Strumica in the context of Novo Selo-Petrich

Pirin Macedonia or Bulgarian Macedonia (Bulgarian: Пиринска Македония; Българска Македония) (Pirinska Makedoniya or Bulgarska Makedoniya), which today is in southwestern Bulgaria, is the third-biggest part of the geographical region of Macedonia. This part coincides with the borders of Blagoevgrad Province, as well as the surrounding area of Barakovo from Kyustendil Province. After World War I, Strumica and the surrounding area were broken away from the region and were ceded to Yugoslavia.

It covers an area of about 6,798 km, which is 10.18% of the geographical region of Macedonia. One of the regional centers is Blagoevgrad. The region borders Kyustendil Province and Sofia Province to the north, Pazardzhik Province and Smolyan Province to the east, Greece to the south, and North Macedonia to the west. The population is estimated around 290,000 people.

Bulgarians are an ethnic minority in North Macedonia. Bulgarians are mostly found in the Strumica area, but over the years, the absolute majority of southeastern North Macedonia have declared themselves Macedonian. The town of Strumica and its surrounding area (including Novo Selo) were part of the Kingdom of Bulgaria between the Balkan Wars and the end of World War I, as well as during World War II. The total number of Bulgarians counted in the 2021 Census was 3,504 or roughly 0.2%. Over 100,000 nationals of North Macedonia have received Bulgarian citizenship since 2001 and some 53,000 are still waiting for such, almost all based on declared Bulgarian origin. In the period when North Macedonia was part of Yugoslavia, there was also migration of Bulgarians from the so called Western Outlands in Serbia.

The Strumica (Macedonian and Bulgarian: Струмица, Macedonian pronunciation: [ˈstrumit͡sa] ; also transliterated Strumitsa or Strumitza) or Strumeshnitsa (Bulgarian: Струмешница) is a river in North Macedonia and Bulgaria. It runs through the town of Strumica and flows into the river Struma.

The Strumica takes its source from the Plačkovica mountain in Radoviš municipality in North Macedonia, running south in a deep valley and then known as the Stara Reka. It then enters the Radoviš Valley and runs through the eponymous town of Radoviš. Afterwards the Strumica runs southeastwards through the Strumica Valley (Vasilevo, Strumica and Novo Selo municipality), passing through the town of Strumica and turning east to enter Bulgaria south of Zlatarevo. A wide meandering valley follows until the river flows into the Struma as a right tributary northeast of Mitino, not far from Rupite.

Strumica (Macedonian: Струмица [ˈstrumitsa] ) is a municipality located in the eastern part of North Macedonia. Strumica is also the name of the city where the municipal seat is found. Strumica Municipality is part of the Southeastern Statistical Region.

The Southern and Eastern Macedonian dialects according to one of the scientific views are one of three groups of Macedonian.

The group is located in the eastern and southeastern areas of North Macedonia, surrounding the cities of Štip, Strumica, and Delčevo. The group also includes Blagoevgrad Province, or Pirin Macedonia, in Bulgaria, and Macedonia, or Aegean Macedonia, Greece. The group of Southern and Eastern Macedonian dialects is divided into three subgroups: the eastern group, the southwestern group, and the southeastern group.

The House of Dejanović (Serbian Cyrillic: Дејановић, pl. Dejanovići / Дејановићи) or House of Dragaš (Serbian Cyrillic: Драгаш, pl. Dragaši / Драгаши) originates from a medieval noble family that served the Serbian Empire of Dušan the Mighty (r. 1331–1355) and Uroš the Weak (r. 1355–1371), and during the fall of the Serbian Empire, after the Battle of Maritsa (1371), it became an Ottoman vassal. The family was one of the most prominent during these periods. The Dejanović/Dragaš held a region roughly centered where the borders of Serbia, Bulgaria and North Macedonia meet. The last two Byzantine Emperors were maternal descendants of this house.

The progenitor, sevastokrator Dejan, was a magnate in the service of Emperor Dušan, and also the Emperor's brother-in-law through his marriage with Teodora-Evdokija. Dejan held the župe (counties) of Žegligovo and Preševo under Dušan, and later received the title of despot during the rule of Dušan's son, Emperor Uroš V, when he was appointed the administration Upper Struma with Velbužd, after the death of powerful despot Jovan Oliver. After Dejan's death between 1358 and 1365, most of his province was given to Vlatko Paskačić, besides the initial counties of Žegligovo and Preševo, which were left to his two sons, Jovan and Konstantin. The brothers, who ruled jointly, managed to double the extent of their province during the Fall of the Serbian Empire following Emperor Uroš V's death, chiefly to the south; the lands now covered from Vranje and Preševo to Radomir, in the south to Štip, Radovište and Strumica. In 1373, two years after the devastating Battle of Maritsa, the brothers became vassals to the Ottoman Empire. After the death of Jovan in 1377, Konstantin continued to rule under Ottoman overlordship. Konstantin and his provincial neighbour and fellow Ottoman vassal, Prince Marko, fell at the Battle of Rovine in 1395.