One of the questions our group posed was how foreign rule in the Balkans, including the Byzantine and Ottoman Empires, shaped cultural identities and contributed to ethnic tensions. To begin to answer that question, I'd like to take a high-level look this week at the history of foreign rule in the Balkans - what larger entities have administered the region, and how did the Balkan nations operate during that time? Were the Balkan people subservient or rebellious? Did the empire rule firmly or more laissez-faire? Was there any sense of distinct ethnic identity, or did the ruling entity homogenize the region?
Early History
The earliest known people groups in the Balkans were the Illyrians in the west and Thracians in the east, who were influenced by Greek society. These groups formed kingdoms in response to invasions by the Persians and Celtics but later fell under Macedonian and Roman rule.
The Roman Empire
Under the Roman Empire, the Balkans experienced a high level of organization. They had military security, a single justice system and thriving commerce. In later years, Roman hegemony became threatened by Celtic invaders and an westward-expanding Dacian state until Roman emperor Trajan invaded the area and established a colony that existed until Barbarian invasions in the 200s.
The Byzantine Empire
Upon breakup of the Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire took hold in the eastern portion of the Balkans, while the western portion remained under Roman rule. Various barbarian groups came and went, but in the 6th century, the Slavs arrived, forming the Slovene, Croat and Serb groups. Bulgarians, a distinct ethnic group, came around the same time but migrated from Asia. These groups, while somewhat independent, for the most part fell under Byzantine rule from Constantinople. As a result, the Serbs and Bulgarians adopted Byzantine Christianity (Eastern Orthodox), while the Croats and Slovenes, more influenced by their Italian neighbors, took on the Roman Catholic version of Christianity. Albanians for the most part did not adopt Christianity at all.
Map of the Byzantine Empire in 1355
The Ottoman Empire
After defeating the Byzantine Empire, the Muslim Ottoman Empire took control of the Balkan region. Over the years, some Bosnians converted to Islam, causing strife with those who remained Christian. Serbia remained strongly anti-Muslim, prompting violent retribution from their Ottoman rulers. The Serbians rebelled sporadically against Ottoman rule, but insurrection was always definitively put down.
Map of the Balkans under Ottoman rule in the late 1800s
Post-Ottoman Rule
As the power of the Ottoman Empire waned, Russia, with its similar ethnic and religious roots, stepped in, defeating the Ottoman empire in the Balkans in 1829 and granting the region independence.
The Slavs whose descendants now populate the Balkan region did not arrive in the region until the 500s, and much of their ethnic history, it seems, was defined by religion. While heritage and geography certainly played an important part, this account of foreign rule in the region highlights the importance of the Catholic Church and Islam in delineating various groups. While little conflict was noted under Byzantine rule, the invasion of the Ottoman empire precipitated violent conflict, largely for religious reasons, in the region, sharpening ethnic lines and dividing groups.
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Balkans (image)
"An Ancient Hatred," Scholastic Update, 1994
Map of the Byzantine Empire (image)
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/50325/Balkans/43532/In-the-Roman-Empire
Further reading:
A History of the Balkan Peoples
The Late Medieval Balkans: A Critical Survey from the Late Twelfth Century to the Ottoman Conquest
http://www.balkanhistory.com/dark_ages.htm
-Trey
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