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

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

, list the first branch of the Drougoubitai along with four other

tribes living in the vicinity 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

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

, 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

References

Sources

* * * * * {{Slavic ethnic groups (VII-XII century) Byzantine Greece Medieval Macedonia Slavic tribes in Macedonia Slavic tribes in Thrace and Moesia Sclaveni

History

See also

References

Sources