"Macedo-Bulgarians"

[Carlin]

Originally Posted by Mr Gurther

a lot of people in the ottoman empire called themselves whatever, in greece during the early 19 century almost more then half the population of Greece considered themselves as Albanians.

During the Ottoman times Christian Orthodox Albanians most likely considered themselves just Orthodox Christians, and perhaps "Romaioi" (members of the Rum millet).

[Liberator of Makedonija]

Yes, I echo Carlin here. It is not that the population of Greece (proper) considered themselves Albanian, it is that many of them spoke Arvanitic, an Albanian language. That is not the same as identifying as Albanian.

[Karposh]

Originally Posted by Mr Gurther

a lot of people in the ottoman empire called themselves whatever, in greece during the early 19 century almost more then half the population of Greece considered themselves as Albanians.

Not to sound too pedantic but by using the word "considered", it can be misconstrued as though they imagined themselves to be Albanians. Fact is they were Albanians. Their language was Albanian, not Greek. The only question is what their true size was in proportion to the rest of the "Greeks". Whether they made up half the population, a quarter or less, is hard to say as Ottoman census data mainly relied on the millet system (i.e., religious communities) in determining population data and the Christian Albanians would have been counted as Romioi. The Greeks prefer to refer to them as "Arvanites" rather than straight out as Albanians as it is more in keeping with their ethnic Greek purity delusions. Arvanites sounds more like some lost Greek tribe rather than a foreign people residing in Greece. They still exist in Greece today but their numbers are clearly underestimated and many, no doubt, have fallen for the delusion of being "Albanophone Greeks" who are in fact descended from the Ancient Greeks. Just like many Macedonians have fallen for the idea of being "Slavophone Greeks" that are descended from the Ancient Greeks.

According to Encyclopedia Britannica, the Greek speakers were the only ethnic group to actually call themselves Romioi. No other Balkan people called themselves by this name. They actually didn't even believe they had a connection with the Ancient Greeks during Ottoman times. This idea was seeded in their heads by the Germans. And now we even have Turkish refugees who believe they are ethnically connected to the Ancient Macedonians.

[Mr Gurther]

Originally Posted by Karposh

Not to sound too pedantic but by using the word "considered", it can be misconstrued as though they imagined themselves to be Albanians. Fact is they were Albanians. Their language was Albanian, not Greek. The only question is what their true size was in proportion to the rest of the "Greeks". Whether they made up half the population, a quarter or less, is hard to say as Ottoman census data mainly relied on the millet system (i.e., religious communities) in determining population data and the Christian Albanians would have been counted as Romioi. The Greeks prefer to refer to them as "Arvanites" rather than straight out as Albanians as it is more in keeping with their ethnic Greek purity delusions. Arvanites sounds more like some lost Greek tribe rather than a foreign people residing in Greece. They still exist in Greece today but their numbers are clearly underestimated and many, no doubt, have fallen for the delusion of being "Albanophone Greeks" who are in fact descended from the Ancient Greeks. Just like many Macedonians have fallen for the idea of being "Slavophone Greeks" that are descended from the Ancient Greeks.

According to Encyclopedia Britannica, the Greek speakers were the only ethnic group to actually call themselves Romioi. No other Balkan people called themselves by this name. They actually didn't even believe they had a connection with the Ancient Greeks during Ottoman times. This idea was seeded in their heads by the Germans. And now we even have Turkish refugees who believe they are ethnically connected to the Ancient Macedonians.

i found an old 1860 news paper which claims around 200k of the population was Albanian and according to greek demographics in 1861 the population was 1 million so around 1/5 of the population identified as Albanians. and i remember finding a newspaper around the 1900s which stated around 10% of the population in Greece spoke Albanian as their mother tonque

heres the 1860 newspaper : https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/l...arRange&page=1

this site has a lot of old interesting newspaper which mentions how back then IMRO and its leaders were mostly considered Macedonians

[Risto the Great]

Given “grandparents couldn’t understand their grandchildren” from the 1850’s onwards, it’s not difficult to imagine some brand new (Greek) identity was forming out of the Albanian stock of people.