The town is first mentioned in the 2nd century BC under theGreek nameΑστραίον (Astraîon, "starry")[3] byPtolemy andPliny. It was known as Tiberiopolis (Greek: Τιβεριούπολις) inRoman times, and received its present name from theSlavic settlers of theMiddle Ages. InTurkish the town is known asUstrumca, and inmodern Greek Στρώμνιτσα (Strómnitsa). In Bulgarian the name is Струмица.
According to archaeological findings, settlement of the area dates back to between 6000–5000 BC; near the village ofAngelci there is aNeolithic settlement calledStranata, while traces of prehistoric culture dating from the beginning of the 4th to the middle of the 3rd millennium BC have been discovered at the site ofCarevi Kuli (Tsar's Towers), on the hill above the city. The area was later inhabited byPaionians.
The first mention of the city under the nameAstraion is in the writings of the Roman historianTitus Livius in 181 BC regarding the execution of Demetrius, brother of theancient Macedonian kingPerseus (179–168 BC), son ofPhilip V of Macedon (221–179 BC). The nameAstraion came from the Paionian tribe called Astrai. In 148 BC the region became aRoman province. In the Roman period the city had its name changed toTiberiopolis (Greek: Τιβεριούπολις) which is evidenced by a marble statue base dedicated to the patron Tiberius Claudius Menon, who lived between the late 2nd and early 3rd century AD. During the reign of the Roman emperorJulian the Apostate (361–363 AD), the fifteen holyhieromartyrs of Tiberiopolis were killed. In 395, the Roman Empire split, and Macedonia fell under the Eastern Roman Empire (theByzantine Empire). After that, Tiberiopolis became part of the provinceMacedonia Salutaris orMacedonia Secunda in the late 4th century. The urban mansion of Machuk dating from the late ancient period today stands witness for the existence of a city settlement from that time.
In the 6th and 7th centuries, the Roman town became a spot for Slavic migration. TheStrymonites, aSclavene tribe, adopted their name from the Strymon (Struma) river. The Strymonites independently ruled until the 9th century, followed by a Byzantine reconquest. Later on, the Strumica region was conquered byBulgarian KhanPresian (836–852). The Strumica region remained part of the Bulgarian state throughout a period of more than 150 years right up until 1014, when it wasretaken by the Byzantines. In the 11th century, written sources begin to refer to the town under its Slavic nameStrumica.
In 1016, Byzantine commanderDavid Arianites captured the city from the Bulgarians.[4]
By the end of the 12th century, Byzantium's central power had weakened and, as a result, many local lords broke away and became independent. Initially, the leader of theVlachs and Bulgarians in eastern MacedoniaDobromir Chrysos (1185–1202) and later the Bulgariansebastokrator and a member of theAsen dynasty in Veliko Tarnovo -Strez (1208–1214) held the region, which became part of the Bulgarian kingdom in 1202. In the second half of the 13th century the city was retaken by the Byzantine Empire until theSerbian Kingdom conquered the region in the 14th century. Serbian magnateHrelja ruled Strumica and the nearby region until 1334, when it was put under the direct rule of Serbian KingStefan Dušan who continued his conquest to the south. During theFall of the Serbian Empire, the Strumica region was first ruled byUglješa, the brother of magnateVukašin. Strumica itself was then governed byDabiživ Spandulj, who served theDejanović brothers. TheOttoman Empire finally conquered Strumica in 1383.
Under Ottoman administration, the town was renamed intoUstrumca. It initially belonged to theSanjak of Kyustendil before the establishment of thetimarli-sipahi system. Nomads and livestock breeders of Turkic origin settled in the area, which altered the general look of the city making it more oriental. According to the 1519 Ottoman census, Strumica had a population of 2,780 people, of which 1,450 were Christians and 1,330 were Muslims. These were times when conversion to Islam was at its peak in the region, which accounts for the increased number of Muslims (2,200) compared to Christians (1,230) according to the census of 1570.
In the 17th century, it became seat of akadiluk. At about this time, Strumica was visited by the Ottoman travel writersHaji Kalfa (1665) andEvliya Çelebi (1670), who gave a description of the city and all its Islamic buildings. In the late 18th and early 19th century, Strumica was part of theSanjak of Salonica. During the 19th century the influence of thePatriarchate of Constantinople increased, and so did the number of pro-Greek citizens. Countering this, theBulgarian Exarchate found support in the Slavic populace; the first Bulgarian school in the Strumica region was opened in Robovo in 1860, and its first teacher was Arseni Kostencev from Štip. This period coincided with the work of the great fresco masters from Strumica – Vasil Gjorgiev and Grigorij Petsanov. They did work in many churches built in the Strumica region at the time. In the late 19th and early 20th century, Strumica was part of theSalonica Vilayet.
Following theBerlin Congress of 1878, when the Ottoman Empire lost a sizable portion of its territory on the Balkans, a stream of refugees flowed into the area; some of them ending up in Strumica. These people were called "muhajirs". According to the Ottoman General Census of 1881/82-1893, thekaza of Strumica had a total population of 33.024, consisting of 15.760 Muslims, 13.726Greeks, 2.965Bulgarians and 573Jews.[5]
TheInternal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization division for the Ogražden county was formed and operated in these parts. One of the most prominent leaders of the organization in Strumica wasHristo Chernopeev, who took part in theYoung Turk Revolution (1908–09). The outcome of this effort did not bring freedom to the local people who still remained under Ottoman rule.
In theFirst Balkan War of 1912 the Ottomans were defeated and driven out ofMacedonia (region) by the joint effort of theBalkan League (Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece and Montenegro). Strumica was handed over to Bulgaria following the League's victory. In theSecond Balkan War (1913), which was fought between the three of the Balkan allies against Bulgaria, the latter was defeated, but as per the Treaty of Bucharest (28 July 1913), Strumica remained under Bulgarian rule. The Greek army stationed in Strumica disapproved of the decision for withdrawal and set the town on fire. It burned from the 8th to 15th of August 1913, and more than 1900 public buildings, private houses and other constructions were razed to the ground.[7] Strumica was made the center of a homonymous district in Bulgaria (largely corresponding to the present dayBlagoevgrad province)[8] and stayed under Bulgarian rule until 1919, when it was ceded to theKingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes after theTreaty of Neuilly-sur-Seine. From 1929 to 1941, Strumica was part of theVardar Banovina of theKingdom of Yugoslavia.
On 6 April 1941, the first day of theAxis invasion of Yugoslavia, Strumica was captured by theGerman Army and, as Bulgaria was allied with Germany, Strumica was turned over under occupation of the Bulgarian armies on 18 April 1941. From 1941 to 1944, Strumica, as with most ofVardar Macedonia, was annexed by theKingdom of Bulgaria. On 11 September 1944 the Bulgarian army withdrew from Strumica and on 5 November 1944, the German army also left the town. After the war it became part of theSR of Macedonia, one of the six republics of theSocialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. With the referendum on 8 September 1991, amid thebreakup of Yugoslavia, the country became independent under the constitutional name Republic of Macedonia.
Strumica is located in the southeastern part of the country, close to the borders with Greece (15 km) and Bulgaria. It is situated in the geographical region of theStrumica Field, where the field meets the highland elevating into the Plavuš (west) and Belasica (south) mountains. The Struma river flows north of the city, while several tributaries flowing through the city area.
^Branigan, Keith (1992).Lexicon of the Greek and Roman cities and place names in antiquity, ca. 1500. Adolf M. Hakkert.ISBN90-256-0985-6.. Text says "Unlocated town in Macedonia, also called Astraion, mentioned by Ptolemy and Pliny"
^Lilie, Ralph-Johannes; Ludwig, Claudia; Zielke, Beate; Pratsch, Thomas, eds. (2013)."David Areianites (#21348)".Prosopographie der mittelbyzantinischen Zeit Online. Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften. Nach Vorarbeiten F. Winkelmanns erstellt (in German). De Gruyter.
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