Macedonia is located on the Balkan Peninsula and its geographical scope has changed so much that today it includes Greece (the northern region of Macedonia), the Republic of North Macedonia, Bulgaria (Pragyevgrad Region), Albania, Serbia and Kosovo, with a total area of 670,000 square kilometers with a total population of about 4.76 million.
The origins of Macedonia can be traced back to the Neolithic period. In ancient times, it was a platform for cultural exchange between the Aegean region, Anatolia and Central Europe, and a northern extension of ancient Greek civilization.
If you want to mention the most glorious period of the Macedonian Kingdom, it must be Alexander's Empire, which was founded by Alexander the Great.
In 336 BC, Alexander the Great succeeded to the throne and immediately led a series of conquests against the Persian Empire. He used Greek culture as a platform to expand the territory of Macedonia and also tried to reach the end of the world.
Between 334 and 331 BC, Alexander the Great led 350,000 troops fought and successfully defeated the army of the Persian king Darius III.
In this battle, they won victories at the Granicus River, Issus, and Gaugamela, and took control of large swathes of Asia Minor, including Troy, Miletus, Halicarnassus, and other prominent cities.
From 331 BC to 327 BC, Alexander the Great continued his march south, easily capturing Egypt and founding Alexandria, which became the nucleus of what would become Alexandria.
He then marched eastward, into the heart of Persia, where he defeated Darius III again at the Battle of Albera in 331 BC, forcing him to flee to the east.
After capturing the Persian capital of Susa and Persepolis, Alexander acquired his wealth and power and proclaimed himself the heir to the Persian Empire.
After Darius III fled, Alexander the Great pursued him and eventually killed him in 330 BC, ending the rule of the Achaemenid dynasty of Persia.
Alexander the Great was not satisfied with this, he continued to advance eastward, conquering the kingdoms of the Indus Valley, and engaged in a fierce battle with the king of India, Poros, at the Hedras River, which ended in the victory of Alexander the Great.
After many years of campaigning, Alexander's troops were so tired and weary that they were reluctant to march east. So Alexander had no choice but to lead his troops down the Indus River and the Persian Gulf back to Babylon.
On the way back, Alexander the Great encountered many difficulties and resistances, and his army suffered huge losses. In 323 BC, Alexander the Great fell ill and died in Babylon at the age of 33.
Alexander the Great's empire was a vast empire spanning Europe, Asia and Africa, stretching from the Ferghana Basin and the Indus Plain in the east to the Balkan Peninsula in the west, Central Asia, the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea in the north, and the Indian Ocean and northern Africa in the south.
This empire was one of the largest empires of the ancient world and the most glorious achievement of Alexander the Great.
After Alexander's death, the Greek city-states and Persia revolted. Internecine warfare among the generals also began, and the empire quickly descended into the Diadochi Wars, eventually divided into three solid Hellenistic empiresPtolemaic, Seleucid, and Antigonus.
They were the most powerful empires of the late Greek period and lasted for hundreds of years. Until 168 BC,Roman RepublicAfter defeating and destroying the Antigonian dynasty, and conquering Macedonia in 146 BC, the Seleucid Empire was conquered in 63 BC, and the Ptolemaic Empire came to an end in 30 BC.
The Roman Empire was divided into two parts** in the 4th century**, and Macedonia was divided into the Eastern Roman Empire, later known as the Byzantine Empire.
The rule of the Byzantine Empire made the culture and religion of the Macedonian region more oriental, especially the spread of Orthodox Christianity.
However, the Byzantine Empire also faced threats from the outside, such as the Slavs, Bulgarians, Serbs, Hungarians, Crusaders, Ottoman Turks, etc.
These foreign peoples and forces have continuously invaded and occupied the Macedonian region, resulting in the mixing and change of the Macedonian population.
At the end of the 6th century and the beginning of the 7th century, Slavs moved to the Balkan Peninsula in large numbers, including Macedonia. They brought with them Slavic languages and Slavic customs, mixed and intermarried with local Greeks and Romans, forming a new ethnic group, the Macedonian Slavs.
The Macedonian Slavs have established their own states in history, such as the First Bulgarian Empire, the Second Bulgarian Empire, the Serbian Empire, the Macedonian Empire, etc., but they are also often ruled and influenced by the Byzantine Empire, the Ottoman Empire, the Kingdom of Serbia, etc.
At the end of the 14th century, the Ottoman Turks conquered the Balkan Peninsula, including the Macedonian region. The rule of the Ottoman Empire, which lasted for almost five centuries, had a profound impact on the ethnic and religious composition of the Macedonian region.
On the one hand, the Ottoman rule caused the economic backwardness and cultural decline of the Macedonian region, and the Macedonians suffered from high taxes and a harsh conscription system, while also facing oppression and discrimination from the Turks.
On the other hand, the rule of the Ottoman Empire also promoted the pluralism and integration of the Macedonian region, and some Macedonians adopted Islam and became Muslims, establishing contacts and exchanges with the Turks and other Muslim peoples.
At the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, a series of national liberation movements took place in the Balkan Peninsula, and the Macedonian region became the focus of contention between various ethnic groups and states.
Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia and other countries all claim the Macedonian region as their historical territory, and at the same time support different ethnic groups in the Macedonian region, such as Greek Macedonians, Bulgarian Macedonians, Serbian Macedonians, etc., in the struggle against Turkey.
Some independent nationalist organizations have also emerged in Macedonia, such as the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization, which advocates autonomy or independence for Macedonia.
After the two Balkan wars and the First World War, according to the Treaty of Bucharest signed in August 1913, the Macedonian region was divided into three parts, belonging to Greece, Serbia (later Yugoslavia) and Bulgaria.
This division led to the ** and diaspora of Macedonians, as well as a long-standing controversy over the Macedonian question.
During the Second World War, Macedonia became a battlefield for the Axis and Allied powers, and at the same time there were some internal conflicts and changes.
In the Macedonian region of Yugoslavia, some Macedonians joined the resistance movement led by the Communist Party of Yugoslavia against the occupation of Nazi Germany and Bulgaria for the liberation and autonomy of the Macedonian region.
After the end of the war, the Macedonian region of Yugoslavia became a republic of the Yugoslav Federation, the Socialist Republic of Macedonia, with certain political and cultural rights.
In the Macedonian region of Greece, some Macedonians joined the resistance led by the Communist Party of Greece against Nazi Germany and the Bulgarian occupation and fought for the independence and autonomy of the Macedonian region.
After the end of the war, the Greek Communist Party launched the Greek Civil War in an attempt to overthrow Greece and establish a socialist Greece, including the Macedonian region.
However, the Greek Communist Party, with the support of the United States and Great Britain, was defeated by the Greek ** and royalist armies, and the Macedonian region of Greece remained under Greek control.
In the Macedonian region of Bulgaria, some Macedonians joined the resistance led by the Bulgarian Communist Party in the struggle for the liberation and unification of the Macedonian region against the occupation of Nazi Germany and fascist Italy.
After the war, the Bulgarian Communist Party took power in Bulgaria and became a satellite of the Soviet Union, and the Macedonian region of Bulgaria became part of the Bulgarian People's Republic.
In the second half of the 20th century, the Macedonian region experienced some new changes and challenges. In the region of Macedonia in Yugoslavia, the Socialist Republic of Macedonia enjoyed a certain autonomy within the Yugoslav Federation, developed its own language, culture and education.
However, with the dissolution of the Yugoslav Federation and the conflict of the various ethnic groups of Yugoslavia, the Socialist Republic of Macedonia declared its independence in 1991 and established the Republic of Macedonia.
However, the name of the Republic of Macedonia was opposed by Greece, and until 7 April 1993, the Republic of Macedonia could only join the United Nations under the provisional name of the "former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia".
At this time, Macedonia actually controlled only 38% of the historical area, and the land area shrank by 63%!