A question to this board’s balkanophiles... what exactly is the difference between Slovenes and Croats as distinct peoples? They seem to have similar ethno-cultural characteristics to me, when put in comparison. How and why exactly did Slovenia develop a particular identity as a South Slavic state, instead of simply becoming a piece of land claimed by “Greater Croatia” advocates?
AHQ: What distinguishes Slovenes from Croats?
- Thread starter GauchoBadger
- Start date
Well for starters, Slovene is a different language, not even being part of the Serbian-Croatian dialect continuum, so linguistic nationalism would preclude the inclusion of Slovenes as Croats.
Looking way back at their early histories the ancestors of the Slovenes began settling in the eastern alps during the 6th century, and the Croats (to my knowledge) are generally held to have moved into Dalmatia in the 7th century. So they had distinct origins and distinct areas of settlement.
The Slovenes were then slowly pushed south by German expansion and in the 700s fell under Frankish rule, meanwhile the Duchy of Croatia had been able to beat the Franks at Trsat and were able to escape as mere tributaries to the Franks. As Frankish power waned the Croats regained independence while the Slovenes remained under various forms of German rule. So they had very different developmental courses.