Skopie History, Macedonia

Skopje, History – Early Times

Skopje history begins with the 3rd century BC, when the city is said to have been inhabited by the Paionians. A few years later, it was invaded by another group of people that were populating the region, due to its many richness and strategic position. The Ancient name of Skopje is Scupi, which was conquered by the Romans, who included it in the Roman region of Macedonia. But soon after, with the great expansion of the Roman Empire, Skopje became a part of the province of Moesia, during the Augustan rule. The city became a colony, with all the rights and laws and was turned into the seat of government of Moesia superior. Starting 395 AD, Skopje was directly ruled by the Byzantine Empire, going thus trough a period of evolution and development, so that in the 5th century it became an important metropolitan settlement.

Skopje, History – Middle Phase

In the 6th century, Scupi was destroyed by a terrible disaster. An important ruler, born in this beautiful town, Justinian I, came back to his birthplace to help its reconstruction. He managed to do this by building a settlement north of the city of Scupi, but, unfortunately, a few years later the city was again ravished by the invasion of the Slavic people. In the early medieval period, Skopje was the cause for the many fights between the Byzantine Empire and the Bulgarian one. The city met a flourishing period, but another natural disaster destroyed once again this amazing city, facing thus other difficult years. Once again, Skopje was rebuilt, this time with the help of the Serbs, thus becoming the capital of the Serbian Empire.

Once with the defeat of the Serbians by the Ottoman Empire, Skopje fell under Turkish domination for a period of five hundred years. The Ottomans imposed their culture and lifestyle in this area, so Skopje changed dramatically. Within this time, the city had to face some other terrible earthquakes, but each and every time. Skopje was restored to life. Once with the weakening of the Ottoman Empire, it was here that the major rebellion took place. Soon it got captured by the Serbs and the city went through another phase.

Skopje, History – Early Ages

During the Balkan Wars and World War I and II, Skopje went successively from Serbian occupation to Bulgarian domination. In 1918, it was included in the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes or the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. In the next years, it was controlled in turn by Bulgaria and then by Yugoslavia. It soon met a period of evolution under the united Yugoslavia and developed rapidly into the modern city it represents today.

The agitated Skopje History proves the courage and resistance of its heroic people. Thessaloniki History and Sofia Travel Guide will also show that the past of the Balkan cities wasn’t an easy one.