The Megleno-Romanians, also known as Meglenites (Megleno Romanian: Miglinits), Moglenite Vlachs or simply Vlachs (Megleno Romanian: Vlaș), are an Eastern Romance ethnic group, originally inhabiting seven villages in the Moglena region spanning the Pella and Kilkis regional units of Central Macedonia, Greece, and one village, Huma, across the border in North Macedonia.

[2] They speak a Romance language most often called by linguists Megleno-Romanian or Meglenitic in English, and βλαχομογλενίτικα (vlakhomoglenítika) or simply μογλενίτικα (moglenítika) in Greek.

[3] Historians Ovid Densusianu and Konstantin Jireček considered that Megleno-Romanians descended from a mixture of Romanians with Pechenegs, settled in Moglen by the Byzantine Emperor Alexios I Komnenos in 1091.

They argued this on the basis in part of the Asian-like facial appearance (more prominent cheek bones) of Meglen Vlachs.

By contrast, Gustav Weigand and George Murnu believed that Megleno-Romanians were descendants of the Romanian-Bulgarian Empire who retreated to Moglen.

Pericle Papahagi argued another version, according to which the Megleno-Romanians are descendants of a group of Romanians who were incorrectly called Vlachs and who came to Meglen area during the times of Dobromir Chrysos.

[5] Strez, another Vlach member of the Asan family, amplified Chrysos' lands by adding Macedonian territories for his principality.

[6] This custom is found in Orthodox South Slavic cultures (Serbian badnjak, Bulgarian budnik, Macedonian badnik).

[citation needed] There were several small hamlets and cottage settlements at high elevations at the Mount Paiko before the founding of today's Megleno-Romanian villages.

After the incursions of the Pomaks of Moglen against the Ottomans, the latter started a persecution campaign against villages in the area, including those of the Megleno-Romanians.

After the Greek-Turkish War, by the Treaty of Lausanne, 500,000 of Turks and other Muslims were exchanged for a comparable number of Asia Minor Greeks.

Acts of intimidation by the Greek authorities led to the formation in 1921–1923 of a national movement among Aromanians and Megleno-Romanians favourable to the idea of emigration to Romania, especially from Moglena, Veria and Vodena.

[7][18] In 1926, about 450 families of Megleno-Romanians of Greece moved to Romania, and settled in Southern Dobruja (the "Cadrilater" or "Quadrilateral"), a region which became Romanian in 1913.

The number of families settled in Turkish cities and villages were: Kırklareli (110), Edirne (100), Şarköy (80), Babaeski (70), Lüleburgaz (80), Uzunköprü (100), Çorlu (100), Malkara (50), Ballı [tr] (10), Gözsüzköy (50), Kalamiş (50), Hoşköy (20), Mürefte (5), according to the German scholar Thede Kahl.

However, due to the hardships this small community has endured, Megleno-Romanians in Romania remain very united, with a very acute sense of nation.

This illustrates the fact that despite their distinct (albeit also Eastern Romance) language, Megleno-Romanians in Romania identify themselves as Romanians.

[7] Very small numbers of Megleno-Romanians also live in the communes of Variaș and Biled, and in the city of Jimbolia in Timiș County, in the historic region of Banat in Romania.

The repopulation of the settlement began in September 1945, and Slovenes, Croats, Bosniaks, Serbs, Albanians and Macedonians were sent to colonize Gudurica.