>>17975562
>because they hid in the mountains from the Slavs
Ironic since Slavs spent 5000 years hiding in swamps from their Scythians lords and Germanic invaders. Then Slavs spent another 1000 years hiding in the mountains from the Byzantines, Venetians, and Ottomans that dominated them until the 20th century.
>best, most fertile lands of the Balkans
That would be Romania, Greece, and Turkey.