View source for Slovaks

{{Short description|West Slavic ethnic group}}
{{for|information on the population of Slovakia|Demographics of Slovakia}}
{{Update|part=Statistics|reason=Data present are from the early 1990s|date=August 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2023}}
{{Infobox ethnic group
| group            = Slovaks<br /> ''Slováci''
| native_name      = 
| native_name_lang = 
| flag             = <!-- Don't add any flags as this article is about an ethnic group living in several different countries, and not about the citizens of, or about the, Republic of Slovakia. -->
| flag_caption     = 
| image            = Map of the Slovak Diaspora in the World.svg
| pop              = '''{{circa}} 6–7 million'''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sme.sk/c/2422124/Ako-ziju-Slovaci-za-hranicami-Slovensko-mam-rad-ale-mojim-domovom-uz-nie-je.html|title=Ako žijú Slováci za hranicami? Slovensko mám rád, ale mojím domovom už nie je.|trans-title=How do Slovaks live abroad? I like Slovakia but it is no longer my home.|website=Sme.sk|access-date=2 August 2017|archive-date=3 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170803005021/https://www.sme.sk/c/2422124/ako-ziju-slovaci-za-hranicami-slovensko-mam-rad-ale-mojim-domovom-uz-nie-je.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
| popplace         = {{Flag icon|Slovakia}} [[Slovakia]] 4,567,547<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.scitanie.sk/vysledky-v-kombinacii|title=Národnosť a materin. jazyk|website=scitanie.sk|access-date=2022-10-13|archive-date=2022-10-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221013214515/https://www.scitanie.sk/vysledky-v-kombinacii|url-status=live}}</ref>
| region1          = {{USA}}
| pop1             = 416,047 (2022); 750,000 (estimate)
| ref1             = <ref>{{cite web |title=Census Reporter: People Reporting Multiple Ancestry |url=https://censusreporter.org/data/table/?table=B04005&geo_ids=01000US&primary_geo_id=01000US#valueType{{!}}estimate |website=censusreporter.org |access-date=16 August 2024}}</ref><ref name="uszz">{{cite web |title=Office for Slovaks living abroad |url=https://www.uszz.sk/krajania/ |website=USZZ |language=sk-SK}}</ref>
| region2          = {{CZE}}
| pop2             = 162,578 (2021 census); 200,000–400,000 (estimates)
| ref2             = <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tyden.cz/rubriky/domaci/slovaku-v-cesku-pribyva-tvori-petinu-vsech-cizincu-v-zemi_524806.html|title=Slováků v Česku přibývá, tvoří pětinu všech cizinců v zemi|website=týden.cz|date=15 June 2019|access-date=25 June 2020|archive-date=28 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200628080812/https://www.tyden.cz/rubriky/domaci/slovaku-v-cesku-pribyva-tvori-petinu-vsech-cizincu-v-zemi_524806.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="uszz"></ref>
| region3          = {{CAN}}
| pop3             = 68,210; (including 14,910 first generation immigrants); 100,00 (estimate)
| ref3             = <ref>{{cite web |title=Ethnic or cultural origin by generation status: Canada, provinces and territories, census metropolitan areas and census agglomerations with parts |url=https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810033801 |website=www150.statcan.gc.ca |access-date=16 August 2024 |date=26 October 2022}}
</ref><ref name="uszz"></ref>
| region4          = {{GER}}
| pop4             = 64,745; 80,000 (estimate)
| ref4             = <ref>{{cite web |title=Federal Statistical Office Germany - GENESIS-Online |url=https://www-genesis.destatis.de/genesis/online?operation=ergebnistabelleUmfang&levelindex=3&levelid=1723797138038&downloadname=12521-0002#abreadcrumb |website=www-genesis.destatis.de |access-date=16 August 2024 |language=en |date=16 August 2024}}</ref><ref name="uszz"></ref>
| region5          = {{AUT}}
| pop5             = 63,621 (2020); 65,000 (estimate)
| ref5             = <ref name="uszz"></ref>
| region6          = {{UK}}
| pop6             = 58,000; 135,000 (estimate)
| ref6             = <ref>{{cite web |title=Population of the UK by country of birth and nationality: individual country data (Discontinued after June 2021) - Office for National Statistics |url=https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/internationalmigration/datasets/populationoftheunitedkingdombycountryofbirthandnationalityunderlyingdatasheets |website=www.ons.gov.uk |access-date=16 August 2024}}</ref><ref name="uszz"></ref>
| region7          = {{SRB}}
| pop7             = 41,730 (2021); 40,000 (estimate)
| ref7             = <ref name="uszz"></ref>
| region8          = {{HUN}}
| pop8             = 29,794 (2021); 75,000 (estimate)
| ref8             = <ref name="KSH">{{cite book|last=Vukovich|first=Gabriella|url=http://www.ksh.hu/docs/hun/xftp/idoszaki/mikrocenzus2016/mikrocenzus_2016_12.pdf|title=Mikrocenzus 2016 - 12. Nemzetiségi adatok|trans-title=2016 microcensus - 12. Ethnic data|language=hu|publisher=Hungarian Central Statistical Office|location=Budapest|year=2018|access-date=9 January 2019|isbn=978-963-235-542-9|archive-date=8 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190808024307/http://www.ksh.hu/docs/hun/xftp/idoszaki/mikrocenzus2016/mikrocenzus_2016_12.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="uszz"></ref>
| region9          = {{SUI}}
| pop9             = 20,581 (2021); 25,000 (estimate)
| ref9             = <ref name="uszz"></ref>
| region10         = {{BRA}}
| pop10            = 17,200
| ref10            = <ref>{{cite web|url=http://epoca.globo.com/edic/214/soci1a.htm|access-date=January 31, 2008|title=Edição 214, Um atalho para a Europa|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090126010348/http://epoca.globo.com/edic/214/soci1a.htm|archive-date=26 January 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| region11         = {{DEN}}{{NOR}}{{SWE}}
| pop11            = 17,000 (estimated total in Scandinavian countries)
| ref11            = <ref name="uszz"></ref>
| region12          = {{ESP}}
| pop12             = 12,350 (2021); 15,000(estimate)
| ref12             = <ref name="uszz"></ref>
| region13         = {{IRL}}
| pop13            = 10,801; 15,000 (estimate)
| ref13            = <ref name="CSO Emigration">{{cite web | url=http://www.cso.ie/en/media/csoie/census/documents/census2011profile6/Profile%206%20Migration%20and%20Diversity%20Commentary.pdf | title=CSO Emigration | publisher=Census Office Ireland | access-date=January 29, 2013 | archive-date=November 13, 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121113165431/http://www.cso.ie/en/media/csoie/census/documents/census2011profile6/Profile%206%20Migration%20and%20Diversity%20Commentary.pdf | url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="uszz"></ref>
| region14         = {{ROU}}
| pop14            = 10,300 (2021 census) 13,000 (estimate)
| ref14            = <ref name="uszz"></ref>
| region15          = {{FRA}}
| pop15             = 9,768 (2017); 20,000 (estimate)
| ref15             = <ref name="uszz"></ref>
| region16         = {{ITA}}
| pop16            = 9,014 (2021); 20,000 (estimates)
| ref16            = <ref name="uszz"></ref>
| region17         = {{NLD}}
| pop17            = 9,000 (2022); 15,000 (estimate)
| ref17            = <ref name="uszz"></ref>
| region18         = {{ISR}}
| pop18            = 8,000 (2020); up to 70,000 (estimate)
| ref18            = <ref name="uszz"></ref>
| region19         = {{BEL}}
| pop19            = 6,677 (2022 census); 10,000 (estimate)
| ref19            = <ref name="uszz"></ref>
| region20         = {{UKR}}
| pop20            = 6,700 (estimate)
| ref20            = <ref name="uszz"></ref>
| region21         = {{AUS}}
| pop21            = 4,781 (2021 census), 9,000-15,000 (estimates)
| ref21            = <ref name="uszz"></ref>
| region22         = {{HRV}}
| pop22            = 3,688 (2021 census); 5,000(estimate)
| ref22            = <ref name="uszz"></ref>
| langs            = [[Slovak language|Slovak]]
| rels             = Majority [[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholics]] with Minorities of [[Lutheranism|Lutherans]], [[Slovak Greek Catholic Church|Eastern Catholics]], other
| related          = [[Pannonian Rusyns]], other [[West Slavs]]<br>{{hlist|([[Czech people|Czechs]]|[[Moravians]]|[[Chodové]]|[[Silesians]])}}
| region35         = Other
}}

The '''Slovaks''' ({{lang-sk|Slováci}} {{IPA-sk|ˈsɫɔvaːt͡si|}}, singular: ''Slovák'' {{IPA-sk|ˈslɔvaːk|}}, feminine: ''Slovenka'' {{IPA-sk|ˈsɫɔvɛŋka|}}, plural: ''Slovenky'') are a [[West Slavs|West Slavic]] [[ethnic group]] and [[nation]] native to [[Slovakia]] who share a common [[ancestor|ancestry]], [[Culture of Slovakia|culture]], [[History of Slovakia|history]] and speak the [[Slovak language]].

In Slovakia, {{circa}} 4.4 million are ethnic Slovaks of 5.4 million total population. There are Slovak minorities in many neighboring countries including [[Austria]], [[Croatia]], [[Czech Republic]], [[Hungary]], [[Poland]], [[Romania]], [[Serbia]] and [[Ukraine]] and sizeable populations of immigrants and their descendants in [[Australia]], [[Canada]], [[France]], [[Germany]], [[United Kingdom]] and the [[United States]] among others, which are collectively referred to as the [[Slovak diaspora]].

== Name ==
{{anchor|Name}}
The name ''Slovak'' is derived from ''*Slověninъ'', plural ''*Slověně'', the old name of the [[Slavs]] ([[Proglas]], around 863).{{efn|
The Slovaks and [[Slovenes]] are the only current Slavic nations that have preserved the original name. For Slovenes, the adjective is still ''slovenski'' and the feminine [[noun]] "Slovene" is still also ''Slovenka'', but the [[masculine]] noun has since changed to ''Slovenec''. The Slovak name for their language is ''slovenčina'' and the Slovene name for theirs is ''slovenščina''. The Slovak term for [[Slovene language|Slovene]] is ''slovinčina''; and the Slovenes call Slovak ''slovaščina''. The name is derived from proto-Slavic form ''slovo'' "word, talk" (cf. Slovak ''sluch'', which comes from the IE root *ḱlew-). Thus ''Slovaks'' as well as ''Slovenians'' would mean "people who speak (the same language)", i.e. people who understand each other.}} The original stem has been preserved in all Slovak words except the masculine noun; the feminine [[noun]] is ''Slovenka'', the [[adjective]] is ''slovenský'', the language is ''slovenčina'' and the country is ''Slovensko''. The first written mention of adjective ''slovenský'' (Slovak) is in 1294 (''ad parvam arborem nystra slowenski breza ubi est meta'').{{sfn|Uličný|1986|p=102}}

The original name of Slovaks ''Slověninъ''/''Slověně'' was still recorded in Pressburg Latin-Czech Dictionary (the 14th century),{{sfn|Uličný|1986|p=101}} but it changed to ''Slovák'' under the influence of [[Czech language|Czech]] and [[Polish language|Polish]] (around 1400). The first written mention of new form in the territory of present-day Slovakia is from [[Bardejov]] (1444, "''Nicoulaus Cossibor hauptman, Nicolaus Czech et Slowak, stipendiarii supremi''"). The mentions in Czech sources are older (1375 and 1385).{{sfn|Marek|2011|p=67}} The change is not related to the ethnogenesis of Slovaks, but exclusively to linguistic changes in the West Slavic languages. The word ''Slovak'' was used also later as a common name for all Slavs in Czech, Polish, and also Slovak together with other forms.{{sfn|Marek|2011|p=67}}

In Hungarian, "Slovak" is ''[[Tót]]'' (pl: ''tótok''), an [[exonym]]. It was originally used to refer to all [[Slav]]s including [[Slovenes]] and [[Croat]]s, but eventually came to refer primarily to Slovaks. Many place names in Hungary such as [[Tótszentgyörgy]], [[Tótszentmárton]], and [[Tótkomlós]] still bear the name. [[Tóth]] is a common Hungarian surname.

The Slovaks have also historically been variously referred to as ''Slovyenyn'', ''Slowyenyny'', ''Sclavus'', ''Sclavi'', ''Slavus'', ''Slavi'', ''Winde'', ''Wende'', or ''Wenden''. The final three terms are variations of the Germanic term [[Wends]], which was historically used to refer to any Slavs living close to Germanic settlements.

== Ethnogenesis ==
[[File:Jan Holly Vilimek.jpg|thumb|[[Ján Hollý]] (portrait from 1885)]]
The early Slavs came to the territory of Slovakia in several waves from the 5th and 6th centuries and were organized on a tribal level. Original tribal names are not known due to the lack of written sources before their integration into higher political units. Weakening of tribal consciousness was probably accelerated by [[Pannonian Avars|Avars]], who did not respect tribal differences in the controlled territory and motivated remaining Slavs to join together and to collaborate on their defense. In the 7th century, Slavs founded a larger tribal union: [[Samo's empire]]. Regardless of Samo's empire, the integration process continued in other territories with various intensities.{{sfn|Marsina|2013|p=65}}

The final fall of the [[Avar Khaganate]] allowed new political entities to arise. The first such political unit documented by written sources is the [[Principality of Nitra]], one of the foundations of later common ethnic consciousness.{{sfn|Marsina|2013|p=67}} At this stage in history it is not yet possible to assume a common identity of all ancestors of Slovaks in the neighboring eastern territories, even if it was inhabited by closely related Slavs. The Principality of Nitra became a part of [[Great Moravia]], a common state of Moravians (Czech ancestors were joined only for a few years). The relatively short existence of Great Moravia prevented it from suppressing differences which resulted from its creation from two separate entities, and therefore a common "Slovak-Moravian" ethnic identity failed to develop.{{sfn|Marsina|2013|p=67}} The early political integration in the territory of present-day Slovakia was, however, reflected in linguistic integration. While dialects of the early ancestors of Slovaks were divided into West Slavic (western and eastern Slovakia) and non-West Slavic (central Slovakia), between the 8th and 9th centuries both dialects merged, thus laying the foundations of a later Slovak language.

The 10th century is a milestone in the Slovak [[ethnogenesis]].{{sfn|Marsina|2009|p=16}} The fall of Great Moravia and further political changes supported their formation into a separate nation. At the same time, with the extinction of the [[Proto-Slavic]] language, between the 10th and 13th centuries Slovak evolved into an independent language (simultaneously with other Slavic languages). The early existence of the Kingdom of Hungary positively influenced the development of common consciousness and companionship among Slavs in the Northern Hungary, not only within boundaries of present-day Slovakia.{{sfn|Marsina|2013|p=67}} The clear difference between Slovaks and Hungarians made adoption of a specific name unnecessary and Slovaks preserved their original name (in Latin e.g. ''Slavus''), which was also used in communication with other Slavic peoples (Polonus, Bohemus, Ruthenus).{{sfn|Marsina|2013|p=71}} In political terms, the medieval Slovaks were a part of the multi-ethnic political nation ''[[Diet of Hungary|Natio Hungarica]]'', together with Hungarians (or, more exactly, Magyars), Slavonians, Germans, Romanians and other ethnic groups in the Kingdom of Hungary. Since a medieval political nation did not consist of ordinary people but nobility, membership of the privileged class was necessary for all these peoples (''nobiles Hungary'').{{sfn|Marek|2011|p=13}}

Like other nations, the Slovaks began to transform into a modern nation from the 18th century under the idea of [[national romanticism]]. The modern Slovak nation is the result of radical processes of modernization within the Habsburg Empire which culminated in the middle of the 19th century.<ref name="Auer">Stefan Auer, [https://books.google.com/books?id=BhNsM_ttOb4C&q=Liberal+Nationalism+in+Central+Europe Liberal Nationalism in Central Europe], Routledge, 2004, p. 135</ref> The transformation process was slowed down by conflict with Hungarian nationalism and the ethnogenesis of the Slovaks become a political question, particularly regarding their deprivation and preservation of their language and national rights. In 1722, [[Michal Bencsik]], professor of law at the [[University of Trnava]], published a theory that nobility and burghers of [[Trenčín]] should not have same privileges as Hungarians, because they are descendants of [[Svatopluk I of Moravia|Svatopluk]]'s people (inferior to Magyars). Neither Bencsik nor his Slovak opponent [[Ján Baltazár Magin]] put the continuity of settlement into serious question. Also, the first history of Slovaks written by Georgius Papanek (or Juraj Papánek), traced the roots of the Slovaks to Great Moravia<ref name=Kamusella134>{{Harvnb|Kamusella|2009|p=134}}</ref> in ''Historia gentis Slavae. De regno regibusque Slavorum...'' (1780) ("History of the Slovak nation: On the kingdom and kings of the Slovaks").<ref>{{cite web |last1=Papánek |first1=Juraj |title=Historia gentis Slavae / Dejiny slovenského národa |url=https://www.databazeknih.cz/knihy/historia-gentis-slavae-dejiny-slovenskeho-naroda-386992 |website=Databazeknih.cz |publisher=Perfekt |access-date=21 June 2022 |archive-date=21 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220621100727/https://www.databazeknih.cz/knihy/historia-gentis-slavae-dejiny-slovenskeho-naroda-386992 |url-status=live }}</ref> Papánek's work became a basis for argumentation of the Slovak national revival movement. However, the Slovak national revival not only accepted the continuity of population but also emphasized it, thus proving that Slovaks are equal citizens of the state and neither a Hungarian "unique statesmanlike gift" nor Christianization was required for the foundation of the state. 

In 1876, Hungarian linguist [[Pál Hunfalvy]] published a theory about missing continuity between Slovaks and Slavs before the arrival of the Hungarians. Hunfalvy tried to prove that ancestors of Slovaks did not live in the territory of the present-day Slovakia before arrival of the old Hungarians (Magyars), but Slovaks emerged later from other Slavs who came to the Kingdom of Hungary from neighbouring countries after the 13th century.{{sfn|Marsina|2009|p=18}} [[János Karácsonyi]] assumed that central and northern Slovakia were uninhabited (1901) and in his next work "Our historical right to the territorial integrity of our country" (1921) he claimed that the remainder of the original Slavs were assimilated by Magyars and modern Slovaks are descendants of immigrants from Upper Moravia and [[Oder]] (the population density on these territories was too low in that time and large numbers of colonists coming from these areas was not possible{{sfn|Marsina|2009|p=18}}). The theory was then misused by inter-war Hungarian revisionists, who questioned continuity to support Hungarian claims on Slovakia. In 1982, when rich archaeological evidence proving the opposite was already available,{{sfn|Marsina|2009|p=19}} a similar theory was published by Hungarian historian [[György Györffy]].{{sfn|Marsina|2009|p=19}} Györffy accepted that smaller groups of Slavs could remain in the territory of Slovakia, but stated that the Slovaks' origin was in sparse settlement of various Slavic groups strengthened by later colonization. According to Ferenc Makk, the medieval [[Moravians]] are not the ancestors of Slovaks and the majority of the Slovak people are descended from later Slavic newcomers.<ref>Ferenc, Makk, "[http://www.lib.jgytf.u-szeged.hu/folyoiratok/tiszataj/96-10/makk.pdf És erővel elfoglalta egész Pannóniát] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161031030309/http://www.lib.jgytf.u-szeged.hu/folyoiratok/tiszataj/96-10/makk.pdf |date=2016-10-31 }}", In: Tiszatáj, 1996-10, p. 76</ref>

[[File:001Bratislava Kral Svatopluk1.jpg|thumb|right|200px|alt=Svatopluk I|A statue of [[Svätopluk I]]]]
The opposite theory, supporting the supposed [[Great Moravia|former common past of the Czech and Slovak nations]], thus also legitimizing the creation of the united [[Czechoslovakism|Czechoslovak nation]],<ref name=Marsina17>{{Harvnb|Marsina|1997|p=17}}</ref> gained political support in inter-war Czechoslovakia.<ref name=Marsina17/> Like Karácsonyi, Czech historian [[Václav Chaloupecký]] assumed that northern and central parts of Slovakia remained uninhabited until the 13th century and that the south-western part was inhabited by Czechs. Yet, in 1946 Chaloupecký assumed that the Slovak nation emerged from neighboring Slavs and had been formed only in the 17th century. His theory about the lack of population in the greater part of Slovakia covered by forests had already been scientifically refuted by [[Daniel Rapant]] (e.g. in ''O starý Liptov'', 1934), and was proven wrong by numerous archaeological finds<ref group="note">For example Slavic mounds in Krasňany near Žilina, cemetery in Martin, magnate mounds in Turčianska Blatnica, Malý Čepčín and Žabokreky, settlements in Liptovský Michal, Liptovská Mara (unearthed during construction of the water dam), Vlachy, Liptovská Štiavnica, Paludza, Sokolče, Lisková, Podtureň, Prosiek, Bobrovník, Likavka – all of them from 8–10th century. (Uhlár, 1992, p. 326)</ref> and rejected by Czechoslovak historiography. On the other hand, inter-war Slovak autonomists, opposing ethnic Czechoslovakism, dated the existence of the Slovak nation to the time of Pribina (trials to document existence of Slovaks in early Slavic era, i.e. in the time of Samo's empire, are marginal and exist outside of modern mainstream Slovak historiography).

After the [[dissolution of Czechoslovakia]] in 1993, the formation of independent Slovakia motivated interest in a particularly Slovak national identity.<ref name="Warhola">{{cite web|url=http://www.umaine.edu/polisci/files/2010/04/mpsa05_proceeding_84621.pdf|title=Changing Rule Between the Danube and the Tatras: A study of Political Culture in Independent Slovakia, 1993 – 2005|last=W. Warhola|first=James|year=2005|work=The [[University of Maine]]|publisher=Midwest Political Science Association 2005 Annual National Conference, April 9, 2005|location=[[Orono, Maine]], United States.|access-date=2011-06-15|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120915011227/http://www.umaine.edu/polisci/files/2010/04/mpsa05_proceeding_84621.pdf|archive-date=September 15, 2012}}</ref> One reflection of this was the rejection of the common Czechoslovak national identity in favour of a purely Slovak one.<ref name="Warhola"/>

== History ==
{{Main|History of Slovakia}}

=== Slavs of the Pannonian Basin ===

The first known [[Slavic peoples|Slavic]] states on the territory of present-day Slovakia were the Empire of [[Samo]] and the [[Principality of Nitra]], founded sometime in the 8th century.

=== Great Moravia ===
[[File:Pribina, Nitra (2008).jpg|left|thumb|[[Pribina]], ruler of Principality of Nitra,<ref name=Kirschbaum25>{{Harvnb|Kirschbaum|1995| p=25}}</ref> established and ruled the [[Balaton Principality]] from 839/840 to 861.<ref>{{cite book
  | last = Bagnell Bury
  | first = John
  | title = The Cambridge Medieval History
  | publisher = [[Macmillan Publishers|Macmillan]]
  | year = 1923
  | location = Cambridge
  | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=_9IHAAAAIAAJ&q=Balaton+Principality
  | page = 211}}</ref>]]
[[Great Moravia]] (833 – 902-907) was a Slavic state in the 9th and early 10th centuries, whose creators were the ancestors of the Czechs and Slovaks.<ref>Ference Gregory Curtis. Chronology of 20th-century eastern European history. Gale Research, Inc., 1994. {{ISBN|978-0-8103-8879-6}}, p. 103</ref><ref>{{cite book| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=5D4uAQAAIAAJ&q=%22great+moravia%22+ancestors+slovakq | title = The Great Moravia Exhibition: 1100 years of tradition of state and cultural life | last1 = Věd | first1 = Archeologický Ústav (Československá Akademie)| year = 1964}}</ref> Important developments took place at this time, including the mission of Byzantine monks [[Cyril and Methodius]], the development of the [[Glagolitic]] alphabet (an early form of the [[Cyrillic script]]), and the use of [[Old Church Slavonic]] as the official and literary language. Its formation and rich cultural heritage have attracted somewhat more interest since the 19th century.

The original territory inhabited by the Slavic tribes included not only present-day Slovakia, but also parts of present-day Poland, southeastern Moravia and approximately the entire northern half of present-day Hungary.<ref>A history of Eastern Europe: crisis and change, Robert Bideleux, Ian Jeffries</ref>

=== Kingdom of Hungary ===
[[File:Slovak Celebrities 1863.jpg|right|thumb|Gallery of famous Slovak people, active in different areas (history, literature, education, religion, science). Published on occasion of establishing Matica slovenská ("Slovak Foundation"), major patriotic organization. List of portraited personalities: [[Ján Mallý-Dusarov]], [[Juraj Tvrdý]], [[Jozef Kozáček]], [[Štefan Moyzes]], [[Martin Čulen]], [[Karol Kuzmány]], [[Štefan Závodník]], [[Michal Chrástek]], [[Viliam Pauliny-Tóth]], [[Michal Miloslav Hodža]], [[Štefan Marko Daxner]], [[Ján Francisci-Rimavský]], [[Ján Gotčár]], [[Andrej Ľudovít Radlinský]], [[Jozef Miloslav Hurban]], [[Jonáš Záborský]], [[Jozef Karol Viktorin]], [[Mikuláš Štefan Ferienčík]], [[Ján Kalinčiak]], [[Martin Hattala]], [[Ján Palárik]], [[František Víťazoslav Sasinek]], [[Andrej Sládkovič]], [[Daniel Gabriel Lichard]], [[Ján Čipka]], [[Juraj Slota]], [[Andrej Kossa]]]]

The territory of present-day Slovakia was split in two parts between the [[Kingdom of Hungary]] (under Hungarian rule gradually from 907 to the early 14th century) to [[Upper Hungary]] and [[Royal Hungary]] (under the Habsburgs from 1527 – 1848 (see also [[Hungarian Revolution of 1848]])) until the formation of [[Czechoslovakia]] in 1918.<ref name=Eberhardt105>{{Harvnb|Eberhardt|2003| p=105}}</ref> However, according to other historians, from 895 to 902, the whole area of the present-day Slovakia became part of the rising Principality of Hungary, and became (without gradation) part of the Kingdom of Hungary a century later.<ref>Kristó, Gyula (1996). Hungarian History in the Ninth Century. Szeged: Szegedi Középkorász Műhely. p. 229. {{ISBN|963-482-113-8}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.historia.hu/archivum/2001/0103gyorffy.htm|title=Histria 2001/03. – GYRFFY GYRGY: Honfoglals a Krpt-medencben|website=Historia.hu|access-date=14 November 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140426200447/http://www.historia.hu/archivum/2001/0103gyorffy.htm|archive-date=26 April 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>Kristó, Gyula (1993). A Kárpát-medence és a magyarság régmúltja (1301-ig) (The ancient history of the Carpathian Basin and the Hungarians – till 1301)[http://www.antikvarium.hu/ant/book.php?konyv-cim=a-karpat-medence-es-a-magyarsag-regmultja&ID=39250] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511173424/http://www.antikvarium.hu/ant/book.php?konyv-cim=a-karpat-medence-es-a-magyarsag-regmultja&ID=39250|date=2011-05-11}} Szeged: Szegedi Középkorász Műhely. p. 299. {{ISBN|963-04-2914-4}}.</ref> A separate entity called [[Principality of Nitra|Nitra Frontier Duchy]], existed at this time within the Kingdom of Hungary. This duchy was abolished in 1107. The territory inhabited by the Slovaks in present-day Hungary was gradually reduced.<ref name="books.google.com">{{cite book|last1= Vauchez|first1= André|last2= Barrie Dobson|first2= Richard|first3= Michael|last3= Lapidge|title= Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages|volume= 1|year= 2000|publisher= Routledge|isbn= 9781579582821|page= 1363|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=om4olQhrE84C&q=slovakia+history+slavs&pg=PA1363|access-date= 2020-11-21|archive-date= 2023-04-07|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20230407092416/https://books.google.com/books?id=om4olQhrE84C&q=slovakia+history+slavs&pg=PA1363|url-status= live}}</ref>

When most of Hungary was conquered by the [[Ottoman Empire]] in 1541 (see [[Ottoman Hungary]]), the territory of present-day [[Slovakia]] became the new center of the reduced kingdom<ref name=Eberhardt104>{{Harvnb|Eberhardt|2003| p=104}}</ref> that remained under Hungarian, and later [[Habsburg]] rule, officially called Royal Hungary.<ref name=Eberhardt104/> Some [[Croats]] settled around and in present-day [[Bratislava]] for similar reasons. Also, many [[Germans]] settled in the Kingdom of Hungary,<ref name=Eberhardt104/> especially in the towns, as work-seeking colonists and mining experts from the 13th to the 15th century. [[Jews]] and [[Gypsies]] also formed significant populations within the territory.<ref name=Eberhardt104/> During the period, most of present-day Slovakia was part of Habsburg rule, but Ottoman ruled southern and southeasternmost parts of it.

After the Ottoman Empire was forced to retreat from present-day Hungary around 1700, thousands of Slovaks were gradually settled in depopulated parts of the restored Kingdom of Hungary (present-day Hungary, [[Romania]], [[Serbia]], and [[Croatia]]) under [[Maria Theresia]], and that is how present-day Slovak enclaves (like [[Slovaks in Vojvodina]], [[Slovaks in Hungary]]) in these countries arose.

After [[Transylvania]], Upper Hungary (present-day Slovakia) was the most advanced part of the Kingdom of Hungary for centuries, but in the 19th century, when [[Buda]]/[[Pest (city)|Pest]] became the new capital of the kingdom, the importance of the territory, as well as other parts within the Kingdom fell, and many Slovaks were impoverished. As a result, hundreds of thousands of Slovaks emigrated to North America, especially in the late 19th and early 20th century (between cca. 1880–1910), a total of at least 1.5 million emigrants.

Slovakia exhibits a very rich folk culture. A part of Slovak customs and [[social convention]] are common with those of other nations of the former [[Habsburg monarchy]] (the Kingdom of Hungary was in [[personal union]] with the Habsburg monarchy from 1867 to 1918).

=== Czechoslovakia ===
{{Main|History of Czechoslovakia}}
People of Slovakia spent most part of the 20th century within the framework of [[Czechoslovakia]], a new state formed after World War I. Significant reforms and post-World War II [[industrialization]] took place during this time. [[Slovak language|Slovak]] was strongly influenced by [[Czech language|Czech]] during this period.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uqOVrtwe4EYC&q=world+war+2+slovak+language+czech&pg=PA111|title=When East Met West: Sociolinguistics in the Former Socialist Bloc|first1=Jeffrey|last1=Harlig|first2=Csaba|last2=Pléh|date=11 January 1995|publisher=Walter de Gruyter|access-date=11 January 2018|via=Google Books|isbn=9783110145854|archive-date=7 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230407174603/https://books.google.com/books?id=uqOVrtwe4EYC&q=world+war+2+slovak+language+czech&pg=PA111|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Culture ==
{{see also|List of Slovaks}}

The art of Slovakia can be traced back to the Middle Ages, when some of the greatest masterpieces of the country's history were created. Significant figures from this period included the many [[Old Master]]s, among them the [[Master Paul of Levoča]] and [[Master MS]]. More contemporary art can be seen in the shadows of [[Koloman Sokol]],<ref name=Cavendish>{{cite book |title=World and Its Peoples|last= Marshall Cavendish Corporation|year=2009 |publisher=Marshall Cavendish |volume=7|isbn= 9780761478836|chapter=Slovakia; Cultural expression|page=993}}</ref> [[Albín Brunovský]], [[Martin Benka]],<ref name=Miku>{{Harvnb|Mikuš|1977| p=108}}</ref> [[Mikuláš Galanda]],<ref name=Cavendish/> [[Ľudovít Fulla]].<ref name=Cavendish/> Julius Koller and Stanislav Filko, in the 21st century Roman Ondak, [[Blažej Baláž]]. The most important Slovak composers have been [[Eugen Suchoň]], [[Ján Cikker]], and [[Alexander Moyzes]], in the 21st century Vladimir Godar and [[Peter Machajdík]].

The most famous [[Slovak name]]s can indubitably be attributed to invention and technology. Such people include [[Jozef Murgaš]], the inventor of wireless telegraphy; [[Ján Bahýľ]], [[Štefan Banič]], inventor of the modern parachute; [[Aurel Stodola]], inventor of the bionic arm and pioneer in thermodynamics; and, more recently, [[John Dopyera]], father of modern acoustic string instruments. Hungarian inventors [[Joseph Petzval]] and [[Ányos Jedlik]] were born of Slovak fathers.

Slovakia is also known for its [[polymath|polyhistors]], of whom include [[Pavol Jozef Šafárik]], [[Matej Bel]], [[Ján Kollár]], and its political revolutionaries, such [[Milan Rastislav Štefánik]] and [[Alexander Dubček]].

There were two leading persons who codified Slovak. The first one was [[Anton Bernolák]] whose concept was based on the dialect of western Slovakia (1787). It was the enactment of the first national standard language for the Slovaks. The second notable man was [[Ľudovít Štúr]]. His formation of Slovak had principles in the dialect of central Slovakia (1843).

The best known Slovak hero was [[Juraj Jánošík]] (the Slovak equivalent of [[Robin Hood]]). The prominent explorer and diplomat [[Maurice Benyovszky|Móric Beňovský, Hungarian transcript Benyovszky]] was Slovak as well (he comes from Vrbové in present-day Slovakia and is e.g. listed as "nobilis Slavicus – Slovak nobleman" in his secondary school registration).

In terms of sports, the Slovaks are probably best known (in North America) for their ice hockey personalities, especially [[Stan Mikita]], [[Peter Šťastný]], [[Peter Bondra]], [[Žigmund Pálffy]], [[Marián Hossa]] and [[Zdeno Chára]]. For a list see [[List of Slovaks]]. [[Zdeno Chára]] is only the second European captain in history of the [[National Hockey League|NHL]] that led his team to win the [[Stanley Cup]], winning it with the [[Boston Bruins]] in the season [[2010–11 NHL season|2010–11]].

For a list of the most notable Slovak writers and poets, see [[List of Slovak authors]].

== Maps ==
<gallery>
File:Vojvodina west east slavs.png|Slovaks in Vojvodina, Serbia (2002 census)
File:Slovak USC2000 PHS.svg|The language spread of Slovak in the United States according to U. S. Census 2000 and other resources interpreted by research of U. S. English Foundation, percentage of home speakers
</gallery>

== Statistics ==
There are approximately 5.4 million autochthonous Slovaks in Slovakia. Further Slovaks live in the following countries (''the list shows estimates of embassies etc. and of associations of Slovaks abroad in the first place, and official data of the countries as of 2000/2001 in the second place'').

The list stems from Claude Baláž, a Canadian Slovak, the current [[plenipotentiary]] of the Government of the Slovak Republic for Slovaks abroad (see e.g.: <sup>6</sup>):
* United States (1,200,000 / 821,325*) [<small>*(1) there were, however, 1,882,915 Slovaks in the US according to the 1990 census, (2) there are some 400,000 "Czechoslovaks" in the US, a large part of which are Slovaks</small>] – 19th – 21st century emigrants; see also [[United States Census]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/prod/2004pubs/c2kbr-35.pdf|title=Ancestry: 2000 : Census 2000 Brief|website=Census.gov|access-date=2017-08-02|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040920132346/http://www.census.gov/prod/2004pubs/c2kbr-35.pdf|archive-date=2004-09-20}}</ref>
* [[Czech Republic]] (350,000 / 183,749*) [<small>*there were, however, 314 877 Slovaks in the Czech Republic according to the 1991 census</small>] – due to the existence of former [[Czechoslovakia]]
* Hungary (39,266 / 17,693)
* Canada (100,000 / 50,860) – 19th – 21st century migrants
* Serbia (60,000 / 59,021*) [especially in [[Vojvodina]];<small>*excl. the [[Rusins]]</small>] – 18th & 19th century settlers
* Poland (2002) (47,000 / 2,000*) [<small>* The Central Census Commission has accepted the objection of the Association of Slovaks in Poland with respect to this number</small>] – ancient minority and due to border shifts during the 20th century
* Romania (18,000 / 17,199) – ancient minority
* Ukraine (17,000 / 6,397) [especially in [[Carpathian Ruthenia]]] – ancient minority and due to the existence of former [[First Czechoslovak Republic|Czechoslovakia]]
* France (13,000 / n.a.)
* Australia (12,000 / n.a.) – 20th – 21st century migrants
* Austria (10,234 / 10,234) – 20th – 21st century migrants
* United Kingdom (10,000 / n.a.)
* Croatia (5,000 / 4,712) – 18th & 19th century settlers
* other countries

The number of Slovaks living outside Slovakia in line with the above data was estimated at max. 2,016,000 in 2001 (2,660,000 in 1991), implying that, in sum, there were max. some 6,630,854 Slovaks in 2001 (7,180,000 in 1991) in the world. The estimate according to the right-hand site chart yields an approximate population of Slovaks living outside Slovakia of 1.5 million.

Other (much higher) estimates stemming from the Dom zahraničných Slovákov (House of Foreign Slovaks) can be found on ''[[SME (newspaper)|SME]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sme.sk/c/2422124/Ako-ziju-Slovaci-za-hranicami-Slovensko-mam-rad-ale-mojim-domovom-uz-nie-je.html|title=Ako žijú Slováci za hranicami? Slovensko mám rád, ale mojím domovom už nie je|website=Sme.sk|access-date=2 August 2017|archive-date=3 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170803005021/https://www.sme.sk/c/2422124/ako-ziju-slovaci-za-hranicami-slovensko-mam-rad-ale-mojim-domovom-uz-nie-je.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

== See also ==
{{Portal|Slovakia}}
{{Div col}}
* [[History of the Slovak language]]
* [[Slovaks in Austria]]
* [[Slovak Americans]]
* [[Czechs and Slovaks in Bulgaria|Slovaks in Bulgaria]]
* [[Slovak Australians]]
* [[Slovak Canadians]]
* [[Slovaks of Croatia]]
* [[Slovaks in the Czech Republic]]
* [[Slovaks in Hungary]]
* [[Slovaks of Romania]]
* [[Vojvodina#Demographics|Slovaks in Serbia]]
* [[Slovaks in Vojvodina]]
* [[Slovenes]]
* [[List of Slovak Americans]]
* [[List of Slovaks]]
{{div col end}}

==Notes==
{{notelist}}
{{Reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Sources==
*[https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/czechia/ Slovaks in Czech Republic]
*[http://www.nepszamlalas.hu/eng/volumes/24/tables/load1_4_1.html Slovaks in Hungary] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927225441/http://www.nepszamlalas.hu/eng/volumes/24/tables/load1_4_1.html |date=27 September 2007 }}
*Baláž, Claude: Slovenská republika a zahraniční Slováci. 2004, Martin
*Baláž, Claude: (a series of articles in:) Dilemma. 01/1999 – 05/2003

==Further reading==
{{See also|List of Slavic studies journals}}
*{{cite book
  | title = Nové pohľady historickej vedy na slovenské dejiny. I. časť. Najstaršie obdobie slovenských dejín (do prelomu 9.-10. storočia)
  | last = Marsina
  | first = Richard
  | year = 1995
  | publisher = Metodické centrum mesta Bratislavy
  | location= Bratislava
  | language = sk
  | isbn = 978-80-7164-069-1
  }}
*{{cite book |title= Ethnogenesis of Slovaks, Human Affairs, 7, 1997, 1|last= Marsina|first=Richard |year=1997 |publisher=Faculty of Humanities, [[University of Trnava]] |location= [[Trnava]], [[Slovakia]]}}
*{{cite book
  | title = Etnogenéza Slovákov
  | editor1-last = Marsina
  | editor1-first = Richard
  | editor2-last = Mulík
  | editor2-first = Peter
  | chapter = K problematike etnogenézy Slovákov a ich pomenovania
  | last = Marsina
  | first = Richard
  | year = 2009
  | publisher = [[Matica slovenská]]
  | location= Martin
  | language = sk
  | isbn = 978-80-7090-940-9
  }}
*{{cite book
  | title = Národnosti Uhorska
  | trans-title = Nationalities in the Kingdom of Hungary
  | last = Marek
  | first = Miloš
  | year = 2009
  | publisher = [[University of Trnava]]
  | location= Trnava
  | language = sk
  | isbn = 978-80-8082-470-9
  }}
*{{cite journal
  | journal = Slovenská Reč
  | title = Najstarší výskyt slova slovenský z roku 1294
  | last = Uličný
  | first = Ferdinand
  | year = 1986
  | issue = 2
  | publisher = Slovak Academic Press
  | location= Bratislava
  | language = sk
  | url = http://www.juls.savba.sk/ediela/sr/1986/2/sr1986-2-lq.pdf
  }}
*{{cite journal
  | journal = Slovenská Reč
  | title = Osídlenie Liptova a dolnoliptovské nárečia
  | last = Uhlár
  | first = Vlado
  | year = 1992
  | publisher = Slovak Academic Press
  | location= Bratislava
  | language = sk
  | url = http://www.juls.savba.sk/ediela/sr/1992/6/sr1992-6-lq.pdf
  }}
*{{cite book |title= The Politics of Language and Nationalism in Modern Central Europe|last= Kamusella |first= Tomasz|author-link= Tomasz Kamusella|year= 2009|publisher=[[Palgrave Macmillan]]|location=[[Basingstoke]], UK (Foreword by Professor [[Peter Burke (historian)|Peter Burke]]) |isbn=9780230550704 }}
*{{cite book
 |last        = Kirschbaum
 |first       = Stanislav J.
 |title       = A History of Slovakia: The Struggle for Survival
 |publisher   = [[Macmillan Publishers|Palgrave Macmillan]]; [[St. Martin's Press]]
 |date        = March 1995
 |location    = New York
 |url         = http://us.macmillan.com/ahistoryofslovakia
 |isbn        = 978-0-312-10403-0
 |page        = 25
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20080925041206/http://us.macmillan.com/ahistoryofslovakia
 |archive-date = 2008-09-25
}}
*{{cite book
  |last = Eberhardt
  |first = Piotr
  |title = Ethnic Groups and Population Changes in Twentieth-Century Central-Eastern Europe: History, Data, Analysis
  |publisher = M.E. Sharpe
  |year = 2003
  |isbn = 978-0-7656-0665-5
  }}
*{{cite book |title=Slovakia and the Slovaks |last= Mikuš|first=Joseph A.|year=1977 |publisher=Three Continents Press |isbn= 9780914478881|quote=The work is superbly illustrated by Martin Benka, a Slovak painter of comparable}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Slovaks}}
{{Americana Poster}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20050307094103/http://www.snm.sk/old/zbornik/zbornik_text.htm Some studies on the early Slovaks and Slavs, on Slovak and Slovak hydronymy]
*[https://www.loc.gov/rr/european/imsk/slovakia.html Slovaks in America (Library of Congress)]
*[http://terkepek.adatbank.transindex.ro/kepek/netre/11.gif The Slovaks in the Kingdom of Hungary according to the (disputed) 1910 census]

{{Slovakia topics}}
{{Slavic ethnic groups}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Ethnic groups in Serbia]]
[[Category:Ethnic groups in Slovakia]]
[[Category:Ethnic groups in Vojvodina]]
[[Category:Slovak people|*]]
[[Category:Slavic ethnic groups]]
[[Category:Ethnic groups in the Czech Republic]]
[[Category:West Slavs]]