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{{unreliable sources}}
{{main|Romanians of Serbia}}
{{seealso|Romanians of Serbia}}
{{Ethnic group
{{Ethnic group
|group=Vlachs (Romanians) of Serbia<br/>''Rumâni din Sârbie''
|group=Vlachs of Serbia<br/>''Rumâni/Rumîńi din Sârbie''
|image=[[Image:Iabucovat.jpg|300px]]
|image=[[Image:Iabucovat.jpg|300px]]
|poptime=40,000 (census 2002) <br>250,000–400,000 (estimated)
|poptime=40.054 (census 2002)<br>200,000 (est.)
|popplace=[[Central Serbia]]
|popplace=[[Eastern Serbia|Eastern]] [[Central Serbia]]
|langs=[[Vlach language in Serbia|Vlach]] ([[Romanian language|Romanian]]) |rels=Predominantly '''† [[Orthodox Church|Orthodox Christianity]]'''.
|langs=[[Serbian language]]<ref name=Declaration5>Declaration of the National Council, point 5</ref><br>[[Vlach language in Serbia|Vlach language]]<ref name=Declaration5/> |rels=Predominantly '''† [[Orthodox Church|Orthodox Christianity]]'''.

}}
}}


The '''[[Vlachs]] of [[Serbia]]''' ([[endonym]]: ''Rumâni'', {{lang-sr|Власи}}, ''Vlasi'') are an ethnic [[minority]], officially numbering 40.054 people, or 0.5% of [[Demographics of Serbia|the Serbian population]]. They are [[bilingual]], and speak a [[Daco-Romanian]] dialect, the [[Vlach language in Serbia|Vlach language]]<ref name=Declaration5/> (awaiting standardization,<ref>Declaration of the National Council, point 4</ref> also considered a [[Romanian dialect]]), with some 54,818 speakers. The Vlachs today self-identify as ''[[Serbians]]'', and do not consider themselves to belong to [[Romania]] or the Romanian nation.<ref>Declaration of the National Council, points 3 and 10</ref> They are culturally and linguistically linked to the [[Romanians]], and by the "Declaration of the Vlachs", they seek further cooperation between Romania and Serbia, and their citizens.<ref>Declaration of the National Council, point 9</ref>
The '''[[Vlachs]]''' of [[Serbia]] ([[endonym]]: ''Rumâni'', [[Serbian language|Serbian]]: Власи or ''Vlasi'') are an ethnic minority of [[Serbia]], culturally and linguistically an ethnic subgroup of [[Romanians]].<ref name="cnmnr.org.rs">http://www.cnmnr.org.rs/ko%20su%20vlasi.html</ref>


Vlachs mostly live in eastern Serbia, mainly in [[Timočka Krajina]] region (roughly corresponding to [[Bor District|Bor]] and [[Zaječar District]] districts), but also in [[Braničevo District|Braničevo]] and [[Pomoravlje District|Pomoravlje]] districts. Also a small Vlach population exists in [[Smederevo]] and [[Velika Plana]] ([[Podunavlje District]]), and in the municipalities of [[Aleksinac]] and [[Kruševac]] ([[Rasina District]]), as well as in the [[South Banat District]] in [[Vojvodina|Voivodina]].
Vlachs mostly live in eastern Serbia, mainly in [[Timočka Krajina]] region (roughly corresponding to [[Bor District|Bor]] and [[Zaječar District]] districts), but also in [[Braničevo District|Braničevo]] and [[Pomoravlje District|Pomoravlje]] districts. Also a small Vlach population exists in [[Smederevo]] and [[Velika Plana]] ([[Podunavlje District]]), and in the municipalities of [[Aleksinac]] and [[Kruševac]] ([[Rasina District]]), as well as in the [[South Banat District]] in [[Vojvodina|Voivodina]].
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[[File:Rumuni (vlasi) Ždrelo.JPG|thumb|Romanians (Vlachs) from the village Zdrelo in 1868]] The name they identify with ''Rumâni din Sârbie'' in fact means Romanians from Serbia. Although they are ethnographically and linguistically related to the Romanians, within the Vlach community there are divergences on whether they belong or not to the Romanian nation and whether their minority should be amalgamated with the Romanian minority in Vojvodina.<ref name="coe">[http://assembly.coe.int/main.asp?Link=/documents/workingdocs/doc08/edoc11528.htm "The situation of national minorities in Vojvodina and of the Romanian ethnic minority in Serbia"], at the [[Council of Europe]], 14 February 2008</ref>
[[File:Rumuni (vlasi) Ždrelo.JPG|thumb|Romanians (Vlachs) from the village Zdrelo in 1868]] The name they identify with ''Rumâni din Sârbie'' in fact means Romanians from Serbia. Although they are ethnographically and linguistically related to the Romanians, within the Vlach community there are divergences on whether they belong or not to the Romanian nation and whether their minority should be amalgamated with the Romanian minority in Vojvodina.<ref name="coe">[http://assembly.coe.int/main.asp?Link=/documents/workingdocs/doc08/edoc11528.htm "The situation of national minorities in Vojvodina and of the Romanian ethnic minority in Serbia"], at the [[Council of Europe]], 14 February 2008</ref>


In a [[Romania]]n-[[Yugoslavia|Yugoslav]] agreement from the November 4, 2002, the Yugoslav authorities agreed to recognize the Romanian identity of the Vlach population in Central Serbia,<ref>[[Adevărul]], November 6, 2002: ''Prin acordul privind minoritatile, semnat, luni, la Belgrad, de catre presedintii Ion Iliescu si Voislav Kostunita, statul iugoslav recunoaste dreptul apartenentei la minoritatea romaneasca din Iugoslavia al celor aproape 120.000 de vlahi (cifra neoficiala), care traiesc in Valea Timocului, in Serbia de Rasarit. Reprezentantii romanilor din Iugoslavia, profesori, ziaristi, scriitori, i-au multumit, ieri, la Pancevo, sefului statului pentru aceasta intelegere cu guvernul de la Belgrad. Acordul este considerat de importanta istorica pentru romanii din Valea Timocului, care, din timpul lui Iosip Broz Tito, traiesc fara drept la invatamant si viata religioasa in limba materna, practic nerecunoscuti ca etnie. "Nu vom face ca fostul regim, sa numim noi care sunt minoritatile nationale sau sa stergem cu guma alte minoritati", a spus, ieri, Rasim Ljajic, ministrul sarb pentru minoritati, la intalnirea de la Pancevo a presedintelui cu romanii din Iugoslavia. Deocamdata, statul iugoslav nu a recunoscut prin lege statutul vlahilor de pe Valea Timocului, insa de-acum va acorda acestora dreptul la optiunea etnica, va permite, in decembrie, constituirea Consiliului Reprezentantilor Romani si va participa in Comisia mixta romano-iugoslava la monitorizarea problemelor minoritatilor sarba si romana din cele doua state. In Iugoslavia traiesc cateva sute de mii de romani. Presedintele Ion Iliescu s-a angajat, ieri, pentru o politica mai activa privind romanii din afara granitelor: "Avem mari datorii fata de romanii care traiesc in afara granitelor. Autocritic vorbind, nu ne-am facut intotdeauna datoria. De dragul de a nu afecta relatiile noastre cu vecinii, am fost mai retinuti, mai prudenti in a sustine cauza romanilor din statele vecine. (...) Ungurii ne dau lectii din acest punct de vedere", a spus presedintele, precizand ca romanii trebuie sa-si apere cauza "pe baza de buna intelegere". ''</ref> but the agreement wasn't applied.<ref>[http://www.curierulnational.ro/Specializat/2003-01-25/Sa+nu-i+uitam%2C+pe+cei...+uitati Curierul Naţional, 25 ianuarie 2003]: ''Chiar si acordul dintre presedintii Ion Iliescu si Voislav Kostunita, semnat la sfarsitul anului trecut, nu este respectat, in ceea ce priveste minoritatile, deoarece locuitorii din Valea Timocului, numiti vlahi, nu sunt recunoscuti ca minoritari, ci doar „grup etnic“.''</ref> In April 2005, 23 deputies from the [[Council of Europe]] protested against Serbia's treatment of this population.<ref>[http://assembly.coe.int//Mainf.asp?link=http://assembly.coe.int/Documents/WorkingDocs/Doc05/edoc10533.htm#TopOfPage Parliamentary Assembly, 28 April 2005]: ''Deeply concerned over the cultural situation of the so-called “Vlach” Romanians dwelling in 154 ethnic Romanian localities 48 localities of mixed ethnic make-up between the Danube, Timok and Morava Rivers who since 1833 have been unable to enjoy ethnic rights in schools and churches''</ref>
In a [[Romania]]n-[[Yugoslavia|Yugoslav]] agreement from the November 4, 2002, the Yugoslav authorities agreed to recognize the Romanian identity of the Vlach population in Central Serbia,<ref>[[Adevărul]], November 6, 2002: ''Prin acordul privind minoritatile, semnat, luni, la Belgrad, de catre presedintii Ion Iliescu si Voislav Kostunita, statul iugoslav recunoaste dreptul apartenentei la minoritatea romaneasca din Iugoslavia al celor aproape 120.000 de vlahi (cifra neoficiala), care traiesc in Valea Timocului, in Serbia de Rasarit. Reprezentantii romanilor din Iugoslavia, profesori, ziaristi, scriitori, i-au multumit, ieri, la Pancevo, sefului statului pentru aceasta intelegere cu guvernul de la Belgrad. Acordul este considerat de importanta istorica pentru romanii din Valea Timocului, care, din timpul lui Iosip Broz Tito, traiesc fara drept la invatamant si viata religioasa in limba materna, practic nerecunoscuti ca etnie. "Nu vom face ca fostul regim, sa numim noi care sunt minoritatile nationale sau sa stergem cu guma alte minoritati", a spus, ieri, Rasim Ljajic, ministrul sarb pentru minoritati, la intalnirea de la Pancevo a presedintelui cu romanii din Iugoslavia. Deocamdata, statul iugoslav nu a recunoscut prin lege statutul vlahilor de pe Valea Timocului, insa de-acum va acorda acestora dreptul la optiunea etnica, va permite, in decembrie, constituirea Consiliului Reprezentantilor Romani si va participa in Comisia mixta romano-iugoslava la monitorizarea problemelor minoritatilor sarba si romana din cele doua state. In Iugoslavia traiesc cateva sute de mii de romani. Presedintele Ion Iliescu s-a angajat, ieri, pentru o politica mai activa privind romanii din afara granitelor: "Avem mari datorii fata de romanii care traiesc in afara granitelor. Autocritic vorbind, nu ne-am facut intotdeauna datoria. De dragul de a nu afecta relatiile noastre cu vecinii, am fost mai retinuti, mai prudenti in a sustine cauza romanilor din statele vecine. (...) Ungurii ne dau lectii din acest punct de vedere", a spus presedintele, precizand ca romanii trebuie sa-si apere cauza "pe baza de buna intelegere". ''</ref> but the agreement wasn't applied.<ref>[http://www.curierulnational.ro/Specializat/2003-01-25/Sa+nu-i+uitam%2C+pe+cei...+uitati Curierul Naţional, 25 ianuarie 2003]: ''Chiar si acordul dintre presedintii Ion Iliescu si Voislav Kostunita, semnat la sfarsitul anului trecut, nu este respectat, in ceea ce priveste minoritatile, deoarece locuitorii din Valea Timocului, numiti vlahi, nu sunt recunoscuti ca minoritari, ci doar „grup etnic“.''</ref>{{verify source}} In April 2005, 23 deputies from the [[Council of Europe]] protested against Serbia's treatment of this population.<ref>[http://assembly.coe.int//Mainf.asp?link=http://assembly.coe.int/Documents/WorkingDocs/Doc05/edoc10533.htm#TopOfPage Parliamentary Assembly, 28 April 2005]: ''Deeply concerned over the cultural situation of the so-called “Vlach” Romanians dwelling in 154 ethnic Romanian localities 48 localities of mixed ethnic make-up between the Danube, Timok and Morava Rivers who since 1833 have been unable to enjoy ethnic rights in schools and churches''</ref>


==Origins of Vlachs/Romanians of Northeast Serbia==
==Origins of Vlachs/Romanians of Northeast Serbia==


The origins of the Vlachs/Romanians of northeast Serbia are not well known to most Vlachs, principally because nothing is taught about the subject in Serbian schools.<ref name="coe"/> As Roman-speakers, the Vlachs can relate to the Roman ruins (forts, roads, palaces, graves, baths, aqueducts, mines, half-buried cities etc.) that are scattered in NE Serbia,<ref>[http://www.viminacium.org.rs/,"Viminacium"]</ref><ref>{{Sr icon}} [http://www.anarheologija.org/veliki/romuliana/ "Felix Romuliana"]</ref> as indeed they are throughout the entire Balkan Peninsula. Following Roman withdrawal from [[Dacia]] in the 3rd century, much of what is now Serbia and Bulgaria was renamed [[Dacia Aureliana]] (later [[Dacia ripensis]]), and an undetermined number of [[Thraco-Roman|Romanized Dacians]] was settled there.<ref>Alaric Watson, ''Aurelian and the Third Century,'' Routlege, 1999.</ref> Strong Roman presence in the region persisted through the end of Justinian's reign in the 6th century.<ref>William Rosen, ''Justinian's Flea: Plague, Empire, and the Birth of Europe,'' Viking Adult, 2007.</ref>
The origins of the Vlachs/Romanians of northeast Serbia are not well known to most Vlachs, principally because nothing is taught about the subject in Serbian schools.<ref name="coe"/> As Roman-speakers, the Vlachs can relate to the Roman ruins (forts, roads, palaces, graves, baths, aqueducts, mines, half-buried cities etc.) that are scattered in NE Serbia,<ref>[http://www.viminacium.org.rs/,"Viminacium"]</ref><ref>{{Sr icon}} [http://www.anarheologija.org/veliki/romuliana/ "Felix Romuliana"]</ref> as indeed they are throughout the entire Balkan Peninsula. Following Roman withdrawal from [[Dacia]] in the 3rd century, much of what is now Serbia and Bulgaria was renamed [[Dacia Aureliana]] (later [[Dacia ripensis]]), and an undetermined number of [[Thraco-Roman|Romanized Dacians]] was settled there.<ref>Alaric Watson, ''Aurelian and the Third Century,'' Routlege, 1999.</ref>{{page needed}} Strong Roman presence in the region persisted through the end of Justinian's reign in the 6th century.<ref>William Rosen, ''Justinian's Flea: Plague, Empire, and the Birth of Europe,'' Viking Adult, 2007.</ref>{{page needed}}


The Vlach region of NE Serbia was part of the 12th–14th century Second Bulgarian empire (called in Romania Vlacho-Bulgarian), whose first rulers, the [[Asens]], are sometimes considered Vlach<ref>[http://members.tripod.com/~Groznijat/bulgar/wolff.html Wolff], Robert Lee Wolff, The Second Bulgarian Empire: Its Origin and History to 1204, SpeculumVolume 24, Issue 2 , 1949.</ref>.. The chroniclers of the crusaders describe meeting with Vlachs in the 12th and 13th century in various parts of what is now Serbia.<ref name="zef">{{Hr icon}}Zef Mirdita, Vlasi u historiografiji, Hrvatski institut za povijest, Zagreb 2004.</ref><ref name="mal">Noel Malcolm, Kosovo, ''A short History,'' University Press, NY, 1999.</ref> Serbian documents from the 13th and 14th century mention Vlachs, including Tsar Dushan's famous prohibition of intermarriage between Serbs and Vlachs.<ref name="zef"/><ref name="mal"/> 14th and 15th century Romanian (Valachian) rulers built churches in NE Serbia.<ref name="kanitz">{{De icon}} Felix Kanitz, ''Serbien,'' Leipzig, 1868.</ref> 15th century Turkish tax records (''defters'') list Vlachs in the region of Branicevo in NE Serbia, near the ancient Roman municipium and colonia of Viminacium.<ref>Noel Malcolm, ''Bosnia: A short History'', University Press, NY, 1994.</ref> The 16th–17th century warlord [[Baba Novac]] (Starina Novak), who served as Michael the Brave's general, was born in NE Serbia.<ref>{{Sr icon}} [http://sr.wikipedia.org/sr-el/%D0%A1%D1%82%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%BD%D0%B0_%D0%9D%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B0%D0%BA , Starina Novak]</ref> Thus the modern descendants of all these people can be held to originate south of the Danube.
The Vlach region of NE Serbia was part of the 12th–14th century Second Bulgarian empire (called in Romania Vlacho-Bulgarian), whose first rulers, the [[Asens]], are sometimes considered Vlach<ref>[http://members.tripod.com/~Groznijat/bulgar/wolff.html Wolff], Robert Lee Wolff, The Second Bulgarian Empire: Its Origin and History to 1204, SpeculumVolume 24, Issue 2 , 1949.</ref>. The chroniclers of the crusaders describe meeting with Vlachs in the 12th and 13th century in various parts of what is now Serbia.<ref name="zef">{{Hr icon}}Zef Mirdita, Vlasi u historiografiji, Hrvatski institut za povijest, Zagreb 2004.</ref>{{page needed}}<ref name="mal">Noel Malcolm, Kosovo, ''A short History,'' University Press, NY, 1999.</ref>{{page needed}} Serbian documents from the 13th and 14th century mention Vlachs, including Tsar Dushan's famous prohibition of intermarriage between Serbs and Vlachs.<ref name="zef"/><ref name="mal"/> 14th and 15th century Romanian (Valachian) rulers built churches in NE Serbia.<ref name="kanitz">{{De icon}} Felix Kanitz, ''Serbien,'' Leipzig, 1868.</ref>{{page needed}} 15th century Turkish tax records (''defters'') list Vlachs in the region of Branicevo in NE Serbia, near the ancient Roman municipium and colonia of Viminacium.<ref>Noel Malcolm, ''Bosnia: A short History'', University Press, NY, 1994.</ref>{{page needed}}


Starting in the early 18th century NE Serbia was settled by Romanians (then known by their international exonym as Vlachs) from Banat, parts of Transylvania, and Oltenia (Lesser Walachia).<ref name="zef"/> These are the Ungureni (Ungurjani), Munteni (Munćani) and Bufeni (Bufani). Today about three quarters of the Vlach population speak the Ungurean [[subdialect]]. In the 19th century other groups of Romanians, originating in [[Oltenia]] (Lesser Wallachia), also settled south of the Danube.<ref>{{Sr icon}} Kosta Jovanovic, ''Negotinska Krajina i Kljuc'', Belgrade, 1940</ref> These are the Ţărani (Carani), who form some 25% of the modern population. The very name Ţărani indicates their origin in Ţara Româneasca, i.e., "The Romanian Land," Wallachia and Oltenia. It should be noted that from the 15th through the 18th centuries large numbers of Serbs also migrated across the Danube, but in the opposite direction. Significant migration ended with the establishment of the kingdoms of Serbia and Rumania, respectively, in the second half of the 19th century.
Starting in the early 18th century NE Serbia was settled by Romanians (then known by their international exonym as Vlachs) from Banat, parts of Transylvania, and Oltenia (Lesser Walachia).<ref name="zef"/> These are the Ungureni (Ungurjani), Munteni (Munćani) and Bufeni (Bufani). Today about three quarters of the Vlach population speak the Ungurean [[subdialect]]. In the 19th century other groups of Romanians, originating in [[Oltenia]] (Lesser Wallachia), also settled south of the Danube.<ref>{{Sr icon}} Kosta Jovanovic, ''Negotinska Krajina i Kljuc'', Belgrade, 1940</ref> These are the Ţărani (Carani), who form some 25% of the modern population. The very name Ţărani indicates their origin in Ţara Româneasca, i.e., "The Romanian Land," Wallachia and Oltenia. It should be noted that from the 15th through the 18th centuries large numbers of Serbs also migrated across the Danube, but in the opposite direction. Significant migration ended with the establishment of the kingdoms of Serbia and Rumania, respectively, in the second half of the 19th century.
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The lack of detailed census records and the linguistic effects of the Ungureni and Ţărani on the entire Vlach population make it difficult to determine what fraction of the present Vlachs can trace their origins directly to the ancient south-of-the-Danube Vlachs. The Vlachs of NE Serbia form a contiguous linguistic, cultural and historic group with the Vlachs in the region of Vidin in Bulgaria, as well as the Romanians of [[Banat]] and [[Oltenia]] (Lesser Wallachia).
The lack of detailed census records and the linguistic effects of the Ungureni and Ţărani on the entire Vlach population make it difficult to determine what fraction of the present Vlachs can trace their origins directly to the ancient south-of-the-Danube Vlachs. The Vlachs of NE Serbia form a contiguous linguistic, cultural and historic group with the Vlachs in the region of Vidin in Bulgaria, as well as the Romanians of [[Banat]] and [[Oltenia]] (Lesser Wallachia).


Some authors consider that the majority of Vlachs/Romanians in [[Timocka Krajina]] are descendants of Romanians that migrated from Hungary in the 18th and 19th century.<ref>''Aspects of the Balkans: continuity and change. Contributions to the International Balkan Conference held at UCLA,'' October 23–28, 1969
Some authors consider that the majority of Vlachs in [[Timocka Krajina]] are descendants of Romanians that migrated from Hungary in the 18th and 19th century.<ref>''Aspects of the Balkans: continuity and change. Contributions to the International Balkan Conference held at UCLA,'' October 23–28, 1969
</ref>
</ref>


==Language==
==Language==
⚫
The [[Vlach language in Serbia|language spoken by the Vlachs]] consists of two distinct [[Varieties of the Romanian language|subdialects of Romanian]] spoken in the adjacent regions of Romania: one major group of Vlachs speaks the subdialect spoken in the [[Mehedinţi]] county in western Oltenia, while that of the other major group speaks a subdialect similar to the one spoken in the neighboring region of [[Banat]].{{cn}}


⚫
The Romanian language is not in use in local administration, not even in places where Vlachs represent more than 15% of the population. (according to Serbian law, the use of the language in local administration is allowed in places where the minority has a percentage higher than 15%).<ref name="coe"/>
⚫
The [[Vlach language in Serbia|language spoken by the Vlachs]] consists of two distinct [[Varieties of the Romanian language|Romanian subdialects of Romanian dialects]] spoken in the neighboring regions of Romania: one major group of Vlachs speaks the subdialect spoken in the [[Mehedinţi]] county in western Oltenia, while that of the other major group speaks a subdialect similar to the Romanian subdialect spoken in the neighboring region of [[Banat]].

⚫
The Romanian language is not in use in local administration, not even in places where more the members of the minority represent more than 15% of the population. (according to Serbian law, the use of the language in local administration is allowed in places where the minority has a percentage higher than 15%).<ref name="coe"/>
<gallery caption="The Romanian vocabulary in Central Serbia. Researches made by [[Gustav Weigand]]:" widths="100px" heights="100px" perrow="5">
<gallery caption="The Romanian vocabulary in Central Serbia. Researches made by [[Gustav Weigand]]:" widths="100px" heights="100px" perrow="5">
File:Sprachatlas Weigand 67.JPG|The Romanian linguistic areal
File:Sprachatlas Weigand 67.JPG|The Romanian linguistic areal
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==Religion==
==Religion==
⚫
Most Vlachs are [[Eastern Orthodox church|Orthodox Christians]] and are adherents of the [[Serbian Orthodox Church]], and since 24 March 2009, in [[Timočka Krajina]], of the [[Romanian Orthodox Church]] which was recognized and added to the list of religious organizations of Serbia.<ref>http://www.ziuadevest.ro/actualitate/5863-biserica-roman-din-timoc-a-fost-recunoscut-de-ctre-curtea-suprem-de-justiie-a-serbiei.html</ref>

⚫
Most Vlachs(Romanians) of Eastern Serbia are [[Eastern Orthodox church|Orthodox Christians]] and they used to belong the [[Serbian Orthodox Church]] since the 19th century until 24 March 2009 when Serbia recognized the authority of the [[Romanian Orthodox Church]] in [[Timočka Krajina|Valea Timocului]] and the confessional rights of the Vlachs(Romanians).<ref>http://www.ziuadevest.ro/actualitate/5863-biserica-roman-din-timoc-a-fost-recunoscut-de-ctre-curtea-suprem-de-justiie-a-serbiei.html</ref>


Previously, the 2006 Serbian law on religious organizations didn't recognize the [[Romanian Orthodox Church]] as a traditional church, as it received permission from the Serbian Church to operate only within Vojvodina, but not in Timočka Krajina.<ref name="coe"/> At Malajnica, a Vlach priest belonging to the Romanian Orthodox Church met deliberately raised administrative barriers in his attempt to build a church.<ref name="coe"/><ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/romanian/news/story/2005/09/050916_malainita.shtml "Biserica românească din Malainiţa ameninţată din nou"], ''BBC Romanian'', 16 September 2005</ref> Other Romanian Orthodox churches are planned or under construction in Jasikovo, Cuprija, Bigrenica and Samarinovac. Additionally, a Romanian Orthodox monastery is under construction in Malajnica. The Romanian Orthodox churches in Eastern Central Serbia are subordinated to the ''Protopresbyteriat Dacia Ripensis'' with its seat in [[Negotin]]. The protopresbyteriat is subordinated to the Romanian Orthodox diocese Dacia Felix with its seat in [[Vršac]].
Previously, the 2006 Serbian law on religious organizations didn't recognize the [[Romanian Orthodox Church]] as a traditional church, as it received permission from the Serbian Church to operate only within Vojvodina, but not in Timočka Krajina.<ref name="coe"/> At Malajnica, a Vlach priest belonging to the Romanian Orthodox Church met deliberately raised administrative barriers in his attempt to build a church.<ref name="coe"/><ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/romanian/news/story/2005/09/050916_malainita.shtml "Biserica românească din Malainiţa ameninţată din nou"], ''BBC Romanian'', 16 September 2005</ref> Other Romanian Orthodox churches are planned or under construction in Jasikovo, Cuprija, Bigrenica and Samarinovac. Additionally, a Romanian Orthodox monastery is under construction in Malajnica. The Romanian Orthodox churches in Eastern Central Serbia are subordinated to the ''Protopresbyteriat Dacia Ripensis'' with its seat in [[Negotin]]. The protopresbyteriat is subordinated to the Romanian Orthodox diocese Dacia Felix with its seat in [[Vršac]].
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==Population==
==Population==
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:Romanian settlements in Central Serbia.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Settlements inhabited by Romanians (Vlachs) before WW1]] -->
[[File:Rumani dunareni 1920 1921.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Localities with a Romanian majority in [[Central Serbia]] (census 1921) and Northern [[Bulgaria]] (census 1920)]]
In the 2002 census 40,054 people in Serbia declared themselves ethnic Vlachs, and 54,818 people declared themselves speakers of the [[Vlach language (Serbia)|Vlach language]].<ref name="popis2002">{{Sr icon}} {{PDFlink|[http://webrzs.stat.gov.rs/axd/Zip/SN31.pdf Official Results of Serbian Census 2002&ndash;Population by ethnic groups]|477&nbsp;[[Kibibyte|KiB]]<!-- application/pdf, 488946 bytes -->}}, p. 2 and {{PDFlink|[http://webrzs.stat.gov.rs/axd/Zip/VJN3.pdf Official Results of Serbian Census 2002&ndash;Population by language]|441&nbsp;[[Kibibyte|KiB]]<!-- application/pdf, 452227 bytes -->}}, p. 12</ref> The Vlachs of Serbia are recognized as a minority, like the [[Romanians of Serbia]], which number 34,576 according to the 2002 census. On the census, the Vlachs declared themselves either as Serbs, Vlachs or Romanians. Therefore, the "real" number of the people of Vlach origin could be much greater than the number of recorded Vlachs, both due to mixed marriages with Serbs and also Serbian national feeling among some Vlachs.
In the 2002 census 40,054 people in Serbia declared themselves ethnic Vlachs, and 54,818 people declared themselves speakers of the [[Vlach language (Serbia)|Vlach language]].<ref name="popis2002">{{Sr icon}} {{PDFlink|[http://webrzs.stat.gov.rs/axd/Zip/SN31.pdf Official Results of Serbian Census 2002&ndash;Population by ethnic groups]|477&nbsp;[[Kibibyte|KiB]]<!-- application/pdf, 488946 bytes -->}}, p. 2 and {{PDFlink|[http://webrzs.stat.gov.rs/axd/Zip/VJN3.pdf Official Results of Serbian Census 2002&ndash;Population by language]|441&nbsp;[[Kibibyte|KiB]]<!-- application/pdf, 452227 bytes -->}}, p. 12</ref> The Vlachs of Serbia are recognized as a minority, like the [[Romanians of Serbia]], which number 34,576 according to the 2002 census. On the census, the Vlachs declared themselves either as Serbs, Vlachs or Romanians. Therefore, the "real" number of the people of Vlach origin could be much greater than the number of recorded Vlachs, both due to mixed marriages with Serbs and also Serbian national feeling among some Vlachs.


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==Vlach identity==
==Vlach identity==
⚫
The term "''Vlach''" is the English transcription of the Serbian term used to describe this group (''Vlasi''), while "''Roumanians''" or "''Romanians''" is the English transcription of its Romanian counterpart (''român/rumân'').<ref>[http://www.ziua.net/display.php?id=147558&data=2004-05-17 Ziua.net]</ref><ref>[http://2004.rgnpress.ro/index.php?option=com_ab_calendar&month=09&year=2004&day=02&Itemid=1 Interview with Predrag Balašević, president of the Romanian/Vlach Democratic Party of Serbia]: "We all know that we call ourselves in Romanian ''Romanians'' and in Serbian ''Vlachs''."</ref>

⚫
The term "''Vlach''" is the English transcription of the Serbian term used to describe this group (''Vlasi''), while "''Roumanians''" or "''Romanians''" is the English transcription of its Romanian counterpart (''român/rumân'').<ref>[http://www.ziua.net/display.php?id=147558&data=2004-05-17 Ziua.net]</ref><ref>[http://2004.rgnpress.ro/index.php?option=com_ab_calendar&month=09&year=2004&day=02&Itemid=1 Interview with Predrag Balašević, president of the Romanian/Vlach Democratic Party of Serbia]: "We all know that we call ourselves in Romanian Romanians and in Serbian Vlachs."</ref>


Despite their recognition as a separate ethnic group by the Serbian government, Vlachs are cognate to Romanians in the cultural and linguistic sense. Some Romanians, as well as international linguists and anthropologists, consider Serbia's Vlachs to be a subgroup of Romanians. Additionally, the Movement of Romanians-Vlachs in Serbia, which represents some Vlachs, has called for the recognition of the Vlachs as a Romanian national minority, giving them similar rights to the [[Romanians of Serbia|Romanians of Vojvodina]]. However, on the last census results most Vlachs (Romanians) of Eastern Serbia opted rather for the Serbian [[exonym]] ''vlasi'' (=Vlachs) than ''rumuni'' (=Romanians).<ref name="popis2002"/> As a result of [[serbianization]], most Vlachs declare themselves as "Serbs" on the census during [[Communist Yugoslavia]], though the number of those who preferred to declare Vlachs or Romanians strongly increased from 1991 (16,539 declared ''vlasi'' and 42 declared ''rumuni'') to 2001 (39,953 declared ''vlasi'' and 4,157 declared ''rumuni'')
Despite their recognition as a separate ethnic group by the Serbian government, Vlachs are cognate to Romanians in the cultural and linguistic sense. Some Romanians, as well as international linguists and anthropologists, consider Serbia's Vlachs to be a subgroup of Romanians. Additionally, the Movement of Romanians-Vlachs in Serbia, which represents some Vlachs, has called for the recognition of the Vlachs as a Romanian national minority, giving them similar rights to the [[Romanians of Serbia|Romanians of Vojvodina]]. However, on the last census results most Vlachs (Romanians) of Eastern Serbia opted rather for the Serbian [[exonym]] ''vlasi'' (=Vlachs) than ''rumuni'' (=Romanians).<ref name="popis2002"/> As a result of [[serbianization]], most Vlachs declare themselves as "Serbs" on the census during [[Communist Yugoslavia]], though the number of those who preferred to declare Vlachs or Romanians strongly increased from 1991 (16,539 declared ''vlasi'' and 42 declared ''rumuni'') to 2001 (39,953 declared ''vlasi'' and 4,157 declared ''rumuni'')
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==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}
===Sources===
*National Council of Vlachs (in Serbia), [http://www.vlasi.rs/index.php?page=3 ''DEKLARACIJA NACIONALNOG SAVETA VLAHA O OSTVARIVANJU I UNAPREĐENJU PRAVA VLAŠKE NACIONALNE ZAJEDNICE''], [Declaration of the National Council] (06. 11. 2010) by President Rаdišа Drаgojević.
* [[Talk:Romanians of Serbia/M.Fifor Assimilation or Acculturalisation: Creating Identities in the New Europe. The case of Vlachs in Serbia|M. V. Fifor. ''Assimilation or Acculturalisation: Creating Identities in the New Europe. The case of Vlachs in Serbia.'']] Published in Cultural Identity and Ethnicity in Central Europe, [[Jagellonian University]], Cracow 2000
* [[Talk:Romanians of Serbia/M.Fifor Assimilation or Acculturalisation: Creating Identities in the New Europe. The case of Vlachs in Serbia|M. V. Fifor. ''Assimilation or Acculturalisation: Creating Identities in the New Europe. The case of Vlachs in Serbia.'']] Published in Cultural Identity and Ethnicity in Central Europe, [[Jagellonian University]], Cracow 2000
* [http://www.melnica.com/Vlasi.htm Vlasi... ko su, sta su i odakle poticu ?] (Serbian language)
* [http://www.melnica.com/Vlasi.htm Vlasi... ko su, sta su i odakle poticu ?] (Serbian language)
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{{Ethnic groups in Serbia}}
{{Ethnic groups in Serbia}}
{{Romanian diaspora}}
{{Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox Christians}}
{{Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox Christians}}


Revision as of 12:09, 28 July 2011

See also: Romanians of Serbia
Vlachs of Serbia
Rumâni/Rumîńi din Sârbie
Regions with significant populations
Eastern Central Serbia
Languages
Serbian language[1]
Vlach language[1]
Religion
Predominantly † Orthodox Christianity.

The Vlachs of Serbia (endonym: Rumâni, Serbian: Власи, Vlasi) are an ethnic minority, officially numbering 40.054 people, or 0.5% of the Serbian population. They are bilingual, and speak a Daco-Romanian dialect, the Vlach language[1] (awaiting standardization,[2] also considered a Romanian dialect), with some 54,818 speakers. The Vlachs today self-identify as Serbians, and do not consider themselves to belong to Romania or the Romanian nation.[3] They are culturally and linguistically linked to the Romanians, and by the "Declaration of the Vlachs", they seek further cooperation between Romania and Serbia, and their citizens.[4]

Vlachs mostly live in eastern Serbia, mainly in Timočka Krajina region (roughly corresponding to Bor and Zaječar District districts), but also in Braničevo and Pomoravlje districts. Also a small Vlach population exists in Smederevo and Velika Plana (Podunavlje District), and in the municipalities of Aleksinac and Kruševac (Rasina District), as well as in the South Banat District in Voivodina.

Romanians (Vlachs) from the village Zdrelo in 1868

The name they identify with Rumâni din Sârbie in fact means Romanians from Serbia. Although they are ethnographically and linguistically related to the Romanians, within the Vlach community there are divergences on whether they belong or not to the Romanian nation and whether their minority should be amalgamated with the Romanian minority in Vojvodina.[5]

In a Romanian-Yugoslav agreement from the November 4, 2002, the Yugoslav authorities agreed to recognize the Romanian identity of the Vlach population in Central Serbia,[6] but the agreement wasn't applied.[7][verification needed] In April 2005, 23 deputies from the Council of Europe protested against Serbia's treatment of this population.[8]

Origins of Vlachs/Romanians of Northeast Serbia

The origins of the Vlachs/Romanians of northeast Serbia are not well known to most Vlachs, principally because nothing is taught about the subject in Serbian schools.[5] As Roman-speakers, the Vlachs can relate to the Roman ruins (forts, roads, palaces, graves, baths, aqueducts, mines, half-buried cities etc.) that are scattered in NE Serbia,[9][10] as indeed they are throughout the entire Balkan Peninsula. Following Roman withdrawal from Dacia in the 3rd century, much of what is now Serbia and Bulgaria was renamed Dacia Aureliana (later Dacia ripensis), and an undetermined number of Romanized Dacians was settled there.[11][page needed] Strong Roman presence in the region persisted through the end of Justinian's reign in the 6th century.[12][page needed]

The Vlach region of NE Serbia was part of the 12th–14th century Second Bulgarian empire (called in Romania Vlacho-Bulgarian), whose first rulers, the Asens, are sometimes considered Vlach[13]. The chroniclers of the crusaders describe meeting with Vlachs in the 12th and 13th century in various parts of what is now Serbia.[14][page needed][15][page needed] Serbian documents from the 13th and 14th century mention Vlachs, including Tsar Dushan's famous prohibition of intermarriage between Serbs and Vlachs.[14][15] 14th and 15th century Romanian (Valachian) rulers built churches in NE Serbia.[16][page needed] 15th century Turkish tax records (defters) list Vlachs in the region of Branicevo in NE Serbia, near the ancient Roman municipium and colonia of Viminacium.[17][page needed]

Starting in the early 18th century NE Serbia was settled by Romanians (then known by their international exonym as Vlachs) from Banat, parts of Transylvania, and Oltenia (Lesser Walachia).[14] These are the Ungureni (Ungurjani), Munteni (Munćani) and Bufeni (Bufani). Today about three quarters of the Vlach population speak the Ungurean subdialect. In the 19th century other groups of Romanians, originating in Oltenia (Lesser Wallachia), also settled south of the Danube.[18] These are the Ţărani (Carani), who form some 25% of the modern population. The very name Ţărani indicates their origin in Ţara Româneasca, i.e., "The Romanian Land," Wallachia and Oltenia. It should be noted that from the 15th through the 18th centuries large numbers of Serbs also migrated across the Danube, but in the opposite direction. Significant migration ended with the establishment of the kingdoms of Serbia and Rumania, respectively, in the second half of the 19th century.

The lack of detailed census records and the linguistic effects of the Ungureni and Ţărani on the entire Vlach population make it difficult to determine what fraction of the present Vlachs can trace their origins directly to the ancient south-of-the-Danube Vlachs. The Vlachs of NE Serbia form a contiguous linguistic, cultural and historic group with the Vlachs in the region of Vidin in Bulgaria, as well as the Romanians of Banat and Oltenia (Lesser Wallachia).

Some authors consider that the majority of Vlachs in Timocka Krajina are descendants of Romanians that migrated from Hungary in the 18th and 19th century.[19]

Language

The language spoken by the Vlachs consists of two distinct subdialects of Romanian spoken in the adjacent regions of Romania: one major group of Vlachs speaks the subdialect spoken in the Mehedinţi county in western Oltenia, while that of the other major group speaks a subdialect similar to the one spoken in the neighboring region of Banat.[citation needed]

The Romanian language is not in use in local administration, not even in places where Vlachs represent more than 15% of the population. (according to Serbian law, the use of the language in local administration is allowed in places where the minority has a percentage higher than 15%).[5]

  • The Romanian vocabulary in Central Serbia. Researches made by Gustav Weigand:
  • The Romanian linguistic areal
    The Romanian linguistic areal
  • The extension of the Banatian dialect in Central Serbia
    The extension of the Banatian dialect in Central Serbia

Religion

Most Vlachs are Orthodox Christians and are adherents of the Serbian Orthodox Church, and since 24 March 2009, in Timočka Krajina, of the Romanian Orthodox Church which was recognized and added to the list of religious organizations of Serbia.[20]

Previously, the 2006 Serbian law on religious organizations didn't recognize the Romanian Orthodox Church as a traditional church, as it received permission from the Serbian Church to operate only within Vojvodina, but not in Timočka Krajina.[5] At Malajnica, a Vlach priest belonging to the Romanian Orthodox Church met deliberately raised administrative barriers in his attempt to build a church.[5][21] Other Romanian Orthodox churches are planned or under construction in Jasikovo, Cuprija, Bigrenica and Samarinovac. Additionally, a Romanian Orthodox monastery is under construction in Malajnica. The Romanian Orthodox churches in Eastern Central Serbia are subordinated to the Protopresbyteriat Dacia Ripensis with its seat in Negotin. The protopresbyteriat is subordinated to the Romanian Orthodox diocese Dacia Felix with its seat in Vršac.

The relative isolation of the Vlachs has permitted the survival of various pre-Christian religious customs and beliefs that are frowned upon by the Orthodox Church. Vlach magic rituals are well known across Serbia. Like other Balkan peoples, notably the Serbs, the Vlachs celebrate the praznic (slava), though its meaning is chtonic (related to the house and farmland) rather than familial. The customs of the Vlachs (Romanians) are very similar to those from Southern Romania (Walachia).[22]

Subgroups

Vlachs are divided into many groups, each speaking their own variant:

Of these, the Ungureni of Homolje are related to the Romanians of Banat and Transylvania, since Ungureni (compare with the word "Hungarians") is a term used by the Romanians of Wallachia to describe their kin who once lived in provinces formerly part of the Kingdom of Hungary. The connection is evident in the similarities of dialectal phonology and folk music motifs as well as in sayings such as "Ducă-se pe Mureş" (May the Mureş take it away), a reference to the Transylvanian river.

The Ţărani of the Bor, Negotin and Zaječar regions are closer to Oltenia (Lesser Walachia) in their speech and music. The Ţărani have the saying "Nu dau un leu pe el" (He's not worth even a leu). The reference to "leu" (lion) as currency most likely goes back to the 17th century when the Dutch-issued daalder (leeuwendaalder) bearing the image of a lion was in circulation in the Romanian principalities and elsewhere in the Ottoman Empire whose own currency was habitually being debased by the government. In the Romanian principalities, as well as in Bulgaria, the leeuwendaalder (in Romanian and Bulgarian leu and lev, respectively) came to symbolize a strong currency. Indeed on gaining independence in the 19th century both countries adopted this name for their new currencies. Since newly independent Serbia named its currency (the dinar) after the Roman denarius, the reference to the leu among the Ţărani is an indication of their connection to, if not origin in, what is now Romania.

There has been considerable intermixing between the Ungureni and Ţărani so that a dialect has evolved sharing peculiarities of both regions.

The Bufani are immigrants from Lesser Walachia (Oltenia).

There is also a population of vlachophone (Vlach speaking) Roma centered around the village of Lukovo, as well as a few Aromanian families who live in Knjaževac, but they form a tiny migrant group.

Ethnic map of the Balkans from 1861, by Guillaume Lejean
Ethnic map of the Balkans prior to the First Balkan War, by Paul Vidal de la Blache.
Map of Balkans with regions inhabited by Vlachs highlighted

Dushan’s prohibition[23] of a land-bound serf (i.e., Serb man) from marrying a then Vlach(today Romanian) woman testifies to the desire of the agriculturalists to ease their oppression by returning to the relatively freer life led by the Vlachs(Romanian).

Population

In the 2002 census 40,054 people in Serbia declared themselves ethnic Vlachs, and 54,818 people declared themselves speakers of the Vlach language.[24] The Vlachs of Serbia are recognized as a minority, like the Romanians of Serbia, which number 34,576 according to the 2002 census. On the census, the Vlachs declared themselves either as Serbs, Vlachs or Romanians. Therefore, the "real" number of the people of Vlach origin could be much greater than the number of recorded Vlachs, both due to mixed marriages with Serbs and also Serbian national feeling among some Vlachs.

Historical population

The following numbers reflect on the possible number of Vlachs in the censuses:

  • 1816: 97,215 Romanians (10% of Serbia's population.)[25]
  • 1856: 104,343 Romanians[26]
  • 1859: 122,593 Romanians
  • 1866: 127,545 Romanians (10,5% of Serbia's population)[27]
  • 1884: 149,713 Romanians
  • 1890: 143,684 Romanians
  • 1895: 159,000 Romanians (6,4% of Serbia's population)[28]
  • 1921: 159,549 Romanians/Cincars by mother tongue in Serbia (Vojvodina is not included)
  • 1931: 57,000 Romanians-Vlachs by mother tongue were recorded in Eastern Serbia (52,635 in the Morava Banovina and the rest in southern parts of Danube Banovina, south of the Danube).
  • 1953: 198,793 Vlach-speakers in central Serbia (169,670 declared as Serbs, 29,000 as Vlachs) [citation needed]
  • 1961: 1,330 Vlachs
  • 1981: 135,000 people declared Vlach as their mother language (population figure given for the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia)[29]
  • 1991: 71,536 Vlach-speakers in Serbia (of those 53,721 Serbs, 16,539 Vlachs; out of the 17,807 declared Vlachs, 677 Serbo-Croat-speakers) [citation needed]
  • 2002: 40,054 declared Vlachs, 54,818 people declared Vlach as their mother language (population figures given for entire Serbia) or 39,953 declared Vlachs, 54,726 people declared Vlach as their mother language (population figures given for Central Serbia only)[24]

The Vlach (Romanian) population of Central Serbia is concentrated mostly in the region limited by Morava River (west), Danube River (north) and Timok River (south-east). See also: List of settlements in Serbia inhabited by Vlachs.

By some Romanian and Western European organizations, in eastern Serbia live around 250,000 - 400,000[30][31] people of Romanian(vlach) origin.

Vlach identity

The term "Vlach" is the English transcription of the Serbian term used to describe this group (Vlasi), while "Roumanians" or "Romanians" is the English transcription of its Romanian counterpart (român/rumân).[32][33]

Despite their recognition as a separate ethnic group by the Serbian government, Vlachs are cognate to Romanians in the cultural and linguistic sense. Some Romanians, as well as international linguists and anthropologists, consider Serbia's Vlachs to be a subgroup of Romanians. Additionally, the Movement of Romanians-Vlachs in Serbia, which represents some Vlachs, has called for the recognition of the Vlachs as a Romanian national minority, giving them similar rights to the Romanians of Vojvodina. However, on the last census results most Vlachs (Romanians) of Eastern Serbia opted rather for the Serbian exonym vlasi (=Vlachs) than rumuni (=Romanians).[24] As a result of serbianization, most Vlachs declare themselves as "Serbs" on the census during Communist Yugoslavia, though the number of those who preferred to declare Vlachs or Romanians strongly increased from 1991 (16,539 declared vlasi and 42 declared rumuni) to 2001 (39,953 declared vlasi and 4,157 declared rumuni)

Romania has given modest financial support to the Vlachs for the preservation of their culture and language, since at present the Vlachs' language is not recognized officially in any localities where they form a majority, there is no education in their mother tongue and there is no media or education funded by the Serbian state. Also there are no church services in Vlach. Until very recently in the regions populated by Vlachs church policy opposed the giving of non-Serbian baptismal names.

Family names of Vlachs either are or sound Serbian because from the late 19th century up to the 1918 there was an edict that all citizens of Serbia should have last names ending in -ić, the base of the name usually coming from the then father's name: Nikolić, Marković, Radulović. There are a few notable exceptions where the Romanian origin is evident, as in Jepurović (from iepure, meaning rabbit), Florić (from floare, meaning flower) or Stangačilović (from stângaci, meaning left-handed).

On the other hand, some Vlachs consider themselves to be simply Serbs that speak the Vlach language. In fact ethnic research has found [citation needed] that among the Serb-speaking population of Eastern Serbia, some are Slavicized Vlachs and some Vlach-speakers were formerly Slavs (such as in the village of Šljivar near Zaječar and the village of Slatina near Bor, where Serbs had been assimilated as Vlachs for centuries) or even Roma (such as in Lukovo).

Vlach is commonly used as a historical umbrella term for all Latin peoples in Southeastern Europe (Romanians proper or Dacoromanians, Aromanians, Meglenoromanians, Istroromanians). After the foundation of the Romanian state in the 19th century, the Romanians living in the Romanian Old Kingdom and in Austria-Hungary have only seldom been called "Vlachs" by the foreigners, while the use of the newly created exonym "Romanians" was encouraged even by officials and the Romanian population ceased to use the exonym "Vlach" for their own designation. Only in the Serbian and Bulgarian Kingdom, where the officials didn't encourage the population to use the modern exonym "Romanian", the old designation "Vlach" was kept, but the term "Romanian" was used in statistical reports (but only up to the Interwar period, when they changed even here the designation "Romanian" into "Vlach").[34] From this reason, the Romanians of Vojvodina (hence those who lived in Austria-Hungary), prefer to use today the modern exonym "Romanian", while those of Central Serbia still use the ancient exonym "Vlach". However, both groups use the endonym "Romanians", calling their language "Romanian" (română or rumână).[35][36]

In some notes of the government of Serbia, officials recognise that "certainly members of this population have similar characteristics with Romanians, and the language and folklore ride to their Romanian origin. The representants of the Vlach minority sustain their Romanian origin.[37]

Famous Vlachs

  • Bojan Aleksandrovic (Boian Alexandrovici), the priest who in 2004 successfully defied the authorities to build the first Romanian Orthodox Church in eastern Serbia in the last two centuries.[38][39]
  • Branko Olar, originating from the village Slatina near Bor, was one of the best known singer of Romanian folklore from Eastern Serbia.
  • Nikola Pašić (Serbian Cyrillic: Никола П. Пашић, at the time also spelled Pashitch or Pachitch), (1845–1926) . Pašić was born in the eastern Serbian town of Zaječar in a Vlach (but Aromanian) family. His relatives lived all over Timoc Valley, in Serbia and Bulgaria and during his political career, the relatives from Bulgarian Timok, gave him sanctuary, when his political enemies banned him from Serbia. He inherited the Serbian name Pašić from his Serbian stepfather. Mayor of Belgrade (1890–91 and 1897) several times prime minister of Serbia (1891–92, 1904–05, 1906–08, 1909–11, 1912–18) and prime minister of the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (future Yugoslavia, 1918, 1921–24, 1924–26) he was an important politician in the Balkans, who, together with his counterparts like Eleftherios Venizelos in Greece or Ionel Brătianu in Romania, managed to strengthen their small, national states against strong foreign influences, most notably those of Austria-Hungary, Turkey and Russia. Fellow politicians nicknamed him "The Father of Yugoslavia".

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Declaration of the National Council, point 5
  2. ^ Declaration of the National Council, point 4
  3. ^ Declaration of the National Council, points 3 and 10
  4. ^ Declaration of the National Council, point 9
  5. ^ a b c d e "The situation of national minorities in Vojvodina and of the Romanian ethnic minority in Serbia", at the Council of Europe, 14 February 2008
  6. ^ Adevărul, November 6, 2002: Prin acordul privind minoritatile, semnat, luni, la Belgrad, de catre presedintii Ion Iliescu si Voislav Kostunita, statul iugoslav recunoaste dreptul apartenentei la minoritatea romaneasca din Iugoslavia al celor aproape 120.000 de vlahi (cifra neoficiala), care traiesc in Valea Timocului, in Serbia de Rasarit. Reprezentantii romanilor din Iugoslavia, profesori, ziaristi, scriitori, i-au multumit, ieri, la Pancevo, sefului statului pentru aceasta intelegere cu guvernul de la Belgrad. Acordul este considerat de importanta istorica pentru romanii din Valea Timocului, care, din timpul lui Iosip Broz Tito, traiesc fara drept la invatamant si viata religioasa in limba materna, practic nerecunoscuti ca etnie. "Nu vom face ca fostul regim, sa numim noi care sunt minoritatile nationale sau sa stergem cu guma alte minoritati", a spus, ieri, Rasim Ljajic, ministrul sarb pentru minoritati, la intalnirea de la Pancevo a presedintelui cu romanii din Iugoslavia. Deocamdata, statul iugoslav nu a recunoscut prin lege statutul vlahilor de pe Valea Timocului, insa de-acum va acorda acestora dreptul la optiunea etnica, va permite, in decembrie, constituirea Consiliului Reprezentantilor Romani si va participa in Comisia mixta romano-iugoslava la monitorizarea problemelor minoritatilor sarba si romana din cele doua state. In Iugoslavia traiesc cateva sute de mii de romani. Presedintele Ion Iliescu s-a angajat, ieri, pentru o politica mai activa privind romanii din afara granitelor: "Avem mari datorii fata de romanii care traiesc in afara granitelor. Autocritic vorbind, nu ne-am facut intotdeauna datoria. De dragul de a nu afecta relatiile noastre cu vecinii, am fost mai retinuti, mai prudenti in a sustine cauza romanilor din statele vecine. (...) Ungurii ne dau lectii din acest punct de vedere", a spus presedintele, precizand ca romanii trebuie sa-si apere cauza "pe baza de buna intelegere".
  7. ^ Curierul Naţional, 25 ianuarie 2003: Chiar si acordul dintre presedintii Ion Iliescu si Voislav Kostunita, semnat la sfarsitul anului trecut, nu este respectat, in ceea ce priveste minoritatile, deoarece locuitorii din Valea Timocului, numiti vlahi, nu sunt recunoscuti ca minoritari, ci doar „grup etnic“.
  8. ^ Parliamentary Assembly, 28 April 2005: Deeply concerned over the cultural situation of the so-called “Vlach” Romanians dwelling in 154 ethnic Romanian localities 48 localities of mixed ethnic make-up between the Danube, Timok and Morava Rivers who since 1833 have been unable to enjoy ethnic rights in schools and churches
  9. ^ "Viminacium"
  10. ^ Template:Sr icon "Felix Romuliana"
  11. ^ Alaric Watson, Aurelian and the Third Century, Routlege, 1999.
  12. ^ William Rosen, Justinian's Flea: Plague, Empire, and the Birth of Europe, Viking Adult, 2007.
  13. ^ Wolff, Robert Lee Wolff, The Second Bulgarian Empire: Its Origin and History to 1204, SpeculumVolume 24, Issue 2 , 1949.
  14. ^ a b c Template:Hr iconZef Mirdita, Vlasi u historiografiji, Hrvatski institut za povijest, Zagreb 2004.
  15. ^ a b Noel Malcolm, Kosovo, A short History, University Press, NY, 1999.
  16. ^ Template:De icon Felix Kanitz, Serbien, Leipzig, 1868.
  17. ^ Noel Malcolm, Bosnia: A short History, University Press, NY, 1994.
  18. ^ Template:Sr icon Kosta Jovanovic, Negotinska Krajina i Kljuc, Belgrade, 1940
  19. ^ Aspects of the Balkans: continuity and change. Contributions to the International Balkan Conference held at UCLA, October 23–28, 1969
  20. ^ http://www.ziuadevest.ro/actualitate/5863-biserica-roman-din-timoc-a-fost-recunoscut-de-ctre-curtea-suprem-de-justiie-a-serbiei.html
  21. ^ "Biserica românească din Malainiţa ameninţată din nou", BBC Romanian, 16 September 2005
  22. ^ http://www.ziarullumina.ro/articole;940;1;24534;0;Obiceiuri-de-inmormantare-la-romanii-din-Timoc.html
  23. ^ Radovan Tomasevic, Srpsko Naslede, Istorijske Sveske, 6, 1998. (in Serbian)
  24. ^ a b c Template:Sr icon Template:PDFlink, p. 2 and Template:PDFlink, p. 12
  25. ^ Template:Ro icon V. Arion; Vasile Pârvan; G. Vâlsan; Pericle Papahagi; G. Bogdan-Duică. România şi popoarele balcanice (1913). Tipografia Românească. Bucureşti, p. 22
  26. ^ Guillaume Lejean, Ethnographie de la Turquie d'Europe, Gotha. Justus Perthes 1861
  27. ^ Geographisches Handbuch zu Andrees Handatlas (Leipzig und Bielefeld, 1882): 1866 zählte man 1.058.189 Serben, 127.545 Rumänen, 24.607 Zigeuner, 2589 Deutsche und 3256 andere.
  28. ^ Geographisches Handbuch zu Andrees Handatlas 1902: Fast die ganze Bevölkerung, über 2 Mill, besteht aus Serben, außerdem gab es, nach der Zählung von 1895, 159.000 Rumänen und 46.000 Zigeuner
  29. ^ Template:Sr icon Ranko Bugarski, Jezici, Beograd, 1996.
  30. ^ Gardianul, 27 Mar 2007
  31. ^ Deutsche Welle, 23.4.2003
  32. ^ Ziua.net
  33. ^ Interview with Predrag Balašević, president of the Romanian/Vlach Democratic Party of Serbia: "We all know that we call ourselves in Romanian Romanians and in Serbian Vlachs."
  34. ^ [1] Serbian/Romanian. The Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia. The Vlachs/Romanians or the Romanians of Eastern Serbia and the "Vlach/Romanian question". Bor 2000/2001/2002.
  35. ^ Website of the Federaţia Rumânilor din Serbie
  36. ^ Reportaj printre românii din estul Serbiei
  37. ^ Viorel Dolha, Totul despre românii din Timoc (All about Romanians in Timoc)
  38. ^ "SERBIA: Romanian priest to pay for official destruction of his church"
  39. ^ Template:Ro "Haiducul credintei din Valea Timocului, Boian Alexandrovici, decorat de presedintele Basescu"

Sources

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