The Berziti (
Bulgarian
Bulgarian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to the country of Bulgaria
* Bulgarians, a South Slavic ethnic group
* Bulgarian language, a Slavic language
* Bulgarian alphabet
* A citizen of Bulgaria, see Demographics of Bulgaria
* Bul ...
,
Macedonian and sr, Берзити; el, Βερζῆτες) were a
South Slavic tribe that settled in
Byzantine
The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...
Macedonia in the 7th century AD with the
Slavic invasion of the Balkans
The Slavic migrations to the Balkans began in the mid-6th century and first decades of the 7th century in the Early Middle Ages. The rapid demographic spread of the Slavs was followed by a population exchange, mixing and language shift to and from ...
. The Berziti settled in the vicinity of
Lychnidos (
Ohrid
Ohrid ( mk, Охрид ) is a city in North Macedonia and is the seat of the Ohrid Municipality. It is the largest city on Lake Ohrid and the List of cities in North Macedonia, eighth-largest city in the country, with the municipality recording ...
).
One part of the same tribe settled in
Brest, Belarus, while another, also known as Brsjaci (
Macedonian and sr, Брсјаци; bg, Бърсяци, ''Barsyatsi''), moved south into the
Balkans
The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...
.
Etymology
There are several theories as to the origin of the name "Brsjaci", according to the folk etymologies of the
Mijaks
Mijaks ( mk, Мијаци, Mijaci) are an ethnographic group of Macedonians (ethnic group), Macedonians who live in the region which is also known as ''Mijačija'' ( mk, Мијачија), along the Radika river, in western North Macedonia, numb ...
recorded by
Toma Smiljanić-Bradina
Toma Smiljanić (18 June 1888 in Tresonče, Ottoman Empire – 10 May 1969 in Belgrade, SFR Yugoslavia), known by his nickname Bradina, was a Serbian ethnographer, philologist, dramatist and publicist from what is today North Macedonia.
Early ...
the name comes from the Brsjak's great physical strength and endurance and propensity for violence and revolt with theories such as: "Brz i jak" meaning "fast and strong", and "Brziti" meaning "the fast ones" because of their supposed ability to run as fast as horses. Serbian writer
Grigorije Božović Grigorije Božović ( Pridvorica, Ottoman Empire, now in Kosovo, 15 November 1880 - Belgrade, Kingdom of Yugoslavia, 4 January 1945), was a writer, professor of the Prizren seminary, one of the leaders of the Serbian movement in Macedonia, prima ...
also recorded similar findings which he ties to the Brsjaks ability to traverse mountains with ease and considers the name "Brsjak" to be synonymous with "Highlander".
According to
Toma Smiljanić-Bradina
Toma Smiljanić (18 June 1888 in Tresonče, Ottoman Empire – 10 May 1969 in Belgrade, SFR Yugoslavia), known by his nickname Bradina, was a Serbian ethnographer, philologist, dramatist and publicist from what is today North Macedonia.
Early ...
the Brsjaks are named after the food that they gave their livestock which is called "brst".
Distribution
The Brsjaci mostly inhabit areas in the central and western part of Macedonia with the
Vardar
The Vardar (; mk, , , ) or Axios () is the longest river in North Macedonia and the second longest river in Greece, in which it reaches the Aegean Sea at Thessaloniki. It is long, out of which are in Greece, and drains an area of around . Th ...
river forming the eastern boundary, bordering the
Mijaks
Mijaks ( mk, Мијаци, Mijaci) are an ethnographic group of Macedonians (ethnic group), Macedonians who live in the region which is also known as ''Mijačija'' ( mk, Мијачија), along the Radika river, in western North Macedonia, numb ...
to the west with the
Bistra as a boundary, and to the south to
Prespa
Prespa ( mk, Преспа, sq, Prespa, el, Πρέσπα) is a region shared between North Macedonia, Albania and Greece. It shares the same name with the two Prespa lakes which are situated in the middle of the region. The largest town is Rese ...
and
Pelagonija
Pelagonia ( mk, Пелагонија, Pelagonija; el, Πελαγονíα, Pelagonía) is a geographical region of Macedonia named after the ancient kingdom. Ancient Pelagonia roughly corresponded to the present-day municipalities of Bitola, Pr ...
, the Brsjak identity is best preserved in the
Azot region due to settlements of a rival tribe the
Mijaks
Mijaks ( mk, Мијаци, Mijaci) are an ethnographic group of Macedonians (ethnic group), Macedonians who live in the region which is also known as ''Mijačija'' ( mk, Мијачија), along the Radika river, in western North Macedonia, numb ...
.
See also
*
List of Medieval Slavic tribes
This is a list of Slavic peoples and Slavic tribes reported in Late Antiquity and in the Middle Ages, that is, before the year AD 1500.
Ancestors
*Proto-Indo-Europeans (Proto-Indo-European speakers)
** Proto-Balto-Slavs (common ancestors of Bal ...
References
Slavic tribes in Macedonia
Sclaveni
Ohrid Municipality
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