Brsjaci
Encyclopedia
The Berziti were a South Slavic tribe that settled in Byzantine
Macedonia
in the 6th century AD with the Slavic invasion of the Balkans. Their name has been modernized as Brsjaci which also is the region of Macedonia encompassing Bitola
, Ohrid
, Prespa
and Veles
which is thought to have been their Sclavinia.
One part of the tribe settled in Brest, Belarus
. The Berziti settled in the vicinity of Lychnidos (Ohrid
).
The tribe subsequently disappeared after Byzantine, Serbian and Bulgar conquest of the region. The tribe was absorbed by the Serb and Bulgarian ethnos.
In the 1935 book by Kirov-Majski, a self-proclaimed Brsjak, two sub-groups (ethnographic) of the Bulgarians are attested, the Brsjaks and Mijaks
, according to him in 1903, the revolutionaries that rebelled in the Krushevo Uprising calls themselves "Brsjaks". Self-proclaimed Brsjaks in Macedonia have since identified with the Macedonian people.
Byzantine
Byzantine usually refers to the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages.Byzantine may also refer to:* A citizen of the Byzantine Empire, or native Greek during the Middle Ages...
Macedonia
Macedonia (region)
Macedonia is a geographical and historical region of the Balkan peninsula in southeastern Europe. Its boundaries have changed considerably over time, but nowadays the region is considered to include parts of five Balkan countries: Greece, the Republic of Macedonia, Bulgaria, Albania, Serbia, as...
in the 6th century AD with the Slavic invasion of the Balkans. Their name has been modernized as Brsjaci which also is the region of Macedonia encompassing Bitola
Bitola
Bitola is a city in the southwestern part of the Republic of Macedonia. The city is an administrative, cultural, industrial, commercial, and educational centre. It is located in the southern part of the Pelagonia valley, surrounded by the Baba and Nidže mountains, 14 km north of the...
, Ohrid
Ohrid
Ohrid is a city on the eastern shore of Lake Ohrid in the Republic of Macedonia. It has about 42,000 inhabitants, making it the seventh largest city in the country. The city is the seat of Ohrid Municipality. Ohrid is notable for having once had 365 churches, one for each day of the year and has...
, Prespa
Prespa
Prespa is a region in Republic of Macedonia. It shares the same name with the two Prespa lakes which are situated in the middle of the region. The largest town is Resen with 9,000 inhabitants....
and Veles
Veles (city)
Veles is a city in the center of the Republic of Macedonia on the Vardar river. The city of Veles is the seat of Veles Municipality.-Name:The city's name was Vylosa in Ancient Greek and before the Balkan Wars, it was a township with the name Köprülü in the Üsküp sandjak, Ottoman empire for 600...
which is thought to have been their Sclavinia.
One part of the tribe settled in Brest, Belarus
Brest, Belarus
Brest , formerly also Brest-on-the-Bug and Brest-Litovsk , is a city in Belarus at the border with Poland opposite the city of Terespol, where the Bug River and Mukhavets rivers meet...
. The Berziti settled in the vicinity of Lychnidos (Ohrid
Ohrid
Ohrid is a city on the eastern shore of Lake Ohrid in the Republic of Macedonia. It has about 42,000 inhabitants, making it the seventh largest city in the country. The city is the seat of Ohrid Municipality. Ohrid is notable for having once had 365 churches, one for each day of the year and has...
).
The tribe subsequently disappeared after Byzantine, Serbian and Bulgar conquest of the region. The tribe was absorbed by the Serb and Bulgarian ethnos.
In the 1935 book by Kirov-Majski, a self-proclaimed Brsjak, two sub-groups (ethnographic) of the Bulgarians are attested, the Brsjaks and Mijaks
Mijaks
Mijaks are an ethnographic group of ethnic Macedonians who live in the so-called Mijačija area , along the Radika river, in western Macedonia, numbering 30,000-60,000 people...
, according to him in 1903, the revolutionaries that rebelled in the Krushevo Uprising calls themselves "Brsjaks". Self-proclaimed Brsjaks in Macedonia have since identified with the Macedonian people.