Braničevci

The Braničevci (Serbian: Браничевци, tr. Branichevtsi) were an early medieval Serbian tribe that existed in the 9th century that lived in the Eastern Serbia, east of the Morava river in the region of Braničevo, which was named after the tribe. They settled before Bulgarian invasion of Balkan.

The etymology is from braniti se ("to defend"); Proto-Slavic *borniti, related to bòriti se ("to fight, struggle").

They were conquered by Bulgarian khan Krum in 805 AD together with the Timočani and Obodrites. The Khan annexed the territories that would serve as a frontier to Rascia and the Franks, he replaced their leaders with Bulgar administrators. Bulgars belonged to Turko-Mongolic group of nations and had a language of that linguistic group.

In 818 during the rule of Omurtag (814-836) Braničevci, together with other tribes of the frontier, revolted because of an administrative reform that deprived them of much of their local authority and seceded from Bulgaria.

They came under Frankish rule in 822. Timok and Branicevo would be of dispute between the Franks and Bulgars, the Khan sent embassies in 824 and 826 seeking to settle the border dispute, but was neglected. The Bulgarian Empire subsequently annexed the region again. These and other Serbian tribes within the Bulgarian Empire were fused into a medival Bulgars which became fully Slavic nation, thus original Bulgarian language and names vanished completely in the following centuries.

Al-Mas'udi mentions the tribe when enumerating the Slavs in his historical works as Branicabin.

See also

• List of Medieval Slavic tribes
• Braničevo (region)