Changes

In the 16th and 17th century <ref>[http://books.google.com.au/books?id=wEF5oN5erE0C&pg=PA299&dq=Ottoman+Diplomacy+When+Ethnicity+did+not+Matter+in+the+Balkans&hl=en&ei=YjzmTa-sF4a6vQOe5_nnCg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDAQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false  When Ethnicity did not Matter in the Balkans:] by John Van Antwerp Fine (p229)

In the 16th and 17th century <ref>[http://books.google.com.au/books?id=wEF5oN5erE0C&pg=PA299&dq=Ottoman+Diplomacy+When+Ethnicity+did+not+Matter+in+the+Balkans&hl=en&ei=YjzmTa-sF4a6vQOe5_nnCg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDAQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false  When Ethnicity did not Matter in the Balkans:] by John Van Antwerp Fine (p229)

* "Discussions between Ottoman officials (many of whom were of Slavic origin) and Ragusan envoys were frequently carried out in “our language” (proto- Serbo- Croatian), and both sides (these particular Ottomans and the Ragusan diplomats)" Editors Note: This event as described by John Van Antwerp Fine are from 1608.</ref><ref>'''Note''': According to Francesco Maria Appendini (Italian scholar 1768–1837) the Slavic language started to be spoken in area in the 13th century.</ref> its ethnic population changed dramatically mainly due to various historical events in Europe. It became a hub of '''multi-ethnic''' communities. The most numerous of these were the Slavs. The peoples of the Republic started to merge (including mixed marriages). Additionally the Ragusan-Slavic population were Romanised, meaning they adopted Latin Mediterranean culture. A form of [[Italian language|Italian]] was spoken in the Republic, which was heavily influenced by '''Venetian'''. Books were written in Latin and Italian. Some Ragusans started to write in a Slavic language. Two languages Italian and Slavic (which at times overlapped) became the norm in the Republic.

* "Discussions between Ottoman officials (many of whom were of Slavic origin) and Ragusan envoys were frequently carried out in “our language” (proto- Serbo- Croatian), and both sides (these particular Ottomans and the Ragusan diplomats)" Editors Note: This event as described by John Van Antwerp Fine are from 1608.</ref><ref>'''Note''': According to Francesco Maria Appendini (Italian scholar 1768–1837) the Slavic language started to be spoken in area in the 13th century.</ref> its ethnic population changed dramatically mainly due to various historical events in Europe (i.e migrations from the east, as the Ottoman Empire advanced into Europe). It became a hub of '''multi-ethnic''' communities. The most numerous of these were the Slavs. The peoples of the Republic started to merge (including mixed marriages). Additionally the Ragusan-Slavic population were Romanised, meaning they adopted Latin Mediterranean culture. A form of [[Italian language|Italian]] was spoken in the Republic, which was heavily influenced by '''Venetian'''. Books were written in Latin and Italian. Some Ragusans started to write in a Slavic language. Two languages Italian and Slavic (which at times overlapped) became the norm in the Republic.

[[File:800px-Dubrovnik 042.jpg|thumb|right|350px|Dubrovnik once the capital of the Republic of Ragusa now within todays modern [[Croatia]]. The ''Republic'' in the past was a hub of multi-ethnic communities.]]

[[File:800px-Dubrovnik 042.jpg|thumb|right|350px|Dubrovnik once the capital of the Republic of Ragusa now within todays modern [[Croatia]]. The ''Republic'' in the past was a hub of multi-ethnic communities.]]