Slovenians

Slovenians (Slovenian Slovenci, singular Slovenec, feminine Slovenka) or sometimes an equivalent but archaic version Slovenes is a South Slavic nation that lives today mainly within the borders of the independent Slovenia (circa 2.000.000), in some northeastern part of Italy (100.000), Austria (50.000), Croatia (25.000) and Hungary (6.000). Many Slovenian emigrants are also scattered across Europe and overseas (e.g. USA, Canada, Argentina, Australia, South Africa (300.000)). They speak Slovenian.

Table of contents

1 The origin of Slovenians
2 The History of Slovenians

2.1 The History of Slovenians in Europe
2.2 Slovenians in Karantania
2.3 Slovenians during the Frankish Empire

3 Slovenians between 1848 and 1918

3.4 Slovenians in Austria-Hungary

4 Slovenians during the 1st World War (1914-1918)
5 Slovenians in the USA
6 Slovenians between 1918 and 1941

6.5 Slovenians in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia
6.6 Slovenians in the Austria
6.7 Slovenians in the Italy
6.8 Slovenians in the Spanish Civil War
6.9 Slovenians in the 2nd Abyssinian War

7 Slovenians during the 2nd World War (1941-1945)

7.10 Slovenians in the NOB (the National liberation fight)
7.11 Slovenians in the German army

8 Slovenians between 1945 and 1991

8.12 Slovenians in the Yugoslavia
8.13 Slovenians in the Austria
8.14 Slovenians in the Italy

9 Slovenians after 1991

9.15 Slovenians in the Slovenia
9.16 Slovenians in the Austria
9.17 Slovenians in the Italy
9.18 Slovenians in the European Union

10 External links

10.19 The origin of Slovenians

The origin of Slovenians

The History of Slovenians

The History of Slovenians in Europe

Around 570, the Slavic tribes start to settle in the region between the Alps and the Adriatic Sea.

Slovenians in Karantania

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 Karantania (Karantanija) (present-day Carinthia) persisted, with its center in the region of Carinthia (most of it lies in the present Austria).

Slovenians during the Frankish Empire

Due to pressing danger of Avar tribes from the east, Carinthians 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 T�bingen, 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 distionary, compiled by Hieronymus Megisar.