History of Macedonia
Ottoman Turks had a very strong army and managed to conquer all of the Balkans and were stopped eventually with great difficulty in front of Vienna. History in the Balkans
One needs to go back to history to understand the complex relations that prevail among the Balkan states nowadays. However, Balkan history is very complicated, because almost every country on this small peninsular has a different point of view on what actually happened in the past especially in terms of the Macedonian question. Therefore, I will try to find international sources or mention the country that supports a particular claim when mentioning a controversial historical fact.
Beginning of the 19th Century
Since the 4th century BC to the middle of the 19th century there are no chronicles or historical records that mention the names "Macedonia" or "Macedonian people." This makes many Bulgarian and Greek historians skeptical of the existence of such a distinct nation. In the 14th century AD the Ottoman Turks invaded the Balkans and conquered the people there, who called themselves at the time Bulgarians, Serbs, Vlachs (modern Romanians), Romans (this is the way the Greek-speaking population of Byzantium described itself)… For hundreds of years all of these distinct ethnic groups lived often together, in the same villages, under the Ottoman rule. They were referred to as “raya” by the Ottomans which simply meant “Christians.” For centuries people did not pose themselves any questions about their national identity.
History of Macedonia
Bulgarian Claims
Dispute with Greece
Serbian Influences
Macedonian Point of View
Late 19th century
However, in the 19th century and a little earlier ideas from Western Europe began to penetrate the century-long sleep of the Balkan people and for a first time they started looking for their national identities. First the Greeks, then the Serbians and finally the Bulgarians began to form national movements. However, the population was very mixed and as all of them were Eastern Orthodox Christians, language started to play a crucial role in the self-determination of a particular group. In terms of the Macedonian language, for the first half of the 19th century “the distinction between Macedonian and Bulgarian is essentially immaterial” (Friedman, 1985:33), but after 1840 there was a growing distinction between northeastern Bulgarian and southwestern Macedonian, each side supporting its own dialect.
At the time many ethnic groups did not have their own states to protect their interests and this is the reason they tried to create their own religious institutions that could represent them in the Ottoman Empire. Until then the Greek Orthodox Church has been doing this function, but after that a Bulgarian and Serbian Orthodox Exarchates were created. This meant, if you are part of the Greek Orthodox Church, you are Greek; if you are part of the Serbian Orthodox Church, you are Serb; and if you are part of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, you are Bulgarian. The people in the districts of Skopje and Ohrid, today’s Macedonia, chose the Bulgarian Orthodox Church which meant that the majority of them considered themselves Bulgarian. However, some Greek historians believe that the people in this area did not have a very strong national consciousness and were easy to be influenced by the Bulgarian Exarchate. However, it is hard to explain why the Greek Church which were in charge of these lands for several centuries did not succeed in convincing these people that they were Greek much earlier.
One of the distinct features of the Orthodox Church is the many iconic depictions and candles.
The priests usually wear black robes with golden cloaks. -byTodorBozhinov.png)
Map of Bulgaria according to the San-Stefano Peace Treaty in 1878 San Stefano Peace Treaty-1878
Bulgaria officially declared its independence in 1878 after the Turkish-Russian War. In San Stefano a treaty was signed according to which Bulgaria included Danube Bulgaria, Eastern Romelia and Macedonia. Among Bulgarians, it was largely believed that these were the demographic dimensions of the Bulgarian population. Behind this treaty stood Russia’s support who had an interest in creating a strong Slavic state in the Balkans that would cater for Russian interests. However, this treaty was immediately followed by the treaty of Berlin that gave Bulgaria only 1/5 of the original lands. It was largely initiated by the Western powers who did not want Russia to have a strong ally in the Balkans. Macedonia was returned to the Ottoman Empire and the goal of the Macedonian people for the coming decades was to receive their independence.
The Macedonian Flag during the Ilinden Uprising, the sign says "For our country we fight, for our country we die"
1878- 20th century
People of Macedonia wanted their independence and formed “The Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization” (IMRO) led by two Macedonians, Damian Gruev and Gotse Delchev. Although many Macedonian historians deny this, most international historical sources show that the purpose of this organization was the liberation of Macedonia with the eventual goal of annexation to Bulgaria. Because of this many Greek historians see this movement as a terrorist organization sponsored by the Bulgarian government. IMRO organized the Ilinden Uprising in 1903, but it was unsuccessful and the insurgents were ruthlessly crushed by the Turkish army. Macedonia did not receive its freedom until World War I, but then it was actually divided between its neighbor countries. Greece took 34 600 square km, Serbia 26 776 square km and Bulgaria only 6798 square km. There was another division after World War II when Macedonia became a Republic of Yugoslavia until it received its independence in 1991.
Since 1991 Macedonia is an independent country. It is ironic that the territory that almost all of the Balkan states claimed, began to exist by itself, something that neither Greece, nor Bulgaria nor Sebia has ever imagined.