The Voices of Medieval Bulgaria, Seventh-Fifteenth Century
The Voices of Medieval Bulgaria, Seventh-Fifteenth Century

Author: Kiril Petkov

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2008-08-31

Total Pages: 592

ISBN-13: 9047433750

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This volume is the first comprehensive collection to gather together the records of the medieval Bulgarian centuries in English translation. Stone annals, works of religious instruction, anti-heretical treatises, apocrypha, royal charters, as well as numerous graffiti and marginal notes, shed abundant light onto a major cultural tradition of the European southeast from the seventh to the fifteenth century. Produced by Bulgarians of all walks of life, the evidence testifies, among other things, to the unique features of Bulgarian historical consciousness, political custom, and religious sensibility as well as the country’s conformity to the broad currents of medieval Europe’s cultural development and evolution. The volume furnishes a fundamental reading for all those interested in the historical destiny of the “other” Europe.

The Routledge Handbook of East Central and Eastern Europe in the Middle Ages, 500-1300
The Routledge Handbook of East Central and Eastern Europe in the Middle Ages, 500-1300

Author: Florin Curta

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2021-11-29

Total Pages: 886

ISBN-13: 1000476243

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The Routledge Handbook of East Central and Eastern Europe in the Middle Ages, 500–1300 is the first of its kind to provide a point of reference for the history of the whole of Eastern Europe during the Middle Ages. While historians have recognized the importance of integrating the eastern part of the European continent into surveys of the Middle Ages, few have actually paid attention to the region, its specific features, problems of chronology and historiography. This vast region represents more than two-thirds of the European continent, but its history in general—and its medieval history in particular—is poorly known. This book covers the history of the whole region, from the Balkans to the Carpathian Basin, and the Bohemian Forest to the Finnish Bay. It provides an overview of the current state of research and a route map for navigating an abundant historiography available in more than ten different languages. Chapters cover topics as diverse as religion, architecture, art, state formation, migration, law, trade and the experiences of women and children. This book is an essential reference for scholars and students of medieval history, as well as those interested in the history of Central and Eastern Europe.

The Avars
The Avars

Author: Walter Pohl

Publisher: Cornell University Press

Published: 2018-12-15

Total Pages: 663

ISBN-13: 1501729403

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"Though the book was first published in German in 1988, this English version includes many revisions and updates and will be the definitive English-language study of the Avar empire for years to come. It will be invaluable for those interested in medieval history or in the impact of nomadic steppe empires on sedentary civilizations." ― Choice The Avars arrived in Europe from the Central Asian steppes in the mid-sixth century CE and dominated much of Central and Eastern Europe for almost 250 years. Fierce warriors and canny power brokers, the Avars were more influential and durable than Attila's Huns, yet have remained hidden in history. Walter Pohl's epic narrative, translated into English for the first time, restores them to their rightful place in the story of early medieval Europe. The Avars offers a comprehensive overview of their history, tracing the Avars from the construction of their steppe empire in the center of Europe; their wars and alliances with the Byzantines, Slavs, Lombards, and others; their apex as the first so-called barbarian power to besiege Constantinople (in 626); to their fall under the Frankish armies of Charlemagne and subsequent disappearance as a distinct cultural group. Pohl uncovers the secrets of their society, synthesizing the rich archaeological record recovered from more than 60,000 graves of the period, as well as accounts of the Avars by Byzantine and other chroniclers. In recovering the story of the fascinating encounter between Eurasian nomads who established an empire in the heart of Europe and the post-Roman Christian cultures of Europe, this book provides a new perspective on the origins of medieval Europe itself.

The Bulgarian-Byzantine Wars for Early Medieval Balkan Hegemony
The Bulgarian-Byzantine Wars for Early Medieval Balkan Hegemony

Author: Dennis P. Hupchick

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2017-07-10

Total Pages: 386

ISBN-13: 3319562061

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This book provides an interpretive narrative of the wars fought by Bulgaria against the Byzantine Empire for dominant control of the Balkan Peninsula during the early medieval era. Over a span of two centuries, from the early ninth through the early eleventh, and under the leadership of the Bulgarian rulers Krum, Simeon I, and Samuil, those conflicts evolved from simple confrontations for territorial possession into a life-or-death struggle for imperial precedence within the Orthodox world then emerging in Eastern Europe—a struggle that the Bulgarians ultimately lost. The primary focus is on Bulgaria, rather than Byzantium, and an effort is made to provide a historically reliable chronology of the assorted campaigns. The various belligerents’ military organizations, defensive technologies, armaments, and tactics are surveyed in an introduction to the main narrative. A prelude chapter sets the stage for the hegemonic conflict, which was divided into three distinct phases by interludes of relative peace between the contending parties, during which Bulgaria’s domestic, foreign, and cultural developments shaped the nature and conduct of the fighting in each successive phase.

The Routledge Handbook of Byzantine Visual Culture in the Danube Regions, 1300-1600
The Routledge Handbook of Byzantine Visual Culture in the Danube Regions, 1300-1600

Author: Maria Alessia Rossi

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2024-02-22

Total Pages: 428

ISBN-13: 1003844898

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This volume aims to broaden and nuance knowledge about the history, art, culture, and heritage of Eastern Europe relative to Byzantium. From the thirteenth century to the decades after the fall of Constantinople in 1453, the regions of the Danube River stood at the intersection of different traditions, and the river itself has served as a marker of connection and division, as well as a site of cultural contact and negotiation. The Routledge Handbook of Byzantine Visual Culture in the Danube Regions, 1300–1600 brings to light the interconnectedness of this broad geographical area too often either studied in parts or neglected altogether, emphasizing its shared history and heritage of the regions of modern Greece, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, and Czechia. The aim is to challenge established perceptions of what constitutes ideological and historical facets of the past, as well as Byzantine and post-Byzantine cultural and artistic production in a region of the world that has yet to establish a firm footing on the map of art history. The 24 chapters offer a fresh and original approach to the history, literature, and art history of the Danube regions, thus being accessible to students thematically, chronologically, or by case study; each part can be read independently or explored as part of a whole.

Islam, Christianity, and Secularism in Bulgaria and Eastern Europe
Islam, Christianity, and Secularism in Bulgaria and Eastern Europe

Author: Simeon Evstatiev

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2022-04-25

Total Pages: 304

ISBN-13: 9004511563

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Bulgaria’s entangled Muslim and Orthodox Christian pasts still shape contemporary notions of identity, religion, and politics—and secularism—in unexpected ways. This book freshly looks at how these vital traditions come up against one another and the challenges of the world today.

Historical Dictionary of Bulgaria
Historical Dictionary of Bulgaria

Author: Raymond Detrez

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2014-12-18

Total Pages: 761

ISBN-13: 1442241802

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Bulgaria is a country of extraordinary beauty, with high, wild mountains and gentle valleys, and with picturesque cities and idyllic villages. It’s bordered by Romania, Serbia Macedonia, Greece, Turkey, and the Black Sea. After many years of communist rule, Bulgaria adopted a democratic constitution and began the process of moving toward political democracy and a market economy while combating inflation, unemployment, corruption, and crime. The country joined NATO in 2004 and the EU in 2007. This third edition of Historical Dictionary of Bulgaria covers its history through a chronology, an introductory essay, appendixes, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has over 700 cross-referenced entries on important personalities, politics, economy, foreign relations, religion, and culture. This book is an excellent access point for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about Bulgaria.

Emperor Leo III the Isaurian
Emperor Leo III the Isaurian

Author: Peter Crawford

Publisher: Pen and Sword History

Published: 2024-12-30

Total Pages: 362

ISBN-13: 1399072862

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The Roman Empire (long since ruled from Constantinople) was in a perilous and tumultuous position in the early eighth century. Surrounded by expansionist enemies, most notably the Muslim Arab Umayyad Caliphate but also the Khazars, Slavs, Avars, Bulgars and Lombards, it was also riven by religious controversy and internal political instability. When a plot brought Leo III to the throne in 717, he was the fourth Emperor since Justinian II’s assassination six years earlier. Within weeks of his accession he was faced with the year-long siege of his capital by the Arabs. The siege was eventually broken (with the help of the secret weapon, Greek fire) but was only the first of many crises Leo faced in his twenty-four-year reign. His tenure saw a number of rebellions, and Peter Crawford considers how Leo dealt with these (and the extent to which his own policies caused them). Space is given to the great religious development of his reign, the initiation of Iconoclasm, its impact on the empire and its tainting of the reputation of Leo and much of his dynasty. He also considers various aspects of Leo’s administration: coinage, provincial infrastructure, civil law and foreign policy. This is a thorough and fascinating reassessment of a ruler who brought the Empire from the brink of extinction and maintained it through a time of real crisis.

Philippe de Mézières and His Age
Philippe de Mézières and His Age

Author: Renate Blumenfeld-Kosinski

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2011-10-14

Total Pages: 543

ISBN-13: 9004211136

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This volume, the first to address Philippe Mézières (1327-1405) and his legacy comprehensively since 1896, gathers twenty-two contributions shedding new light on Philippe’s literary, political, and mystical writings, and places him in the context of his age and his contemporaries.

Reading the Middle Ages
Reading the Middle Ages

Author: Barbara H. Rosenwein

Publisher: University of Toronto Press

Published: 2018-01-01

Total Pages: 560

ISBN-13: 1442636734

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Reading the Middle Ages is well-known for providing thematic and geographical diversity, clear and informative introductions, and close integration with A Short History of the Middle Ages.