Where the Middle Ages Begin
In the 14th century, a time of civil wars, religious and dynastic strifes, epidemics, natural disasters and miserable living conditions for the wider strata in the cities and the countryside that increased migratory movements, banditry, an indigenous phenomenon in the Balkan mountainous regions, intermingled with the intensified political struggles.
This paper proposes a new line of analysis of the rich body of medieval Serbian royal hagiography.
I intend to answer some of those questions through a comparison between two famous, yet relatively neglected examples of imposition of ‘linear frontiers’ onto the landscape of early medieval Europe, both dated to the 9th century.
The structure, function(s) and symbolism of early medieval (9th–10th centuries ad) fortified settlements from central Europe, in particular today’s Austria, Hungary, Czech Republic and Slovakia, are examined in this paper.
Bulgarian archaeologists have discovered a medieval ring that had a secret compartment which could have been used to conceal poison.
It was by reading John Keegan’s Face of Battle that I discovered that it was possible to write military history that was both intellectually rigorous and engaging to read.
For a broader modern audience today, if taken somewhat journalistically, Pusicius’ story is an example that cuts along cultural and religious lines that presumably originate in ancient, political divisions and confirm a “clash of civilizations” thesis.
While looking for the origins of the state of Lithuania, it is the study of old maps that helps solve a number of riddles, so far weighing on the history of our nation. Historical data, traced in maps and their images, unrestricted by any political, religious or pseudo- scientific taboos, allow us to cast a broad view on the dim and distant past of our state.
The medieval settlement of Preslav (now Veliki Preslav) was founded during the VIII to IX century. It has been proclaimed the second capital of Bulgaria in 893 and is related to the reign of Tsar Simeon the Great.
During the 12th century, if not slightly earlier, Western Europe lived through a period of economic and social upheavel termed by many historians the 12th c. Renaissance. One of its aspects is related to the considerable emancipation of women mostly in Southern France, a development which spread over to Italy, Flanders, and later, England. One can even detect social zones where real emancipation was axhieved.
From their Balkan homeland the Vlachs began their migrations north in the thirteenth century, migrations that were accelerated no doubt by the beginning of Ottoman Turkish expansion into the Balkans.
In my study, the town in late medieval Bulgaria is conceptualized as an explanandum, not as an explanans, as part of the social and economic environment rather than some distinctive entity.
Today’s nationalist movements in many eastern European countries have rediscovered the nineteenth-century ideal of the homogeneous nation-state; it is sad to see that after so many tragedies it has brought about, some more seem to follow, and often in the name of history.
The apocrypha are one of the most important phenomena of the Middle Ages. They provide a different perspective and a valuable insight to the mentality of the period.
The Black Dragon – Music from the Time of Vlad Dracula Annette Bauer – recorders, voice, percussion, citole, bells Phoebe Jevtovic – voice, bells Shira Kammen – vielle, harp, voice Tim Rayborn – psaltery, percussion ‘ud, citole Tonight, we were delighted that we had a fantastic opportunity to attend a concert by Cançonièr. Cançonièr, “songbook” […]
A Novel Comparative Study of the Dating of Bulgarian Parchment Manuscripts By Jordan Tabov, Svilena Hristova and Milena Dobreva Paper given at QQML2009: Qualitative and Quantitative Methods in Libraries, International Conference, Chania Crete Greece, 26-29 May 2009 Abstract: There is an ongoing scholarly debate on the exact time and speed of replacement of parchment with […]
The History of Literature in the Context of New Theoretical Proposals Lipatow, Aleksander PORÓWNANIA 5 (2008) Abstract In the beginning of the Middle Ages with the growth of the Christian ecumene and a related ecclesiastical, and institutional differentiation and a following cultural and political differentiation localized around the two centres – Byzantium and Rome – […]
A wild plateau stretches across the North-East of Bulgaria. Craggy gorges cut into the plateau. These steep cliffs were caused by long-term erosion from the Roussenski Lom River, a tributary of River Danube. Cliffs rising up about 50 meters are home to the Rock-Hewn Churches of Ivanovo. In the 13th century, Christian monks started to […]
1000 metre-high mountains stretch across southwestern Bulgaria. Deep in the woods of these mountains is the Rila Monastery. It looks like a fortress. The monastery was built in the 10th century and became the focal point of Bulgarian national identity during the Byzantine Empire. The complex, however, was damaged by an earthquake at the beginning […]
Bulgarian Landscapes in Medieval Studies By Rossina Kostova Annual of Medieval Studies at CEU, Vol. 15 (2009) Introduction: It is not by chance that I chose “landscape” as a keyword for the present paper. If one looks at the program of the 15-year anniversary reunion of the Department of Medieval Studies at the Central European University, […]
A Short Catalogue of the Slavic Manuscripts in Vatopedi By CYRIL PAVLIKIANOV BYZANTINA SYMMEIKTA Vol.10 (1996) Introduction: In the summer of 1992 a field trip of the NHRF led by Mr. Kriton Chrysoehoides worked for a month in the monastery of Vatopedi and identified the nine Slavic manuscripts that are described here. The manuscripts were kept in […]
Scholars have all agreed that following Symeon’s death in 927 Bulgaria underwent a major decline under his son and successor, Peter, who is generally depicted as being weak and incapable.
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