Greeks in North Macedonia

History

Refugees from the Greek Civil War

Greeks are mainly settled now in the cities of Gevgelija (, Gevgelī́) and Bitola (, Monastī́ri). Today this community is a remnant from the times of Communist Yugoslavia. Then many Greek communists fled Greece due to the Greek Civil War as political refugees. Today here live mostly their descendants. Ethnologue cites Greek as an "immigrant language" in North Macedonia. In 2002, 422 individuals declared themselves as Greeks in the census. The 2021 census recorded only 294 individuals declaring their ethnicity as Greek.

Trivia

There is a historical controversy surrounding a Greek minority within North Macedonia, that stems from the late 19th and early 20th century Ottoman era statistical treatment of Aromanian and Slavic-speaking population groups in the area, which partially used to identify themselves as Greeks as part of the Rum millet. A large number of Aromanians and Slavic-speakers with Greek identity left the region after the Balkan Wars (1912–1913) and First World War (1914–1918) and settled in Greece.

Notable historical personalities

The following Aromanian and Slavic people were born during Ottoman times in what is today North Macedonia and identified as Greek after the rise of nationalism in the Ottoman Empire:

• Theodoros Adam, chieftain of the Macedonian Struggle
• Charalambos Boufidis, chieftain of the Macedonian Struggle
• Petros Christou (1887-1908), chieftain of the Macedonian Struggle
• Georgios Karaiskakis (-1910), chieftain of the Macedonian Struggle
• Evangelos Koukoudeas, chieftain of the Macedonian Struggle
• Eleni Karinte, first love of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
• Dimitrios Lalas (1844/48-1911), composer and musician
• Georgios Modis (1887-1975), jurist, politician, writer and participant in the Macedonian Struggle
• Theodoros Modis, merchant, scholar and participant in the Macedonian Struggle
• Traianos Nallis (1874-?), politician
• Pantelis Papaioannou (c.1880-1907), chieftain of the Macedonian Struggle
• Theofylaktos Papakonstantinou (1905-1991), writer and politician
• Anastasios Pichion (1836-1913), educator and participant the Macedonian Struggle
• Michail Sapkas (1873-1956), politician and doctor
• Dimitrios Semsis (1883-1950), violinist
• Michael Sionidis (1870-1935), chieftain of the Macedonian Struggle
• Alexandros Svolos (1892-1956), President of Political Committee of National Liberation during WW2
• Dimitrios Tsapanos (1882/1883-?), chieftain of the Macedonian Struggle
• Dimitrios Tsitsimis, chieftain of the Macedonian Struggle
• Georgios Vafopoulos (1903-1996), poet, writer, teacher and journalist
• Antonios Zois (1869-1941), chieftain of the Macedonian Struggle

References

References

1. Samartzis, Nonda. "Macedonia 2021 census". Transitions Online.
2. Cowan, Jane K.. (2000). "Macedonia: The Politics of Identity and Difference". [[Pluto Press]].
3. Minahan, James. (2000). "One Europe, many nations". Greenwood Publishing Group.
4. Koutsoukalēs, Alekos. (1998). "To chroniko mias tragōdias, 1945-1949". Iōlkos.
5. (2005). "Ethnologue: Languages of the World, Fifteenth edition". [[SIL International]].
6. Stavrova, Biljana. (2003-09-12). "Macedonia's census opens new doors". Transitions Online.
7. Roudometof, Victor. (1996). "Nationalism and Identity Politics in the Balkans: Greece and the Macedonian Question". The [[Johns Hopkins University Press]].
8. Clogg. (2002). "Minorities in Greece: Aspects of a Plural Society". C. Hurst & Co. Publishers.