Сведенията за западните народи в съчинението на Лаоник Халкокондил (Laonici Chalcocondylae Historiarum Demonstrationes I, IV, V)
The information on Western peoples in the historical work of Laonikos Chalkokondyles

Summary/Abstract: The 15th century byzantine historian Laonikos Chalkokondyles is author of a comprehensive work which consists of ten books and covers the period from 1298 to 1463. Some peculiarities of the text indicate that the work may have remained unfinished. One of the main characteristics of Laonikos’ work is the abundance of interesting and detailed information. The author uses every opportunity to broaden his narrative with description of the character, way of life, religious beliefs and warfare of various peoples and countries. The subject of the current article is the information which Laonikos gives on Western peoples such as Germans, Frenchmen, and Englishmen. In his description the author manages to emphasize only on those characteristics of the Western peoples which represent them in the best way. For example, the Germans are described as physically strong and religious, but there is not a single word about their mentality. The Frenchmen are presented as arrogant and haughty while the Englishmen are quite immoral. Despite the numerous borrowings from some earlier authors, considerable part of the information on Western peoples is result of Laonikos’ personal impressions which makes his work extremely valuable.

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