The Unknown Greeks: Arvanites, the inextinguishable flame of Hellenism
Starting from the strong presence and action of Hellenism in the Balkan countries, we continue our journey with an equally well-known and important part of which is none than other that the famous "Arvanites".
Many heard about the name and the origin ...Few actually do apply.
To see ...
The Arvanitis produced by Arvonios or Arvonitis, indicating the resident Arvonos, as reported by Polybius. The Arvon was Greek city of Illyria. In Illyria, which stretched across much of the Adriatic, created thriving Greek states as Epidamnus the Ephyra the Akrolissos, Apollonia, etc.. These cities were the drivers for the development of the whole Illyrian region.
The downlink to Greece from Illyria, due to various disturbances in the Balkan Peninsula in the 13th century. AD, called gradually Arvanites. With two words Arvanites are considered residents of Northern Epirus.
Despite there GreekAlbanian the have and had Greek consciousness. From the oral tradition knew that Arvanites are Albanized Greeks.
However, the origin of one sex assert many countries depending on the interests of each other. For example, they Albanains called the Arvanites TurkAlbanians,because they sided with the Turks against the Greeks.
During the Ottoman rule many Arvanites began to Islamized and thus became the group of TurkAlbanians who oppressed the Greeks. But some of them, particularly in the region of Attica and Boeotia, remained faithful to the values of Hellenism and differentiated by TurkAlbanians. It is this attitude of putting them to use the ancient name "Arvanitis".
The Albanian name used by Greek sources until the 11th century. Albanians in the current Albanian state certainly argue that they are descendants of the ancient Illyrians. But history teaches us otherwise.
Albania Area existed in the Caucasus region (see map Ptolemy). The native Albanians originated in the Balkans from the tribes of Eastern (Mongol), when forced to follow them as auxiliary of the army. In Illyria arrived, when it began to dissolve the Roman Empire.
The geographer Strabo calls the Albanians Caspian naive, not involved in the trade, since they did not know to count over 100! .
Για παράδειγμα ο Αρριανός γράφει στο έργο του «Αλεξάνδρου Ανάβασις»: «Ώς δέ ομού ήδη τά στρατότεδα έγίγνετο, ώφθη Δαρείος και οί άμφ΄ αυτόν, οί τε μηλοφόροι Πέρσαι και Ινδοί και Αλβανοί και Κάρες οι ανάσπαστοι και οί Μαρδοι τοξόται κατ΄ αυτόν Άλέξανδρον τεταγμένοι και την ίλην την βασιλικην». Ο Αλέξανδρος είχε πολεμήσει δηλαδή κατά Αλβανών της Κασπίας που πολεμούσαν με τον στρατό των Περσών.
"Alexander the Great had fought the Albanians of Caspian sea because the fought on the side with the army of the Persians.
Plutarch writes in parallel lives «Καταλιπών δέ φρουρόν Αρμενίας Αφράνιον αυτός εβάδιζε δια τών περιοικούντων τον Καύκασον εθνών άναγκαίως έπι Μιθριδάτην. Μέγιστα δε αυτών εστίν έθνη, Αλβανοί και Ίβηρες».
Stephen of Byzantium, geographer of the 4th century. AD: Albania country.
There is the nation Albanians, shepherd and moderately war between Iberians and Caspian.
Today Albanians want to usurp the ancient origin of the Arvanites with the apparent motive of that claim the Arvanites are Albanians basically) are the oldest people in the Balkan.
But they escape also information that the Arvanites fled in 13th century. because of the Albanians, who applied the adage
«Ουδείς αχαριστότερος του ευεργετιθέντος»!
Specifically, Albanian mercenaries fought under the command of the Master of the Despotate of Epirus against Slavs and Venetians. The Greeks gave the Albanians reward courtiers of high class major titles, which they took advantage of turning good governance in dynasty! Engaging in land seizures and many ordinary people sold as their slaves.
The Arvanites unable to afford such practices, which are not always tolerated by the Greeks moved into clans (groups <word we use to this day) to Greece. Their arrival coincided with the period of Ottoman rule, where Arvanites remained faithful to the Orthodox faith as opposed to Albanians embraced Islam or Roman catholic.
In 1350 now, Arvanites moved to the Peloponnese after appeal of Bishop Manuel Katakousinos, who said successive predatory attacks, wanted to enhance the population there with other Greek populations. So if Katakousinus not consider the Arvanites Greeks would not appeal to them because he needed exclusively Greeks.
In 1453 Mehmed the Conqueror ordered to cut off the Orthodox Arvanites since they were probably more Greeks and from the Greeks!
Naturally, the Avanites they fought against the Turks and developed even in large chieftains and warriors.
According to historian Constantine PAPARIGOPOULOU, "was alloy Greeks and Albanianized Greeks" (with the geographic and linguistic sense for both characterizations). Soulians, which sounded very lifestyle with the ancient Spartans were a warrior society, writes Christopher Perraivos in his book "History of Souli and Parga" (Paris 1803). Indeed, many Soulians, except wrote Arvanitika and Greek, as evidenced in his diary Fotos Tzavela.
Besides many Arvanites equates with the Cretans Sphakia (Doric origin, like Mani), but because of austerity and hardened character.
The Arvanites stood by the Greek students against the Turks and soul lodged sideways in the Kingdom Study (liberation of Athens), for example, Marko Botsari, and others.
Famous Arvanites were also Kountouriots, the Zaim, Miaoulis, Boumboulina and most recently Melina Mercouri, the Greek ambassador of culture abroad, the painter Nikos Engonopoulos, the former Prime Minister D. Voulgaris, the great actress Ellie Lambeti many others.
The Albanian language is a mixture of ancient Illyrian greek dialect, the Slavic, Latin and Turkish language gradually replaced the Greek-Arvanite of the Homeric dialect.
The fact that some were Albanophone does not mean that there were not Greeks.
Today there are e.g. English-speaking Greeks who do not know virtually Greek.
Failing schools prevailed as the Albanian language easier. In addition to the fear many Arvanites changed their names in Albanian.
The Arvanite language heard many times in the Greek Parliament. The Historian C. Vlachogiannis, for example, says that sometime exacerbated spirits during assembly and a Fighter in 1821 was forced to intervene in speaking Arvanite language to appease the atmosphere.
Today, this language is used by about 30,000 to 150,000 Arvanites and many of them live in the Peloponnese, having homogeneous by the indigenous population or in Sicily, where there are still many Arvanite villages.
The Arvanites had been strong Greek consciousness. Other were Albanized and remain in this Albanian state until today. General Pronoitis Morea, Jacomo Barbarrigo, wrote in 1479: "The Arvanites and Greeks are one people who hates all foreigner." (Obviously meaning the conquerors of the time).
Some, however, will need to stop talking about the Albanian minority in Greece and they mean the Arvanites. Let's look best on what bases created the current Albanian state with artificial Albanian nationalism has many similarities, for anyone studying the various sources of the period, with the current project of Ex Yugo State Fyrom.