History of Macedonia: Primary Documents

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EuroDocs > History of North Macedonia: Primary Documents


Prehistory to 1st Century BC

  • Tribes of Macedonia in Ancient Texts
Authors include Homer, Livy, Thucydides, etc. "People" filter can be removed for wider search results.
Σιντική - Sintice region and people
Δαρδανία - Dardanians, an important tribal group bordering the Illyrians and Macedonians.
Βρύγιοι - Brygians, ancient tribe in Macedonia
Παιονία - Paionia
Ἐγχελεῖς - Enchelians, ancient tribe in Macedonia
Made available by Topos Text
(8th-1st century BC; English translation)
(Antiquity; English translations)
Compiled by History of Macedonia
(antiquity; English translations)
Compilation of ancient sources offering evidence that ancient Macedonians felt themselves to be Greek.
Compiled by History of Macedonia
(antiquity; English translations)
The ancient Greek, Roman, and Jewish historians, geographers, and orators, speak of the Macedonians as distinct nation, separate from their Greek, Thracian, and Illyrian neighbors.
See also, Plutarch - Diodorus - Pausanias - Livy - Herodotus - Justin - Isocrates - Polybius - Demosthenes - Arrian - Curtius Rufus - Josephus - Thracymachus - Thucydides - Strabo
From History of Macedonia
Another website offering ancient sources for the distinction between Greeks and Macedonians is Virtual Macedonia
(500 BC-500 AD; English translation)
"Macedonia is clearly distinguished from Greece (Hellas), Thrace, Illyria, Bulgaria, Serbia, and the Macedonians are likewise distinguished as distinct nation from the Greeks, Thracians, Illyrians, Bulgarians, Serbs, Albanians, as nation which continued to exist and survive trough the centuries."
From History of Macedonia
(500 BC - 2001; English translations)
According to UNESCO: "The text of the Papyrus, which is the first book of western tradition, has a global significance, since it reflects universal human values: the need to explain the world, the desire to belong to a human society with known rules and the agony to confront the end of life.
(5th century BC; Greek transcription)
Database of ancient sources regarding people and events in Macedonia, especially focused on Alexander the Great
Compiled by Livius
(4th century BC-1st century AD; facsimiles, transcriptions and English translation)
Inscribed in an astronomical diary by Esagila temple officials
Livius.org
(323 BC; English translation)
Ancient accounts of the 16 Cleopatras, Hellenistic royals of Egypt, Syria and Macedonia
Compiled by Attalus
(308 BC - 30 BC)
Transcription of “the Greek League of 303 BCE: alliance of Greek towns, organized by Demetrius Poliorcetes, directed against the Macedonian ruler Cassander.”
Livius.org
(303 BC; English translation)
One of Plutarch's Lives, about the famous Macedonian King Alexander the Great.
(English translation, 100 BC)
Section of Diodorus work dealing with the rise of Philip II. Subsequent sections deal with his Alexander's conquests. Link main page here.
(1st century BC; English translation)
Find the book in its entirety here at LacusCurtius.
(1st century BC; English translation)

1st Century AD - 6th Century AD

By Quintus Curtius Rufus
Compiled by Attalus
(1st century AD; English translation)
Transcription of Justin’s history of the world, specifically the rise of the Macedonian Empire.
Forum Romanum
(2nd century; English, French and Latin translations)
The Second Macedonian War
The Third Macedonian War
These accounts are part of Florus: Epitome of Roman History, which can also be found in Latin.
Made available by LacusCurtius
(2nd century; English translation)
"This book of stratagems I also address to your most sacred majesties, Antoninus and Verus; which I have written with more particular pleasure than the rest, because it contains the exploits of our heroic ancestors, who filled the throne of Macedonia."
Greek text HERE
(2nd century; English translation)
L. Flavius Arrianus wrote "the most reliable ancient account of the conquests of Alexander the Great."
From Attalus
(2nd century AD; English translation)
Digitized manuscripts collection.
(medieval; Slavonic manuscripts)
By the C6 the Slavs were the largest European race...Following the dissolution of the Hun Empire the Slavs made a rapid expansion populating modern Russia, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Croatia, Serbia, Macedonia, Bulgaria, and Romania.
(6th century; English)
Includes accounts of Macedonia, letters, petitions, reports, and official meeting minutes.
Includes documents from:
Middle Ages (6th century - 1758)
National Revival Period (1762 - 20 May 1878)
National Liberation Movement (18 March 1878 - 27 December 1917)
Period between World War I (WWI) and World War II (WWII) (1919 - 8 August 1940)
1978 Macedonian historical document compilation by Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Institute of History and Bulgarian Language Institute.
(6th century - 8 August 1940; English translations)

7th Century - 19th Century

The Bitola inscription is a medieval stone inscription written in Old Church Slavonic with Cyrillic letters. The text commemorates the fortification works on the fortress of Bitola under a Tsar Ivan Vladislav of Bulgaria.
(1015; facsimile; English translation beneath Old Church Slavonic with Cyrillic letters)
The Book of Roger by Muhammad al-Idrisi, speaking of his world travels including information on Albania and Macedonia, as well as maps he drew.
More information found HERE
(1154 century; facsimiles, maps; Arabic and Latin)
Law of Serbian Empire which included Macedonia and most of Greece.
(May 21, 1349; transcription in Russian parts in Serbian in Latin letters)
Includes some primary source documents (and also secondary sources) from Ottoman to 20th century Macedonia.
(1395 - 20th century; Russian facsimiles, English interface)
From the DeGreorio Collection of Antiquities
(14th century; facsimile]
(End of 14th century; facsimiles, Bulgarian commentary)
Digitized historical documents held by the National and University Library of St. Kliment of Ohrid.
(facsimiles; 1484-1981)
Including applications for immigration, the edict of Empress Elisabeth to allow immigration, and a Russian edict granting the formation of brigades from Macedonian and other peoples.
(18th century; Russian facsimiles)
(19th and 20th centuries; Macedonian transcriptions)
Searchable book-length travel reports digitized at the University of Michigan.
(19th to 20th century; hundreds of facsimiles in many languages)
Book by Holland, Henry
Bayerische StaatsBibliothek
(1812-1813; English facsimile)
  • Documents of the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization
Exit image view for English translation.
Excerpt from the statute of BMARC, 1896
Excerpt from the statute of SMARO, 1902
Excerpt from the statute of IMARO, 1906
Poster of most important members of IMARO and SMAC between 1893 and 1913
(1893-1913; Bulgarian facsimiles)

20th Century - Present

Most of the content is from pro-independence groups.
Includes:
Memoirs and newspapers
Documents and photos
(20th century; Macedonian facsimiles)
A list of primary and secondary sources. Some items include Letters to Rizospastis (the newspaper of the Greek Communist Party), a British officer's report of the Aegean Macedonians, the Lausanne and other treaties, etc.
(20th century; English)
Beginning with Appeal of the "National Macedonian-Albanian League"
(1902; English translations)
Report of Englishman on the state of Macedonia.
(English, February 11, 1903)
Manifesto kinda probably written by the leaders of the Ilinden-Preobrazhenie uprising.
(English translation; 1903)
M. Edith Durham's account of travel describing early 20th century Balkan Peninsula.
From University of Michigan Library Digital Collections.
(1905; English transcription)
Collection of documents about the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization.
(Macedonia; Early twentieth century)
Herbert Vivian's account of travel describes early 20th century Macedonia.
(1904; English transcription)
Collection of photos from the conflict in Macedonia at the beginning of the twentieth century.
(Photos; 1904-1908)
In the Balkan Wars of 1912-1913, the Greek army crossed into Macedonia and took possession of 51% of the whole country including its largest city of Salonica.
From History of Macedonia
(1912; English translation)
Treaty ending the First Balkan War. One of the results was the division of Macedonia.
(English; May 30, 1913)
Treaty ending the Second Balkan War. Territory in Macedonia was redivided.
(English; August 10, 1913)
(1913; English facsimile)
To Inquire into the causes and Conduct OF THE BALKAN WARS, PUBLISHED BY THE ENDOWMENT WASHINGTON, D.C.
(1914; English transcription)
Interactive map, browse cases geographically.
The cases
Includes selected transcriptions and court decision documents.
List of judgements, case outcomes
(1918-1992; English transcriptions, documents)
Map of the Balkans as they were organized at the end of World War I, after the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
(1918; zoomable map)
Treaty of Peace Between the Allied and Associated Powers and Bulgaria, and Protocol and Declaration signed at Neuilly-sur-Seine
(1919; English)
By M. EDITH DURHAM. "The tale of the plots and counterplots through which I lived in my many years of Balkan travel, seems worth the telling. Events which were incomprehensible at the time have since been illumined by later developments." Includes Montenegro, Serbia, Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Albania.
(1920; English transcription)
Never adopted, superseded by the Treaty of Lausanne
(1920; English)
(1923; English)
Journal of the Greek Communist Party
(1932-1935; English translation)
Maps of concentration camps, division, and invasion routes in Yugoslavia.
(1933-1943; English facsimiles)
Also called "The resolution of the Comintern on the Macedonian Nation." It is a resolution of the international communist organization recognizing Macedonia as a distinct nationality.
(English; April 1934)
Photos from WWII Yugoslavia.
(1939-1945; Serbian facsimiles, English maps)
Website includes over 94,000 pages of digitized German microfilm documents, such as war record books, from National Archive Washington.
Also includes photos from WWII in Yugoslavia.
(1941-1946; photos, German facsimiles, Bosnian interface)
Documents and data, such as meeting minutes, newspaper articles, letters, and declarations from the Bulgarian campaign in Macedonia.
(1941; English translations)
Diplomatic report summarizing a discussion on Chrome with the foreign minister.
Part of an agreement between Bulgaria and Nazi Germany. Bulgaria gave Germany Vardar Macedonia territory (located in present-day Macedonia) and Thrace (located in present-day Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey). This agreement includes unrestricted access to raw materials (such as chrome) in area near Skopje.
(16 October, 1942; telegram transcription)
Letters deal with WWII Bulgarian campaigns in Macedonia.
(1941; Macedonian transcriptions)
National Anthem of Macedonia. Adopted August 11, 1992.
(Macedonian with English translation; 1941)
Declaration of war time provisional Yugoslav government.
(Croatian; November 28, 1943)
A BRITISH OFFICER'S REPORT
(1944; English transcription)
  • Foreign relations between the Macedonia and the US
Documents from US State Department and University of Wisconsin-Madison.
1945
1946
1947
1948
1949
1950
1951
1952-1954
1955-1957
1958-1960
1961-1963
1964-1968
1969-1972
1973-1976
(1945-1976; English transcriptions)
A Russian Embassy Report on Greek terror and the situation at the border.
(1945; Macedonian transcription)
Former head of police of the Skopje area (during the Bulgarian occupation), which took place on November 21, 1948 in Skopje
(1948; English translation)
Declassified CIA documents from Cold War Era Hard Target Analysis.
(3 November 1958; PDF facsimiles)
Photographs from the JDC Archives.
(1980s, 1990s; images, English interface)
Also available in Macedonian.
(8 September 1991; English translation)
News report
(September 1991; English transcription and facsimile)
Confirms Macedonian UN membership under the name the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.
(English; April 8, 1993)
Treaty between the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.
(English; September 13, 1995)
"The Republic of Bulgaria and Greece claim that in their states live only one people belonging only to one nation without national minorities is absurd and anachronous..."
From History of Macedonia
(1997; English translation)
Demand of Human Rights And Freedom. FROM: The Macedonians born in the Aegean part of Macedonia today Northern Greece - as an autochtone ethnic population - expelled in the war time of 1945-49 in Greece - today's place of living - R. of Macedonia, Europe, Asia and overseas countries. AGAINST: Republic of Greece.
From History of Macedonia
(1997; English translation)
Following the initiative of the Society of the Macedonians from the Aegean Part of Macedonia, with its seat in Bitola - Association of banished Macedonians from the Republic of Greece, a Conference was held on the topic: 'The Situation of the National Minorities in the Balkan countries.'
From History of Macedonia
(1997; English translation)
From the U.S. Department of State
(26 February 1998; English transcription)
Press Release. Inadmissible Attitude of the (Greek State-Owned) Macedonian News Agency
From History of Macedonia
(1998; English transcription)
(3 June 1999; English translation)
Regarding the Macedonian minority in Albania
(2001; English translation)
Agreement ended Albanian insurgency in Macedonia.
In Macedonian
In Albanian
(English; August 13, 2001)
  • Progress for Macedonians in Bulgaria
Bulgaria is recognizing the Macedonian Minority
Trud daily says Bulgarian Church should recognize Macedonian Church
From History of Macedonia
(2002-2003; English translation)
Macedonian census data, provided by the State Statistical Office.
(2002; English)

Political, Legal, & Governmental Documents

(English translation)
The Prescripts of the Macedonian Rebel Committee were formulated, it is believed, at the beginning of the second phase of the Macedonian Uprising in Kresna...The ultimate aim was to create in independent Macedonian state in which social rights would be respected, and all residents would be equal before the law regardless of faith and nationality.
(1878; English translation)
Collection of peace agreements entered into by Macedonia.
(English)
Collection of Macedonian Laws.
Statutes, criminal and civil codes, and other legal materials.
A portal of the BYU Law School.
Library of Congress guide to constitutional, legal, and government documents.
Constitutions of the Yugoslavs
(German)

Maps, Newspapers, Archives & Other Collections

Works are translated online, with a map pointing to their origin, and can be searched via title, place or author.
(English interface)
Database of interviews with Jewish people from Macedonia.
Includes facsimiles of official documents.
Explore the database by family name, city.
Advanced search here.
(photos, English transcriptions)
Collection of historical maps of Macedonia.
(facsimiles)
Collection of historical maps of Europe.
(facsimiles; Hungarian)
Documents from the former state of Yugoslavia.
Includes online exhibition of documents.
(Serbian facsimiles)
Websites published by political parties, NGOs and activist groups, cultural collectives, artists, historians, etc.
Collected by the Ivy-Plus Libraries Confederation.
(2018 to the present; archived websites in Serbo-Croatian and English)
Also contains a collection of coats of arms for other European countries and principalities.
(Facsimiles)

EuroDocs > History of North Macedonia: Primary Documents



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Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, USA.
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