Vlachs

Quick Facts: Who was Vlachs?

Subject:

Vlachs

Known for:

Exonym for Eastern Romance speakers in the Balkans, including Aromanians and Megleno-Romanians.

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Origins & Early Life

Vlach ( VLA(H)K), also Wallachian and many other variants, is a term and exonym used from the Middle Ages until the Modern Era to designate speakers of Eastern Romance languages living in Southeast Europe—south of the Danube (the Balkan peninsula) and north of the Danube. Although it has also been used to name present-day Romanians, the term "Vlach" today refers primarily to speakers of the Eastern Romance languages - Aromanian, Megleno-Romanian, and Istro-Romanian - who live south of the Danube, in Albania, Bulgaria, northern Greece, North Macedonia and eastern Serbia.

Career & Major Achievements

These people include the ethnic groups of the Aromanians, the Megleno-Romanians and, in Serbia, the Timok Vlachs. The term also became a synonym in the Balkans for the social category of shepherds, and was also used for non-Romance-speaking rural Christians (mostly Orthodox), in recent times in Dalmatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina derogatively.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The term is also used to refer to the ethnographic group of Moravian Vlachs who speak a Slavic language but have Vlach origins, as well as for Morlachs and Istro-Romanians.

Notable Quotes by Vlachs

“History of the Romanians of the Pindus, Greater Vlachia, 980–1259” (1913)

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Vlachs

True or False: “True or false: The term 'Vlach' was exclusively used in the 19th century to refer to Aromanians.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): False. The term 'Vlach' is an exonym used since the Middle Ages, appearing in Byzantine and Latin documents long before the 19th century.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Vlad the Impaler — Chrono-Wiki Encyclopedia Entry: Feared 15th-century Voivode of Wallachia, known for centralizing power against rivals and the Ottomans.
• Vladimir Arnold — Chrono-Wiki Encyclopedia Entry: Pioneering mathematician known for KAM theory and singularity theory.
• Vladimir Ashkenazy — Chrono-Wiki Encyclopedia Entry: Renowned Icelandic pianist and conductor celebrated for classical and romantic repertoire.
• Vladimir Bogoyavlensky — Chrono-Wiki Encyclopedia Entry: Bishop of the Russian Orthodox Church and Hieromartyr, serving multiple metropolitanates.
• Vladimir Dal — Chrono-Wiki Encyclopedia Entry: Founding Russian lexicographer, folklorist, and scholar of diverse languages.
• Vladimir Grigoryevich Fyodorov — Chrono-Wiki Encyclopedia Entry: Pioneering Russian and Soviet weapons designer and founder of automatic small arms school.

Frequently Asked Questions about Vlachs