Caucasian Albania

It refers to the modern Republic of Azerbaijan, more or less.

In principle it has no connection to the Albania of Europe, the same that neighbour Iberia (Georgia) has no connection with European Iberia. Yet the coincidence of name has been used by some "historians" with a political agenda to promote a more than arguable Caucasian origin for modern Albanian of the Balcans and Italy.

Maybe this map will help you. Look above Armenia.
Since the origins of the Albanians are not well yet known, there is a theory that says that the origin of the Albanians is from Caucasus and that they settled in Europe during the ottomans times.

Yes you are right. But only on the part where you say that they didn't arrive at the time of the ottomans (my mistake).

As it is written in wikipedia they are first mentioned around 1000.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Origin_of_Albanians

The most important phrase of the article I think is this:

The modern Albanians were not mentioned in Byzantine chronicles until 1043, although Illyria was part of the Byzantine Empire. The Illyrians are referred to for the last time as an ethnic group in Miracula Sancti Demetri (7th century AD).

So by my opinion there is a relation between the Albania in Caucasus and the Balkans. It is a migration that took place for about 3 centuries before 1500 years.

All the evidence is here...

http://www.ilirialbania.com.au.tp/Ilirian.htm

 

Look: albus/alba in Latin is white. I don't say that all "Albanias" come from that word, but it's clear that such athymology shouldn't be rare in the area of Roman influence, including modern Albania. The case is clear for Britain, called Alba and Albion on occasion by the Romans due to its white cliffs at the southern shores.

Also it's quite clear that the ones that defend the "caucasian origin" hypothesis have always a political agenda: they are either Serbs or Greeks, both nations with a community of insterests in Balcanic geopoltics. In the case of Greece, it would seem like they would like to cancel any possible claim from any other neighbour people to continuity with the ancient world. Something that is naturally absurd, as there was never a population replacement, so all the peoples in the area are connected to the ancient ones, at least genetically.

A mere coincidence in name is not sufficient case for making a connection, specially when there are no traces of their hypothetical arrival. Modernly there's a school of balcanic pseudo-history that tries to invent many "oriental" migrations of "Iranic" or, like in this case, "Caucasic" peoples to give some sort of exoctic pedigree to their nations. All those cosntructs aren't but castles in the air: they lack of the slightest evidence and they are based in poor word-connecting and a hot imagination.

There are no migrations from the East to Central Europe in the Middle Ages other than the turkic/ugric tribes. Obviously Albanians of the Caucasus were neither but a Caucasic-speaking people, that would be somehow akin to Georgians or Chechens. Equally, Albanians of the Balcans are an Indo-European speaking people, even if their language seems to stand in a separate branch - what can be equally proof of their ancient presence or their tardy arrival, though I suspect rather their ancient presence.

Also, when we find nomadic peoples moving around, like the Romanized Vlachs, they are distinct in their patterns. Albanians show no nomadism, no historical reference of arrival, nothing but a deep rooting in their mountainous region. Wether they are Illyrians, Thracians or the Traco-Illyrian hybrid that is often mentioned for that area or something totally different, I can't say for sure: but they do seem a stable people there.

The Albanoi were Illyrians, but whether the modern Albanians have an ethnic continuity with the Illyrian Albanoi is disputed (see Origin of Albanians), and the ethnonym may have been transferred to an unrelated people.

That's very differet with the Caucasian Albania hypothesis! 

Now you don't seem to defend anymore the migration of a people and pervivence of the name but the trnsference of a local ethnonym to another people.

Much like the tribal name of Vascones extended to all Basque-speaking peoples with the advent of Middle Ages, curiously.

Like Albanians, we Basques have also beared the unlikely theories about our origins made up by our neighbours with political intent. These theories are widely discredited but you still see them appearing now and then, here and there. French have always tried to say that Basques "invaded" Vasconia (Gascony, ancient Aquitaine) at some point, instead of acknowldeging that this medieval Vasconia wasn't but the likely offspring of ancient Aquitanians. Spaniards have favored odd theories on the Basco-Iberian connection or even a totally unrealistic African origin. As I say all these attempts to make of a native people an intrusive element had only one objective: to discredit whatever national claims our people could have. I am under the impression that Albania has suffered the same fate: a poor, ill-civilized, mountain-dwellers' people that, with the advenement of nationalism happen to be denied in its essence by its more powerful neighbours who ambition its lands.

And something else, do not confuse Thrace with Illyria. They are two different areas of the Balkans. You will find a small land called Macedonia in-between.

People of Kosova were then Thracians... Upper Macedonia (Peonia) was also a non-Greek (but Hellenized) area which is often claimed to be hybrid of Illyrian and Thracian culture. I reckon that Illyrians and Thracians are different nations but sometimes it's difficult to know for sure who is who in the central Balcanic area. At least, I'm not sure about that.

Don't forget that the question is if there is a relation between the two lands. How do you answer that they both have the same name?

Again the two lands? What about...?

• Iberia (Caucasus) and Iberia (Spain)
• Alba Longa (Italy) and Alba (Scotland)
• Georgia (Caucasus) and Georgia (USA)
• Arran (Caucasus) and Arran Island (Scotland)
• Galicia (Poland) and Galicia (Spain) - this is probably associated to ancient Gauls/Celts
  
• Sardes (Asia Minor) and Sardinia (Italy)
• Latium and Latvia
• Getae and Gothi (no: they are not the same people, even if both inhabted Rumania for some time)
• Achaeans and Acadians
• Roma (Rome) and Roma (gypsies)
• Thebes (Egypt) and Thebes (Greece)
• Alans (Ossetians) and Allen (English surname)
  

Except with the Galician case, all the others have no connection at all. As I said before, in a Latin context at least it seems logical that different places would be called "the white country", which is what Albania means after all.

The Albanoi were Illyrians, but whether the modern Albanians have an ethnic continuity with the Illyrian Albanoi is disputed (see Origin of Albanians), and the ethnonym may have been transferred to an unrelated people.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Origin_and_history_of_the_name_ Albania

That means that some people (it could be anyone and from anywere) came and mixed with the Illyrians. At the 7th century it was last hear of them.

Why you think that the Albanians leaving in Albania today are descendants of the Illyrians ...

The Serbs have also nothing to do with the Illyrian, they are Slavs. As I mentioned above.

As for the names in the ancient times everything was unique and served a purpose. The names meant something and weren't just copied. In our days and in the near past well it hasn't been like that.

Ehm, "white-history" is a racist site and they say nonsenses: their idiocies about Greek "race" are not worth even a comment.

Albanians are not any pure "race" and, as far as I've been able to gather, they are pretty simmilar to Greeks genetically. Those nonsenses about "being Indo-European" genetically are just nonsenses of racist minds that don't know and don't want to know anything about Indo-Europeans, who mixed as they marched. There's no IE race, just IE-speaking peoples.

And obviously Greeks aren't nor weren't ever a Nordic population.

Please don't disturb the peace of the topic, thanks.

wait so Azeris dont callthemslefes Albanians?

^^lol that killed it, yes in herodotus,