The Drougoubitai, also Drogobitai or Dragobitai ( gr, Δρο
ο
ῖται/Δραγοβῖται), variously anglicized as Drugubites, Drogubites, Druguvites, Draguvites etc., were a
South Slavic group (''
Sclaveni
The ' (in Latin) or ' (various forms in Greek, see below) were early Slavic tribes that raided, invaded and settled the Balkans in the Early Middle Ages and eventually became the progenitors of modern South Slavs. They were mentioned by early Byz ...
'') who settled in 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 ...
in the 7th century. Two distinct branches are mentioned in the sources, one living in medieval
Macedonia to the north and east of
Thessalonica
Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area, and the capital of the geographic region of ...
and around
Veroia
Veria ( el, Βέροια or Βέρροια), officially transliterated Veroia, historically also spelled Berea or Berœa, is a city in Central Macedonia, in the geographic region of Macedonia, northern Greece, capital of the regional unit of ...
(in modern
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...
).
History
![Seal of a judge of the Drougoubites](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fa/Seal_of_a_judge_of_the_Drougoubites.jpg)
The 7th-century ''
Miracles of Saint Demetrius
The ''Miracles of Saint Demetrius'' ( la, Miracula Sancti Demetrii) is a 7th-century collection of homilies, written in Greek, accounting the miracles performed by the patron saint of Thessalonica, Saint Demetrius. It is a unique work for the ...
'', which chronicle the Slavic invasions and settlement in 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 ...
, list the first branch of the Drougoubitai along with four other
Sclaveni
The ' (in Latin) or ' (various forms in Greek, see below) were early Slavic tribes that raided, invaded and settled the Balkans in the Early Middle Ages and eventually became the progenitors of modern South Slavs. They were mentioned by early Byz ...
tribes living in the vicinity of
Thessalonica
Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area, and the capital of the geographic region of ...
. According to the ''Miracles'', they were led by kings, and were tributary allies to the Byzantines.
[Kazhdan (1991), p. 662] The ''Miracles'' also record their participation in two unsuccessful attacks by Sclaveni coalitions on Thessalonica, in
617/618 and
677
__NOTOC__
Year 677 ( DCLXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 677 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar e ...
.
By 879, a bishopric of Drougoubiteia (Δρουγουβιτεία),
suffragan to the
Metropolis of Thessalonica, had been established.
Nicolas Oikonomides
Nikolaos or Nikos Oikonomides ( el, Νικόλαος Οικονομίδης, 14 February 1934 – 31 May 2000) was a Greek Byzantinist, and one of the leading experts in the field of Byzantine administration.
Biography
Oikonomides was born in ...
has suggested that at about the same time, the tribe was placed under a Byzantine military governor with the title of ''
strategos''. In the late 10th and 11th centuries, Drougoubiteia is attested as being united with the
themes of
Thessalonica
Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area, and the capital of the geographic region of ...
and
Strymon into a single province.
[Kazhdan (1991), p. 663] In the early 10th century,
John Kaminiates
John Kaminiates ( el, Ιωάννης Καμινιάτης, fl. tenth century) was a Greek resident of Thessalonica when the city, then one of the largest in the Byzantine Empire, was besieged and sacked by a Saracen force led by Leo of Tripoli in ...
speaks of the Drougoubitai as living around
Veroia
Veria ( el, Βέροια or Βέρροια), officially transliterated Veroia, historically also spelled Berea or Berœa, is a city in Central Macedonia, in the geographic region of Macedonia, northern Greece, capital of the regional unit of ...
, while in the 13th century,
Demetrios Chomatenos Demetrios Chomatenos or Chomatianos ( el, Δημήτριος Χωματηνός/Χωματιανός, 13th century), Eastern Orthodox Archbishop of Ohrid from 1216 to 1236, was a Byzantine priest and judge.
His comprehensive legal education allowed ...
mentions them as "ruling" all the land from Veroia up to
Skopje
Skopje ( , , ; mk, Скопје ; sq, Shkup) is the capital and List of cities in North Macedonia by population, largest city of North Macedonia. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre.
The territory of Sk ...
.
[Nesbitt & Oikonomides (1991), p. 84]
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
Sources
*
*
*
*
*
{{Slavic ethnic groups (VII-XII century)
Byzantine Greece
Medieval Macedonia
Slavic tribes in Macedonia
Slavic tribes in Thrace and Moesia
Sclaveni