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Ethnic character of Serbia in history.
As we know, only small part of modern Republic of Serbia was part of early Serbian state (Raška).
But in fact, even capital of Raška (Old Ras), was conquered from Bulgarians by Serbs in 9th century.
Serb rule spread to Kosovo as well, and before Serb Kosovo was under Bulgarian rule.
Now, let's see what Byzantine accounts say about early Serbs and their country:
‘Serbs’ in the tongue of the Romans is the word for ‘slaves’, whence the colloquial ‘serbula’ for menial shoes, and ‘tzerboulianoi’ for those who wear cheap, shoddy footgear. This name the Serbs acquired from their being slaves of the emperor of the Romans.So, early Serbia was conquered by Bulgaria and country was left deserted. Some Serbs were taken into Bulgaria as slaves, and some escaped to Croatia. After Croats defeated Bulgarians, Serbia was settled again from all neighbouring regions of the country.Again, Symeon sent another army against prince Zacharias, under Kninos and Himnikos and Itzboklias, and together with them he sent also Tzeeslav. Then Zacharias took fright and fled to Croatia, and the Bulgarians sent a message to the ‘zupans’ that they should come to them and should receive Tzeeslav for their prince; and, having tricked them by an oath and brought them out as far as the first village, they instantly bound them, and entered Serbia and took away with them the entire folk, both old and young, and carried them into Bulgaria, though a few escaped away and entered Croatia; and the country was left deserted. Now, at that time these same Bulgarians under Alogobotour entered Croatia to make war, and there they were all slain by the Croats. Seven years afterwards Tzeeslav escaped from the Bulgarians with four others, and entered Serbia from Preslav, and found in the country no more than fifty men only, without wives or children, who supported themselves by hunting. With these he took possession of the country and sent a message to the emperor of the Romans asking for his support and succour, and promising to serve him and be obedient to his command, as had been the princes before him. And thenceforward the emperor of the Romans continually benefited him, so that the Serbs living in Croatia and Bulgaria and the rest of the countries, whom Symeon had scattered, rallied to him when they heard of it.
During Nemanjić rule Serbia expanded it's lands to great extent, especially to south, even to Thessaloniki, and gained control of maritime lands in the west. This Empire was very short lived.
Than, after centuries under Ottoman occupation, Serbia emerged.
Than, Serbia again expanded it's territories during Balkan Wars, mostly by taking Bulgarian and Albanian Lands:
Serbia was one of the main parties in the Balkan Wars (8 October 1912 – 18 July 1913), victorious in both phases. It gained significant territorial areas of the Central Balkans and almost doubled its territory.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serbia_in_the_Balkan_Wars
Than, finally in 1818 Serbia gained Vojvodina, land owned by Hungary for millenia before.
Mačva, flat region in northwest of modern Serbia was also Hungarian during medieval.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ma%C4%8Dva
And finally, who are Serbs? We know this lands had no continuity whatsoever, since numerous migrations trough the history.
Many of inhabitants of modern Serbia trace their origins to lands west of it: Bosnia, Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia.
Serbian academic samples from capital Belgrade show greatest relation to their Bulgarian neigbours, who controlled much of Serbia trough history:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4558026/
In another study, Serbs fall between SW Slavic (Slovenian, Croatian and Bosnian) and SE Slavic (Bulgarian, Macedonian) cluster.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4141785/
Who are ''Serbs''?
Originally Posted by Feiichy
England
Srbija
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