Serbs in Bulgaria

Serbs in Bulgaria
Сърби в България
Срби у Бугарској
Srbi u Bugarskoj
	Flag of the Serbian minority in Bulgaria
Total population
	313 ethnic Serbs; 569 Serbian citizens (2011);
Regions with significant populations
	Bulgaria
Languages
	Serbian, Bulgarian
Religion
	Serbian Orthodox Church
Related ethnic groups
	Serbian diaspora

Serbs are a small community in Bulgaria, most of whom are immigrants. Many of them are athletes and businessmen who have expatriated to Bulgaria in the 20th and 21st century.

Population

According to the National Council for Cooperation on Ethnic and Integration Issues by the Bulgarian Government, there were 313 local Serbs in the country, in 2011, most of whom were descendants of old political emigrants.^[1]
2011 Bulgarian census registered 569 Serbian citizens living permanently in Bulgaria, most of whom were recent economic immigrants.^[2]

History

Middle Ages

During the Byzantine rule in Bulgaria, the Serbs invaded Byzantine territory in 1149. Emperor Manuel I Komnenos (1143–1180) forced the rebellious Serbs to vassalage (1150–52) and settled some Serbian POWs around Sofia.^[3]

Ottoman times

The village Brakevtsi was settled by Serbs in late Ottoman times, after the local Bulgarian population had emigrated to Bessarabia.^[4]

19th century Bulgaria

In the 1880 Bulgarian census, in which native language was registered, 1,894 Serbs were counted with the following Districts having a notable number of Serbian-speakers:

Vidin District: 1,260, 1.2% of the total^[5]
- Kula Subdistrict: 1,083, 3.5%;^[6] Brakevtsi, (today in Serbia), Brakevtsi municipality: 1,067 (Serb majority, the only such settlement in Bulgaria). In 1919 Brakevtsi was ceded to Serbia.
- Vidin Subdistrict: 165, 0.4%^[6]
Sofia District: 258, 0.2%^[5]
- Sofia Subdistrict: 243, 0.5%^[6]

Organizations

In 1999, an organization of "Bulgarian Serbs" was formed, but broke up soon after that.^[7] In 2010 an Association of the Serbs in Bulgaria was set up.^[8]

Notable people

Ana-Neda (1323–1324), Empress consort of Bulgaria
Dragana (1371–1395), Empress consort of Bulgaria
Đoko Rosić (1932–2014), Serbia-born Bulgarian actor. An old political emigrant. Serbian father and Bulgarian mother.
Zlatomir Zagorčić (b. 1971), naturalized Bulgarian former footballer, now coach. Played for the Bulgarian national team 1998–2004.
Predrag Pažin (b. 1973), naturalized Bulgarian former footballer, now coach. Played for the Bulgarian national team 2000–2004.
Zoran Janković (b. 1974), naturalized Bulgarian former footballer. Played for the Bulgarian national team 2002–2007.
Ivan Čvorović (b. 1985), naturalized Bulgarian footballer, playing for the Bulgarian national team
Majstor Miro (Майстор Миро), chef.^[9]

References

^ ^a ^b Национален съвет за сътрудничество по етническите и интеграционните въпроси. Етнически малцинствени общности.
^ ^a ^b 2011 Population census in the republic of Bulgaria, p.23
^ Hungary and the Fall of Eastern Europe 1000–1568. Osprey Publishing. 1988. pp. 16–. ISBN 978-0-85045-833-6. John Comnenus also settled Serbian prisoners as stratioti military colonists around Izmit, while Manuel Comnenus similarly settled Serbs around Sofia.
^ Антон Страшимиров, "Книга за българите" София, Библиотека "Вечни книги на България", Изд-во "Сибия", 1995, София, стр. 30.
^ ^a ^b General results of the population census of 1 January 1881, Statistics of the Principality of Bulgaria, p.11^{[permanent dead link]} (in Bulgarian and French)
^ ^a ^b ^c Final results of the population census of 1 January 1881, Statistics of the Principality of Bulgaria, pp.198 and 286^{[permanent dead link]} (in Bulgarian and French)
^ "Srbi u Bugarskoj". Archived from the original on 21 July 2011. Retrieved 14 February 2010.
^ Ekonom:east Media Group, 09. June 2010, Sreckovic on status of Serbs in Bulgaria
^ "МАЙСТОР МИРО - НАЙ-ОБИЧАНИЯТ СЪРБИН В БЪЛГАРИЯ" (in Bulgarian).