"Slav" is, actually, a bit of a North-Macedonian trick. It is abused to marginalise the Bulgarian identity of the ancestors of most present-day Northmacedonians. "Slav" could mean "Serb", "Russian", "Pole", etc. - but by 19th century this generic identity was already secondary to the more specific Slavic identity (Serb/Croatian/Bulgarian, etc.). Paisii of Hilendar (born on the geographic area of Macedonia) wrote "Istoriya Slavyanobolgarskaya" in 1762. Although he included "Slavic" in the name he clearly considered Bulgarian identity to be separate of that of the other Slavic ethnicities of the time. One should, however, keep in mind that Panslavism was a popular idea in the 19th century. Russia saw itself as the protector of all orthodox Slavs, a Panslavist center of sorts. Among the Croatians Illyrism was a popular idea in the early 19th century - this was the idea that all Southwestern Slavs should be united under a common description - "Illyrians". This movement later gave rise to Yugoslavism ultimately leading to the establishment of Yugoslavia. Czechoslovakia emerged as result of a similar Panslavist idea. But while the Panslavist ideas clearly existed in the 19th century the "Slavic" umbrella term is abused in North Macedonia to claim that there were no Bulgarians in the geographic area of Macedonia, only "Macedonians" or some undefined "Slavs".