Although the dominating position of primogeniture at the end of the period might seem natural given primogeniture’s many advantages for the monarch and the ruling elite it was first rather late in history that the principle came to dominate Europe.
Delivering stability: Primogeniture and autocratic survival in European monarchies 1000-1800
March 27, 2013 By
Ritual and cultural change: Transformations in rituals at the junction of pagan religion and Christianity in early medieval Poland
February 10, 2013 By
The paper aims at presenting an interpretation of the changes in ritualsagainst the background of the general political and social transformation witnessed by the early Polish state between the 10th and 12th centuries.
New DNA test can determine eye and hair colour from people who lived in the Middle Ages
January 14, 2013 By
A team of researchers from Poland and the Netherlands have developed a system that is able to answer what the hair and eye colour is from individuals who lived over 800 years ago.
The Morosinis in Hungary under King Andrew III and the two versions of the death of the Queen of Hungary Tommasina
January 9, 2013 By
In reality, Charles Robert’s predecessor, the last Arpád, Andrew III, called the Vene- tian, was already a foreigner on the throne of Hungary.
Princess Salomea and Hungarian – Polish Relations in the Period 1214 – 1241
January 9, 2013 By
It is necessary to say at the beginning that almost all works devoted to Salomea come from the pens of Polish historians. Slovak and Hungarian historiography has devoted little attention to her, in spite of the fact that she played a part in the history of the Kingdom of Hungary.
Reception of Christian Hebrew Studies in Renaissance Poland
December 31, 2012 By
While talking about Polish Renaissance I mean the period from the end of 15th century until 1638, when the Arian printing house in Raków was closed. Referring to Poland, I mean, first of all, the territory of the Kingdom of Poland, which was tightly connected with the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and its fiefdom lands.
Environmental impact of the Baltic Crusades: deforestation, animal extinction, dogs no longer on the menu
December 11, 2012 By
A multidisciplinary project seeks to understand the environmental impact of the Baltic Crusades. Horses, for example, aided the Christians in battle, while the castles the Crusaders built decimated forests.
The Battle of Tannenberg in 1410: Strategic Interests and Tactical Implementation
October 12, 2012 By
On July 15, 1410 the united Polish-Lithuanian Army destroyed the army of the Teutonic Order in the Battle of Tannenberg.
Scissors or Sword? The Symbolism of a Medieval Haircut
October 6, 2012 By
Simon Coates explores the symbolic meanings attached to hair in the early medieval West, and how it served to denote differences in age, sex, ethnicity and status.
The Amber Trail in early medieval Eastern Europe.
September 30, 2012 By
The standard method employed in characterization studies of amber, namely infrared spectrography, can discriminate roughly between Baltic amber and amber from other European sources…
Reflection of European Sarmatia in Early Cartography
August 23, 2012 By
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.
Labor Markets After the Black Death: Landlord Collusion and the Imposition of Serfdom in Eastern Europe and the Middle East
August 19, 2012 By
The differences in the imposition of serfdom led to different economic and political effects for the peasantry in Europe. In Western Europe, wages rose, grain prices fell, and the consumption of meat, dairy products, and beer increased. More and more peasants moved into a widening “middle class” that could afford to buy manufactured goods.
Marriage Impediments in Canon Law and Practice: Consanguinity Regulations and the Case of Orthodox-Catholic Intermarriage in Kyivan Rus’, ca. 1000–1241
August 18, 2012 By
This paper focused on marriage alliances in Eastern Europe and the issue of canon law and consanguinity.
Martin Bylica at the Court of Matthias Corvinus: Astrology and Politics in Renaissance Hungary
July 22, 2012 By
Late in the spring 1468, Matthias Corvinus convened the Hungarian diet in the city of Pozsony. Holding the diet in Pozsony enabled him to impress the Hungarian nobles with the local intellectual community that had begun to form at his fledgling Academia Istropolitana, which he had founded the previous year.
The Heritage of Polish Republicanism
July 22, 2012 By
In Polish political debates of half a millenium ago, monarchic ideas were always permeated with republicanism. In that period public discourse had civic virtue as its centerpiece.
Malbork revitalization process
June 27, 2012 By
The following paper presents the key investments made in the town, since 2007, when Malbork adopted a Local Revitalization Program, and their impact upon its residents and tourists.
Formation and Transformations of Dynastic Ties between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of Poland from 1386–1501
June 23, 2012 By
JŪRATĖ KIAUPIENĖ is Senior Researcher at the Institute of Lithuanian History, Vilnius, Head of the Section on the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Professor of History at the Vytautas Magnus University in Kaunas. She published numerous books and articles on this subject.
The Turning Point in the Battle of Tannenberg (Grunwald/Žalgiris) in 1410
June 22, 2012 By
SVEN EKDAHL is Assistant Professor of History at Gothenburg University and Professor of Medieval History at the Polish-Scandinavian Research Institute in Copenhagen. He has published extensively on the history of the Teutonic Order in Prussia as well as treated Polish, Baltic, and Scandinavian themes.
Colonizing the Landscape: A Case Study of Medieval Livonia
June 10, 2012 By
There are several impulses which led me to the history of medieval landscape, and particularly that of Medieval Livonia. When discussing with Gerhard Jaritz the availability of medieval primary sources on the Eastern Baltic landscape, I was obliged to point out the extreme scarcity of medieval picture images, illuminated manuscripts or maps of Livonia.
The Christianization of Kieven Rus’ and Piast Poland
June 6, 2012 By
Although both came from pagan and ethnically Slavic backgrounds, the leaders diverged in the branch of Christianity each chose, although, both conversions took place each region within a similar time frame.
The Scandinavians in Poland: a re-evaluation of perceptions of the Vikings
June 3, 2012 By
Mentioning Poland in a publication dealing with Viking identities, diaspora and reception might be surprising.
Friar Benedict the Pole of Vratislava his mission to Mongolia and his narrative (1245-1247)
April 26, 2012 By
This is a study of the life and achievements of the Franciscan, Benedict the Pole of Vratislavia, who was sent with an Apostolic mission by Pope Innocent 17 in 1245 to the Great Khan of the Mongols.
Battle Castle: Malbork
March 22, 2012 By
The fifth episode of Battle Castle features the castle of Malbork, in Poland, and the siege by the forces of Poland and Lithuania, led by King Władysław II Jagiełło, against the Teutonic Knights, who were led by Heinrich von Plauen, in 1410.
Byzantine Coins from the 6th and the 7th Century Found in Poland and their East Central European Context
March 20, 2012 By
Maccabees on the Baltic: the Biblical apologia of the Teutonic Order
March 18, 2012 By
The Teutonic Order, came into being as the third and last of the great medieval crusading orders. The Order began its existence as a temporary hospital for German speaking crusaders during the siege of Acre in 1190.
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