Kings of Macedonia

Macedonia is the name of a region on the Balkans covering areas that are part of the present republics of Greece, Bulgaria and North Macedonia. It originated from a Hellenic kingdom located in what is today northern Greece. The inhabitants were Greeks according to the history writer Herodotus. But this ethnicity was disputed by other Greeks and it was not until the forth century BC, when Macedonia had become a great power, that they with force got this recognition and was allowed to participate in the Pan-Hellenic games. This age of greatness also meant that Macedonia's territory grew to also encompass the present day republic of North Macedonia. The "Greek" Macedonia however remained the core region of the kingdom until it was completely conquered by the Romans 148 BC. A migration of Slavic people during the seventh century AD into the region dramatically changed the demographic composition and sowed the seeds to the present conflict between Greece and North Macedonia over the question of which people are the rightful heir to the old Macedonian kingdom.

Concerning the foundation of the kingdom there are conflicting reports in the sources. Herodotus claimed that it was Perdikkas I who created the kingdom while Theopompos alleged that this achievement was done earlier by Karanos. All sources from the Antiquity are however in agreement that the first Macedonian royal family descended from the Greek city of Argos (which the dynasty is named after).

Argead Dynasty

The Roman Empire lost control over Macedonia during the seventh century AD when Slavic people settled in the region. These Slavic areas became part of Bulgaria in the ninth century. When the Byzantine Empire conquered eastern Bulgaria 971 AD Macedonia became the core region of what remained of the Bulgarian state. In the year 1018 this part of Bulgaria was also conquered by the Byzantines. The Bulgarian state was restored 1185 after a rebellion and controlled most of Macedonia until this area was conquered by Serbia in 1330. The Serb rule of Macedonia lasted only until 1371 when it was conquered by the Ottoman Empire who controlled the region until the Balkan Wars 1912-1913. This war resulted in the partitioning of Macedonia between the victorious states of Greece, Bulgaria and Serbia. The Serbian part of Macedonia was occupied by Bulgaria 1941-1945 and became 1991 an independent republic.