Editing North Macedonia (section)

== History ==

The territory of present-day North Macedonia was inhabited by ancient Paeonian communities and later came under the influence of the kingdom of Macedon. Roman rule expanded into the region during the second century BC. The area later formed part of the eastern Roman and Byzantine state systems.

During the medieval period, control passed between Bulgarian and Serbian rulers. Ottoman authority expanded across the region during the late 14th century. The territory remained under Ottoman administration until the Balkan Wars of 1912 and 1913.

Most of the region was incorporated into Serbia after the Balkan Wars. Following the First World War, it became part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, which was later renamed Yugoslavia. The area was administered as part of the Vardar Banovina before the Second World War.

The Socialist Republic of Macedonia was established as a constituent republic of Yugoslavia in 1944. Its institutions were based in Skopje, and the Macedonian language received official recognition within the republic.

A referendum on independence was held on 8 September 1991. The republic declared independence from Yugoslavia later that year and adopted a new constitution on 17 November 1991.

An armed conflict began in January 2001 between state security forces and ethnic Albanian insurgents. The Ohrid Framework Agreement was signed on 13 August 2001. It ended the conflict and expanded provisions for local government, language use and community representation.

The country initially used the constitutional name Republic of Macedonia. A dispute with Greece over the name continued after independence. The Prespa Agreement was signed on 17 June 2018 and entered into force on 12 February 2019. The constitutional name was then changed to the Republic of North Macedonia.