Baiounitai

The Baiounitai or Baiounitae (Greek: Βαϊουνίται),[1] variously anglicized as Baiunetes,[2] Vajunites,[3] Vajuniti or Vajunits,[4] were one of the Slavic tribes which settled the region of Macedonia at the end of 6th century.[5]

The Baiounitai initially settled region west of Thessalonica. They belonged to a group of Slavic tribes that unsuccessfully tried to capture the city at the beginning of the 7th century, after which they migrated to the region north of Ioannina in the northern Epirus. The territory they settled there was later named after them as Vagenetia. Many toponyms in the region of northern Epirus (modern-day southern Albania) still have names received by the name of this tribe.

Etymology

The name of this tribe has been suggested as deriving from the Slavic word vojnici ("warriors"), so the name of this tribe can be translated as "a tribe of warriors".[3][6] According to some authors the Baiounitai (Vajuni) are equal to the Babuni, while some other authors believe there are no evidence for such assertion.[7]

History

Section of the Walls of Thessaloniki

In the 6th century many Slavic tribes populated the wider region around the Byzantine city of Thessalonica. In ca. 614–616 the Baiounitai are mentioned in the Miracles of Saint Demetrius as one of them.[2][8] Their territory was on the western side of Thessalonica.[9]

A Slavic dugout boat from the 10th century

In ca. 614–16 the Baiounitai and other neighbouring Slavic tribes united under a leader named Chatzon[10] and besieged the city.[11] Forces composed of many different Slavic tribes attacked the city with siege engines trying to break through the city walls, while their small and manoeuvrable dugouts attacked the city from the sea.[12] All their efforts failed and Chatzon was imprisoned and stoned to death by the Byzantines.[13] After this failure to capture Thessalonica, many members of the defeated Slavic tribes moved further from the city. The Baiounitai moved from Macedonia to the territory of Epirus, and settled the region north of Ioannina.[7][14][15]

The territory inhabited by the Baiounitai formed a Sclavinia, which later became known after them as Bagenetia or Vagenetia.[16][17][18]

The name of Vanegetia survived until at least the 13th century.[16] Similar toponyms like Viyanite or Viyantije survived until the 16th century when they were replaced with the name Delvinë which also became an official name of the Ottoman sanjak of Delvina.[19] The territory around the river Aoös (or Vojuša/Vjosë, today in southern Albania) was probably also named after this tribe.[20]

References

  1. ↑ Heather, Peter (2010). Empires and Barbarians: The Fall of Rome and the Birth of Europe. Oxford University Press. p. 680, note 20. Miracle II.4 names the Runchine, Strymon and Sagoudatae Slavs as attacking Thessalonica at this point; Miracle II.1 adds the names of the Baiounitae and Buzetae.
  2. 1 2 Curta, Florin (2001). The Making of the Slavs: History and Archaeology of the Lower Danube Region, c. 500–700. Cambridge University Press. pp. 107–108. ISBN 978-0-521-80202-4.
  3. 1 2 Meeting, European Association of Archaeologists.; Pearce, Mark; Tosi, Maurizio (1998). Papers from the EAA Third Annual Meeting at Ravenna 1997: Pre- and protohistory. Archaeopress. ISBN 978-0-86054-894-2. This population may hypothetically be attributed to the Vajunites, a Slavic tribe which according to the Miracle of St. Demetrios, II, formed a Sclavinia in this region.
  4. ↑ Macedonian Review. "Kulturen život" (Cultural Life). 1980. p. 349. The Vajunits lived in the northern part of Epirus, and the Velegets in Thessaly.
  5. ↑ Etnološki pregled: Revue d'ethnologie. 1978. p. 58. The following Slavonic tribes settled down in the present Macedonia: Sangudati, Rin- hini, Draguviti, Vajuniti, Bersiti, ...
  6. ↑ Zbornik Istorijskog muzeja Srbije. Muzej. 1982. p. 51. ... Вајунити (можда Војнићи) ...
  7. 1 2 Ћоровић, Владимир; Петровић, Драгољуб С (2006). Историја Срба. Дом и школа. p. 51. Да су Вајуни - Бабуни , како неки мисле , није сигурно .
  8. ↑ Zbornik Istorijskog muzeja Srbije. Muzej. 1982. p. 51. У широј околини Солуна помињу се већ 614 — 616. године као посебна племена: Дрогувити или Друговити (можда Другови- ћи), Сагудати, Велегезити, Вајунити (можда Војнићи) и Верзити (можда Брзићи или Брезићи).
  9. ↑ Doklestić, Ljubiša (1964). Kroz historiju Makedonije: izabrani izvori. Školska knj. p. 294. Vajuniti, slavensko pleme, nastavali su zapadnu okolicu Soluna, kasnije prelaze u Epir.
  10. ↑ Recueil de travaux de l'Institut des études byzantines. Naučno delo. 1996. p. 99. Из VII века остала су забележена имена Хакона15 и Првуда,16 као вођа приликом опсада Солуна — 614/16. Хакон, односно 674/77. Првуд.
  11. ↑ Macedonian Review. Kulturen Zhivot. 1979. p. 243. Velegiziti, joined, in the second decade of the VIIth century, a great Slav tribal union, led by the leader of these Slavs, a man called Hacon. ...
  12. ↑ Ferjančić, Božidar (1966). Saznanja ; 20. Zavod za izdavanje udžbenika Socijalističke Republike Srbije. p. 22. ... као: Драговића, Сагу дата, Велегезита, Вајунита и Верзита. Са копнене стране Словени су опсадним справама покушавали да пробију градске бедеме, док су лаки и покретни дрвени чамци (моноксили) нападали град са мора.
  13. ↑ Ćorović, Vladimir (13 January 2014). Istorija srpskog naroda. eBook Portal. p. 34. GGKEY:XPENWQLDTZF.
  14. ↑ Srejović, Dragoslav; Gavrilović, Slavko; Ćirković, Sima M. (1892). Istorija srpskog naroda: knj. Od najstarijih vremena do Maričke bitke (1371). Srpska književna zadruga. p. 123.
  15. ↑ Popovski, Jovan (1969). Macedonia. Turistička štampa. p. 7. ... Saguditi tribe settled to the east of Salonica, Velegeziti occupied region next to Dragoviti tribe, and Vajunites settled in Epirus. Berziti tribe settled in ...
  16. 1 2 Christie, Neil; Augenti, Andrea (2012). Vrbes Extinctae: Archaeologies of Abandoned Classical Towns. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. p. 210. ISBN 978-0-7546-6562-5. One can note that the Slav presence in the Butrint region probably endured: Butrint lies in the region known in the thirteenth century as Bagenetia or Vagenetia, but this term can be traced back to the Slavic tribe known as the Baiunetai.
  17. ↑ Macedonia), Institut za nacionalna istorija (Skopje, (1970). Istorija makedonskog naroda: Od praistorije do kraja XVIII veka. Zavod za izdavanje ydžbenika Sodžijalističke Republike Srbije. p. 83. Своје склавиније имали су и Сагудати, Велегезити, Вајунити, Берзити (за које неки ау- тори тврде да су Брсјаци).
  18. ↑ Мацедониа), Институт за национална историја (Скопје,; Panov, Branko (2000). Историја на македонскиот народ. Institut za nacionalna istorija. p. 295. ISBN 978-9989-624-47-6.
  19. ↑ Hodges, Richard; Bowden, William; Lako, Kosta; R. D. Andrews (2004). Byzantine Butrint: Excavations and Surveys 1994-1999. Oxbow Books for the Butrint Foundation. p. 22. ISBN 978-1-84217-158-5. The names Vagenetia, Viyanite and Viyantije survived until the Turkish period, ...
  20. ↑ "Становништво словенског поријекла у Албанији" – Зборник радова са међународног научног скупа одржаног на Цетињу 21, 22. и 23. јуна 1990. Драгољуб С. Петровић, "Хетерогеност становништва детерминанта сложености решења политичког статуса албанског простора" – (Serbian)
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