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What does Rumelia mean?

Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2015 5:34 pm
by Admir
There's a lot of confusion about Rumelia. What's the meaning of it. What's the definition of a Rum, what's his ethnicity?

Re: What does Rumelia mean?

Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2015 5:54 pm
by Zeus10
Rumelia denotes a territory ruled by Romioi, and Rum means "Roman" in Turkish, while Rumelia , means "land of the Romans".

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The real meaning of the term Rum is a Greek, and their language is the Greek language. It has nothing to do with the mythical forgotten Hellenes, although upon the creation of the Greek state in the 19-th century these Rums, adopted the name Hellenes.
Rumelia is often used to refer Greece itself, like in this passage of 17-th century, 1669:
The sanziack of this place is under the Beglerbeg of Rumelia or Graecia. A trade is driven from hence to Belgrade, and to Thessalonica or Salonichi, and many other places. I have been more particular concerning this city, because geographers pass it over in a few words; and I could never meet with any, who had been at it.
1669 Edward Brown:A Journey through Skopje and Kosovo