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{{Short description|West Slavic ethnic group}}
{{Refimprove|date=February 2009}}
{{for|information on the population of Slovakia|Demographics of Slovakia}}
{{Infobox Ethnic group|
{{Update|part=Statistics|reason=Data present are from the early 1990s|date=August 2024}}
|group='''Slovaks<br>(Slováci)'''
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2023}}
| flag= ]
{{Infobox ethnic group
| caption2= Slovak National flag
| group = Slovaks<br /> ''Slováci''
|image=]
| native_name =
<small>], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ]</small></div>
| native_name_lang =
|poptime= ] '''6-7 million''' <!--by adding numbers below-->
| flag = <!-- Don't add any flags as this article is about an ethnic group living in several different countries, and not about the citizens of, or about the, Republic of Slovakia. -->
|popplace={{Flag icon|Slovakia}} ] 4,600 000<ref name = gov-stats>{{cite web | title =Slovakia: Ethnicity of the Population Section | publisher = Government of Slovakia |year=2010 | url =http://www.government.gov.sk/10134/slovakia.php?menu=1293 | accessdate = 5 Oct. 2010 }}</ref><br>
| flag_caption =
{{USA}}: &nbsp;&nbsp; 790,000<ref name="USZZ.sk">(2010 census)</ref><br>
| image = Map of the Slovak Diaspora in the World.svg
{{CZE}}: &nbsp;&nbsp; 200,000<ref></ref><br>
| pop = '''{{circa}} 6–7 million'''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sme.sk/c/2422124/Ako-ziju-Slovaci-za-hranicami-Slovensko-mam-rad-ale-mojim-domovom-uz-nie-je.html|title=Ako žijú Slováci za hranicami? Slovensko mám rád, ale mojím domovom už nie je.|trans-title=How do Slovaks live abroad? I like Slovakia but it is no longer my home.|website=Sme.sk|access-date=2 August 2017|archive-date=3 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170803005021/https://www.sme.sk/c/2422124/ako-ziju-slovaci-za-hranicami-slovensko-mam-rad-ale-mojim-domovom-uz-nie-je.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
{{CAN}}: &nbsp;&nbsp; 100,000<ref name="USZZ.sk"/><br>
| popplace = {{Flag icon|Slovakia}} ] 4,567,547<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.scitanie.sk/vysledky-v-kombinacii|title=Národnosť a materin. jazyk|website=scitanie.sk|access-date=2022-10-13|archive-date=2022-10-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221013214515/https://www.scitanie.sk/vysledky-v-kombinacii|url-status=live}}</ref>
{{SRB}}: &nbsp;&nbsp; 59,021<br>
| region1 = {{USA}}
{{UK}}: &nbsp;&nbsp; 45,000<ref></ref><br>
| pop1 = 416,047 (2022); 750,000 (estimate)
{{IRL}}: &nbsp;&nbsp; 30,000<ref name="USZZ.sk"/><br>
| ref1 = <ref>{{cite web |title=Census Reporter: People Reporting Multiple Ancestry |url=https://censusreporter.org/data/table/?table=B04005&geo_ids=01000US&primary_geo_id=01000US#valueType{{!}}estimate |website=censusreporter.org |access-date=16 August 2024}}</ref><ref name="uszz">{{cite web |title=Office for Slovaks living abroad |url=https://www.uszz.sk/krajania/ |website=USZZ |language=sk-SK}}</ref>
{{AUT}}: &nbsp;&nbsp; 25,000<ref name="USZZ.sk"/><br>
| region2 = {{CZE}}
{{GER}}: &nbsp;&nbsp; 20,200<br>
| pop2 = 162,578 (2021 census); 200,000–400,000 (estimates)
{{HUN}}: &nbsp;&nbsp; 17,693<ref></ref><br>
| ref2 = <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tyden.cz/rubriky/domaci/slovaku-v-cesku-pribyva-tvori-petinu-vsech-cizincu-v-zemi_524806.html|title=Slováků v Česku přibývá, tvoří pětinu všech cizinců v zemi|website=týden.cz|date=15 June 2019|access-date=25 June 2020|archive-date=28 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200628080812/https://www.tyden.cz/rubriky/domaci/slovaku-v-cesku-pribyva-tvori-petinu-vsech-cizincu-v-zemi_524806.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="uszz"></ref>
{{ROU}}: &nbsp;&nbsp; 17.226<ref></ref><br>
| region3 = {{CAN}}
{{FRA}}: 13,000<br>
| pop3 = 68,210; (including 14,910 first generation immigrants); 100,000 (estimate)
{{AUS}}: 12,000<br>
| ref3 = <ref>{{cite web |title=Ethnic or cultural origin by generation status: Canada, provinces and territories, census metropolitan areas and census agglomerations with parts |url=https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810033801 |website=www150.statcan.gc.ca |access-date=16 August 2024 |date=26 October 2022}}
{{UKR}}: 6,397<br>
</ref><ref name="uszz"></ref>
{{HRV}}: 4,712<br>
| region4 = {{GER}}
{{BEL}}: &nbsp;&nbsp; 4,000<ref name="USZZ.sk"/><br>
| pop4 = 64,745; 80,000 (estimate)
{{POL}}: 2,000<br>
| ref4 = <ref>{{cite web |title=Federal Statistical Office Germany - GENESIS-Online |url=https://www-genesis.destatis.de/genesis/online?operation=ergebnistabelleUmfang&levelindex=3&levelid=1723797138038&downloadname=12521-0002#abreadcrumb |website=www-genesis.destatis.de |access-date=16 August 2024 |language=en |date=16 August 2024}}</ref><ref name="uszz"></ref>

| region5 = {{AUT}}
Other: &nbsp;&nbsp; 120,000 (est.){{Citation needed|date=February 2007}}
| pop5 = 63,621 (2020); 65,000 (estimate)
|langs=]
| ref5 = <ref name="uszz"></ref>
|rels=] 68.9%, ] 4.1%, ] 10.8%, ], other or unspecified 3.2%, ], ] or ] 13% (2001 ] within Slovakia, extrapolated to outside Slovaks)
| region6 = {{UK}}
|related=Other ], especially other ]
| pop6 = 58,000; 135,000 (estimate)
| ref6 = <ref>{{cite web |title=Population of the UK by country of birth and nationality: individual country data (Discontinued after June 2021) - Office for National Statistics |url=https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/internationalmigration/datasets/populationoftheunitedkingdombycountryofbirthandnationalityunderlyingdatasheets |website=www.ons.gov.uk |access-date=16 August 2024}}</ref><ref name="uszz"></ref>
| region7 = {{SRB}}
| pop7 = 41,730 (2021); 40,000 (estimate)
| ref7 = <ref name="uszz"></ref>
| region8 = {{HUN}}
| pop8 = 29,794 (2021); 75,000 (estimate)
| ref8 = <ref name="KSH">{{cite book|last=Vukovich|first=Gabriella|url=http://www.ksh.hu/docs/hun/xftp/idoszaki/mikrocenzus2016/mikrocenzus_2016_12.pdf|title=Mikrocenzus 2016 - 12. Nemzetiségi adatok|trans-title=2016 microcensus - 12. Ethnic data|language=hu|publisher=Hungarian Central Statistical Office|location=Budapest|year=2018|access-date=9 January 2019|isbn=978-963-235-542-9|archive-date=8 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190808024307/http://www.ksh.hu/docs/hun/xftp/idoszaki/mikrocenzus2016/mikrocenzus_2016_12.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="uszz"></ref>
| region9 = {{SUI}}
| pop9 = 20,581 (2021); 25,000 (estimate)
| ref9 = <ref name="uszz"></ref>
| region10 = {{BRA}}
| pop10 = 17,200
| ref10 = <ref>{{cite web|url=http://epoca.globo.com/edic/214/soci1a.htm|access-date=January 31, 2008|title=Edição 214, Um atalho para a Europa|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090126010348/http://epoca.globo.com/edic/214/soci1a.htm|archive-date=26 January 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| region11 = {{DEN}}{{NOR}}{{SWE}}
| pop11 = 17,000 (estimated total in Scandinavian countries)
| ref11 = <ref name="uszz"></ref>
| region12 = {{ESP}}
| pop12 = 12,350 (2021); 15,000(estimate)
| ref12 = <ref name="uszz"></ref>
| region13 = {{IRL}}
| pop13 = 10,801; 15,000 (estimate)
| ref13 = <ref name="CSO Emigration">{{cite web | url=http://www.cso.ie/en/media/csoie/census/documents/census2011profile6/Profile%206%20Migration%20and%20Diversity%20Commentary.pdf | title=CSO Emigration | publisher=Census Office Ireland | access-date=January 29, 2013 | archive-date=November 13, 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121113165431/http://www.cso.ie/en/media/csoie/census/documents/census2011profile6/Profile%206%20Migration%20and%20Diversity%20Commentary.pdf | url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="uszz"></ref>
| region14 = {{ROU}}
| pop14 = 10,300 (2021 census) 13,000 (estimate)
| ref14 = <ref name="uszz"></ref>
| region15 = {{FRA}}
| pop15 = 9,768 (2017); 20,000 (estimate)
| ref15 = <ref name="uszz"></ref>
| region16 = {{ITA}}
| pop16 = 9,014 (2021); 20,000 (estimates)
| ref16 = <ref name="uszz"></ref>
| region17 = {{NLD}}
| pop17 = 9,000 (2022); 15,000 (estimate)
| ref17 = <ref name="uszz"></ref>
| region18 = {{ISR}}
| pop18 = 8,000 (2020); up to 70,000 (estimate)
| ref18 = <ref name="uszz"></ref>
| region19 = {{BEL}}
| pop19 = 6,677 (2022 census); 10,000 (estimate)
| ref19 = <ref name="uszz"></ref>
| region20 = {{UKR}}
| pop20 = 6,700 (estimate)
| ref20 = <ref name="uszz"></ref>
| region21 = {{AUS}}
| pop21 = 4,781 (2021 census), 9,000-15,000 (estimates)
| ref21 = <ref name="uszz"></ref>
| region22 = {{HRV}}
| pop22 = 3,688 (2021 census); 5,000(estimate)
| ref22 = <ref name="uszz"></ref>
| langs = ]
| rels = Majority ] with Minorities of ], ], other
| related = ], other ]<br>{{hlist|(]|]|]|])}}
| region35 = Other
}} }}


The '''Slovaks''' (] ''Slováci'', singular ''Slovák'', feminine ''Slovenka'', plural ''Slovenky'') are a ] that primarily inhabit ] and speak the ], which is closely related to the ]. The '''Slovaks''' ({{langx|sk|Slováci}} {{IPA|sk|ˈsɫɔvaːt͡si|}}, singular: ''Slovák'' {{IPA|sk|ˈslɔvaːk|}}, feminine: ''Slovenka'' {{IPA|sk|ˈsɫɔvɛŋka|}}, plural: ''Slovenky'') are a ] ] and ] native to ] who share a common ], ], ] and speak the ].


Most Slovaks today live within the borders of the independent ] (circa 4,600,000). There are Slovak ] in the ], ], ] and sizable populations of immigrants and their descendants in the ] and in ]. In Slovakia, {{circa}} 4.4 million are ethnic Slovaks of 5.4 million total population. There are Slovak minorities in many neighboring countries including ], ], ], ], ], ], ] and ] and sizeable populations of immigrants and their descendants in ], ], ], ], ] and the ] among others, which are collectively referred to as the ].

== Name ==
{{anchor|Name}}
The name ''Slovak'' is derived from ''*Slověninъ'', plural ''*Slověně'', the old name of the ] (], around 863).{{efn|
The Slovaks and ] are the only current Slavic nations that have preserved the original name. For Slovenes, the adjective is still ''slovenski'' and the feminine ] "Slovene" is still also ''Slovenka'', but the ] noun has since changed to ''Slovenec''. The Slovak name for their language is ''slovenčina'' and the Slovene name for theirs is ''slovenščina''. The Slovak term for ] is ''slovinčina''; and the Slovenes call Slovak ''slovaščina''. The name is derived from proto-Slavic form ''slovo'' "word, talk" (cf. Slovak ''sluch'', which comes from the IE root *ḱlew-). Thus ''Slovaks'' as well as ''Slovenians'' would mean "people who speak (the same language)", i.e. people who understand each other.}} The original stem has been preserved in all Slovak words except the masculine noun; the feminine ] is ''Slovenka'', the ] is ''slovenský'', the language is ''slovenčina'' and the country is ''Slovensko''. The first written mention of adjective ''slovenský'' (Slovak) is in 1294 (''ad parvam arborem nystra slowenski breza ubi est meta'').{{sfn|Uličný|1986|p=102}}

The original name of Slovaks ''Slověninъ''/''Slověně'' was still recorded in Pressburg Latin-Czech Dictionary (the 14th century),{{sfn|Uličný|1986|p=101}} but it changed to ''Slovák'' under the influence of ] and ] (around 1400). The first written mention of new form in the territory of present-day Slovakia is from ] (1444, "''Nicoulaus Cossibor hauptman, Nicolaus Czech et Slowak, stipendiarii supremi''"). The mentions in Czech sources are older (1375 and 1385).{{sfn|Marek|2011|p=67}} The change is not related to the ethnogenesis of Slovaks, but exclusively to linguistic changes in the West Slavic languages. The word ''Slovak'' was used also later as a common name for all Slavs in Czech, Polish, and also Slovak together with other forms.{{sfn|Marek|2011|p=67}}

In Hungarian, "Slovak" is '']'' (pl: ''tótok''), an ]. It was originally used to refer to all ]s including ] and ]s, but eventually came to refer primarily to Slovaks. Many place names in Hungary such as ], ], and ] still bear the name. ] is a common Hungarian surname.

The Slovaks have also historically been variously referred to as ''Slovyenyn'', ''Slowyenyny'', ''Sclavus'', ''Sclavi'', ''Slavus'', ''Slavi'', ''Winde'', ''Wende'', or ''Wenden''. The final three terms are variations of the Germanic term ], which was historically used to refer to any Slavs living close to Germanic settlements.

== Ethnogenesis ==
] (portrait from 1885)]]
The early Slavs came to the territory of Slovakia in several waves from the 5th and 6th centuries and were organized on a tribal level. Original tribal names are not known due to the lack of written sources before their integration into higher political units. Weakening of tribal consciousness was probably accelerated by ], who did not respect tribal differences in the controlled territory and motivated remaining Slavs to join together and to collaborate on their defense. In the 7th century, Slavs founded a larger tribal union: ]. Regardless of Samo's empire, the integration process continued in other territories with various intensities.{{sfn|Marsina|2013|p=65}}

The final fall of the ] allowed new political entities to arise. The first such political unit documented by written sources is the ], one of the foundations of later common ethnic consciousness.{{sfn|Marsina|2013|p=67}} At this stage in history it is not yet possible to assume a common identity of all ancestors of Slovaks in the neighboring eastern territories, even if it was inhabited by closely related Slavs. The Principality of Nitra became a part of ], a common state of Moravians (Czech ancestors were joined only for a few years). The relatively short existence of Great Moravia prevented it from suppressing differences which resulted from its creation from two separate entities, and therefore a common "Slovak-Moravian" ethnic identity failed to develop.{{sfn|Marsina|2013|p=67}} The early political integration in the territory of present-day Slovakia was, however, reflected in linguistic integration. While dialects of the early ancestors of Slovaks were divided into West Slavic (western and eastern Slovakia) and non-West Slavic (central Slovakia), between the 8th and 9th centuries both dialects merged, thus laying the foundations of a later Slovak language.

The 10th century is a milestone in the Slovak ].{{sfn|Marsina|2009|p=16}} The fall of Great Moravia and further political changes supported their formation into a separate nation. At the same time, with the extinction of the ] language, between the 10th and 13th centuries Slovak evolved into an independent language (simultaneously with other Slavic languages). The early existence of the Kingdom of Hungary positively influenced the development of common consciousness and companionship among Slavs in the Northern Hungary, not only within boundaries of present-day Slovakia.{{sfn|Marsina|2013|p=67}} The clear difference between Slovaks and Hungarians made adoption of a specific name unnecessary and Slovaks preserved their original name (in Latin e.g. ''Slavus''), which was also used in communication with other Slavic peoples (Polonus, Bohemus, Ruthenus).{{sfn|Marsina|2013|p=71}} In political terms, the medieval Slovaks were a part of the multi-ethnic political nation '']'', together with Hungarians (or, more exactly, Magyars), Slavonians, Germans, Romanians and other ethnic groups in the Kingdom of Hungary. Since a medieval political nation did not consist of ordinary people but nobility, membership of the privileged class was necessary for all these peoples (''nobiles Hungary'').{{sfn|Marek|2011|p=13}}

Like other nations, the Slovaks began to transform into a modern nation from the 18th century under the idea of ]. The modern Slovak nation is the result of radical processes of modernization within the Habsburg Empire which culminated in the middle of the 19th century.<ref name="Auer">Stefan Auer, , Routledge, 2004, p. 135</ref> The transformation process was slowed down by conflict with Hungarian nationalism and the ethnogenesis of the Slovaks become a political question, particularly regarding their deprivation and preservation of their language and national rights. In 1722, ], professor of law at the ], published a theory that nobility and burghers of ] should not have same privileges as Hungarians, because they are descendants of ]'s people (inferior to Magyars). Neither Bencsik nor his Slovak opponent ] put the continuity of settlement into serious question. Also, the first history of Slovaks written by Georgius Papanek (or Juraj Papánek), traced the roots of the Slovaks to Great Moravia<ref name=Kamusella134>{{Harvnb|Kamusella|2009|p=134}}</ref> in ''Historia gentis Slavae. De regno regibusque Slavorum...'' (1780) ("History of the Slovak nation: On the kingdom and kings of the Slovaks").<ref>{{cite web |last1=Papánek |first1=Juraj |title=Historia gentis Slavae / Dejiny slovenského národa |url=https://www.databazeknih.cz/knihy/historia-gentis-slavae-dejiny-slovenskeho-naroda-386992 |website=Databazeknih.cz |publisher=Perfekt |access-date=21 June 2022 |archive-date=21 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220621100727/https://www.databazeknih.cz/knihy/historia-gentis-slavae-dejiny-slovenskeho-naroda-386992 |url-status=live }}</ref> Papánek's work became a basis for argumentation of the Slovak national revival movement. However, the Slovak national revival not only accepted the continuity of population but also emphasized it, thus proving that Slovaks are equal citizens of the state and neither a Hungarian "unique statesmanlike gift" nor Christianization was required for the foundation of the state.

In 1876, Hungarian linguist ] published a theory about missing continuity between Slovaks and Slavs before the arrival of the Hungarians. Hunfalvy tried to prove that ancestors of Slovaks did not live in the territory of the present-day Slovakia before arrival of the old Hungarians (Magyars), but Slovaks emerged later from other Slavs who came to the Kingdom of Hungary from neighbouring countries after the 13th century.{{sfn|Marsina|2009|p=18}} ] assumed that central and northern Slovakia were uninhabited (1901) and in his next work "Our historical right to the territorial integrity of our country" (1921) he claimed that the remainder of the original Slavs were assimilated by Magyars and modern Slovaks are descendants of immigrants from Upper Moravia and ] (the population density on these territories was too low in that time and large numbers of colonists coming from these areas was not possible{{sfn|Marsina|2009|p=18}}). The theory was then misused by inter-war Hungarian revisionists, who questioned continuity to support Hungarian claims on Slovakia. In 1982, when rich archaeological evidence proving the opposite was already available,{{sfn|Marsina|2009|p=19}} a similar theory was published by Hungarian historian ].{{sfn|Marsina|2009|p=19}} Györffy accepted that smaller groups of Slavs could remain in the territory of Slovakia, but stated that the Slovaks' origin was in sparse settlement of various Slavic groups strengthened by later colonization. According to Ferenc Makk, the medieval ] are not the ancestors of Slovaks and the majority of the Slovak people are descended from later Slavic newcomers.<ref>Ferenc, Makk, " {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161031030309/http://www.lib.jgytf.u-szeged.hu/folyoiratok/tiszataj/96-10/makk.pdf |date=2016-10-31 }}", In: Tiszatáj, 1996-10, p. 76</ref>

]]]
The opposite theory, supporting the supposed ], thus also legitimizing the creation of the united ],<ref name=Marsina17>{{Harvnb|Marsina|1997|p=17}}</ref> gained political support in inter-war Czechoslovakia.<ref name=Marsina17/> Like Karácsonyi, Czech historian ] assumed that northern and central parts of Slovakia remained uninhabited until the 13th century and that the south-western part was inhabited by Czechs. Yet, in 1946 Chaloupecký assumed that the Slovak nation emerged from neighboring Slavs and had been formed only in the 17th century. His theory about the lack of population in the greater part of Slovakia covered by forests had already been scientifically refuted by ] (e.g. in ''O starý Liptov'', 1934), and was proven wrong by numerous archaeological finds<ref group="note">For example Slavic mounds in Krasňany near Žilina, cemetery in Martin, magnate mounds in Turčianska Blatnica, Malý Čepčín and Žabokreky, settlements in Liptovský Michal, Liptovská Mara (unearthed during construction of the water dam), Vlachy, Liptovská Štiavnica, Paludza, Sokolče, Lisková, Podtureň, Prosiek, Bobrovník, Likavka – all of them from 8–10th century. (Uhlár, 1992, p. 326)</ref> and rejected by Czechoslovak historiography. On the other hand, inter-war Slovak autonomists, opposing ethnic Czechoslovakism, dated the existence of the Slovak nation to the time of Pribina (trials to document existence of Slovaks in early Slavic era, i.e. in the time of Samo's empire, are marginal and exist outside of modern mainstream Slovak historiography).

After the ] in 1993, the formation of independent Slovakia motivated interest in a particularly Slovak national identity.<ref name="Warhola">{{cite web|url=http://www.umaine.edu/polisci/files/2010/04/mpsa05_proceeding_84621.pdf|title=Changing Rule Between the Danube and the Tatras: A study of Political Culture in Independent Slovakia, 1993 – 2005|last=W. Warhola|first=James|year=2005|work=The ]|publisher=Midwest Political Science Association 2005 Annual National Conference, April 9, 2005|location=], United States.|access-date=2011-06-15|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120915011227/http://www.umaine.edu/polisci/files/2010/04/mpsa05_proceeding_84621.pdf|archive-date=September 15, 2012}}</ref> One reflection of this was the rejection of the common Czechoslovak national identity in favour of a purely Slovak one.<ref name="Warhola"/>


== History == == History ==
{{Main|History of Slovakia}} {{Main|History of Slovakia}}

=== Slavs of the Pannonian Basin === === Slavs of the Pannonian Basin ===

The first known Slavic states on the territory of present-day Slovakia were the Empire of ] and the ], founded sometime in the 8th century.
The first known ] states on the territory of present-day Slovakia were the Empire of ] and the ], founded sometime in the 8th century.


=== Great Moravia === === Great Moravia ===
], ruler of Principality of Nitra <ref name=Kirschbaum25/> and established and ruled the ] from 839/840 to 861.<ref>{{cite book ], ruler of Principality of Nitra,<ref name=Kirschbaum25>{{Harvnb|Kirschbaum|1995| p=25}}</ref> established and ruled the ] from 839/840 to 861.<ref>{{cite book
| last = Bagnell Bury | last = Bagnell Bury
| first = John | first = John
Line 48: Line 132:
| year = 1923 | year = 1923
| location = Cambridge | location = Cambridge
| url = http://books.google.com/?id=_9IHAAAAIAAJ&q=Balaton+Principality&dq=Balaton+Principality | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=_9IHAAAAIAAJ&q=Balaton+Principality
| isbn =
| page = 211}}</ref>]] | page = 211}}</ref>]]
] (833 - ?907) was a Slavic state in the 9th and early 10th century A.D. Current ethnolinguistic Slovak nationalism traces the roots of the Slovak nation to the times of Greater Moravia, claiming the polity to have been the ‘first Slovak state’.<ref name=Kamusella131/><ref group="note">For examples see: {{cite book |title= Cyrilometodská tradícia u Slovákov|trans_title=Cyril and Methodius traditions for Slovaks|last= Bagin|first=Anton |authorlink= |coauthors= |year= 1993|publisher= Slovak Academic Press|location= Bratislava|language= Slovak|isbn=8085665085 |page= |pages= |url= |accessdate=}} and {{cite book |title= Dejiny Slovenska a Slovákov|trans_title=History of Slovakia and the Slovaks|last= Durica|first=Milan S.|authorlink= |coauthors= |year= 1996|publisher= Media Trade and Slovenské pedagogické nakladatel' stvo.|location= Bratislava|language= Slovak|isbn= |page= |pages= |url= |accessdate=}}</ref> There is a proven continuity in culture and ] between this early Slavic polity and the modern Slovak nation. Its formation and rich cultural heritage have attracted somewhat more interest since 19th century. Important developments took place at this time, including the mission of ], the development of the ] alphabet (an early form of the ]), and the use of ] as the official and literary language. ] (833 – 902-907) was a Slavic state in the 9th and early 10th centuries, whose creators were the ancestors of the Czechs and Slovaks.<ref>Ference Gregory Curtis. Chronology of 20th-century eastern European history. Gale Research, Inc., 1994. {{ISBN|978-0-8103-8879-6}}, p. 103</ref><ref>{{cite book| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=5D4uAQAAIAAJ&q=%22great+moravia%22+ancestors+slovakq | title = The Great Moravia Exhibition: 1100 years of tradition of state and cultural life | last1 = Věd | first1 = Archeologický Ústav (Československá Akademie)| year = 1964}}</ref> Important developments took place at this time, including the mission of Byzantine monks ], the development of the ] alphabet (an early form of the ]), and the use of ] as the official and literary language. Its formation and rich cultural heritage have attracted somewhat more interest since the 19th century.


The original territory inhabited by the Slavic tribes included not only present-day Slovakia, but also parts of present-day southeastern Moravia and approximately the entire northern half of present-day Hungary{{Citation needed|date=May 2010}}. The original territory inhabited by the Slavic tribes included not only present-day Slovakia, but also parts of present-day Poland, southeastern Moravia and approximately the entire northern half of present-day Hungary.<ref>A history of Eastern Europe: crisis and change, Robert Bideleux, Ian Jeffries</ref>


=== Kingdom of Hungary === === Kingdom of Hungary ===
{{Main|History of Hungary}}
], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ]]] ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ]]]
], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ])]]
] - epitome of the Slovak Revival{{Clarify|date=February 2009}} - politician, poet, journalist, publisher, teacher, philosopher and linguist]]
The territory of present day Slovakia became the part of the ] under Hungarian rule gradually from 907 to the early 14th century (major part by 1100) and remained within the framework of this kingdom (see also ] or ]) until the formation of ] in 1918.<ref name=Eberhardt105/> However, according to other historians, from 895 to 902, the whole area of the present-day Slovakia became part of the rising Principality of Hungary, and became (without gradation) the part of the Kingdom of Hungary a century later.<ref> Kristó, Gyula (1996). Hungarian History in the Ninth Century. Szeged: Szegedi Középkorász Műhely. p. 229. ISBN 963 482 113 8</ref><ref> http://www.historia.hu/archivum/2001/0103gyorffy.htm</ref><ref>Kristó, Gyula (1993). A Kárpát-medence és a magyarság régmúltja (1301-ig) (The ancient history of the Carpathian Basin and the Hungarians - till 1301) Szeged: Szegedi Középkorász Műhely. p. 299. ISBN 963 04 2914 4.</ref>The Slovaks never had political or territorial autonomy within ].<ref name=Eberhardt105>{{Harvnb|Eberhardt|2003| p=105}}</ref> A separate entity called ], existed this time within the Kingdom of Hungary. This duchy was abolished in 1107. The territory inhabited by the Slovaks in present-day Hungary was gradually reduced.<ref name="books.google.com">{{cite book |last1=Vauchez |first1= André|authorlink1= |last2= Barrie Dobson|first2= Richard|first3= Michael|last3=Lapidge |title= Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages|accessdate= |volume= 1|date= |year=2000 |month= |origyear= |publisher=Routledge |location= |language= |isbn=1579582826, 9781579582821|page= 1363|url=http://books.google.com/?id=om4olQhrE84C&pg=PA1363&dq=slovakia+history+slavs&cd=8#v=onepage&q=slovakia%20history%20slavs&f=false}}</ref>


The territory of present-day Slovakia was split in two parts between the ] (under Hungarian rule gradually from 907 to the early 14th century) to ] and ] (under the Habsburgs from 1527 – 1848 (see also ])) until the formation of ] in 1918.<ref name=Eberhardt105>{{Harvnb|Eberhardt|2003| p=105}}</ref> However, according to other historians, from 895 to 902, the whole area of the present-day Slovakia became part of the rising Principality of Hungary, and became (without gradation) part of the Kingdom of Hungary a century later.<ref>Kristó, Gyula (1996). Hungarian History in the Ninth Century. Szeged: Szegedi Középkorász Műhely. p. 229. {{ISBN|963-482-113-8}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.historia.hu/archivum/2001/0103gyorffy.htm|title=Histria 2001/03. – GYRFFY GYRGY: Honfoglals a Krpt-medencben|website=Historia.hu|access-date=14 November 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140426200447/http://www.historia.hu/archivum/2001/0103gyorffy.htm|archive-date=26 April 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>Kristó, Gyula (1993). A Kárpát-medence és a magyarság régmúltja (1301-ig) (The ancient history of the Carpathian Basin and the Hungarians – till 1301) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511173424/http://www.antikvarium.hu/ant/book.php?konyv-cim=a-karpat-medence-es-a-magyarsag-regmultja&ID=39250|date=2011-05-11}} Szeged: Szegedi Középkorász Műhely. p. 299. {{ISBN|963-04-2914-4}}.</ref> A separate entity called ], existed at this time within the Kingdom of Hungary. This duchy was abolished in 1107. The territory inhabited by the Slovaks in present-day Hungary was gradually reduced.<ref name="books.google.com">{{cite book|last1= Vauchez|first1= André|last2= Barrie Dobson|first2= Richard|first3= Michael|last3= Lapidge|title= Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages|volume= 1|year= 2000|publisher= Routledge|isbn= 9781579582821|page= 1363|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=om4olQhrE84C&q=slovakia+history+slavs&pg=PA1363|access-date= 2020-11-21|archive-date= 2023-04-07|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20230407092416/https://books.google.com/books?id=om4olQhrE84C&q=slovakia+history+slavs&pg=PA1363|url-status= live}}</ref>
]


When most of ] was conquered by the ] in 1541 (see ]), ] (now the territory of present day ]) became the new center of the "reduced" kingdom<ref name=Eberhardt104>{{Harvnb|Eberhardt|2003| p=104}}</ref> that remained under Hungarian, and later ] rule, officially called ].<ref name=Eberhardt104/> Some ] settled around and in present-day ] for similar reasons. Also, many ] settled in the ],<ref name=Eberhardt104/> especially in the towns, as work-seeking colonists and mining experts from the 13th to the 15th century. Jews and Gypsies also formed significant populations within the territory.<ref name=Eberhardt104/> When most of Hungary was conquered by the ] in 1541 (see ]), the territory of present-day ] became the new center of the reduced kingdom<ref name=Eberhardt104>{{Harvnb|Eberhardt|2003| p=104}}</ref> that remained under Hungarian, and later ] rule, officially called Royal Hungary.<ref name=Eberhardt104/> Some ] settled around and in present-day ] for similar reasons. Also, many ] settled in the Kingdom of Hungary,<ref name=Eberhardt104/> especially in the towns, as work-seeking colonists and mining experts from the 13th to the 15th century. ] and ] also formed significant populations within the territory.<ref name=Eberhardt104/> During the period, most of present-day Slovakia was part of Habsburg rule, but Ottoman ruled southern and southeasternmost parts of it.


After the ] were forced to retreat from present-day Hungary around 1700, thousands of Slovaks were gradually settled in depopulated parts of the restored Kingdom of Hungary (present-day ], ], ], and ]) under ], and that is how present-day Slovak enclaves (like ], ]) in these countries arose. After the Ottoman Empire was forced to retreat from present-day Hungary around 1700, thousands of Slovaks were gradually settled in depopulated parts of the restored Kingdom of Hungary (present-day Hungary, ], ], and ]) under ], and that is how present-day Slovak enclaves (like ], ]) in these countries arose.


After Transylvania, ] (the territory of present day Slovakia), was the most advanced part of the Kingdom of Hungary for centuries (the most urbanized part, intense mining of gold and silver), but in the 19th century, when ]/] became the new capital of the kingdom, the importance of the territory, as well as other parts within the Kingdom fell, and many Slovaks were impoverished. As a result, hundreds of thousands of Slovaks emigrated to ], especially in the late 19th and early 20th century (between cca. 1880–1910), a total of at least 1.5 million emigrants (~2/3 of them were part of some minority). After ], Upper Hungary (present-day Slovakia) was the most advanced part of the Kingdom of Hungary for centuries, but in the 19th century, when ]/] became the new capital of the kingdom, the importance of the territory, as well as other parts within the Kingdom fell, and many Slovaks were impoverished. As a result, hundreds of thousands of Slovaks emigrated to North America, especially in the late 19th and early 20th century (between cca. 1880–1910), a total of at least 1.5 million emigrants.


Slovakia exhibits a very rich folk culture. A part of Slovak customs and social convention are common with those of other nations of the former ] (the Kingdom of Hungary was in ] with the Habsburg monarchy from 1526 to 1918). Slovakia exhibits a very rich folk culture. A part of Slovak customs and ] are common with those of other nations of the former ] (the Kingdom of Hungary was in ] with the Habsburg monarchy from 1867 to 1918).


=== Czechoslovakia === === Czechoslovakia ===
{{Main|History of Czechoslovakia}} {{Main|History of Czechoslovakia}}
People of Slovakia spent most part of the 20th century within the framework of ], a new state formed after ]. Significant reforms and post-] ] took place during this time. The ] has been strongly influenced by the ] during this period. People of Slovakia spent most part of the 20th century within the framework of ], a new state formed after World War I. Significant reforms and post-World War II ] took place during this time. ] was strongly influenced by ] during this period.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uqOVrtwe4EYC&q=world+war+2+slovak+language+czech&pg=PA111|title=When East Met West: Sociolinguistics in the Former Socialist Bloc|first1=Jeffrey|last1=Harlig|first2=Csaba|last2=Pléh|date=11 January 1995|publisher=Walter de Gruyter|access-date=11 January 2018|via=Google Books|isbn=9783110145854|archive-date=7 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230407174603/https://books.google.com/books?id=uqOVrtwe4EYC&q=world+war+2+slovak+language+czech&pg=PA111|url-status=live}}</ref>


=== Contemporary Slovaks === == Culture ==
{{see also|List of Slovaks}}
The political transformations of ], ] and the accession to the ] in 2004 brought new liberties, which have considerably improved the outlook and prospects of all Slovaks.


The art of Slovakia can be traced back to the Middle Ages, when some of the greatest masterpieces of the country's history were created. Significant figures from this period included the many ]s, among them the ] and ]. More contemporary art can be seen in the shadows of ],<ref name=Cavendish>{{cite book |title=World and Its Peoples|last= Marshall Cavendish Corporation|year=2009 |publisher=Marshall Cavendish |volume=7|isbn= 9780761478836|chapter=Slovakia; Cultural expression|page=993}}</ref> ], ],<ref name=Miku>{{Harvnb|Mikuš|1977| p=108}}</ref> ],<ref name=Cavendish/> ].<ref name=Cavendish/> Julius Koller and Stanislav Filko, in the 21st century Roman Ondak, ]. The most important Slovak composers have been ], ], and ], in the 21st century Vladimir Godar and ].
Contemporary Slovak society organically combines elements of both folk traditions and Western European lifestyles.


The most famous ]s can indubitably be attributed to invention and technology. Such people include ], the inventor of wireless telegraphy; ], ], inventor of the modern parachute; ], inventor of the bionic arm and pioneer in thermodynamics; and, more recently, ], father of modern acoustic string instruments. Hungarian inventors ] and ] were born of Slovak fathers.
== Name and ethnogenesis ==
The origin of the Slovaks is disputed among scholars and it is very contentious. The different theories regarding the ] of the Slovaks were used to justify or unjustify historical situations from variant historical perspectives,<ref name=Marsina17/> as the argument of ‘my-nation-was-here-first’ type was, and still remains to be a useful instrument of legitimizing a nation-state’s ownership of a given territory or its claim to an area outside its current borders.<ref name=Kamusella948>{{Harvnb|Kamusella|2009| p=948}}</ref> The conception that the Slovaks are descended from the ] who inhabited the territory of present-day Slovakia ] has a long story and it is connected with the ambition of the Slovaks to reach ] or ] within ] (mostly under ] of the 19th century and during the Slovak ]). This continuity theory, supporting the supposed ] -thus also legitimizating the creation of the united ]<ref name=Marsina17/>- gained political subvention during the formation of Czechoslovakia.<ref name=Marsina17/> After the ], the theory of Hungarian historian ] became very popular among Hungarian politicians and it was utilized to prove the Hungarian view that the separation of the territory of Slovakia from Hungary was unjustified.<ref name=Marsina17/>


Slovakia is also known for its ], of whom include ], ], ], and its political revolutionaries, such ] and ].
After the ] in 1992, and the formation of independent Slovakia in 1993 motivated interest in a particularly Slovak national identity. One reflection of this was the rejection of the common Czechoslovak national identity in favour of a pure Slovak one.
===Theories regarding the ethnogenesis of the Slovaks===
] (portrait from 1885)]]
Current ethnolinguistic Slovak nationalism traces the roots of the Slovak nation to the times of ], claiming the polity to have been the first Slovak state.<ref name=Kamusella131>{{Harvnb|Kamusella|2009| p=131}}</ref> The definition and identification of the inhabitants of this realm proved to be politically imperative and difficult.<ref name=Kirschbaum35/> Historical records are anything else but precise in this question.<ref name=Kirschbaum35/> As Stanislav Kirschbaum points out:<ref name=Kirschbaum35>{{Harvnb|Kirschbaum|1995| p=35}}</ref> ''"Slavist and literary historians consider the Cyrillo-Methodian literature as the heritage of all Slavs. Other claim that it is the heritage of the Slavs who laid the bases of the Empire of Great Moravia, namely the Slovaks, the Moravians and the Slovenes. Slovak scholars have been saying for three centuries that the literature created in Great Moravia or translated by Sts. Cyril and Methodius and their disciples for the ancestors of the Slovaks are rather part of the Slovak cultural heritage."''<ref name=Kirschbaum35/> There are Slovak historians who suggest that ''"It is not correct to label Great Moravia was the first state of the Czechs and the Slovaks for the simple reason that the membership of the Czechs in this state had been short lived."''<ref name=Kirschbaum35/> There are Slovak historians who believe in extreme opinions such as the Slavic inhabitants living on the territory of present-day Slovakia in the 8th century were conscious of their national identy, therefore we can identify them as Slovaks.<ref name=Kirschbaum25>{{Harvnb|Kirschbaum|1995| p=25}}</ref> However the use of this term would contradict the theory that the distinct Slavic nations had not yet emerged by the 9th century and the culture and language of various Slavic tribes in central Europe were indistinguishable from each other.<ref name="bartl">{{cite journal|title=Ďurica, M. S.: Dejiny Slovenska a Slovákov|journal=Historický časopis|year=1997|first=Július|last=Bartl|coauthors=|volume=45|issue=1|pages=114–122|id= |url=|format=|accessdate=2007-06-13}}</ref> Naming various institutions after the saintly brothers and Greater Moravian rulers and devoting commemorative plaques and monuments to them became widespread in post-1993 Slovakia.<ref name=Kamusella887>{{Harvnb|Kamusella|2009| p=887}}</ref><ref group="note">The University in Nitra was named after St Cyril, and later the university in Trnava added both St Cyril and St Methodius to its name. Kamusella p.887</ref> The laudation of the imagined history of Slovak culture and language led to the myth of the Cyrillo-Methodian dawn of the Slovak nation which was incorporated into the 1992 Slovak ],<ref name=Kamusella528>{{Harvnb|Kamusella|2009| p=528}}</ref> which adverts the spiritual heritage of ] and the historical heritage of the Great Moravian Empire as inherently Slovak.<ref name=Kamusella528/> In this interpretation, the Slovaks have the oldest tradition of ] in ],<ref name=Kamusella134>{{Harvnb|Kamusella|2009| p=134}}</ref> but unfortunately, the ']’ caused them to ‘forget’ their proud traditions.<ref name=Kamusella134/> Although the idea of the Cyrillo-Methodian heritage is very prevalent in nowadays ], there is no continuity in politics, culture, or ] between this early Slavic polity and the modern Slovak nation.<ref name=Kamusella131/> Although it seems reasonable to propose that the modern Slovaks may be descendants of the Greater Moravian population,<ref name=Kamusella131/> this proposition is also true in the case of many modern Central European countries.<ref name=Kamusella131/> The theory of the "Great Moravian" and "Cyrillo-Methodian" heritage dates back to the 18th century. In his writing (''Historia gentis Slavae. De regno regibusque Slavorum'' ) Georgius Papanek (or Juraj Papánek) traces the roots of the Slovaks to Greater Moravia.<ref name=Kamusella134/>
]]]
According to the Czech priest ], Great Moravia was located in ] and ] (i.e. Present-day Slovakia and ]). Writers of Slavic origin like Juraj Sklenár, and ] (considered to be the fathers of Slovak historiography) praised Greater Moravia as opposed to the ‘heathen Magyars’ who destroyed this realm.<ref name=Kamusella479>{{Harvnb|Kamusella|2009| p=479}}</ref> In 1879, ] wrote that Greater Moravia was a common state of Slovaks and Moravians.<ref name=Kamusella816>{{Harvnb|Kamusella|2009| p=816}}</ref> František Viktor Sasinek (1830–1914) asseted in his work ''"Die Slovaken. Eine Ethnographische Skizze"'' (The Slovaks: An ethnographic outline) that Greater Moravia was the state of the Slovaks, Moravians and Bohemians.<ref name=Kamusella814>{{Harvnb|Kamusella|2009| p=814}}</ref> According to ] (''"O methode dejepisu Slovenska" '') Greater Moravia was the state of the Czechoslovak nation,<ref name=Kamusella814/> but he agreed that the separate Slovak nation emerged after the Hungarians destroyed the polity.<ref name=Kamusella814/> Slovak historian Julius Botto Jr. asserted (''"Slováci. Vývin ich národného povedomia"'' ) that Greater Moravia was solely a Slovak realm.<ref name=Kamusella814/> Interestingly, Samuel Timon ] priest claimed (''"Imago antiquae Hungariae"'' ) that the ], had liberated the Slovaks from the ] yoke.<ref name=Kamusella819>{{Harvnb|Kamusella|2009| p=819}}</ref> It was ] who imprinted the idea of Greater Moravia and the Cyrillo-Methodian literacy on the ideological blueprint of Slovak nationalism with his poems (''Svatopluk, 1833; Cyrilo-Methodiana, 1835; Slav, 1839'').<ref name=Kamusella479/> When the Slovaks and Czechs lived in a common state it was suggested that Great Moravia was the equal legacy of both nations.<ref name=Kirschbaum35/> However, Russian historian ] asserted that Great Moravia is the legacy exclusively of the Czechs.<ref name=Kirschbaum35/>
]]]
The opinion of ] historian János Karácsonyi was, that the indigenous Slavs had died out or they had been assimilated by Hungarians,<ref name=Marsina15/> therefore contemporary Slovaks are the progeny of the ]<ref name=Marsina15>{{Harvnb|Marsina|1997| p=15}}</ref> (arrived from the north and north-west by the twelfth century in to ]) the Czech (]n, ]n), Polish (]) and German (]n, ], ]n) settlers who came to Hungary during 10th–18th century. According to this theory, only a small part of present-day Slovakia was inhabited during the reign of ],<ref name=Marsina16>{{Harvnb|Marsina|1997| p=16}}</ref> thus there is no direct connection between the autochthonous Slavic population living in the territory of present-day Slovakia before the 12th century and modern Slovaks.<ref name=Marsina16-17>{{Harvnb|Marsina|1997| pp=16–17}}</ref> Czech historian Václav Chaloupecký also admitted that most of the territory of present-day Slovakia (except the southern parts) was a primeval forest until the thirteenth century and an intentionally unpopulated frontier region of the ].<ref name=Marsina16/> Chaloupecký asserted that Slovaks are ] by origin but their almost 1000-years’ existence in the ] led to their separation from the Czech nation.<ref name=Marsina15/> Furthermore, he also considered that the ],<ref name=Marsina16/> especially in the sixteenth and the seventeenth centuries were significant agents in the ethnogenesis of the Slovaks.<ref name=Marsina16/> However Chaloupecký had no doubts about that after the eleventh century the Slavonic inhabitants of south-western Slovakia were descendants of those Slavs who had lived there in the ninth and the tenth centuries.<ref name=Marsina17>{{Harvnb|Marsina|1997| p=17}}</ref>


There were two leading persons who codified Slovak. The first one was ] whose concept was based on the dialect of western Slovakia (1787). It was the enactment of the first national standard language for the Slovaks. The second notable man was ]. His formation of Slovak had principles in the dialect of central Slovakia (1843).
===Origin of the word 'Slovak'===
The Slovaks and ] are the only current Slavic nations that have preserved the old name of the ] (singular: ''slověn'') in their name - the ] "Slovak" is still ''slovenský'' and the feminine ] "Slovak" is still ''Slovenka'' in the Slovak language; only the ] noun "Slovak" changed to ''Slovenin'', probably in the ], and finally (under Czech and ] influence) to ''Slovák'' around 1400. For Slovenes, the adjective is still ''slovenski'' and the feminine ] "Slovene" is still ''Slovenka'', but the ] noun has since changed to ''Slovenec''. The Slovak name for their language is ''slovenčina'' and the Slovene name for theirs is ''slovenščina''. The Slovak term for the Slovene language is ''slovinčina''; and the Slovenes call Slovak ''slovaščina''. The name is derived from proto-Slavic form ''slovo'' "word, talk" (cf. Slovak ''sluch'', which comes from the IE root *ḱlew-). Thus ''Slovaks'' as well as ''Slovenians'' would mean "people who speak (the same language)", i.e. people who understand each other.


The best known Slovak hero was ] (the Slovak equivalent of ]). The prominent explorer and diplomat ] was Slovak as well (he comes from Vrbové in present-day Slovakia and is e.g. listed as "nobilis Slavicus – Slovak nobleman" in his secondary school registration).
According to ] and modern Slavic linguists, the above-mentioned word ''slověn'' probably was the original name of all Slavs, but most Slavs (Czechs, Poles, Croats, etc.) took other names in the ]. Although the Slovaks themselves seem to have had a slightly different word for "Slavs" (''Slovan''), they were called "Slavs" by Latin texts approximately up to the High Middle Ages. Thus, it is sometimes difficult to distinguish when Slavs in general and when Slovaks are meant. One proof of the use of "Slavs" in the sense of "Slovaks" are documents of the ] which mention Bohemians (]), ] under a different name.<ref name="books.google.com"/> Slovaks of Hungary were dubbed as ''"Slavi Pannonii"''<ref name=Kamusella132>{{Harvnb|Kamusella|2009| p=132}}</ref> and Czechs as ''"Slavi Bohemii"''<ref name=Kamusella132/>. The semantic closeness of the ethnonym ‘Slovak’ to that of ‘Slav’ endowed the Slovak national movement with the myth that of all the Slavic nations the Slovaks are the most direct descendants of the original Slavs, and the Slovak language the most direct continuation of Old Slavic.<ref name=Kamusella132/>


In terms of sports, the Slovaks are probably best known (in North America) for their ice hockey personalities, especially ], ], ], ], ] and ]. For a list see ]. ] is only the second European captain in history of the ] that led his team to win the ], winning it with the ] in the season ].
===Ethnic affiliations and genetic origins===
Slovaks -as other slavonic ethnical groups in ]- carry ]n lineages as a consequence of admixture with ]n ], who ]d into Central and ] in the ].<ref>Malyarchuk, BA; Vanecek, T; Perkova, MA; Derenko, MV; Sip, M. "Mitochondrial DNA variability in the Czech population, with application to the ethnic history of Slavs; Hum Biol. 2006 Dec;78(6):681-96.". Institute of Biological Problems of the North, ]. Portovaya str. 18, 685000 Magadan, Russia.</ref> Slovak populations do not cluster together.<ref name=Genetics/> Western Slovaks are located together with the ] and ]s, while eastern Slovaks are placed close to ].<ref name=Genetics>{{Harvnb|Malyarchuk|Perkova|Derenko|Vanecek|Lazur|Gomolcak|2008| p=}}</ref> Slovak ]s belong to the common ]n ] ]s,<ref name=Genetics/> but characterized by a small frequency of East ]n (2,8 percent)<ref name=Genetics/> and ]-specific (2,8 percent)<ref name=Genetics/> mtDNA lineages.<ref name=Genetics/> Furthermore, ]n mtDNAs (L2a) are present in the population from the eastern part of the country.<ref name=Genetics/> About 3 percent of mtDNAs from eastern ] encompass Gypsy-specific lineages,<ref name=Genetics/> which belong to the ]n-specific haplogroups M5a1 and M35.<ref name=Genetics/> The Gypsy related J1 haplotype appeares in 2,9 percent of persons from eastern Slovakia.<ref name=Genetics/> The identified M-haplotype in Slovaks is also known among ]s, ] and ] from ].<ref name=Genetics/>

===Quotes from important chronicles ===
This is how Nestor in his ] (historically correctly) describes the Slovaks{{Citation needed|date=November 2008}}: ''Slavs that were settled along the Danube, which have been occupied by the Hungarians, the Czechs, the Lachs, and Poles that are now known as the Rus''. Nestor calls these Slavs "Slavs of Hungary" in another place of the text, and mentions them in the first place in a list of Slavic nations (besides Moravians, Bohemians, Poles, Russians, etc.), because he considers the ] (including what is today Slovakia) the original Slavic territory.

Anonymus, in his ], calls the Slovaks (around 1200 with respect to past developments) ''Sclavi'' , i.e. Slavs (as opposed to "Boemy" - the Bohemians, and "Polony" - the Poles) or in another place ''Nytriensis Sclavi'', i.e. ] Slavs.

And this is how Slovaks were called in various very precise sources approximately from 1200 to about 1400: ''Slovyenyn, Slowyenyny; Sclavus, Sclavi, Slavus, Slavi; Tóth; Winde, Wende, Wenden''.

== Culture ==
:''See also ]''
], Slovak folk hero]]
The art of Slovakia can be traced back to the Middle Ages, when some of the greatest masterpieces of the country's history were created. Significant figures from this period included the many Masters, among them the ] and ]. More contemporary art can be seen in the shadows of ],<ref name=Cavendish>{{cite book |title=World and Its Peoples|last= Marshall Cavendish Corporation|first=|authorlink= |coauthors= |year=2009 |publisher=Marshall Cavendish |location= |volume=7|isbn= 0761478833, 9780761478836|chapter=Slovakia; Cultural expression|page=993|pages= |url= |accessdate=|quote=|ref=harv}}</ref> ], ],<ref name=Miku>{{Harvnb|Mikuš|1977| p=108}}</ref> ],<ref name=Cavendish/>, ].<ref name=Cavendish/> Julius Koller and Stanislav Filko, in the 21st century Roman Ondak, ]. The most important Slovak composers have been ], ], and ], in the 21st century Vladimir Godar and ].

The most famous ] can indubitably be attributed to invention and technology. Such people include ], the inventor of wireless telegraphy; ], ], inventor of the modern parachute; ], inventor of the bionic arm and pioneer in thermodynamics; and, more recently, ], father of modern acoustic string instruments.
Štefan Anián Jedlík
Slovakia is also known for its polyhistors, of whom include ], ], ], and its political revolutionaries, such ] and ].

There were two leading persons who codified the Slovak language. The first one was ] whose concept was based on the dialect of western Slovakia (1787). It was the enactment of the first national literary language of Slovaks ever. The second notable man was ]. His formation of the Slovak language had principles in the dialect of central Slovakia (1843).

The best known Slovak hero was ] (the Slovak equivalent of ]). Prominent explorer ] had Slovak ancestors.

In terms of sports, the Slovaks are probably best known (in North America) for their hockey personalities, especially ], ], ], ] and ]. For a list see ].


For a list of the most notable Slovak writers and poets, see ]. For a list of the most notable Slovak writers and poets, see ].


== Maps ==
<gallery> <gallery>
File:Vojvodina west east slavs.png|Slovaks in Vojvodina, Serbia (2002 census)
File:MUTTICH 4.JPG|Girl from Slovakia
File:Slovak USC2000 PHS.svg|The language spread of Slovak in the United States according to U. S. Census 2000 and other resources interpreted by research of U. S. English Foundation, percentage of home speakers
File:Jizda Kralu Vlcnov Czech Rep.jpg|Moravian-Slovak folk festival
File:Veľkonočný pondelok1.jpg|Easter in Slovakia
File:Campesino eslovaco de losMontes tatra.jpg|Slovak peasant from the Tatra mountains, 1908
File:Hontianska parada 2003-DSC01152.JPG|Folklore festival in Slovakia
File:Hontianska parada 2003-DSC01310.JPG|Hontianska parade
File:Szondy György kk.JPG| Captain Juraj Šucha
File:Daniela Hantuchová - Bank of the West Classic.jpg|Tennis player Daniela Hantuchová
File:Dominika Cibulkova at 2010 Medibank International, Sydney.JPG| Tennis player Dominika Cibulkova
File:Rybarikova Roland Garros 2009 1.jpg| Tennis player Magdaléna Rybáriková
File:Viola Valachová table.jpg| Viola Valachová a Partisan
File:Jana Kirschner KVIFF.jpg| Jana Kirschner pop singer
File:RimSobota francisci rimavsky.jpg| Jan Francisci-Rimavsky poet and revolutionary
File:Marian Gaborik.JPG| Marian Gaborik
File: Johannes Sambucus.jpg| Jan Sambucus
File:Andreas Hadik.jpg| Andrej Hadik
File:HavivaReik.JPG| Chaviva Reikova Slovak-Jewish partisan
File:Jozef Tiso.jpg| President of first Slovak Republic Jozef Tiso
File:Operace Anthropoid - Jozef Gabčík.jpg| Jozef Gabčík Slovak soldier, assassin of Reinhard Heydrich
File:Michael Strank.jpg| Michael Strank, U.S Marine of Slovak ancestry, One of the men who raised the flag in Iwo Jima.
File:Miroslaw Iringh Stanko.jpg| Miroslav Iringh, one of the Warsaw Uprising organisers.
File:Nalepka_j.jpg| Ján Nálepka, Partisan
File:Kosice_Rozalia_Saint Benedict.jpg| St Benedikt
File:Maurus.jpg| St Maurus
File:]
</gallery> </gallery>


==Statistics== == Statistics ==
There are approximately 4.6 million autochthonous Slovaks in Slovakia. Further Slovaks live in the following countries (''the list shows estimates of embassies etc. and of associations of Slovaks abroad in the first place, and official data of the countries as of 2000/2001 in the second place''). There are approximately 5.4 million autochthonous Slovaks in Slovakia. Further Slovaks live in the following countries (''the list shows estimates of embassies etc. and of associations of Slovaks abroad in the first place, and official data of the countries as of 2000/2001 in the second place'').


The list stems from ], a Canadian Slovak, the current plenipotentiary of the Government of the Slovak Republic for Slovaks abroad (see e.g.: <sup>6</sup>) : The list stems from Claude Baláž, a Canadian Slovak, the current ] of the Government of the Slovak Republic for Slovaks abroad (see e.g.: <sup>6</sup>):
* ] (1 200 000 / 821 325*) - 19th - 21st century emigrants; see also . The vast majority of "Slovaks" in USA are Americans who are descendants of Slovaks. They speak English at home and cannot speak Slovak and have little knowledge of Slovak customs. Nevertheless like many other Americans, they are proud of their origins. * United States (1,200,000 / 821,325*) 19th 21st century emigrants; see also ]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/prod/2004pubs/c2kbr-35.pdf|title=Ancestry: 2000 : Census 2000 Brief|website=Census.gov|access-date=2017-08-02|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040920132346/http://www.census.gov/prod/2004pubs/c2kbr-35.pdf|archive-date=2004-09-20}}</ref>
* ] (350 000 / 183 749*) - due to the existence of former ] * ] (350,000 / 183,749*) due to the existence of former ]
* ] (39 266 / 17 693) * Hungary (39,266 / 17,693)
* ] (100 000 / 50 860) - 19th - 21st century migrants * Canada (100,000 / 50,860) 19th 21st century migrants
* ] (60 000 / 59 021*) ];<small>*excl. the ]</small>] - 18th & 19th century settlers * Serbia (60,000 / 59,021*) ];<small>*excl. the ]</small>] 18th & 19th century settlers
* ] (2002) (47 000 / 2 000*) - ancient minority and due to border shifts during the 20th century * Poland (2002) (47,000 / 2,000*) ancient minority and due to border shifts during the 20th century
* ] (18 000 / 17 199) - ancient minority * Romania (18,000 / 17,199) ancient minority
* ] (17 000 / 6 397) ]] - ancient minority and due to the existence of former ] * Ukraine (17,000 / 6,397) ]] ancient minority and due to the existence of former ]
* ] (13 000/ n.a.) * France (13,000 / n.a.)
* ] (12 000 / n.a.) - 20th - 21st century migrants * Australia (12,000 / n.a.) 20th 21st century migrants
* ] (10 234 / 10 234) - 20th - 21st century migrants * Austria (10,234 / 10,234) 20th 21st century migrants
* ] (10 000 / n.a.) * United Kingdom (10,000 / n.a.)
* ] (5 000 / 4 712) - 18th & 19th century settlers * Croatia (5,000 / 4,712) 18th & 19th century settlers
* other countries * other countries


The number of Slovaks living outside Slovakia in line with the above data was estimated at max. 2 016 000 in 2001 (2 660 000 in 1991), implying that, in sum, there were max. some 6 630 854 Slovaks in 2001 (7 180 000 in 1991) in the world. The estimate according to the right-hand site chart yields an approximate population of Slovaks living outside Slovakia of 1.5 million. The number of Slovaks living outside Slovakia in line with the above data was estimated at max. 2,016,000 in 2001 (2,660,000 in 1991), implying that, in sum, there were max. some 6,630,854 Slovaks in 2001 (7,180,000 in 1991) in the world. The estimate according to the right-hand site chart yields an approximate population of Slovaks living outside Slovakia of 1.5 million.


Other (much higher) estimates stemming from the ] (House of Foreign Slovaks) can be found on ].<ref>{{sk icon}} </ref> Other (much higher) estimates stemming from the Dom zahraničných Slovákov (House of Foreign Slovaks) can be found on '']''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sme.sk/c/2422124/Ako-ziju-Slovaci-za-hranicami-Slovensko-mam-rad-ale-mojim-domovom-uz-nie-je.html|title=Ako žijú Slováci za hranicami? Slovensko mám rád, ale mojím domovom už nie je|website=Sme.sk|access-date=2 August 2017|archive-date=3 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170803005021/https://www.sme.sk/c/2422124/ako-ziju-slovaci-za-hranicami-slovensko-mam-rad-ale-mojim-domovom-uz-nie-je.html|url-status=live}}</ref>


==See also== == See also ==
{{Portal|Slovakia}}
{{Div col}}
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==Notes== ==Notes==
{{notelist}}
{{Reflist|group=note}} {{Reflist|group=note}}


==References== ==References==
{{Reflist|2}} {{Reflist}}
# ]
#
#]
#]
#
#Baláž, Claude: Slovenská republika a zahraniční Slováci. 2004, Martin
#Baláž, Claude: (a series of articles in:) Dilemma. 01/1999 – 05/2003


==Sources== ==Sources==
*
*{{cite book |title= Ethnogenesis of Slovaks, Human Affairs, 7, 1997, 1|last= Marsina|first=Richard |authorlink= |coauthors= |year=1997 |publisher=Faculty of Humanities, ] |location= ], ]|isbn= |page= |pages= |url= |accessdate=|ref=harv}}
* {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927225441/http://www.nepszamlalas.hu/eng/volumes/24/tables/load1_4_1.html |date=27 September 2007 }}
*{{cite book |title= The Politics of Language and Nationalism in Modern Central Europe|last= Kamusella |first= Tomasz|authorlink= Tomasz Kamusella|coauthors= |year= 2009|publisher=]|location=], UK (Foreword by Professor ]) |isbn=13: 978–0–230–55070 |page= |pages= |url= |accessdate=2009-01-04|ref=harv}}
*Baláž, Claude: Slovenská republika a zahraniční Slováci. 2004, Martin
*Baláž, Claude: (a series of articles in:) Dilemma. 01/1999 – 05/2003

==Further reading==
{{See also|List of Slavic studies journals}}
*{{cite book *{{cite book
| title = Nové pohľady historickej vedy na slovenské dejiny. I. časť. Najstaršie obdobie slovenských dejín (do prelomu 9.-10. storočia)
| last = Kirschbaum
| first = Stanislav J. | last = Marsina
| first = Richard
| authorlink = http://web.as.uky.edu/ssa/biblio/biblio_kirschbaum.htm
| year = 1995
| title = A History of Slovakia: The Struggle for Survival
| publisher = ]; ] | publisher = Metodické centrum mesta Bratislavy
| date = March 1995 | location= Bratislava
| location = New York | language = sk
| isbn = 978-80-7164-069-1
| url = http://us.macmillan.com/ahistoryofslovakia
}}
| isbn = 978-0-312-10403-0
*{{cite book |title= Ethnogenesis of Slovaks, Human Affairs, 7, 1997, 1|last= Marsina|first=Richard |year=1997 |publisher=Faculty of Humanities, ] |location= ], ]}}
| page = 25
*{{cite book
| ref=harv}}
| title = Etnogenéza Slovákov
*{{cite journal|last1=Malyarchuk|first1=B.A.|last2=Perkova|first2=M.A.|last3=Derenko|first3=M.V.|last4=Vanecek|first4=T.|last5=Lazur|first5=J.|last6=Gomolcak|first6=P.|year= 2008|title= Mitochondrial DNA Variability in Slovaks, with Application to the Roma Origin|journal=Annals of Human Genetics|volume=72|page= |pages= 228|publisher= Journal compilation 2008 University College London|location=|doi= 10.1111/j.1469-1809.2007.00410.x|url= http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/fulltext/119387744/PDFSTART|language= |format=|ref=harv |accessdate= }}
| editor1-last = Marsina
| editor1-first = Richard
| editor2-last = Mulík
| editor2-first = Peter
| chapter = K problematike etnogenézy Slovákov a ich pomenovania
| last = Marsina
| first = Richard
| year = 2009
| publisher = ]
| location= Martin
| language = sk
| isbn = 978-80-7090-940-9
}}
*{{cite book
| title = Národnosti Uhorska
| trans-title = Nationalities in the Kingdom of Hungary
| last = Marek
| first = Miloš
| year = 2009
| publisher = ]
| location= Trnava
| language = sk
| isbn = 978-80-8082-470-9
}}
*{{cite journal
| journal = Slovenská Reč
| title = Najstarší výskyt slova slovenský z roku 1294
| last = Uličný
| first = Ferdinand
| year = 1986
| issue = 2
| publisher = Slovak Academic Press
| location= Bratislava
| language = sk
| url = http://www.juls.savba.sk/ediela/sr/1986/2/sr1986-2-lq.pdf
}}
*{{cite journal
| journal = Slovenská Reč
| title = Osídlenie Liptova a dolnoliptovské nárečia
| last = Uhlár
| first = Vlado
| year = 1992
| publisher = Slovak Academic Press
| location= Bratislava
| language = sk
| url = http://www.juls.savba.sk/ediela/sr/1992/6/sr1992-6-lq.pdf
}}
*{{cite book |title= The Politics of Language and Nationalism in Modern Central Europe|last= Kamusella |first= Tomasz|author-link= Tomasz Kamusella|year= 2009|publisher=]|location=], UK (Foreword by Professor ]) |isbn=9780230550704 }}
*{{cite book
|last = Kirschbaum
|first = Stanislav J.
|title = A History of Slovakia: The Struggle for Survival
|publisher = ]; ]
|date = March 1995
|location = New York
|url = http://us.macmillan.com/ahistoryofslovakia
|isbn = 978-0-312-10403-0
|page = 25
|url-status = dead
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080925041206/http://us.macmillan.com/ahistoryofslovakia
|archive-date = 2008-09-25
}}
*{{cite book *{{cite book
|last = Eberhardt |last = Eberhardt
|first = Piotr |first = Piotr
|authorlink =
|title = Ethnic Groups and Population Changes in Twentieth-Century Central-Eastern Europe: History, Data, Analysis |title = Ethnic Groups and Population Changes in Twentieth-Century Central-Eastern Europe: History, Data, Analysis
|publisher = M.E. Sharpe |publisher = M.E. Sharpe
|series =
|year = 2003 |year = 2003
|isbn = 978-0-7656-0665-5
|doi =
}}
|isbn = 978-0765606655
*{{cite book |title=Slovakia and the Slovaks |last= Mikuš|first=Joseph A.|year=1977 |publisher=Three Continents Press |isbn= 9780914478881|quote=The work is superbly illustrated by Martin Benka, a Slovak painter of comparable}}
|ref=harv}}
*{{cite book |title=Slovakia and the Slovaks |last= Mikuš|first=Joseph A.|authorlink= |coauthors= |year=1977 |publisher=Three Continents Press |location= |isbn= 0914478885, 9780914478881|page=|pages= |url= |accessdate=|quote=The work is superbly illustrated by Martin Benka, a Slovak painter of comparable|ref=harv}}
== Maps ==
<gallery>
Image:Vojvodina west east slavs.png|Slovaks in Vojvodina, Serbia (2002 census)
File:Slovak USC2000 PHS.svg|The language spread of Slovak in the United States according to U. S. Census 2000 and other resources interpreted by research of U. S. English Foundation, percentage of home speakers
</gallery>


==External links == ==External links==
{{commons category|Slovaks}}
*
{{Americana Poster}}
*
*
*
* *


{{Slovakia topics}}
{{Slavic ethnic groups}} {{Slavic ethnic groups}}
{{commonscat|Slovaks}}


{{Authority control}}
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Latest revision as of 18:07, 22 December 2024

West Slavic ethnic group For information on the population of Slovakia, see Demographics of Slovakia.
Parts of this article (those related to Statistics) need to be updated. The reason given is: Data present are from the early 1990s. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (August 2024)

Ethnic group
Slovaks
Slováci
Total population
c. 6–7 million
Regions with significant populations
Slovakia Slovakia 4,567,547
 United States416,047 (2022); 750,000 (estimate)
 Czech Republic162,578 (2021 census); 200,000–400,000 (estimates)
 Canada68,210; (including 14,910 first generation immigrants); 100,000 (estimate)
 Germany64,745; 80,000 (estimate)
 Austria63,621 (2020); 65,000 (estimate)
 United Kingdom58,000; 135,000 (estimate)
 Serbia41,730 (2021); 40,000 (estimate)
 Hungary29,794 (2021); 75,000 (estimate)
 Switzerland20,581 (2021); 25,000 (estimate)
 Brazil17,200
 Denmark Norway Sweden17,000 (estimated total in Scandinavian countries)
 Spain12,350 (2021); 15,000(estimate)
 Ireland10,801; 15,000 (estimate)
 Romania10,300 (2021 census) 13,000 (estimate)
 France9,768 (2017); 20,000 (estimate)
 Italy9,014 (2021); 20,000 (estimates)
 Netherlands9,000 (2022); 15,000 (estimate)
 Israel8,000 (2020); up to 70,000 (estimate)
 Belgium6,677 (2022 census); 10,000 (estimate)
 Ukraine6,700 (estimate)
 Australia4,781 (2021 census), 9,000-15,000 (estimates)
 Croatia3,688 (2021 census); 5,000(estimate)
Languages
Slovak
Religion
Majority Roman Catholics with Minorities of Lutherans, Eastern Catholics, other
Related ethnic groups
Pannonian Rusyns, other West Slavs

The Slovaks (Slovak: Slováci [ˈsɫɔvaːt͡si], singular: Slovák [ˈslɔvaːk], feminine: Slovenka [ˈsɫɔvɛŋka], plural: Slovenky) are a West Slavic ethnic group and nation native to Slovakia who share a common ancestry, culture, history and speak the Slovak language.

In Slovakia, c. 4.4 million are ethnic Slovaks of 5.4 million total population. There are Slovak minorities in many neighboring countries including Austria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Serbia and Ukraine and sizeable populations of immigrants and their descendants in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, United Kingdom and the United States among others, which are collectively referred to as the Slovak diaspora.

Name

The name Slovak is derived from *Slověninъ, plural *Slověně, the old name of the Slavs (Proglas, around 863). The original stem has been preserved in all Slovak words except the masculine noun; the feminine noun is Slovenka, the adjective is slovenský, the language is slovenčina and the country is Slovensko. The first written mention of adjective slovenský (Slovak) is in 1294 (ad parvam arborem nystra slowenski breza ubi est meta).

The original name of Slovaks Slověninъ/Slověně was still recorded in Pressburg Latin-Czech Dictionary (the 14th century), but it changed to Slovák under the influence of Czech and Polish (around 1400). The first written mention of new form in the territory of present-day Slovakia is from Bardejov (1444, "Nicoulaus Cossibor hauptman, Nicolaus Czech et Slowak, stipendiarii supremi"). The mentions in Czech sources are older (1375 and 1385). The change is not related to the ethnogenesis of Slovaks, but exclusively to linguistic changes in the West Slavic languages. The word Slovak was used also later as a common name for all Slavs in Czech, Polish, and also Slovak together with other forms.

In Hungarian, "Slovak" is Tót (pl: tótok), an exonym. It was originally used to refer to all Slavs including Slovenes and Croats, but eventually came to refer primarily to Slovaks. Many place names in Hungary such as Tótszentgyörgy, Tótszentmárton, and Tótkomlós still bear the name. Tóth is a common Hungarian surname.

The Slovaks have also historically been variously referred to as Slovyenyn, Slowyenyny, Sclavus, Sclavi, Slavus, Slavi, Winde, Wende, or Wenden. The final three terms are variations of the Germanic term Wends, which was historically used to refer to any Slavs living close to Germanic settlements.

Ethnogenesis

Ján Hollý (portrait from 1885)

The early Slavs came to the territory of Slovakia in several waves from the 5th and 6th centuries and were organized on a tribal level. Original tribal names are not known due to the lack of written sources before their integration into higher political units. Weakening of tribal consciousness was probably accelerated by Avars, who did not respect tribal differences in the controlled territory and motivated remaining Slavs to join together and to collaborate on their defense. In the 7th century, Slavs founded a larger tribal union: Samo's empire. Regardless of Samo's empire, the integration process continued in other territories with various intensities.

The final fall of the Avar Khaganate allowed new political entities to arise. The first such political unit documented by written sources is the Principality of Nitra, one of the foundations of later common ethnic consciousness. At this stage in history it is not yet possible to assume a common identity of all ancestors of Slovaks in the neighboring eastern territories, even if it was inhabited by closely related Slavs. The Principality of Nitra became a part of Great Moravia, a common state of Moravians (Czech ancestors were joined only for a few years). The relatively short existence of Great Moravia prevented it from suppressing differences which resulted from its creation from two separate entities, and therefore a common "Slovak-Moravian" ethnic identity failed to develop. The early political integration in the territory of present-day Slovakia was, however, reflected in linguistic integration. While dialects of the early ancestors of Slovaks were divided into West Slavic (western and eastern Slovakia) and non-West Slavic (central Slovakia), between the 8th and 9th centuries both dialects merged, thus laying the foundations of a later Slovak language.

The 10th century is a milestone in the Slovak ethnogenesis. The fall of Great Moravia and further political changes supported their formation into a separate nation. At the same time, with the extinction of the Proto-Slavic language, between the 10th and 13th centuries Slovak evolved into an independent language (simultaneously with other Slavic languages). The early existence of the Kingdom of Hungary positively influenced the development of common consciousness and companionship among Slavs in the Northern Hungary, not only within boundaries of present-day Slovakia. The clear difference between Slovaks and Hungarians made adoption of a specific name unnecessary and Slovaks preserved their original name (in Latin e.g. Slavus), which was also used in communication with other Slavic peoples (Polonus, Bohemus, Ruthenus). In political terms, the medieval Slovaks were a part of the multi-ethnic political nation Natio Hungarica, together with Hungarians (or, more exactly, Magyars), Slavonians, Germans, Romanians and other ethnic groups in the Kingdom of Hungary. Since a medieval political nation did not consist of ordinary people but nobility, membership of the privileged class was necessary for all these peoples (nobiles Hungary).

Like other nations, the Slovaks began to transform into a modern nation from the 18th century under the idea of national romanticism. The modern Slovak nation is the result of radical processes of modernization within the Habsburg Empire which culminated in the middle of the 19th century. The transformation process was slowed down by conflict with Hungarian nationalism and the ethnogenesis of the Slovaks become a political question, particularly regarding their deprivation and preservation of their language and national rights. In 1722, Michal Bencsik, professor of law at the University of Trnava, published a theory that nobility and burghers of Trenčín should not have same privileges as Hungarians, because they are descendants of Svatopluk's people (inferior to Magyars). Neither Bencsik nor his Slovak opponent Ján Baltazár Magin put the continuity of settlement into serious question. Also, the first history of Slovaks written by Georgius Papanek (or Juraj Papánek), traced the roots of the Slovaks to Great Moravia in Historia gentis Slavae. De regno regibusque Slavorum... (1780) ("History of the Slovak nation: On the kingdom and kings of the Slovaks"). Papánek's work became a basis for argumentation of the Slovak national revival movement. However, the Slovak national revival not only accepted the continuity of population but also emphasized it, thus proving that Slovaks are equal citizens of the state and neither a Hungarian "unique statesmanlike gift" nor Christianization was required for the foundation of the state.

In 1876, Hungarian linguist Pál Hunfalvy published a theory about missing continuity between Slovaks and Slavs before the arrival of the Hungarians. Hunfalvy tried to prove that ancestors of Slovaks did not live in the territory of the present-day Slovakia before arrival of the old Hungarians (Magyars), but Slovaks emerged later from other Slavs who came to the Kingdom of Hungary from neighbouring countries after the 13th century. János Karácsonyi assumed that central and northern Slovakia were uninhabited (1901) and in his next work "Our historical right to the territorial integrity of our country" (1921) he claimed that the remainder of the original Slavs were assimilated by Magyars and modern Slovaks are descendants of immigrants from Upper Moravia and Oder (the population density on these territories was too low in that time and large numbers of colonists coming from these areas was not possible). The theory was then misused by inter-war Hungarian revisionists, who questioned continuity to support Hungarian claims on Slovakia. In 1982, when rich archaeological evidence proving the opposite was already available, a similar theory was published by Hungarian historian György Györffy. Györffy accepted that smaller groups of Slavs could remain in the territory of Slovakia, but stated that the Slovaks' origin was in sparse settlement of various Slavic groups strengthened by later colonization. According to Ferenc Makk, the medieval Moravians are not the ancestors of Slovaks and the majority of the Slovak people are descended from later Slavic newcomers.

Svatopluk I
A statue of Svätopluk I

The opposite theory, supporting the supposed former common past of the Czech and Slovak nations, thus also legitimizing the creation of the united Czechoslovak nation, gained political support in inter-war Czechoslovakia. Like Karácsonyi, Czech historian Václav Chaloupecký assumed that northern and central parts of Slovakia remained uninhabited until the 13th century and that the south-western part was inhabited by Czechs. Yet, in 1946 Chaloupecký assumed that the Slovak nation emerged from neighboring Slavs and had been formed only in the 17th century. His theory about the lack of population in the greater part of Slovakia covered by forests had already been scientifically refuted by Daniel Rapant (e.g. in O starý Liptov, 1934), and was proven wrong by numerous archaeological finds and rejected by Czechoslovak historiography. On the other hand, inter-war Slovak autonomists, opposing ethnic Czechoslovakism, dated the existence of the Slovak nation to the time of Pribina (trials to document existence of Slovaks in early Slavic era, i.e. in the time of Samo's empire, are marginal and exist outside of modern mainstream Slovak historiography).

After the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1993, the formation of independent Slovakia motivated interest in a particularly Slovak national identity. One reflection of this was the rejection of the common Czechoslovak national identity in favour of a purely Slovak one.

History

Main article: History of Slovakia

Slavs of the Pannonian Basin

The first known Slavic states on the territory of present-day Slovakia were the Empire of Samo and the Principality of Nitra, founded sometime in the 8th century.

Great Moravia

Pribina, ruler of Principality of Nitra, established and ruled the Balaton Principality from 839/840 to 861.

Great Moravia (833 – 902-907) was a Slavic state in the 9th and early 10th centuries, whose creators were the ancestors of the Czechs and Slovaks. Important developments took place at this time, including the mission of Byzantine monks Cyril and Methodius, the development of the Glagolitic alphabet (an early form of the Cyrillic script), and the use of Old Church Slavonic as the official and literary language. Its formation and rich cultural heritage have attracted somewhat more interest since the 19th century.

The original territory inhabited by the Slavic tribes included not only present-day Slovakia, but also parts of present-day Poland, southeastern Moravia and approximately the entire northern half of present-day Hungary.

Kingdom of Hungary

Gallery of famous Slovak people, active in different areas (history, literature, education, religion, science). Published on occasion of establishing Matica slovenská ("Slovak Foundation"), major patriotic organization. List of portraited personalities: Ján Mallý-Dusarov, Juraj Tvrdý, Jozef Kozáček, Štefan Moyzes, Martin Čulen, Karol Kuzmány, Štefan Závodník, Michal Chrástek, Viliam Pauliny-Tóth, Michal Miloslav Hodža, Štefan Marko Daxner, Ján Francisci-Rimavský, Ján Gotčár, Andrej Ľudovít Radlinský, Jozef Miloslav Hurban, Jonáš Záborský, Jozef Karol Viktorin, Mikuláš Štefan Ferienčík, Ján Kalinčiak, Martin Hattala, Ján Palárik, František Víťazoslav Sasinek, Andrej Sládkovič, Daniel Gabriel Lichard, Ján Čipka, Juraj Slota, Andrej Kossa

The territory of present-day Slovakia was split in two parts between the Kingdom of Hungary (under Hungarian rule gradually from 907 to the early 14th century) to Upper Hungary and Royal Hungary (under the Habsburgs from 1527 – 1848 (see also Hungarian Revolution of 1848)) until the formation of Czechoslovakia in 1918. However, according to other historians, from 895 to 902, the whole area of the present-day Slovakia became part of the rising Principality of Hungary, and became (without gradation) part of the Kingdom of Hungary a century later. A separate entity called Nitra Frontier Duchy, existed at this time within the Kingdom of Hungary. This duchy was abolished in 1107. The territory inhabited by the Slovaks in present-day Hungary was gradually reduced.

When most of Hungary was conquered by the Ottoman Empire in 1541 (see Ottoman Hungary), the territory of present-day Slovakia became the new center of the reduced kingdom that remained under Hungarian, and later Habsburg rule, officially called Royal Hungary. Some Croats settled around and in present-day Bratislava for similar reasons. Also, many Germans settled in the Kingdom of Hungary, especially in the towns, as work-seeking colonists and mining experts from the 13th to the 15th century. Jews and Gypsies also formed significant populations within the territory. During the period, most of present-day Slovakia was part of Habsburg rule, but Ottoman ruled southern and southeasternmost parts of it.

After the Ottoman Empire was forced to retreat from present-day Hungary around 1700, thousands of Slovaks were gradually settled in depopulated parts of the restored Kingdom of Hungary (present-day Hungary, Romania, Serbia, and Croatia) under Maria Theresia, and that is how present-day Slovak enclaves (like Slovaks in Vojvodina, Slovaks in Hungary) in these countries arose.

After Transylvania, Upper Hungary (present-day Slovakia) was the most advanced part of the Kingdom of Hungary for centuries, but in the 19th century, when Buda/Pest became the new capital of the kingdom, the importance of the territory, as well as other parts within the Kingdom fell, and many Slovaks were impoverished. As a result, hundreds of thousands of Slovaks emigrated to North America, especially in the late 19th and early 20th century (between cca. 1880–1910), a total of at least 1.5 million emigrants.

Slovakia exhibits a very rich folk culture. A part of Slovak customs and social convention are common with those of other nations of the former Habsburg monarchy (the Kingdom of Hungary was in personal union with the Habsburg monarchy from 1867 to 1918).

Czechoslovakia

Main article: History of Czechoslovakia

People of Slovakia spent most part of the 20th century within the framework of Czechoslovakia, a new state formed after World War I. Significant reforms and post-World War II industrialization took place during this time. Slovak was strongly influenced by Czech during this period.

Culture

See also: List of Slovaks

The art of Slovakia can be traced back to the Middle Ages, when some of the greatest masterpieces of the country's history were created. Significant figures from this period included the many Old Masters, among them the Master Paul of Levoča and Master MS. More contemporary art can be seen in the shadows of Koloman Sokol, Albín Brunovský, Martin Benka, Mikuláš Galanda, Ľudovít Fulla. Julius Koller and Stanislav Filko, in the 21st century Roman Ondak, Blažej Baláž. The most important Slovak composers have been Eugen Suchoň, Ján Cikker, and Alexander Moyzes, in the 21st century Vladimir Godar and Peter Machajdík.

The most famous Slovak names can indubitably be attributed to invention and technology. Such people include Jozef Murgaš, the inventor of wireless telegraphy; Ján Bahýľ, Štefan Banič, inventor of the modern parachute; Aurel Stodola, inventor of the bionic arm and pioneer in thermodynamics; and, more recently, John Dopyera, father of modern acoustic string instruments. Hungarian inventors Joseph Petzval and Ányos Jedlik were born of Slovak fathers.

Slovakia is also known for its polyhistors, of whom include Pavol Jozef Šafárik, Matej Bel, Ján Kollár, and its political revolutionaries, such Milan Rastislav Štefánik and Alexander Dubček.

There were two leading persons who codified Slovak. The first one was Anton Bernolák whose concept was based on the dialect of western Slovakia (1787). It was the enactment of the first national standard language for the Slovaks. The second notable man was Ľudovít Štúr. His formation of Slovak had principles in the dialect of central Slovakia (1843).

The best known Slovak hero was Juraj Jánošík (the Slovak equivalent of Robin Hood). The prominent explorer and diplomat Móric Beňovský, Hungarian transcript Benyovszky was Slovak as well (he comes from Vrbové in present-day Slovakia and is e.g. listed as "nobilis Slavicus – Slovak nobleman" in his secondary school registration).

In terms of sports, the Slovaks are probably best known (in North America) for their ice hockey personalities, especially Stan Mikita, Peter Šťastný, Peter Bondra, Žigmund Pálffy, Marián Hossa and Zdeno Chára. For a list see List of Slovaks. Zdeno Chára is only the second European captain in history of the NHL that led his team to win the Stanley Cup, winning it with the Boston Bruins in the season 2010–11.

For a list of the most notable Slovak writers and poets, see List of Slovak authors.

Maps

  • Slovaks in Vojvodina, Serbia (2002 census) Slovaks in Vojvodina, Serbia (2002 census)
  • The language spread of Slovak in the United States according to U. S. Census 2000 and other resources interpreted by research of U. S. English Foundation, percentage of home speakers The language spread of Slovak in the United States according to U. S. Census 2000 and other resources interpreted by research of U. S. English Foundation, percentage of home speakers

Statistics

There are approximately 5.4 million autochthonous Slovaks in Slovakia. Further Slovaks live in the following countries (the list shows estimates of embassies etc. and of associations of Slovaks abroad in the first place, and official data of the countries as of 2000/2001 in the second place).

The list stems from Claude Baláž, a Canadian Slovak, the current plenipotentiary of the Government of the Slovak Republic for Slovaks abroad (see e.g.: ):

  • United States (1,200,000 / 821,325*) – 19th – 21st century emigrants; see also United States Census
  • Czech Republic (350,000 / 183,749*) – due to the existence of former Czechoslovakia
  • Hungary (39,266 / 17,693)
  • Canada (100,000 / 50,860) – 19th – 21st century migrants
  • Serbia (60,000 / 59,021*) – 18th & 19th century settlers
  • Poland (2002) (47,000 / 2,000*) – ancient minority and due to border shifts during the 20th century
  • Romania (18,000 / 17,199) – ancient minority
  • Ukraine (17,000 / 6,397) – ancient minority and due to the existence of former Czechoslovakia
  • France (13,000 / n.a.)
  • Australia (12,000 / n.a.) – 20th – 21st century migrants
  • Austria (10,234 / 10,234) – 20th – 21st century migrants
  • United Kingdom (10,000 / n.a.)
  • Croatia (5,000 / 4,712) – 18th & 19th century settlers
  • other countries

The number of Slovaks living outside Slovakia in line with the above data was estimated at max. 2,016,000 in 2001 (2,660,000 in 1991), implying that, in sum, there were max. some 6,630,854 Slovaks in 2001 (7,180,000 in 1991) in the world. The estimate according to the right-hand site chart yields an approximate population of Slovaks living outside Slovakia of 1.5 million.

Other (much higher) estimates stemming from the Dom zahraničných Slovákov (House of Foreign Slovaks) can be found on SME.

See also

Notes

  1. The Slovaks and Slovenes are the only current Slavic nations that have preserved the original name. For Slovenes, the adjective is still slovenski and the feminine noun "Slovene" is still also Slovenka, but the masculine noun has since changed to Slovenec. The Slovak name for their language is slovenčina and the Slovene name for theirs is slovenščina. The Slovak term for Slovene is slovinčina; and the Slovenes call Slovak slovaščina. The name is derived from proto-Slavic form slovo "word, talk" (cf. Slovak sluch, which comes from the IE root *ḱlew-). Thus Slovaks as well as Slovenians would mean "people who speak (the same language)", i.e. people who understand each other.
  1. For example Slavic mounds in Krasňany near Žilina, cemetery in Martin, magnate mounds in Turčianska Blatnica, Malý Čepčín and Žabokreky, settlements in Liptovský Michal, Liptovská Mara (unearthed during construction of the water dam), Vlachy, Liptovská Štiavnica, Paludza, Sokolče, Lisková, Podtureň, Prosiek, Bobrovník, Likavka – all of them from 8–10th century. (Uhlár, 1992, p. 326)

References

  1. "Ako žijú Slováci za hranicami? Slovensko mám rád, ale mojím domovom už nie je" [How do Slovaks live abroad? I like Slovakia but it is no longer my home.]. Sme.sk. Archived from the original on 3 August 2017. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
  2. "Národnosť a materin. jazyk". scitanie.sk. Archived from the original on 13 October 2022. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
  3. "Census Reporter: People Reporting Multiple Ancestry". censusreporter.org. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
  4. ^ "Office for Slovaks living abroad". USZZ (in Slovak).
  5. "Slováků v Česku přibývá, tvoří pětinu všech cizinců v zemi". týden.cz. 15 June 2019. Archived from the original on 28 June 2020. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
  6. "Ethnic or cultural origin by generation status: Canada, provinces and territories, census metropolitan areas and census agglomerations with parts". www150.statcan.gc.ca. 26 October 2022. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
  7. "Federal Statistical Office Germany - GENESIS-Online". www-genesis.destatis.de. 16 August 2024. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
  8. "Population of the UK by country of birth and nationality: individual country data (Discontinued after June 2021) - Office for National Statistics". www.ons.gov.uk. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
  9. Vukovich, Gabriella (2018). Mikrocenzus 2016 - 12. Nemzetiségi adatok [2016 microcensus - 12. Ethnic data] (PDF) (in Hungarian). Budapest: Hungarian Central Statistical Office. ISBN 978-963-235-542-9. Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 August 2019. Retrieved 9 January 2019.
  10. "Edição 214, Um atalho para a Europa". Archived from the original on 26 January 2009. Retrieved 31 January 2008.
  11. "CSO Emigration" (PDF). Census Office Ireland. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 November 2012. Retrieved 29 January 2013.
  12. Uličný 1986, p. 102.
  13. Uličný 1986, p. 101.
  14. ^ Marek 2011, p. 67. sfn error: no target: CITEREFMarek2011 (help)
  15. Marsina 2013, p. 65. sfn error: no target: CITEREFMarsina2013 (help)
  16. ^ Marsina 2013, p. 67. sfn error: no target: CITEREFMarsina2013 (help)
  17. Marsina 2009, p. 16.
  18. Marsina 2013, p. 71. sfn error: no target: CITEREFMarsina2013 (help)
  19. Marek 2011, p. 13. sfn error: no target: CITEREFMarek2011 (help)
  20. Stefan Auer, Liberal Nationalism in Central Europe, Routledge, 2004, p. 135
  21. Kamusella 2009, p. 134
  22. Papánek, Juraj. "Historia gentis Slavae / Dejiny slovenského národa". Databazeknih.cz. Perfekt. Archived from the original on 21 June 2022. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
  23. ^ Marsina 2009, p. 18.
  24. ^ Marsina 2009, p. 19.
  25. Ferenc, Makk, "És erővel elfoglalta egész Pannóniát Archived 2016-10-31 at the Wayback Machine", In: Tiszatáj, 1996-10, p. 76
  26. ^ Marsina 1997, p. 17
  27. ^ W. Warhola, James (2005). "Changing Rule Between the Danube and the Tatras: A study of Political Culture in Independent Slovakia, 1993 – 2005" (PDF). The University of Maine. Orono, Maine, United States.: Midwest Political Science Association 2005 Annual National Conference, April 9, 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 September 2012. Retrieved 15 June 2011.
  28. Kirschbaum 1995, p. 25
  29. Bagnell Bury, John (1923). The Cambridge Medieval History. Cambridge: Macmillan. p. 211.
  30. Ference Gregory Curtis. Chronology of 20th-century eastern European history. Gale Research, Inc., 1994. ISBN 978-0-8103-8879-6, p. 103
  31. Věd, Archeologický Ústav (Československá Akademie) (1964). The Great Moravia Exhibition: 1100 years of tradition of state and cultural life.
  32. A history of Eastern Europe: crisis and change, Robert Bideleux, Ian Jeffries
  33. Eberhardt 2003, p. 105
  34. Kristó, Gyula (1996). Hungarian History in the Ninth Century. Szeged: Szegedi Középkorász Műhely. p. 229. ISBN 963-482-113-8
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  36. Kristó, Gyula (1993). A Kárpát-medence és a magyarság régmúltja (1301-ig) (The ancient history of the Carpathian Basin and the Hungarians – till 1301) Archived 2011-05-11 at the Wayback Machine Szeged: Szegedi Középkorász Műhely. p. 299. ISBN 963-04-2914-4.
  37. Vauchez, André; Barrie Dobson, Richard; Lapidge, Michael (2000). Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages. Vol. 1. Routledge. p. 1363. ISBN 9781579582821. Archived from the original on 7 April 2023. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  38. ^ Eberhardt 2003, p. 104
  39. Harlig, Jeffrey; Pléh, Csaba (11 January 1995). When East Met West: Sociolinguistics in the Former Socialist Bloc. Walter de Gruyter. ISBN 9783110145854. Archived from the original on 7 April 2023. Retrieved 11 January 2018 – via Google Books.
  40. ^ Marshall Cavendish Corporation (2009). "Slovakia; Cultural expression". World and Its Peoples. Vol. 7. Marshall Cavendish. p. 993. ISBN 9780761478836.
  41. Mikuš 1977, p. 108
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Sources

Further reading

See also: List of Slavic studies journals

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