Gacovic Od romanskog stanovnistva do Rumuna Timocana (VII-XVI vek) knjiga III (1)

304 Slavoljub Gacović
that the Vlachs „mush not be urged to keep forts“, which is again contrary to
the responsibilities held by the Vlachs in the Middle Ages according to the
Law on the Vlachs. It was forbidden to „take blood tax“ form the Vlachs
before they „come to the Tukish judge“, which was the compensation for
homicide, i.e. for murder, wounding or shed blood, which is paid by the
culprit, and if the culprit was not found, it would be paid by the community
on whose land the homicide had taken place or killed or injured people were
found. Therefore, the Turkish legislature kept the medieval law of blood tax
payment found in the Code of Dusan, stressing that decision about its taking
is made by the judge.
For the performance of military, and some political and administrative
operations in Vidin and Smederevo districts were responsible rulers
(primicuri, rataji and tekli¢i), both natives and newcomers. There were
Vlach soldiers in 986 in Samuel’s Army, they are mentioned in the
Romanian/Byzantine Empire Army at the end of 1027, and frequent
uprisings and rebellions of the Vlachs indicate their military potential. From
one such rebellion of Peter and Asen in 1185/86, the Second Bulgarian
Empire, or Vlach-Bulgarian Empire was formed. There were Vlach soldiers
in the service of Serbian, Bosnian-Herzegovinian and Croatian princes,
viceroys, dukes and kings, as in the time of the Despot state. In his treatise
On Soldiers Branislav Durdev proved that thc ncwer data sources on such an
early takeover of soldiers (voynugan) in the Turkish military system are
authentic, and that the ,,voynugan are Vlach soldiers of medieval Slavic
countries“.
On the issue of Komora/Komornica of the Vlachs, it was stated that
from the locations from which komora was taken, one infidel in fifty houses
was obliged to perform six months of his service to his district Bey, but not
to take money from anyone by force. If there would come an enemy, all the
'Vlachs had to get on their horses and become Joldashs, i.e. Turkish cavalry
companions.
The Vlachs, therefore, represent a continuity in the course of many
centuries, though not always in the same territory, but in various parts of the
Balkans, and Vlach planning and placement, Vlach laws, written and
unwritten, represent a continuity of its kind, as they survive the failed and
enter the new state and social formations: it arose in Serbia during the
Nemanjiés time, if it had not been taken from the Byzantines and Bulgarians,
taken up later in Croatia, to rise again in full force throughout South Slavic
territory during the Turks, the Turks having mastered the Balkan countries
and introduced the Vlachs in their service.
That the Roman population in today’s Timok area met the incursions
of the Pechenegs, Uzi and Kumans between the tenth and the fourteenth
centuries, we have proven with the help of Romanian authors loannes
Romanizacija i romansko stanovnistvo Timocke zone (I-XVI vek) 305
Mauropus (Pechenegs) Teofilaktos Ahridon (Pechenegs, Kumans),
Kekaumenos (Pechenegs), Michael Psellos (Pechenegs), Ioannes Oxites
(Pechenegs, Uzi), loannes Skylitzes (Pechenegs, Uzi), Michael Attaliates
(Pechenegs, Uzi), Nikiforos Bryennios (Pechenegs), Anna Komnena
(Pechenegs, Kumans), Georgios Kedrenos (Pechenegs, Kumans), Nikolaos
Kataskepenos (Pechenegs), Michael Glykas (Pechenegs), Manuel
Straboromanos (Pechenegs) Eustathios Thessalonikes (Kumans), Ioannes
Zonara (Pechenegs, Uzi, Kumans), Ioannes Kinnamos (Pechenegs,
Kumans), Niketas Choniates (Pechenegs, Kumans) and other who in the
same places where the Pechenegs, Kumans and Uzi are mentioned, also
mention the opposed nomads who are called the Viachs in the vernacular, or
mentioned in the joint fight against Romania.
For us, the most interesting are parts of Anna Komnena’s story where
the Vlach leader is mentioned by name Pudilo, who brings news of crossing
of the Kumans over the Danube in 1094, which is certainly of great
importance for the history of the Vlachs, who abide in the areas between the
Danube and the mountain Zygos (= Old Mountain / Haemus) in the late
eleventh century, and who are on the side of the Empire. Anne Komnena’s
story is also important when it comes to the Vlachs who abide in Zygos
Mountain itself and who know all the possible paths to go through fortified
gorges, helping the Kumans to conquer the territories of
Byzantium/Romania. These are, ke can say, the ancestors of the Vlachs who
in 1185 raised a revolt under the leadership of Peter and Asen, at the time of
Emperor Isaac II Angelos.
As far as the mutual relations between the Roman/Romanian
population and the Turkmen tribes Pechenegs, Uzi and Kumans are
concerned, starting from the tenth to the fourteenth century, in addition to
the resources presented to us, very interesting for us is information about the
Vlachs which was detected in Kinnamus. Namely, on the occasion of mutual
military conflicts that occurred in 1166 between the Hungarians and the
Romanians, Basileus Manuel I Komnenos sent Aleksios of Istar with a large
army, so that he could force the Huns (= Hungarians) to believe that they
will be attacked again from the usual space, and Leon, aka Vataces
(Vatatzes), who led another mighty army on the other side, and again a great
crowd of the Vlachs, referred to as the old immigrants from Italy, was
commissioned to attack the land of the Huns in the area near Pont called
Euxinus, from where no one had ever attacked them.
In short, we meet Vlachs and Romanians from Hemus in Nichetas
Choniates and in autumn 1185 when, led by brothers Peter and Asen, they
play a major role in the formation of the so-called Second Bulgarian Empire.
Choniates called them ,barbarians from Mount Hemus, once known as
Mesians, and now called the Vlachs“. Choniates mentions the Pechenegs in