The Slavic migration to the Balkans

Isidore of Seville reported in 615: “Initially the Slavs conquered the European part of Byzantium.” A part of the indigenous population died. A small number retreated to fortified cities such as Salonika, to caves or to the mountains. After Jirecek, large population resettlements took place south to cities such as Vlorë, Ohër, Prizren and Shkodër. The Illyrians had to realize that the Slavic expeditions, like the expeditions of the Huns and the other barbarian peoples, left devastation and destruction behind them everywhere.

The Slavs did not retreat to their homeland, but usurped the fertile lands of the Illyrians. The Serbs brought their tribal order, their religion and their deities with them. For a long time they resisted the Christianization that they found in the new areas. “The first missionary activity to spread Christianity among the Slavs was carried out by the local population, who spread the teachings of Christ through contacts and conversations.” (Theophylactus Bul. Arhip. PG. 126, 128 stt.). It is difficult to determine the exact time of the Serbs adoption of Christianity. Many authors assume that the baptism of the Serbs began in the second half of the 9th century, or in the years 867-874. After the schism of the Christian Church in 1054, the eastern part of the ethnic region of Albania, under Greek influence, belonged to the Byzantine Orthodox Eastern Church, while the western part belonged to the Roman Catholic Western Church.