South Slavs
South Slavs are Slavic peoples of the Balkan Peninsula and eastern Alps.
The South Slavs are a branch of the Slavic peoples, united by their South Slavic languages and living in a connected area of Southeast Europe that stretches from the eastern Alps across the Balkan Peninsula. They are cut off from the West and East Slavs by Austria, Hungary, Romania, and the Black Sea. Today, this group includes Bosniaks, Bulgarians, Croats, Macedonians, Montenegrins, Serbs, and Slovenes. During the 1900s, most of these peoples—except for the Bulgarians—were brought together in a single country called Yugoslavia, a name that comes from Serbo-Croatian and means "South Slavia" or "South Slavdom." The idea behind this state, known as Pan-Slavism, first appeared in the late 1600s in Croatia (then part of the Habsburg monarchy) and grew stronger during the 1800s Illyrian movement. The Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes—renamed the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in 1929—was declared on December 1, 1918, after the State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs joined with the kingdoms of Serbia and Montenegro. When Yugoslavia broke apart in the early 1990s, several independent countries were created. The term "Yugoslavs" has been and sometimes still is used to mean the same as "South Slavs," but it usually leaves out Bulgarians because Bulgaria was never part of Yugoslavia.
In different South Slavic languages, the group is called *Južni Sloveni* (in Serbian, Macedonian, and Montenegrin, using Cyrillic), *Yuzhni Slavyani* (in Bulgarian), *Južni Slaveni* (in Croatian and Bosnian), and *Južni Slovani* (in Slovene). The Slavic root *jug-* means "south." The word "Slav" itself was used by writers in the 500s to describe the southern group of early Slavs, known as the Sclaveni, while the West Slavs were called Veneti and the East Slavs Antes. South Slavs are also sometimes called Balkan Slavs. Another name, popular in the early modern period, was "Illyrians," taken from a pre-Slavic Balkan people. Dalmatian intellectuals first used it in the late 1400s to refer to South Slavic lands and people. Later, the Habsburg monarchy and France also used it, and it was notably adopted by the 1800s Croatian Illyrian movement. Eventually, the idea of Yugoslavism emerged, aiming to unite all South Slavic territories into one state. This led to Yugoslavia, which, however, did not include Bulgaria.
The early history of the South Slavs begins with the Proto-Slavic homeland, a debated ar
- label
- South Slavs
- field
- Ethnolinguistic group
- region
- Southeast Europe (eastern Alps and Balkan Peninsula)
- languages
- South Slavic languages (e.g., Serbian, Croatian, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Slovene)
- peoples
- Bosniaks, Bulgarians, Croats, Macedonians, Montenegrins, Serbs, Slovenes
- historical_state
- Yugoslavia (1918–1990s)
- known_for
- Forming the majority population of Yugoslavia; early medieval states in the Balkans
Lore & Background
The South Slavs are known in their own languages as Južni Sloveni, Yuzhni Slavyani, or similar terms, with the Slavic root *jug- meaning 'south'. The ethnonym was used by 6th-century writers to describe the southern group of Early Slavs (the Sclaveni), while West Slavs were called Veneti and East Slavs Antes. Another early modern name was Illyrians, adopted by Dalmatian intellectuals in the late 15th century and later used by the Habsburg monarchy and the Croatian Illyrian movement. The idea of Yugoslavism aimed to unite all South Slav-populated territories into a common state, leading to Yugoslavia, which did not include Bulgaria.
Reader's Guide
The South Slavs are significant as the primary ethnic component of Yugoslavia, a 20th-century state that united most South Slavic peoples and lands except Bulgaria. Their early history is documented by late Roman authors such as Jordanes and Procopius, who described the Sclaveni and Antes as barbarian peoples with democratic institutions, living in scattered huts and raiding the Byzantine Empire from the 6th century. The Slavs' settlement in the Balkans is debated, with most historians claiming large-scale invasion in the 6th and 7th centuries, though archaeological evidence for mass migration is lacking. The diminished pre-Slavic inhabitants fled to fortified cities or adopted transhumant lifestyles, while the Slavs mixed with and assimilated indigenous populations. The legacy of the South Slavs includes the formation of early medieval states (Croatian, Serbian, Bulgarian) and the modern independent nations that emerged after Yugoslavia's breakup in the early 1990s.
Did You Know?
- The term 'Yugoslavs' is sometimes used as a synonym for 'South Slavs' but usually excludes Bulgarians since Bulgaria never formed part of Yugoslavia.
- The Slavic root *jug- means 'south', and the South Slavs are also called Balkan Slavs.
- The first Slavic chieftain recorded by name was Daurentius (fl. 577–579), who dismissed Avar suzerainty.
- The 10th-century text De Administrando Imperio by Byzantine Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus mentions the beginnings of Croatian, Serbian, and Bulgarian states.
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