History of the Aromanians

The Aromanians are an Eastern-Romance speaking ethnic group native to the southern Balkans. Their origins are debated but they are generally considered to be the descendants of the Romanized native populations who developed a distinct language sometime no later than the 10th century. They have historically been referred with the term "Vlachs", with their name in the languages of most of the countries they live in being a word related to this term.

During the medieval times, they had managed to set up their own autonomous region, Great Vlachia, though it never developed into an independent state. They have been traditionally associated with a transhumance lifestyle travelling in the mountainous regions of the Balkans. During the Ottoman period, they started to engage in trading and craftsmanship and started concentrating in urban centers, with the most notable one being Moscopole, which was a major center of Aromanian culture until its destruction in the 18th century.

Many Aromanians have been assimilated into more prominent ethnic groups and they have played significant roles in the history of their respective countries, most notably in Greece, which has the largest Aromanian population of any country. Two attempts for Aromanian independence were made there in the 20th century, the Samarina Republic during WWI and the Principality of Pindus during WWII, though both of them got little support by the local population.