern Romance) language, Megleno-Romanians in Romania identify themselves as Romanians. According to one observer, they consider themselves "more Romanian than the Romanians". Very small numbers of Megleno-Romanians also live in the communes of

Variaș Variaș (; ; ) is a commune in Timiș County, Romania. It is composed of three villages: Gelu, Sânpetru Mic and Variaș (commune seat). Etymology The name of the locality comes from ''varjú'', which in Hungarian means "crow". The name ''Varj ...

and

Biled Biled (; ) is a communes of Romania, commune in Timiș County, Romania. It is composed of a single village, Biled. It also included two other villages until 2004, when they were split off to form the commune of Șandra. Administration The curre ...

, and in the city of

Jimbolia Jimbolia (; ; ; ; Banat Bulgarian: ''Džimbolj'') is a town in Timiș County, Romania. Geography Jimbolia is located in the west of Timiș County, from the county seat, Timișoara, which is connected by the county road DJ59A and the Kikinda� ...

Timiș County Timiș () is a county (''județ'') of western Romania on the border with Hungary and Serbia, in the historical regions of Romania, historical region of Banat, with the county seat at Timișoara. It is the westernmost and the largest county in Ro ...

, in the historic region of

in Romania. In Romania, in 2021, the Balkan Romanianness Day was established as a holiday meant for all the allegedly ethnic Romanian subgroups living south of the Danube. This includes the Megleno-Romanians as well as the Aromanians and the

Istro-Romanians The Istro-Romanians ( or ) are a Romance languages, Romance ethnic group native to or associated with the Istria, Istrian Peninsula. Historically, they inhabited vast parts of it, as well as the western side of the island of Krk until 1875. Howe ...

. It commemorates the establishment of the

Ullah millet The Ullah millet (, , can be interpreted as "Aromanian nation") was a separate millet (that is, a recognized ethno-religious and linguistic community) within the Ottoman Empire. It was established by the Ottoman authorities for the Aromanians ( ...

in 1905 and is officially celebrated every 10 May.

Serbia

A very small community of Megleno-Romanians also lives in

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

, more precisely in the village of

Gudurica Gudurica (; ) is a village in Serbia. It is situated in the Vršac municipality, in the South Banat District, Vojvodina province. The village has a Serb ethnic majority (66.21%) and a sizable ethnic Macedonian minority (10.49%), and its populatio ...

Vojvodina Vojvodina ( ; sr-Cyrl, Војводина, ), officially the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, is an Autonomous administrative division, autonomous province that occupies the northernmost part of Serbia, located in Central Europe. It lies withi ...

. Originally an ethnic

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

settlement, the Germans of the village were expelled following the capture of Gudurica by the

Yugoslav Partisans The Yugoslav Partisans,Serbo-Croatian, Macedonian language, Macedonian, and Slovene language, Slovene: , officially the National Liberation Army and Partisan Detachments of Yugoslavia sh-Latn-Cyrl, Narodnooslobodilačka vojska i partizanski odr ...

. The repopulation of the settlement began in September 1945, and

Slovenes The Slovenes, also known as Slovenians ( ), are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Slovenia and adjacent regions in Italy, Austria and Hungary. Slovenes share a common ancestry, Slovenian culture, culture, and History of Slove ...

Croats The Croats (; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and other neighboring countries in Central Europe, Central and Southeastern Europe who share a common Croatian Cultural heritage, ancest ...

Bosniaks The Bosniaks (, Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Бошњаци, ; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to the Southeast European historical region of Bosnia (region), Bosnia, today part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and who sha ...

Serbs The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Southeastern Europe who share a common Serbian Cultural heritage, ancestry, Culture of Serbia, culture, History of Serbia, history, and Serbian lan ...

Albanians The Albanians are an ethnic group native to the Balkan Peninsula who share a common Albanian ancestry, Albanian culture, culture, Albanian history, history and Albanian language, language. They are the main ethnic group of Albania and Kosovo, ...

and Macedonians were sent to colonize Gudurica. Among the Macedonians were some with Aromanian and Megleno-Romanian ethnicity. Neither ethnic group was recognized by the Yugoslav government at the time, so they were ignored not only in what is now North Macedonia, but also in Gudurica. These Aromanians and Megleno-Romanians did not have a very strong ethnic identity, so many assimilated quickly. Some Megleno-Romanians also settled in other villages in Vojvodina, but only those in Gudurica remain today. However, they represent a very small community; as of 2014, only three people spoke Megleno-Romanian in Gudurica.

Notable figures

The following is a list of notable Megleno-Romanians or people of Megleno-Romanian descent. * Petar Atanasov (born 1939), linguist from North Macedonia *

Victoria Barbă Victoria Ivanovna Barbă (also Barbe; 19 September 1926 – 3 May 2020; ) was a Moldovan animated film director, focused on movies for children. Having been born in modern Russia, she studied in Saint Petersburg and then in Chișinău, today in ...

(1926–2020), animated film director in Moldova of Megleno-Romanian descent *

Ion Caramitru An ion () is an atom or molecule with a net electrical charge. The charge of an electron is considered to be negative by convention and this charge is equal and opposite to the charge of a proton, which is considered to be positive by convent ...

(1942–2021), actor and politician from Romania of Megleno-Romanian descent * (born 1955), politician and poet from Romania * Dumitru Ciotti (1882/1885–1974), activist, editor and schoolteacher in Romania and the Ottoman Empire * Virgil Coman (1973–2016), historian from Romania of Megleno-Romanian descent *

Andrey Lyapchev Andrey Tasev Lyapchev (Tarpov) (; 30 November 1866 – 6 November 1933) was a Bulgarian Prime Minister in three consecutive governments. Early years Lyapchev was born in the Macedonian city of Resen, which was at the time a part of the Otto ...

(1866–1933), politician in Bulgaria of Megleno-Romanian descent * (1911–1982), poet, folklorist and activist in Romania *

Constantin Noe Constantin Noe (1883 – 6 June 1939) was a Megleno-Romanian editor and professor. He was born in 1883 in the Megleno-Romanian village of Lagkadia ( in Megleno-Romanian), then in the Ottoman Empire and now in Greece. He was one of the best st ...

(1883–1939), editor and professor in Romania * Vasile Șirli (born 1948), musical composer and producer from Romania

References

Sources

* * *

peoples) {{Authority control Eastern Romance people Ethnic groups in Greece Ethnic groups in North Macedonia Ethnic groups in Romania Ethnic groups in Turkey Ethnic groups in the Balkans Romance peoples Ethnic groups divided by international borders

History

Origins

Demographic history

20th century

Geographical distribution

Greece

North Macedonia

Diaspora

Turkey

Romania

Serbia

Notable figures

See also

References

Sources

External links