Albania – Greek Diaspora History
Vlachs in Greece and Albania
Vlachs in Greece and Albania
The Vlachs (also referred to as Aromanians) are a group of people predominantly living in the southern Balkan countries of Albania, Greece, FYROM, Bulgaria, Serbia, and Croatia. The term “Vlachs” originates from the Middle Ages which was predominantly used for people who lived north and south of the Danube.
Vlachs are one of the linguistic groups of people in Albania, predominantly living in the southern and central regions of the country. In Greece, they reside predominantly in the north and particularly in the region of Epirus. The Vlach population in Albania is estimated at approximately 200,000. In Greece, the Vlach population is estimated between 40,000 and 300,000.
Origins of the Vlachs
There are many theories regarding the ethnic origins of the Vlachs. Common theories about their origins among ethnologists include that they’e descendants of:
- Latinized Greeks
- Roman soldiers
- Thracians
- Dacians
Byzantine historians from the 11th Century and historians today refer to Latin speakers (or “Romance-speakers”) of the Balkans as Vlachs. The fact remains that the origins of Vlachs has not been proven as yet, and if anything the existing evidence suggests a mix of ethnic origins.
How do Vlachs self-identify?
Today, many Vlachs have adopted the national culture in which they reside in. For instance, Vlachs in Greece will often identify first as Greeks and secondly as Vlachs.
However, many Vlachs hold their religious identity above their national one. The majority of Orthodox Christian Vlachs were Hellenized throughout the 17th and 18th Centuries, speaking Greek and becoming members of the Greek Orthodox Community. This led to many Vlachs self-identifying as Greeks.
As a result, there are many Vlachs living in Albania who identify themselves as Greeks.
Famous Greek Vlachs
Throughout history there have been many famous Greeks from the Balkans with Vlach ancestry. Here is a list of some of them:
- Daniel Moscopolites (1754-1825) – scholar, born in Moscopole, Albania
- Rigas Feraios (1757-1798) – writer, political thinker, and revolutionary and Greek national hero; born in Velestino, Greece
- Ioannis Kolettis (1773-1847) – politician and former Prime Minister of Greece, born in Syrrako, Greece
- George Averoff (1818-1899) – businessman and philanthropist, born in Metsovo, Greece
- Joachim III the Magnificent (1834-1912) – former Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, born in Constantinople, Turkey
- Jovan Karamata (1902-1967) – mathematician, born in Zagreb, Croatia
- Evangelos Averoff (1910-1990) – politician and former Defence Minister of Greece, born in Trikala, Greece
- Michael Dukakis (1933) – former governor of Massachusetts, born Brookline, U.S.A.
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Academic References
- Blamaci, N. 1991. Can the Vlachs Write Their Own History? Journal of the Hellenic Diaspora. <https://dinitrandu.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Nick-Balamaci.pdf>.
- Ruzica, M. 2006. The Balkan Vlachs/Aromanians Awakening, National Policies, Assimilation. Globalization, Nationalism and Ethnic Conflicts in the Balkans and its Regional Context. <https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/bc42/18c948ab98ead629b78a48102050db19e39b.pdf>
- Haraszti, E. 1997. Origin of the Rumanians (Vlach Origin, Migration
and Infiltration to Transylvania.) <http://www.magtudin.org/Haraszti_Endre_ORIGIN_OF_THE_RUMANIANS.pdf> - Abadzi, H. 2004. The Vlachs of Greece and their Misunderstood History. <http://www.armanami.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/AbadziVlachs_of_Greece.pdf>