Metsovo ( Greek : Μέτσοβο ; Aromanian : Aminciu ) is a town in Epirus , in the mountains of Pindus in northern Greece , between Ioannina to the west and Meteora to the east.
124-505: The largest centre of Aromanian (Vlach) life in Greece, Metsovo is a large regional hub for several small villages and settlements in the Pindus region, and it features many shops, schools, offices, services, museums, and galleries. The economy of Metsovo is dominated by agriculture and tourism, the latter flourishing in winter. Metsovo is served by Greek National Road 6 (Ioannina – Trikala) and by
248-417: A closed group in terms of social mobility. Wealth gave anyone the right to climb up the social ladder to the next higher level, although such ascent often gave rise to serious conflicts. The vinitsi comprised the middle and lower classes of the settlement that were not occupied in livestock breeding. It mostly included farmers, small business owners, technicians, mule drivers, and small-scale merchants. Despite
372-505: A cost. Every year, the corresponding taxes and other contributions had to be pre-paid to the Ottoman landlord of the area, otherwise the Chora or Mukataa of Metsovo could lose its status and be combined with neighboring Ottoman regions. Beneficence by Metsovites is a powerful phenomenon, the dimensions of which were formed through the processes relating to the socioeconomic growth of Metsovo during
496-550: A distinct Aromanian national consciousness, however, was hampered by the tendency of the Aromanian upper classes to be absorbed in the dominant surrounding ethnicities, and espouse their respective national causes as their own. So much did they become identified with the host nations that Balkan national historiographies portray the Aromanians as the "best Albanians", "best Greeks" and "best Bulgarians", leading to researchers calling them
620-460: A latent form, the socioeconomic reality of past times. This was not a class distinction based on wealth, since in most cases the members of both groups belonged to the poorer segments of the population, but a differentiation related to the establishment of the settlements during the Ottoman period, which produced the co-existence of populations with the same linguistic base but with clearly different economic and social structures. Karye-iMiçova denoted
744-617: A recent article in the Romanian media points out, the kindergarten, primary and secondary schools in the Albanian town of Divjakë where the local Albanian Aromanians pupils are taught classes both in Aromanian and Romanian were granted substantial help directly from the Romanian government. One of the only churches serving the Aromanian minority in Albania is the St. Sotir Church ( Ayiu Sutir ) of Korçë, which
868-425: A separate identity. According to Frank Kressing and Karl Kaser in 2002, there were between 30,000 and 50,000 Aromanians in Albania. Tanner (2004) pointed out Albania as the only country where Aromanians make a relatively significant percentage of population, around 2%. For the last years there seems to be a renewal of the former policies of supporting and sponsoring of Romanian schools for Aromanians of Albania. As
992-461: A special service to the state. The special service provided by the Metsovo residents was the guarding of the local mountain passes and the servicing of travelers. The special tax regime did not mean self-government in theory. The notion of autonomy was unknown to the Ottoman understanding of polity. In practice, however, the granting of tax exemptions was equivalent to self-governance of the area. Since
1116-481: A temporary arrangement before they were appointed to some appropriate position. It was a kind of appanage given to increasing number of members of the Ottoman elite for tax farming . Instead to resolving the Porte's problems, the institutions of arpalik introduced new, even bigger ones. The exact duties of the arpalik holders were never precisely defined by the Ottoman government, which caused frequent tensions between
1240-504: A unified tax district. In the Greek language it is usually translated by the word "chorion". However, it does not correspond to the term "settlement" as used in modern statistical terminology, but rather to "community". In other words, it does not signify a group of buildings, but a well-defined geographical area with a self-contained legal entity. A karye could include more than one settlements regardless how far apart they were from each other. In
1364-399: A verdict from a local judge in accordance to imperial law. Their duties were to protect peasants and persons in their territory and to join the imperial army during campaigns. The sultan gave Sipahis vineyards and a meadow for the needs of their families, retainers and horses. One of the main conditions imposed by the state was that a Timar holder did not own the land, as ownership was held by
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#17328555621821488-496: A white flag and surrendered. Socially, the residents of Metsovo, up until the beginning of the 20th century, were divided into three classes: the "arhontzi" (arxondzɨ), the "vinitsi" (vinitsɨ) and the "algi" (alɟi) or, mockingly, "gizari" (ɟizari). This socioeconomic stratification developed during the Ottoman occupation. The arhontzi were the wealthiest part of society. Their revenues derived from wholesale and retail commercial activities. Although locally very powerful, they were not
1612-406: Is a popular winter vacation destination and ski resort town. The Metsovo Ski Centre is situated not far from the centre of Metsovo. Metsovo is included in the Aromanian traditional song Di la Aminciu pãn' la Ameru ("From Metsovo to Milea"). Notable individuals from Metsovo include: Aromanians The Aromanians ( Aromanian : Armãnji, Rrãmãnji ) are an ethnic group native to
1736-491: Is called Aminʤu , a word combining the preposition "a"— meaning "to, into"—and the word "Minʤu". From "Minʤu" derive terms signifying ethnic origin Miʤanu and Miʤanə —meaning, respectively, "man from Metsovo", "woman from Metsovo"—as well as the adjectives miʤənescu and miʤəneascə —meaning "Metsovite", "of Metsovo"—which are used today by the residents of Metsovo. The Aromanian part of the population, that part which does not use
1860-573: Is celebrated instead for the same event. This observance is meant for the Aromanians but also for the Megleno-Romanians and the Istro-Romanians . In modern times, Aromanians generally have adopted the dominant national culture, often with a dual identity as both Aromanian and Greek/Albanian/Bulgarian/Macedonian/Serbian/etc. Aromanians are also found outside the borders of Greece. There are many Aromanians in southern Albania and in towns all over
1984-590: Is considered one of the "Teachers of the Nation" by Greek historians. The merchants in Metsovo were peddlers that became very active in commercial trade, in both the Ottoman Empire and in Europe. The impressive socioeconomic growth of Metsovo during the Ottoman occupation is mainly due to the involvement of a large part of its population in the commercial activities of both the Ottoman Empire and of Europe. Taking into account
2108-800: Is considered to have developed from Common Romanian , a common stage of all the Eastern Romance varieties that evolved from the Vulgar Latin spoken by Paleo-Balkan peoples after the Romanization of the Balkan area that fell under the Latin sphere of influence. The Aromanian language shares many common features with Albanian , Bulgarian and Greek ; however, although it has many loanwords from Greek, Slavic , and Turkish , its lexicon remains majority Romance in origin. The term Aromanian derives directly from
2232-432: Is derived from the way the Aromanians pronounce the word meaning five , tsintsi . In Romania, the demonym Macedoni , Machedoni or Macedoromâni is also used. In Albania, the terms Vllah or Vlleh ("Vlach") and Çoban or Çobenj (from Turkish çoban , "shepherd") are used. The Aromanian community in Albania is estimated up to 200,000 people, including those who no longer speak the language. Tanner estimates that
2356-468: Is difficult to estimate the exact number of Aromanians in Greece today. The Treaty of Lausanne of 1923 estimated their number between 150,000 and 200,000, but the last two censuses to differentiate between Christian minority groups, in 1940 and 1951, showed 26,750 and 22,736 Vlachs respectively. Estimates on the number of Aromanians in Greece range between 40,000 and 300,000. Kahl estimates the total number of people with Aromanian origin who still understand
2480-581: Is expressed as a church-sponsoring funding activity according to the standards of a cultural notion that derives from the medieval past of the Orthodox church. After 1659, the area of Metsovo, thus far under the bishopric of Stagoi , was formed into its own exarchate under a patriarchal exarch . The "Catholic Exarch of Metsovo"—a person appointed by the Patriarch of Constantinople —resided in Constantinople and
2604-554: Is more likely to belong to the L11 branch. L11 subclades form the majority of Haplogroup R1b in Italy and western Europe, while the eastern subclades of R1b are prevailing in populations of the eastern Balkans. The Aromanians or Vlachs first appear in medieval Byzantine sources in the 11th century, in the Strategikon of Kekaumenos and Anna Komnene 's Alexiad , in the area of Thessaly . In
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#17328555621822728-547: Is no longer mentioned after the late 13th century. The medieval Vlachs (Aromanians) of Herzegovina are considered authors of the famous funerary monuments with petroglyphs ( stecci in Serbian) from Herzegovina and surrounding countries. The theory of the Vlach origin was proposed by Bogumil Hrabak (1956) and Marian Wenzel and more recently was supported by the archeological and anthropological researches of skeleton remains from
2852-590: Is noteworthy that the term Vlach also meant "bandit" or "rebel" in Ottoman historiography , and that the term was also used as an exonym for mainly Orthodox Christians in Ottoman-ruled western Balkans (mainly denoting Serbs ), as well as by the Venetians for the immigrant Slavophone population of the Dalmatian hinterland (also mainly denoting Serbs). German academic Thede Kahl , expert on Aromanian studies , divides
2976-497: Is perhaps the immediate predecessor of the Timar system. However, it was not until the re-emergence of the empire under Mehmed I in 1413 that a tenure system that was distinctly Timar was developed. Before the collapse of the empire by Timur in 1402, Bayezid had granted quasi-Timar holdings to his own servants. With the reunification of the Ottoman lands under a Sultan , these men would once again have legal title to their holdings. Over
3100-658: Is represented on the Member State Committee of the European Bureau for Lesser Spoken Languages in Greece. The exact presence of the Aromanian community in Albania is unknown. They are mostly concentrated in parts of southern and western Albania. 8,266 people declared themselves to be Aromanians in the 2011 census. On the quality of the specific data the Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention for
3224-637: Is the port of Alexandria, in Egypt. The latest records show that the nature of their trading has changed dramatically from the times of their traditional land transport and trade fairs in the Balkans. Although the traditional method of commerce still occupies the merchants that are based in Metsovo or Ioannina, a large number of Metsovite merchants has established trading companies and agencies in distant places where they are occupied with all types of import and export trade. The province of Metsovo ( Greek : Επαρχία Μετσόβου )
3348-472: Is written down and codified in a narrative called ( Kanunname ) that mediated and resolved contradictions especially between those two non-Islamic legal traditions – local and imperial – upon which the Ottomans based their dominion 3) officials consult with local grandees and proceeded from village to village to inspect and evaluate land and other holdings 4) draw up results of the survey in a register prefaced by
3472-585: The A2 motorway . From medieval times till well into the 19th century, Metsovo was known, in various sources, as Metzovo . From the end of the 18th century on, the literary form of Messovon makes its appearance. The town is known as Aminciu in Aromanian (Vlach), and as Miçova in Ottoman Turkish . In the Ottoman census records we see the word Mcwh (مجوه), which is usually pronounced "Miçova". In Aromanian, Metsovo
3596-585: The Axis occupation of Greece , Italy encouraged Aromanian nationalists to form an "Aromanian homeland", the so-called Principality of the Pindus . The project never gained much traction among the local population, however. On the contrary, many leading figures of the Greek Resistance against the Axis, like Andreas Tzimas , Stefanos Sarafis , and Alexandros Svolos , were Aromanians. The "principality" project collapsed with
3720-744: The Fara Armãneascã ("Aromanian tribe") or the Populu Armãnescu ("Aromanian people"). The endonym is rendered in English as Aromanian , in Romanian as Aromâni , in Greek as Armanoi (Αρμάνοι), in Albanian as Arumunët , in Bulgarian as Arumani (Арумъни), in Macedonian as Aromanci (Ароманци), in Serbo-Croatian as Armani and Aromuni . The term "Vlach" was used in medieval Balkans as an exonym for all
3844-565: The Italian armistice in 1943. The date of the announcement of the Ottoman irade of 23 May 1905 has been adopted in recent times by Aromanians in Albania, Australia , Bulgaria and North Macedonia as the " Aromanian National Day " ( Dzua Natsionalã a Armãnjilor ), but notably not in Greece or among the Aromanians in the Greek diaspora . In Romania, every 10 May, the Balkan Romanianness Day
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3968-502: The Kanunname that listed the names of all the towns, villages and populations, what they produced and expected revenues. Based on these fiscal projections, the Sultan would distribute the land and villages to the soldiers who had participated in the conquest. Initially the candidates for Timar were recommended individually to the Sultan. Upon receiving this recommendation, the Sultan commanded
4092-569: The Megleno-Romanians ). The term "Vlachs" is used in Greece and in other countries to refer to the Aromanians, with this term having been more widespread in the past to refer to all Romance-speaking peoples of the Balkan Peninsula and Carpathian Mountains region ( Southeast Europe ). Their vernacular, Aromanian , is an Eastern Romance language very similar to Romanian , which has many slightly varying dialects of its own. Aromanian
4216-644: The Sultan for these grants in reward for participating in the growing number of campaigns. Furthermore, Timars were being offered to volunteers and members of the pre-Ottoman military class for their loyalty and service to the Sultan. In order to meet this new demand, existing Timars were turned into jointly held unites, or divided into shares. This growing demand also forced the Ottoman Sultan’s to engage in further wars of conquest in neighbouring countries thus creating Timars through new surveys. This however, also increased
4340-561: The Veria (Aromanian Veryia ) and Grevena (Aromanian Grebini ) areas and in Athens . The Aromanians are predominantly Orthodox Christians , and follow the Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar . Aromanian cuisine is strongly influenced by Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine . Polyphonic music is common among the Aromanians, and follows a common set of rules. A literature in
4464-428: The " chameleons of the Balkans". Consequently, many Aromanians played a prominent role in the modern history of the Balkan nations: the revolutionary Pitu Guli , Greek Prime Minister Ioannis Kolettis , Greek magnate Georgios Averoff , Greek Defence Minister Evangelos Averoff , Serbian Prime Minister Vladan Đorđević , Patriarch Athenagoras I of Constantinople , Romanian metropolitan Andrei Şaguna etc. Following
4588-522: The "critical situation" of Aromanian culture and language. This was after pressure from the Union for Aromanian Language and Culture in Germany . In response, the then President of Greece , Konstantinos Stefanopoulos , publicly urged Greek Aromanians to teach the language to their children. In 2001, 31 Aromanian mayors and heads of villages signed a protest resolution against the U.S. State Department report on
4712-704: The 12th century, the Jewish traveller Benjamin of Tudela records the existence of the district of "Vlachia" near Halmyros in eastern Thessaly , while the Byzantine historian Niketas Choniates places " Great Vlachia " near Meteora . Thessalian Vlachia was apparently also known as "Vlachia in Hellas ". Later medieval sources also speak of an "Upper Vlachia" in Epirus , and a "Little Vlachia" in Aetolia-Acarnania , but "Great Vlachia"
4836-427: The 1506 census, Karye-iMiçova is followed by the phrase "tâbi'-i Τirhala" meaning "subject to Trikala". The names of eight settlements appear in it. Before the name of each settlement, the indication "karye" of the 1454–55 census has been replaced by "mahalle". The specific administrative structure of the area constituted the basis for its administrative organization in the centuries to come. In administrative documents of
4960-499: The 18th century is reflected in the efforts of the residents to upgrade their level of education. Indicative of these efforts is the establishment of a school as early as the beginning of the 18th century, the continuous care to maintain its operation, and studying abroad in European universities to receive higher education. The result of this process is the appearance of a class of scholars, teachers, and clergymen who participate actively in
5084-452: The 18th century, the management of lasa , or bequests left to a community, constituted one of the most important municipal functions. The love for their birthplace and the social altruism of the Metsovites living abroad resulted in the amassing of significant benefactor funds in Metsovo. As early as the beginning of the 19th century, there was a special logbook where the wills and testaments of
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5208-479: The 18th century, the present settlement of Metsovo is termed "chora" and the other villages as "mahalades". Starting in the mid-17th century, the residents in the region of Metsovo were relieved from the obligation to pay the regular and ad hoc taxes that were usually paid by Christian residents in other Ottoman regions, on the condition that they would pay a lump sum per year. The Ottoman administration often made such arrangements for groups of its subjects that offered
5332-453: The 1920s it was designed more towards encouraging the Romanians' "Macedonian brothers" to emigrate to Southern Dobruja , where there were strong non-Romanian minorities. While Romanian activity declined, from World War I on and with its involvement in Albania , Italy made some efforts—not very successful—in converting pro-Romanian sympathies into pro-Italian ones. In World War II , during
5456-577: The 1960s that Albanian Aromanians migrated to Tirana , Stan Karbunarë, Skrapar , Pojan , Bilisht and Korçë , and that they inhabited Karaja, Lushnjë , Moscopole , Drenovë (Aromanian Dãrnova ) and Boboshticë (Aromanian Bubushtitsa ). There was an important community of Aromanians in Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina that was probably assimilated by local dwellers. Initially they were Christians but around year 1000 they adhered to Bogomil / Patarene Christian sect and were Serbianized . After
5580-527: The 1990s. North Macedonia's Government provides financial assistance to Aromanian-language newspapers and radio stations. Aromanian-language newspapers such as Phoenix ( Aromanian : Fenix ) service the Aromanian community. The Aromanian television program Spark ( Aromanian : Scanteao ; Macedonian Искра (Iskra)) broadcasts on the second channel of the Macedonian Radio-Television . There are Aromanian classes provided in primary schools and
5704-724: The Albanian Aromanians (Arvanito Vlachs) have immigrated to Greece, since they are considered in Greece part of the Greek minority in Albania . There are attempts to establish education in their native language in the town of Divjakë . Notable Aromanians whose family background hailed from today's Albania include Bishop Andrei Şaguna, and Father Haralambie Balamaci , whereas notable Albanians with an Aromanian family background are actors Aleksandër (Sandër) Prosi , Margarita Xhepa , Albert Vërria , and Prokop Mima , as well as composer Nikolla Zoraqi and singers Eli Fara and Parashqevi Simaku . On 13 October 2017, Aromanians received
5828-559: The Aromanian Dimitri Atanasescu , and by the early 20th century there were 100 Romanian churches and 106 schools with 4,000 pupils and 300 teachers. As a result, Aromanians divided into two main factions, one pro-Greek, the other pro-Romanian, plus a smaller focusing exclusively on its Aromanian identity. With the support of the Great Powers , and especially Austria-Hungary , the "Aromanian-Romanian movement" culminated in
5952-402: The Aromanian language exists. In Aromanian rural areas, clothes differed from the dress of the city dwellers. The shape and the colour of a garment, the volume of the headgear, the shape of a jewel could indicate cultural affiliation and also could show the village people came from. Fustanella usage among Aromanians can be traced to at least the 15th century, with notable examples being seen in
6076-547: The Aromanian language is almost totally absent from television. Indeed, although as of 2002 there were over 200 Vlach cultural associations in Greece, many did not even feature the term "Vlach" in their titles, and only a few are active in preserving the Aromanian language. In 1997, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe passed Recommendation 1333 (1997) encouraging the Balkan states to take steps to rectify
6200-564: The Aromanian minority of the country. These are the Democratic Union of the Vlachs of Macedonia (DSVM; Unia Democratã a Armãnjlor dit Machidunii , UDAM ) and the Party of the Vlachs of Macedonia (PVM; Partia Armãnjilor ditu Machidunie , PAM ). They are the only Aromanian parties in the world along with ABDE in Albania. Many forms of Aromanian-language media have been established since
6324-492: The Aromanian stećak of the Radimlja necropolis. Additionally Aromanians claim the fustanella as their ethnic costume. There are some famous Aromanian sport personalities like tennis player Simona Halep and football player Gheorghe Hagi . In Romania, they also have their own football team called Armãnamea, who have been representing them since 2008 in the European football tournament for minorities, Europeada . There also exists
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#17328555621826448-548: The Aromanians into two main groups, the "Rrãmãnji" and "Armãnji", which are further divided into sub-groups. Rrãmãnji Armãnji The Aromanian communities have several nicknames depending on the country where they are living. In the South Slavic countries, such as Serbia, North Macedonia and Bulgaria, the nicknames used to refer to the Aromanians are usually Vlasi (South Slavic for Vlachs and Wallachians) and Tsintsari (also spelled Tzintzari, Cincari or similar), which
6572-437: The Balkans, while Aromanians identifying as Romanians are still to be found in areas where Romanian schools were active. There are also many Aromanians who identify themselves as solely Aromanian (even, as in the case of the "Cincars", when they no longer speak the language). Such groups are to be found in southwestern Albania, the eastern parts of North Macedonia, the Aromanians who immigrated to Romania in 1940, and in Greece in
6696-595: The Cupa Armânamea, a futsal competition organized by Aromanians in Romania. In Greece, Aromanians are not recognised as an ethnic but as a linguistic minority and, like the Arvanites , have been indistinguishable in many respects from other Greeks since the 19th century. Although Greek Aromanians would differentiate themselves from native Greeks ( Grets ) when speaking in Aromanian, most still consider themselves part of
6820-582: The Greek Metsovo , the latter being a combination of the stem Mets and the Slavic-ending ovo . In the 15th century Metsovo came under Ottoman rule and became part of the Sanjak of Ioannina . Throughout the late period of Ottoman rule (18th century-1913) the Greek and Aromanian population of the region ( Northern Pindus ) suffered from Albanian raiders. On one occasion, during the local Greek revolt of 1854 ,
6944-483: The Latin Romanus , meaning Roman citizen. The initial a- is a regular epenthetic vowel, occurring when certain consonant clusters are formed, and it is not, as folk etymology sometimes has it, related to the negative or privative a- of Greek (also occurring in Latin words of Greek origin). The term was coined by Gustav Weigand in his 1894 work Die Aromunen . The first book to which many scholars have referred to as
7068-478: The Ottoman period. It is mainly the expression of the cultural notions that governed the ruling class of Metsovo at the time. Despite the long absence of the men of the community from Metsovo, due to their business and commercial activities, their hometown remains in their hearts as their financial and family seat. Consequently, a large part of their revenue is channeled into the local economy by themselves or their families, as charity or investment capital to be used for
7192-467: The Ottoman state. Another essential condition was that Timars could not be inherited but it was not uncommon for a Timar to be reassigned to a son provided they performed military service. Holding a Timar was contingent on active military service and if a Sipahi failed to participate in military service for seven years he lost his authority over the land grant. Nevertheless, a Sipahi retained his title and could be eligible for another Timar if he remained in
7316-504: The Porte and the provinces. This tensions probably additionally contributed to the decay of the traditional timar system because it left sipahis out of the clear chain of command . By the end of the sixteenth century the Timar system of land tenure had begun its unrecoverable decline. In 1528, the Timariot constituted the largest single division in the Ottoman army. Sipahis were responsible for their own expenses, including provision during
7440-581: The Protection of National Minorities stated that "the results of the census should be viewed with the utmost caution and calls on the authorities not to rely exclusively on the data on nationality collected during the census in determining its policy on the protection of national minorities.". According to Tom Winnifrith in 1995, that there were about 200,000 individuals who were of Aromanian descent in Albania, regardless of proficiency in Aromanian, or spoke Aromanian without necessarily considering themselves to have
7564-478: The Roman period. It is hard to establish the history of the Vlachs in the Balkans, with a gap between the barbarian invasions and the first mentions of the Vlachs in the 11th and 12th centuries. Byzantine chronicles are unhelpful, and only in the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries does the term Vlach become more frequent, although it proves problematic to distinguish sorts of Vlachs as it was used for various subjects, such as
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#17328555621827688-551: The Romance-speaking (Romanized) people of the region, as well as a general name for shepherds , but nowadays is commonly used for the Aromanians and Meglenites , Daco-Romanians being named Vlachs only in Serbia , Bulgaria and North Macedonia . The term is noted in the following languages: Greek "Vlachoi" ( Βλάχοι ), Albanian "Vllehët", Bulgarian, Serbian and Macedonian "Vlasi" (Bласи), Turkish "Ulahlar", Hungarian "Oláh". It
7812-453: The Romanian cities of Orsova, Chisinau, Iasi, Ismail (Bessarabia), Craiova, Focsani, Galatsi, and Odessa, and a presence in the trade fairs and open-air markets of Perlepe, Sistov, Uzungiova, Rostov, Smyrna, Cyprus, and Damascus. Naturally, the old trade strongholds of Constantinople, Bucharest, and Vienna continued to present the largest concentrations of Metsovite merchants. Another significant overseas hub of commercial activity for Metsovites
7936-442: The Slavic invasion of Thrace, though before the Megleno-Romanians . In 2006 Bosch et al. attempted to determine if the Aromanians are descendants of Latinised Dacians , Greeks , Illyrians , Thracians or a combination of these, but it was shown that they are genetically indistinguishable from the other Balkan populations. Linguistic and cultural differences between Balkan groups were deemed too weak to prevent gene flow among
8060-447: The Sultan granted tenure rights. The reduction of taxes meant keeping a larger share of the local surplus crop production. In consequence, regardless of the theoretical framework that governed the land ownership and political regime of the Ottoman Empire, the lands of Metsovo were gradually falling under the absolute possession, ownership, and management of its residents, which corresponded to political self-governance. This development had
8184-419: The Sultan’s military campaigns who would be eligible for a Timar grant. This made it so competing groups formed and were motivated to fight for the Sultan’s favouritism and patronage. By the time Mehmed II (r. 1451–1481) reigned over the Ottoman Empire the number of candidates eligible for Timar grants had fallen substantially. There was a growing expectation among the Janissary soldiers and other Kuls of
8308-617: The Timar system and other apparatuses of provincial administration. By the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries the surveying and distribution of conquered territory among the Sipahi class had become a very complicated and highly bureaucratic process. In the survey, known as the Tapu-tahrirs , all the fiscal information about the territory would be collected and divided into Timar. The process went as follows: 1) appoint administrator ( emin – accompanied by clerk ( katip ) and regional judge kadı ) collected available documentation about land and building ownership and local taxes 2) information
8432-414: The Turkish occupation, the Aromanians of Bosnia and Herzegovina converted to Islam faith due to economic and religious motives. There are many artifacts of Aromanians in Bosnia and Herzegovina, mainly in their necropolises . These necropolises cover all Bosnia and consist of funerary monuments, generally without crosses. The Aromanian language is related to the Vulgar Latin spoken in the Balkans during
8556-449: The Vlachs until the 15th century. A distinct Aromanian consciousness was not developed until the 19th century, and was influenced by the rise of other national movements in the Balkans . Until then, the Aromanians, as Eastern Orthodox Christians , were subsumed with other ethnic groups into the wider ethnoreligious group of the "Romans" (in Greek Rhomaioi , after the Eastern Roman or Byzantine Empire), which in Ottoman times formed
8680-441: The beginning of the most dynamic phase of commercial activity by the Metsovites. Now the geographic and economic reach of their activity exceeds its initial range. Their activity extends as far as Moscow, Cairo, Malta, Livorno, and Trieste. Records show that Metsovite merchants had a permanent presence in the following cities and towns: Corfu, Serres, Filippoupoli, Odessa, Brody, Moscow, Petersburg, Sevastopol, Nizna, Thessaloniki, in
8804-399: The benefactors were recorded. The logbook was destroyed in 1854; it was then redrafted by the patriarchal exarchate of Metsovo but destroyed again in 1941. In theory, the sultan was the undisputed owner of all land in Metsovo and had the right to dispose of it as he wished. That is why firmans were only temporarily applicable and defined the area as the property of Ottoman officials, to whom
8928-545: The broader Greek nation ( Elini , Hellenes ), which also encompasses other linguistic minorities such as the Arvanites or the Slavic speakers of Greek Macedonia . Greek Aromanians have long been associated with the Greek national state, actively participated in the Greek Struggle for Independence, and have obtained very important positions in government, although there was an attempt to create an autonomous Aromanian canton under
9052-596: The campaigns, their equipment, providing auxiliary men ( cebelu ) and valets ( gulam ). With the onset of new military technologies, particularly the gun, the Sipahis, who had once made up the backbone of the Ottoman army, were becoming obsolete. The long and costly wars which the Ottoman Sultans waged against the Habsburgs and Iranians had demanded the formation of a modern standing and professional army. Therefore, cash
9176-596: The community constitutes 2% of the population. In Albania , Aromanian communities inhabit Moscopole, their most famous settlement, the Kolonjë District (where they are concentrated), a quarter of Fier (Aromanian Ferãcã ), while Aromanian was taught, as recorded by Tom Winnifrith, at primary schools in Andon Poçi near Gjirokastër , Shkallë (Aromanian Scarã ) near Sarandë , and Borovë near Korçë (Aromanian Curceau ) (1987). A Romanian research team concluded in
9300-481: The conservation of the social and political superiority of their class. Beneficence as a notion is directly connected with the special political regime granted by the Ottoman state to the Chora Metsovou. The demonstration of altruism, signaling and confirming their social distinction and status, provides Metsovites with the option to have social and economic control of their homeland. At first, their social solidarity
9424-501: The distinct Rum millet . The Rum millet was headed by the Greek-dominated Patriarchate of Constantinople , and the Greek language was used as a lingua franca among Balkan Orthodox Christians throughout the 17th–19th centuries. As a result, wealthy, urbanized Aromanians were culturally Hellenized and played a major role in the dissemination of Greek language and culture; indeed, the first book written in Aromanian
9548-412: The eastern Mediterranean. During the 18th century we see testimonies of the presence of Metsovite merchants in Constantinople, Bucharest, and Vienna. By the end of the 18th century there is an established community of merchants in Metsovo, which, through a collaborative or overlapping trade network, spread its operations over a rather extensive geographic area. The first decade of the 19th century signaled
9672-412: The economic and professional diversification among the vinitsi, they saw themselves as a unified social class, which was evident in their social relations. For example, they would marry among themselves but never with members of the algi. The algi were the class of traveling sheepherders, whose occupation was large-scale sheepherding, livestock breeding, as well as woodcarving. They had set rules regarding
9796-501: The empire of the Asen dynasty, Thessaly, and Romania across the Danube. It has been assumed that Vlachs are descendants of Roman soldiers or Latinized original populations (Greeks, Illyrians, Thracians or Dacians), due to the historical Roman military presence in the territory inhabited by the community. Many Romanian scholars maintain that the Aromanians were part of a Daco-Romanian migration from
9920-399: The empire. Within the Timar system the state gave Timar holders, including the Sipahis, the authority to control of arable lands, vacant lands or land possessed by peasants, wastelands, fruit trees, forests or waters within the Timar territory. The Sipahis employed agents or surrogates called Kethüda , Vekil , or voyvoda to collect revenues and exercise the delegated powers. They had
10044-540: The establishment of independent Romania and the autocephaly of the Romanian Orthodox Church in the 1860s, the Aromanians increasingly began to come under the influence of the Romanian national movement . Although vehemently opposed by the Greek church, the Romanians established an extensive state-sponsored cultural and educative network in the southern Balkans: the first Romanian school was established in 1864 by
10168-554: The exarchate. The region came under the Metropolis of Grevena until 1932, when Metsovo, Anilio, Votonosi and Derventista were annexed to the Metropolis of Ioannina. The Exarchate of Metsovo, functioning as the local representative of the religious ideals of the Patriarchate, played a major part in the formation of the religious and national conscience of the higher social classes of Metsovo. The economic and social growth of Metsovo during
10292-427: The fact that the residents of Metsovo had been migrating for a long time, it is difficult to determine the beginning of its commercial growth. Substantial information about the commercial development of Metsovo are found from the mid-17th century onward, when we see testimonies of the presence of peddlers from Metsovo in Constantinople and Venice, which indicates an early phase of their involvement in commercial trade in
10416-478: The graves under stećci. The theory is much older and was first proposed by Arthur Evans in his work Antiquarian Researches in Illyricum (1883). While doing research with Felix von Luschan on stećak graves around Konavle , he found that a large number of skulls were not of Slavic origin but similar to older Illyrian and Albanian tribes , as well as noting that Dubrovnik memorials recorded those parts inhabited by
10540-459: The groups. Haplogroup R1b is the most common haplogroup among two or three of the five tested Aromanian populations, which is not shown as a leading mark of the Y-DNA locus in other regions or ethnic groups on the Balkan Peninsula . On the 16 Y-STR markers from the five Aromanian populations, Jim Cullen's predictor speculates that over half of the mean frequency of 22% R1b of the Aromanian populations
10664-568: The human rights situation in Greece . They complained "against the direct or indirect characterisation of the Vlach-speaking Greeks as an ethnic, linguistic or other minority, stating that the Vlach-speaking Greeks never requested to be recognised by the Greek state as a minority, stressing that historically and culturally they were and still are an integral part of Hellenism, they would be bilingual and Aromanian would be secondary". Furthermore,
10788-489: The imperial family, or high-ranking members of the Ottoman elite. Timars could be small, when they would be granted by governors, or large, which then required a certificate from the Sultan, but generally the fief had an annual tax revenue value of less than 20,000 akçes . This system of land tenure lasted roughly from the fourteenth century through the sixteenth century. The goals of the system were necessitated by financial, state and expansionist purposes. The financial aims of
10912-521: The intellectual life in the territories of modern Greece. Among these scholars we find Parthenios Katzoulis, Anastasios Metsovitis, Konstantinos of Metsovo, Tryfon of Metsovo, Demetrios Vardakas, Adam Tsapekos, Anastasios of Metsovo, Dositheos Driinoupoleos, Konstantinos Peltekis, Konstantinos Tzikas, Triantafyllos Hatzis Stergiou, Christoforos Varlamitis, the Kyriakos brothers, Konstantinos and Theofilos Tzarzoulis, as well as their father Nikolaos Tzartzoulis who
11036-520: The junction between the A2 motorway and a section of Greek National Road [REDACTED] (Ioannina – Trikala) made for a superhighway with two exits at Metsovo. The town is famous for its local cheeses ( Metsovone and Metsovela , among others) and for its winemaking industries, including the Katógi vineyard of the Averoff family. A museum named Averoff Gallery is dedicated to Georgios Averoff . Metsovo
11160-403: The land acted as compensation for military service. A holder of a timar was known as a timariot . If the revenues produced from the timar were from 20,000 to 100,000 akçes , the land grant was called a zeamet , and if they were above 100,000 akçes , the grant would be called a hass . In the Ottoman Empire, the timar system was one in which the projected revenue of a conquered territory
11284-1102: The language as no more than 300,000, with the number of fluent speakers under 100,000. The majority of the Aromanian population lives in northern and central Greece; Epirus , Macedonia and Thessaly . The main areas inhabited by these populations are the Pindus Mountains , around the mountains of Olympus and Vermion , and around the Prespa Lakes near the border with Albania and the Republic of North Macedonia. Some Aromanians can still be found in isolated rural settlements such as Samarina (Aromanian Samarina , Xamarina or San Marina ), Perivoli (Aromanian Pirivoli ) and Smixi (Aromanian Zmixi ). There are also Aromanians (Vlachs) in towns and cities such as Ioannina (Aromanian Ianina , Enina or Enãna ), Metsovo (Aromanian Aminciu ), Veria (Aromanian Veryia ) Katerini , Trikala (Aromanian Trikolj ), Grevena (Aromanian Grebini ) and Thessaloniki (Aromanian Sãruna ) Generally,
11408-546: The largest Aromanian group in Greece (and across the world), the Panhellenic Federation of Cultural Associations of Vlachs in Greece, has repeatedly rejected the classification of Aromanian as a minority language or the Vlachs as a distinct ethnic group separate from the Greeks, considering the Aromanians as an "integral part of Hellenism". The Aromanian (Vlach) Cultural Society, which is associated with Sotiris Bletsas ,
11532-470: The military class and participated in military campaigns. Due to the nature of the documentation of the early history of the Ottomans it is very difficult to assign the Timar system a concrete date. Elements of the Timar system however can be seen to have their origins in Pre-Islamic antiquity (Ancient Middle Eastern Empires, Rome , Byzantium , and pre-Islamic Iran ). Pronoia of the late Byzantine era
11656-497: The most valuable to translate their ethnic name is a grammar printed in 1813 in Vienna by Mihail G. Boiagi . It was titled Γραμματική Ρωμαϊκή ήτοι Μακεδονοβλαχική/ Romanische oder Macedonowlachische Sprachlehre ("Romance or Macedono-Vlach Grammar"). The term Vlach is an exonym used since medieval times. Aromanians call themselves Rrãmãn or Armãn , depending on which of the two dialectal groups they belong, and identify as part of
11780-491: The municipal unit of Metsovo has an area of 177.676 square kilometres (68.601 sq mi), and the community of Metsovo has an area of 101.908 square kilometres (39.347 sq mi). Metsovo has a temperate climate with snowy winters and pleasant summers. Precipitation is high all year with a drying trend in summer. In the 1980s, a nearby tunnel was constructed that was the longest in Greece, alleviating traffic that would otherwise clog Metsovo's twisting roads. In 2006,
11904-437: The next fifty years this system of land tenure was largely expanded and standardized. After the conquest of Constantinople in 1453, the Ottomans turned once more to the familiar policy of expansion through conquest. With the period of consolidation that followed there was a move towards total annexation and assimilation of the provinces into the Ottoman system. This meant the elimination of local dynasties and replacing them with
12028-417: The north of the Danube between the 6th and 10th centuries, supporting the theory that the 'Great Romanian' population descend from the ancient Dacians and Romans. Greek scholars view the Aromanians as descendants of Roman legionaries that married Greek women. There is no evidence for either theory, and Winnifrith deems them improbable. The little evidence that exists points that the Vlach (Aromanian) homeland
12152-403: The number of candidates for Timar grants. The solution to this crisis took two forms: more than one Sipahi holding a single Timar and instead of receiving an entire village, Sipahis were given shares in many villages in order to make up their Timar. These solutions likely had further implications than just meeting the demands of a growing demographic. The Ottoman government had a policy of keeping
12276-593: The official status of ethnic minority , through voting of a bill by Albanian Parliament . According to official government figures (census 2002), there are 9,695 Aromanians or Vlachs, as they are officially called in North Macedonia. According to the census of 1953 there were 8,669 Vlachs, 6,392 in 1981 and 8,467 in 1994. Aromanians are recognized as an ethnic minority, and are hence represented in Parliament and enjoy ethnic, cultural, linguistic and religious rights and
12400-476: The patriarchate. The spiritual jurisdiction of the exarch comprised the settlements of Metsovo, Anilio, Derventista (now Anthohori), Votonosi, Milia, Koutsioufleani (now Platanistos), and Malakasi. In 1924, the Exarchate of Metsovo was temporarily upgraded to a metropolis , in order to accommodate the placement of clergy from Asia Minor who had lost their seats. In 1929, the metropolis was abolished without reinstating
12524-560: The protection of Italy at the end of World War I, called Principality of the Pindus . Aromanians have been very influential in Greek politics, business and the army. Revolutionaries Rigas Feraios and Giorgakis Olympios , Prime Minister Ioannis Kolettis , billionaires and benefactors Evangelos Zappas and Konstantinos Zappas , businessman and philanthropist George Averoff , Field Marshal and later Prime Minister Alexandros Papagos , and conservative politician Evangelos Averoff were all either Aromanians or of partial Aromanian heritage. It
12648-475: The provincial governor to award the candidate with Timar in the province. The candidate then, “with the Sultan’s order” ( eli-emirlu ), would go out and find a vacant Timar suitable for him. It has been suggested that there was a regular rotation system so that Timar holders were dismissed after serving a defined period of tenure. This length would vary case to case. As long as the candidate participated regularly in
12772-596: The recognition of the Aromanians as a distinct millet (the Ullah millet ) by the Ottoman Empire on 22 May 1905, with corresponding freedoms of worship and education in their own language. Nevertheless, due to the advanced assimilation of the Aromanians, this came too late to lead to the creation of a distinct Aromanian national identity; indeed, as Gustav Weigand noted in 1897, most Aromanians were not only indifferent, but actively hostile to their own national movement. At
12896-453: The registered Timars intact even while the number of Sipahis grew. Furthermore, it prevented Sipahis from gaining complete and independent control over the peasants and land within a territory. The institution of arpalik was introduced to make burden of government officials easier by compensating losses of its high officials. An arpalik was a large estate (i.e. sanjak ) entrusted to some holder of senior position, or to some margrave , as
13020-536: The right to collect certain parts of the tax revenue from arable lands in certain localities in return for service to the state. They were responsible for supervising their Timar territory and the way it was cultivated and possessed by peasants. The Sipahi was rewarded if he procured the settlement of vacant land, but punished if he caused the abandonment of cultivated land. Timar holders had police authority to pursue and arrest wrongdoers within their territories. However, they could not enforce penalties until they received
13144-516: The right to education in their language. There are Aromanian cultural societies and associations such as the Union for Aromanian Culture from North Macedonia, The Aromanian League of North Macedonia, The International League of Aromanians and Comuna Armãneascã "Frats Manachi" , (The Aromanian Community Manaki Brothers) in Bitola (Aromanian Bituli or Bitule ). There also are two political parties representing
13268-629: The same time, the Greek–Romanian antagonism over Aromanian loyalties intensified with the armed Macedonian Struggle , leading to the rupture of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 1906. During the Macedonian Struggle, most Aromanians participated on the "patriarchist" (pro-Greek) side, but some sided with the " exarchists " (pro-Bulgarians). However, following the Balkan Wars of 1912–13, Romanian interest waned, and when it revived in
13392-432: The social roles of their members, and a strict patriarchal structure that governed their class. The social differences between the two lower classes were not based on income criteria but on the fact that their members came from very different economic structures. In the past, the distinction between sheepherders and non-sheepherders existed in all developed Aromanian settlements of Pindos, and could possibly be concealing, in
13516-630: The southern Balkans who speak Aromanian , an Eastern Romance language . They traditionally live in central and southern Albania , south-western Bulgaria , northern and central Greece , and North Macedonia , and can currently be found in central and southern Albania, south-western Bulgaria, south-western and eastern North Macedonia, northern and central Greece, southern Serbia, and south-eastern Romania ( Northern Dobruja ). An Aromanian diaspora living outside these places also exists. The Aromanians are known by several other names, such as " Vlachs " or "Macedo-Romanians" (sometimes used to also refer to
13640-517: The state funds some Aromanian published works (magazines and books) as well as works that cover Aromanian culture, language and history. The latter is mostly done by the first Aromanian Scientific Society, "Constantin Belemace" in Skopje (Aromanian Scopia ), which has organized symposiums on Aromanian history and has published papers from them. According to the last census, there were 9,596 Aromanians (0.48% of
13764-447: The system were to relieve pressure from the Ottoman state of paying the army as well as to gain a new source of revenue for the central treasury. The expansionist aims were to increase the number of cavalry soldiers and to gradually assimilate and bring conquered countries under direct Ottoman control. The Ottoman state also desired to centralize the sultan’s authority by removing the feudal system and aristocratic elements from dominating
13888-400: The tax district of the Ottoman timar that constituted the area of Metsovo. Six settlements are recorded in it. Each settlement's name is preceded by the indication "karye" and usually followed by the phrase tâbi'-iMiçova meaning "subject to Metsovo". The word karye , as a term in the organizational structure of the Ottoman Empire, defined a settlement or a group of settlements constituting
14012-477: The term Aminʤu , uses the name "Meʤova". Some firman refer to Metsovo as Derveni . The derivation of the name Metsovo —from the words Mitsous and Mesovounon or from the unattested Slav word *Mẹčovo , meaning bear-place—which has been proposed by academics and historians, is not confirmed by linguistic research. Alternatively, there appears to be an etymological relation between the Aromanian Minʤu and
14136-528: The then Greek-Turkish border along the mountains east of Metsovo. On October 31, 1912, the Greek troops assisted by rebel groups from Epirus and volunteers from Metsovo, having crossed the Katara-Zygos mountain ridge overnight, attacked the Turkish garrison of Metsovo, which then comprised 205 soldiers and two cannons. The battle lasted until 4 p.m. when the Ottoman soldiers inside the besieged Turkish garrison raised
14260-547: The total population). There are concentrations in Kruševo (Aromanian Crushuva ) 1,020 (20%), Štip (Aromanian Shtip ) 2,074 (4.3%), Bitola 1,270 (1.3%), Struga 656 (1%), Sveti Nikole (Aromanian San Nicole ) 238 (1.4%), Kisela Voda 647 (1.1%) and Skopje 2,557 (0.5%). Timar A timar was a land grant by the sultans of the Ottoman Empire between the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries, with an annual tax revenue of less than 20,000 akçes . The revenues produced from
14384-496: The town was plundered by both Ottoman troops and the men of Theodoros Grivas, a former general in the Greek military, during their struggle for control of the town. During the First Balkan War , Metsovo was burnt by raiding bands. In the last 10 days of October 1912, military volunteers from Crete, together with about 340 soldiers of the tactical Greek army under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Mitsas, advanced through Thessaly to
14508-559: The use of the minority languages has been discouraged in Greece, although recently there have been efforts to preserve the endangered languages (including Aromanian) of Greece. Since 1994, the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki offers beginner and advanced courses in "Koutsovlach", and cultural festivals with over 40,000 participants—the largest Aromanian cultural gatherings in the world—regularly take place in Metsovo. Nevertheless, there are no exclusively Aromanian newspapers, and
14632-471: Was distributed in the form of temporary land grants among the Sipahis (cavalrymen) and other members of the military class including Janissaries and other servants of the sultan . These prebends were given as compensation for annual military service, for which they received no pay. In rare circumstances women could become timar holders. However, this privilege was restricted to women who were prominent within
14756-540: Was given 2 billion lei help from the Romanian government. They also have a political party named Alliance for Equality and European Justice (ABDE; Ligãturea ti Egaliteati shi Ndrept European ), which is the only in the world along with two in North Macedonia, and two social organisations named Shoqata Arumunët/Vllehtë e Shqiperisë (The Society of the Aromanians/Vlachs of Albania) and Unioni Kombëtar Arumun Shqiptar (The Aromanian Albanian National Union). Many of
14880-432: Was needed to maintain them. Essentially, the gun was cheaper than a horse. By the early decades of the seventeenth century, much of the Timar revenue was brought into the central treasury as substitute money ( bedel ) for exemption from military service. Since they were no longer needed, when the Timar holders died off, their holdings would not be reassigned, but were brought under imperial domain. Once under direct control
15004-540: Was one of the provinces of the Ioannina Prefecture. Its territory corresponded with that of the current municipality of Metsovo, except for most of the municipal unit of Egnatia . It was abolished in 2006. The present municipality of Metsovo was created by the 2011 local government reform, by the merger of the following 3 former municipalities that became municipal units: The municipality of Metsovo has an area of 363.656 square kilometres (140.408 sq mi),
15128-401: Was paid 15 kuruşlar annually for his role as supervisor of the region. In actuality, his duties were performed by a local clergyman, who was elected by the people of Metsovo, approved by the patriarchate, and was obliged to act in the name of the catholic exarch. From 1818, the election of the clergyman was by vote of the ephors of the schools of Metsovo, with his election then being ratified by
15252-569: Was within the Latin sphere of influence in the Northern Balkans, north of the Jireček Line , which roughly demarcated the areas of influence of Latin and Greek. With the Slavic breakthrough of the Danube frontier in the 7th century, Latin-speakers were pushed further southwards. Based on linguistic considerations, Olga Tomic concludes that Aromanians moved from Thrace to their present locations after
15376-426: Was written in the Greek alphabet and aimed at spreading Greek among Aromanian-speakers. By the early 19th century, however, the distinct Latin-derived nature of the Aromanian language began to be studied in a series of grammars and language booklets. In 1815, the Aromanians of Budapest requested permission to use their language in liturgy , but it was turned down by the local metropolitan. The establishment of
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