On the Slavic Immigration in the Byzantine Balkans

Abstract

The Balkans have a complex ethnic and linguistic structure owing to migrations from the North which took place in waves of varying intensity and changed the regions demographic character from the antiquity onwards, when it was inhabitated by Illyrian and Greek tribes.1 The Slavic immigration from the late 6th century onwards was the most important for the present ethnic composition of the populations in southeastern Europe. It has been a matter of great debate since Jacob Philipp Fallmerayer (1790–1861) published his notorious thesis, stating that “not the slightest drop of undiluted Hellenic blood flows in the veins of the Christian population of present-day Greece”.2 Already since the 12th century Byzantine historians like Nikephoros Bryennios (12th century), George Pachymeres (13th century), Nikephoros Gregoras (14th century), Michael Kritoboulos and especially Laonikos Chalkokondyles (15th century) discussed the ethnic identities of the medieval Balkan populations and their alledged Illyrian origin. They used the ethnonyms Albanoi, Akarnanoi, Bosnoi, Bulgaroi, Dalmatai, Illyrioi, Makedones, Mysoi, Sarmatai, Skythai, Thrakes, Thessaloi and Triballoi.3 The collective names of the Slavs,