Total population | |
---|---|
1,289,635 (2011) | |
Regions with significant populations | |
Bačka | 580,805 (56.59%) |
Banat | 398,454 (74.49%) |
Srem | 310,376 (83.74%) |
Languages | |
Serbian language | |
Religion | |
Serbian Orthodox Church |
The Serbs of Vojvodina are the largest ethnic group in this northern province of Serbia. For centuries, they lived under foreign rule, but despite many attempts that aimed to assimilate them, Vojvodinian Serbs preserved their national consciousness, language, religion, culture as well as the rich folklore, national costumes and music. According to the 2011 census, there were 1,289,635 Serbs in Vojvodina or 66.76% of the population of the province.
Before the Roman conquest in the 1st century BC, Illyrian, Thracian and Celtic tribes inhabited the territory of present-day Vojvodina region. During the Roman rule, original inhabitants were heavily Romanized, and latter they are known under name of Vlachs. It is thought that this original population had not entirely disappeared, leaving certain genetic traces among the modern Serb population of the region.
The Slavs (Severans, Abodrites, Braničevci, Timočani and Serbs) settled today's Vojvodina in the 6th and 7th centuries (during the early medieval migrations). Until the 13th century, the region had dominant Slavic population.
In the 9th century the region of present-day Vojvodina was ruled by the two local Bulgaro-Slavic dukes (Voivodes). Their names were Salan and Glad. Salan ruled the territory of Bačka, and his capital city was Titel, while Glad ruled the territory of Banat. The descendant of Glad was Ahtum, another local duke of Banat, the last ruler who opposed to the establishment of the Kingdom of Hungary in the 11th century. The important local Bulgaro-Slavic duke was also Sermon, a vassal of the Bulgarian emperor Samuil, who ruled over Srem in the 11th century.