Albanians, Macedonia’s autochthonous population
A review of
19th century ethnological maps, such The Ethnological Map by von Hahn
and Zach (1861),Ethnographische Ubersiicht des Europaischen Orients by
H. Kiepert (1876), Ethnographische Karte der Europaischen Turkei by Cark
Sax(1877), and Ethnological
Map of Turkey in Europe bt E.G.
Ravenstein(1880) indicate that the Albanian inhabited areas have
extended easterly to a line runnling approximately from Kostur/Manastir
northward to Velezh and Nish. On the basis of these maps, Albanian
inhabited areas encompass approximately 50% of the space of today’s
Macedonia, and include the more densely populated districts of today’s
Macedonia.
The ethnic history of Macedonia underlies a long
history of its people that had lived through the duration of various
empires, which in turn affected the inhabitants of the area in various
ways. One affect, which has not been adequately treated, but some seem
ready to assume is that during this period there was a complete
replacement of area’s original ethnic population with Slavic tribes,
today represented by the Macedonians. The problem is that this opinion
is not supported by historical sources. Simplistic opinions about this
complex history are just not appropriate, but in Macedonia they
frequently emerge, as strategy to affirm Macedonian per-eminence and
challenge its Albanian population. This opinion sees Albanian presence
in Macedonia as a threat and looks for ways to justify anti-Albanian
policies.
The problem starts with how to counter the Albanian
claim that they (the Albanians) are the descendents of the people that
inhabited the area prior to the coming of Slavs. Most recently this
voice emerged clearly in the references to the Albanians contained in
the recently published Macedonian Encyclopedia, which contradicted the
view of an early Albanian presence in Macedonia and retorted to the view
that the Albanian element in today’s Macedonia was a product of “silent
settllements”, meaning that the Albanians had come from the mountains
and had grabbed Macedonian properties, in other words, holding the view
that Macedonian Slavs are the original population of Macedonia.
This
explanation would lead them right to the core of their objective, to
treat the Albanians as non-equals for the fact that they are the more
recent comers, just like current emigrants, and should be treated as
such, never equal to the native population, which in their opinion is
the Macedonian nation. This primitive and megalomaniac attitude is
primitive and totally detached of modern values. What is worst, it is
based on a false premise. As we shall see, if one was to play the game,
who is first, who is second, on the bases of historical sources it
would be clear that the Macedonians would be considered the newcomers in
this area.
The ethnogenesis of today’s Macedonians begins with
the emergence of the Slavic settlements in the area. There is no basis
to assume that the area was not populated or that the original
inhabitants left the area after Slavs came. To the contrary, there is
plentiful evidence in support of the view that the real “original”
population survived the Slavic onslaught and continued to inhabit the
area.
But some don’t seem to be interested in history, they go as
far as to identify today’s Macedonia with the Macedonia of antiquity!
How this view reconciles locational and ethnical differences is
mysterious. But let us not go too far back. During the VI Century, at
the time of Slavic invasions, geographical designations, Dardania and
Macedonia (2nd ) consisting of Epirus Nova et pars Macedonia Salutaris)
were still in use and distinctions remained. The secretary of Emperor
Justinian, Marcelin Komesi does not place Shkup in the Macedonia's but
in Dardania. Shkup was Dardania’s main center and Stobin was Macedonia’s
(2nd). Up to WWI, Northern parts of today’s, Macedonia, that is the
Albanian inhabited areas, were never included with areas designated as
Macedonia.
Here is what well known Yugoslav historians have noted
about the survival of the pre-Slavic population of the area. My focus
will be on the territories that are populated by the Albanians today.
Fannula Papazoglu has indicated that Dardania was “one of the Balkan regions
less Romanized” and that “its population seems to have preserved better
its individuality and its consciousness from antiquity…and the
possibilty that the Dardanians were able to escape romanization, and to
have survived, can not be excluded.” (Iliri I Albanci, Belgrade, 1988,
p. 19)
Henrik Baric indicated that the Albanians inhabited
Dardania and Peonia before Slavs settled in these areas. In the absence
of historical sources to support of a contrary view, the Albanian
presence at the end of Antiquity and the beginning of Medieval period is
proven not only by individuals bearing Illyrian names appearing in
tombstone inscriptions, but also the old toponomy of the area, such as
Shkup (Scupi), Nish (Naiscus), Shtip (Astibos), Oher (Lychnid), etc.,
which are not explained on the basis of Slavic phonological rules, but
on the basis of Albanian language. (H. Baric, Hyrje ne historine e
gjuhes shqipe, Prishtine, 1955, f. 49-50).
Historical sources mention no Slavic settlements in northern or western sections of today’s
Macedonia. L. Niederle indicated that Slavic settled areas were
confined before the time of Serbian occupation in XII-XIII. According to
him, the western border of Slavic settlements extended to the area
between Manastir, Prilep and Velez. (L. Niederle,… , p.106)
Informationdirectly relating to the this area is related to the formation of
Archbishopric of Bulgaria in 1020, after the collapse of the Bulgarian
Empire in 1018. This Archbishopric included under its jurisdiction
Dardania an Albania. Emperor Vasil II in mentioning this event listed 31
Bishoprics under its auspices. Of the Bishoprics mentioned, only a
small number appear to have Slavic toponyms, a fact that supports the
view that Slavs had an insignificant presence in Dardania and today’s
western Macedonia at that time.
The existence in 1020 of only two
Bishoprics in the wide territory of Dardania, one in the north and the
other south of Shar Mountains, shows that the number of people following
the Byzantine Eastern Rite was very small. It is clear that the
majority of the population held to their traditional Western Rite and
was not Slavic. At the same time, it would be logical to assume that at
least some of the parishioners, following their tradition of practicing
Eastern Rites, must have been Albanian.
It is interesting to note
that a legend attributed to the time of Tsar Samuel (1000-1018),
Albanians are classified, not as Orthodox, but as half believers. [From:
Radoslav Grujic: Legenda iz vremena Cara Samuila o poreklu naroda. in:
Glasnik skopskog naucnog drustva, Skopje, 13 (1934), p. 198 200.
Translated from the Old Church Slavonic by Robert Elsie. First published
in R. Elsie: Early Albania, a Reader of Historical Texts, 11th - 17th
Centuries, Wiesbaden 2003, p. 3.]
This is basically in line with
sources that indicate that in the XI century there was a revival of
catholic bishoprics (under the auspicecis of the Archbishopric of
Tivari) in northern Albania, Dardania and northern Macedonia. In 1203, a
some Albanian priests, in a letter sent to Pope Inocent III asked
forgiveness for the previous affiliation with the Church of Oher
(Ohrid). The signatories of the letter included Manni, bishop of Huiland
Church of Shkup(Scupia), Albani, bishop of Prizren, Kiriku, bishop of
Nish (Niso), Klementi bishop of Vidin (Bydinesis). (Izvori za Bllgaskata
istorija. Fontes Latini, vol. 3, sacXI-XIII, Sofie, f. 337)
With
the occupation of Dardania in 1214 by the Serbs, and creation of the
independent Serbian Church in 1220, Catholoc Albanians ceased to be
mentioned in historical sources, most likely due to the Serbian effort
to absorb the Catholics. And when eventually Albanians were mentioned,
it was meant Catholic Albanians, that is the Albanians out of control of
the Serban Church.
Thus, when King Stefan Urosh II talks about
fees that should be paid for entry to the annual November 8th held at
St. George Monastery fair near Shkup and mentions Albanians, he meant
Albanians of Catholic faith. In a 1300 Chrisobull he sates, “anyone that
comes to the fair, be it Greek or Bulgarian, or Serb, Latin, Albanian
Vlah, should pay required charges, same as in Tetovo and Gracanica and
in all other Churches.”
In this context should also be understood
Car Dushan’s Chrisobull given between 1337-48 which endowed St. Maria
Manastir in Tetovo, a set of villages in the Plain of Pologue and Janer
Dol Mountains. In connection with this gift, the Car forbids entry in
the forest for all officials (of his Kingdom), including the grass tax
collectors, as well as Albanians and Vllahs.
It is logical to
assume that the Albanian element was not limited to the Catholics and
the population out of reach of the church; there were also Albanian
Orthodox co-religionists, some of who most likely were undergoing
various stages of assimilation into Bulgarian or Serbian populations,
and who were seen as non-Albanian (non- Catholics) and part of the
dominant culture. A system that has religion as its main motivating
force, will not make ethnic distinctions with its faithful, especially
when it comes to the Albanians who had no organized political/religious
systems.
Albanian researcher Sami Pulaha has found indications
of ongoing assimilation of Albanians in the earliest Turkish Defters
relating to the population of the area. Pulaha noted that many
individuals identified as Slavs have names or surnames with roots
belonging to Albanian onomastics –names such as Pal, Gjin, Gjon or
surnames Lekic (from Leke, Palic (from Pal), Gjinovski (from Gjin), etc.
The
Ottoman invasion put an end to organized states which included Albanian
populations, thus loosening Albanians from their control. The Albanians
in fringe area were characterized by a diluted identity and a lack of
common institutions that would hold people together, and thus highly
susceptible to the cultural effects of the new occupiers. Centuries that
followed saw many Albanians convert to Islam.
Historical sources
from 1204 indicate that Shkup and Diber were seats of Catholic
bishoprics, and later sources indicate that Shkup/Skpoje Bishopric
existed on a continous basis. This would indicate that there must have
been Catholics….. and with all probability the majority, just as today,
were Albanian. It is estimated that today only 10,000 of Shkup’s
residents count themselves as Catholic.
Albanians of Orthodox
faith were more susceptible to assimilation. Much information of this
community has faded into the past, but traces of it remain in memory.
There is a region in western Macedonia called Reka, inhabited today by a
religiously mixed Orthodoc Muslem population. Its people convey
similarity in customs and dress to the Albanians. A good part of the
Orthodox population had Albanian language as their mother tongue.
In
this area is also situated St. Jovan Biguri Monastery and legend has
it was built in 1020 by Ohri/Ohrid Archbishop Gjon Dibrani/Ivan I
Debranin over the foundation of a much older church. In 16th century it
was destroyed by the Turks, and in 1743 it was restored.
Albanians
maintain that the Monastery was built by Albanians and it served its
local local population. It was under the hands of Albanians up to time
of Serbian occupation in 1912. During early 1940’s the Monastery again
reverted to local control and was part of Orthodox Authocephalous Church
of Albania. The old Monastery complex, which contained the archives,
was burned in 2009, some Albanian scholars in Macedonia suspect that
the fire was intentional and was intended to erase Monastery’s past
Albanian links).
An Albanian researcher, Ilmi Veliu, had access
to the archive for research on the theme of “Religious tolerance in
Macedonia and Balkans during XV-XVII”. He has stated that he researched
the Shen Biguri archives, where in addition to a large number of
documents, books, masses in Albanian language, I also found documents
which unquestionably prove that the Albanians are the older people, and
they were the first…to accept Christianity, and Slavs took this religion
from them…”
Dr. M. Panov stated that the native inhabitants
before the coming of Slaves to the Balkans were Illyrian…of which a part
was exterminated, another resettled, and another assimilated”. This
observation seems to pertain less to the northern and western parts of
today’s Macedonia, for to a large extent, the original population
survived the Slavic domination.
While successive Orthodox empires
were ongoing, the Albanians in these territories were subservient to
the respective authorities who, on the basis of medieval practice, had
no reason to recognize them as a different entity or group of people.
Sources mention no separate Albanian people or for that matter, Catholic
Albanians. Albanians were mentioned only as peasants, shepherds,
mercenaries, hirelings, serfs and traders.
This subdued is an
ideal condition to weaken their cultural fiber and more readily submit
to assimilation. One can only imagine the challenges that Albanians had
to face, the cultural pressures they had to endure. This pressure varied
over time and it was very acute during the last 100 years, for there
was a concentrated effort by Albania’s neighbors to fully assimilate
them. Because of their strong tribal culture, religion was never a
strong element in the consciousness of the Albanians, an important
factor that countered other factors that necessitated adaption of
dominant cultures.
The extent of assimilation from Albanian to
Bulgarian/Serbian/Macedonian is hard to determine. But the recent case
of Reka region, mentioned above, does lend support to the view that
within borders of today’s Macedonia there was an Orthodox Albanian
element that did eventually assimilate. One can’t assume that this was
an isolated or the only case of assimilation, for a too long a
historical period was involved.
Conversion of the Albanians to
Islam was more massive a phenomenon, it was an effort by the Albanians
to reaffirm themselves in the new reality which the new invaders from
the east brought forth.
The conversion to Islam was to the more
religious conscious neighboring people, not only a loss of the flock,
but also an Albanian intrusion into the domain that they had controlled.
And this is exactly how some of neighbors see the Albanians today, not
as a people that have changed to a different religion, but people with a
different religion, who must have come from somewhere and intruded into
their domain, susceptibly from the next door Albanian mountains. But
this mindset must have had an older origin. Today it is the Albanians
who had converted to Islam, in the past it was the Catholic Albanians
who maintained their traditional ties wyh Rome. This is context that
Michael Attaleiates should be understood when he writes that
”unfortunately, the people who had once been our allies and who
possessed the same rights as citizens and the same religion, i.e. the
Albanians and the Latins, who live in the Italian regions of our Empire
beyond Western Rome, quite suddenly became enemies when Michael
Dokenianos insanely directed his command against their leaders…” In
other words, the people who were relied as of their own, were looking
westward and conspiring against them. (Extracts from: Michaelis
Attaliotae: Historia(1034-1079), Bonn 1853, p. 8, 18, 297. Translated by
Robert Elsie.)
Although Albanians went through changes in
religious elegance, due to the needs of the day, their ethnic culture
remained the same, that is different from that of their neighbors’.
While Serb, Macedonia and for that matter Greek ethnicities were molded
by modern religions(in this case Orthodoxy), Albanians inherited their
cultural tradition from an ancient past, a tradition which had developed
outside of modern religions. It is this contradiction that has fueled
continuous tension between the Albanians and the dominating empires, and
more recently the respective national states within which Albanian
populations find themselves.