Slovenians Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
Slovenians or Slovenes (Slovenian Slovenci, singular Slovenec, feminine Slovenka) are a South Slavic people primarily associated with Slovenia and the Slovenian language.Most Slovenians today live within the borders of the independent Slovenia (circa 2,000,000). There are autochthonous Slovenian minorities in northeastern parts of Italy (100,000), southern Austria (15,000), Croatia (13,200) and Hungary (6,000).
Many Slovenian emigrants are also scattered across Europe and overseas, for example in the USA, Canada, Argentina, Australia, South Africa (300,000).
Around 570, the Slavic tribes start to settle in the region between the Alps and the Adriatic Sea.
From 623 to 658, the Slavic tribes between the upper Elbe River and the Karavanke mountain range were united in their first state under the leadership of king Samo (kralj Samo) in a so called King Samo's Empire. The tribal union collapsed after Samo's death, but a smaller Slavic state Caranthania (Slovenian Karantanija) (present-day Carinthia) persisted, with its center in the region of Carinthia (most of it lies in the present Austria).
Due to pressing danger of Avar tribes from the east, Karantanians accepted union with Bavarians in 745 and later recognized Frankish rule and accepted Christianity in the 8th century. The last Slavic state formation in the region, the principality of Prince Kocelj, lost its independence in 874. Slovenian ethnic territory subsequently shrunk due to pressing of Germans from the west and the arrival of Hungarians in the Pannonian plain, and stabilized in the present form in the 15th century.
The earliest documents written in Slovenian are the Freising manuscripts (Brižinski spomeniki, Freisinger Denkmäler), dated between 972 and 1022, found in 1803 in Freising, Germany. The first book printed in Slovenian is Cattechismus and Abecedarium, written by the Protestant reformer Primož Trubar; in 1550 and printed in Tübingen, Germany. Jurij Dalmatin translated the Bible into Slovenian in 1584. In the half of the 16th century the Slovenian came known to other European languages with the multilingual dictionary, compiled by Hieronymus Megisar.
Slovenian lands were part of the Illyrian provinces, the Austrian Empire and Austria-Hungary (in Cisleithania).
Many Slovenians emigrated to the USA at the turn of the 20th century, mostly due to economic reasons.
Following the 1st World War (1914-1918), they joined other South Slavs in the State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs, followed by Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, and finally Kingdom of Yugoslavia. In the new system of banovinas (since 1929), Slovenians formed a majority in the "Dravska Banovina".
In 1920 people in the bilingual parts of Carinthia decided in a referendum that most of Carinthia accede to Austria. Between the two world wars, westernmost provinces inhabited by Slovenians were part of Italy.
Slovenian volunteers also participated in the Spanish Civil War, and the Second Italo-Abyssinian War.
Slovenians participated in the so-called National Liberation Fight ("NOB") while Yugoslavia was occupied in the Second World War (1941-1945).
In 1945, Yugoslavia was liberated and made into a Communist state, with Slovenia a socialist republic.
The Ausrian part of Carinthia remained part of Austria and estimated 25,000-40.000 Slovenians in the Austrian state of Carinthia were recognized as a minority and have enjoyed special rights following the Austrian State Treaty (Staatsvertrag) dated from 1955. The Slovenians in the Austrian state of Styria are not recognized as a minority and do not enjoy special rights, although the State Treaty from July 27, 1955 obliges to do so.
It would be wrong to think that the Slovenians of Carinthia are given full minority status. There is general hostility towards the minority amongst the German-speaking majority, and many of the rights required by the 1955 State Treaty are still to be implemented, such as place names in Slovenian. There is also an undercurrent of thinking amongst parts of the population that the Slovenian involvement in the partisan war against the Nazi occupation force was a bad thing, and indeed "Tito patrisan" is a not infrequent insult hurled against members of the minority. The current Governor of the Province, Jörg Haider, regularly plays the Slovenian card when his popularity starts to flag, and indeed relies on the strong anti-Slovene attitudes in many parts of the province for his power base. Slovenia's joining of the EU has only exacerbated the situation, with (utterly unrealistic) fears regularly being voiced (and used politically) of the Slovenisation of southern Carinthia and hidden EU agenda to unite Carinthia and Slovenia under Slovenian leadership. Another interesting phenomenon is for some german speakers to refuse to accept the minority as Slovenians at, referring to them as Windisch (And it is true that the Carinthian Slovenian language is different in many respects to standard Slovenian).
Yugoslavia acquired some territory from Italy after WWII but some 100,000 Slovenians were still left behind the Italian border, notably around Trieste and Gorizia.
In 1991, Slovenia became an independent nation state.
This is an Article on Slovenians. Page Contains Information, Facts Details or Explanation Guide About Slovenians Early Slovenians
Slovenians during the Frankish Empire
Slovenians between the 18th century and the Second World War
Slovenians during and after the 2nd World War
There were Slovenians also in the German army.See also
External links
History
The origin of Slovenians