We kindly inform you that, as long as the subject affiliation of our 300.000+ articles is in progress, you might get unsufficient or no results on your third level or second level search. In this case, please broaden your search criteria.
In the area from Senj to Maslenica many mediaeval sites have been documented. They are fortresses, sacral buildings and cemeteries from 5th to 16th centuries. Archaeological localities and the related finds from the areas of Senj, Sveti Juraj, Senj Starigrad, Stinica, Prizna, Jablanac,Karlobag, Starigrad-Paklenica and Rovanjska, which belong to early Christianity and the Croatian Middle Ages will be elaborated upon. The contribution is based on the results of previous archaeological research and surveys, which are already known and their own research.
More...
One of the most important issues facing the Mamluk State since its establishment was to continue the struggle with the Crusaders who settled in the region. In fact, after the failure of the 3rd Crusade, Egypt became the new strategic target of the Crusaders under the Ayyubid administration. The developments that started during the reign of Sultan Baybars continued in the period of Kalavun and al-Eshref until the conquest of Akka. From this point on, ez-Zâhir Baybars marched at the head of a large army at the beginning of February 1265 and took over the cities of Kaysariyye, Yafa, Aslis, and Arsuf. In the summer of 1266, he tookover Safad and er-Remle. It caused a heavy blow to Armenia Minor. In 1267, Sultan Baybars looted the districts of Taberiyye and Akkâ and invaded the cities of Jaffa, es-Shakif, and Arnun the following year. Finally, he crowned the invasion wars against the Crusaders with the conquest of Antioch (April 1268). Baybars’ conquering of Antioch has been marked by contradictions. However, he will eliminate the crusader presence in Antioch and its surrounding by various methods and occupy the areas in the north of Syria, and finally narrow the area of the Crusader activity. It is an extremely important event that Antioch was conquered by Muslims in 1268. Because Antioch is the second principality established by the Crusaders in the East (1097) after Urfa, and the capture of this place is a piece of new evidence that the great structure that the Crusaders set up in Syria towards the end of the 11th century began to collapse.
More...
The authors analyse the nobility’s rights of inheritance comprised in the Tripartitum and valid for the Hungarian-Croatian Kingdom. For the process of inheritance, it was relevant whether the property to be inherited was hereditary property (bona hereditaria) or acquired property (bona acquisita). Furthermore, it was important whether the property was acquired by the charter of enfeoffment (royal donation) as well as what the gender of a potential heir was. This was due to different limitations with regard to the exercise of rights of inheritance by a female offspring, particularly concerning the inheritance of landed property. In particular, rules of prefection are analysed. The prefection was a legal instrument stipulating that in case of the extinction of the male line, the estate of the nobleman could be inherited by the daughter who was “promoted” to a son by a royal privilege. This was an example of the so-called special inheritance right and was seen as an institution damaging the interests of collateral branches. When it was introduced, the prefection was contrary to the customary inheritance law but was, nevertheless, applied in practice providing the possibility of keeping the property within the (nuclear) family by the female line and excluding the collateral branches of family.
More...
This paper discusses the function, purpose, place and formal characteristics of the Greek and Roman mythological motifs in the poems that are part of Carmina Burana, a medieval collection of poetry dating from the first half of the 13th century. Different relations established between the aforementioned motifs and lyrical subjects are also examined, as well as how these motifs fit into the context of the individual poem and the entirety of Carmina Burana. The paper focuses exclusively on the motifs which belong to the ancient Greek and Roman traditions, and not on those of the Judeo-Christian provenance, although the latter are numerous in their own right. Also, as Publius Ovidius Naso is often regarded as the main influence on the goliards, traces of his works and militaristic concepts of love visible in the poems of Carmina Burana are also highlighted and examined. The focus of this paper is on those poems which belong to the basic thematic elements usually attributed to the goliards, including tavern, wine, gambling, physical love and satirical and anticlerical overtones.
More...
The Livonian Chronicle of Henry is one of the most important cornerstones of Latvian “historical memory”. One of the most ideologically problematic issues is the question of the relationship between invaders and local Orthodox rulers. This topic is closely related to the extent of the Christian faith among the local population before the German mission. Currently, most Latvian researchers literally take over the chronicle that the first missionaries to the Livs were Germans, but in Latgale lands Orthodoxy had spread only into the ruling circles. Archaeologists, on the other hand, lack a clear answer to the question: Why up to the 16th century cult items of the Byzantine rite survived to the inhabitants of today’s Eastern part of Latvia? Furthermore – Why was the creation of Latin dioceses and the dissemination of the Latin burial ritual in the area delayed? These phenomena are related to the continuity of the burial ritual from the 12th to the 14th century, which is usually associated with the supposedly formal Christianity of the natives in the 13th century and their subsequent double faith. As medieval chronicle research has reached a new level of understanding of the source in recent decades, it would also be time to look at the highlighted issues differently. The article addresses the local political events of interest to us in Livonia, based both on medieval theological postulates and in the context of global political developments of the time, which were of particular concern to the spiritual authorities. It is important to note that the establishment of Livonia took place at a time when the Roman Church was beginning active efforts to join the Byzantine rite Church. The Conquest of Constantinople in 1204 opened up unprecedented political opportunities that were realised in church unions in several countries (Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia, Galicia). In both the conquered Greece and the lands of the union, the Latin did not require a change in the language or ritual of the liturgy. Subordination to Rome and administrative unity with the West were immediately demanded, but the changes were postponed. Thus, the lack of information on church construction, congregation formation, and tithe enforcement in both the Jersik Principality and eastern Tolova is logical: Latin practice in the newly joined Byzantine rite lands shows that in Livonia, in the Slavic language.
More...
Review of: Mira Kolar-Dimitrijević - MLADEN MEDAR, SEDAM STOLJEĆA SAJMOVANJA NA PODRUČJU BJELOVARSKO-BILOGORSKE ŽUPANIJE. PRESJEK KROZ POVIJEST SAJMOVA I IZLOŽBI STOKE, Bjelovar 1999., izd. Bjelovarskog sajma d.o.o. i Gradskog muzeja Bjelovar, str. 1.-87
More...
This article summarizes the history of the relics of St Barbara in Althaus Kulm (Starogród Chełmiński), a topic with extensive research in Polish and German circles, but only recently addressed by scholarship in English. It begins with an overview of the relics’ history and a summary of St Barbara’s vita, pointing out the quick rise in her cult in the Teutonic Order’s Prussian territory (Ordensland). Following this, it assesses the function of the relics through three lenses: warfare, daily life, and as a symbol of the Order’s power using three methodological frameworks. These are hierophany (manifestations of the sacred) for warfare, naming practices for studying the impact of St Barbara on the local population, and as a reflection of the Order’s territorial power (Landesherrschaft). The article ultimately demonstrates that the relics were a significant element of the multifaceted structure of religious life in medieval Prussia, both within and outside of the Teutonic Order. Appended to the text are two previously unpublished accounts of the relics of St Barbara and their arrival in Althaus, demonstrating the reputation of the shrine not just in the Ordensland, but within Christendom. It concludes with a summary of the research findings, and a consideration of these findings in light of more ‘recent’ interpretations of the Teutonic Order and the Prussian Crusades.
More...
This paper analyses the history of ethical thinking of Kazakhs and its context in the nomadic traditions of Central Asia, which arises from an ancient branch of Turkic-speaking culture and includes layers of IndoIranian, Chinese and Arab cultures. The position of Kazakhs on the Silk Road has meant that ethical thought has been influenced by ideas from across Eurasia. However, even with the coming of Islam and later invasions, Kazakh thought has retained its distinctiveness and elements dating back to its early origins. The paper explores the evolution of ethical thinking from Korkyt-Ata in the VIII century to that of the Abai Kunanbayev in the XIX century Kazakh Enlightenment. Throughout Kazakh history, the expression of ideas and their relationship with society (rulers and people) has been through poetry and song. Kazakh poetic philosophizing is a fusion of mind and heart, Sufi mysticism and rational knowledge. Further traditions, such as the principle of hospitality, are also key elements in the evolution of Kazakh ethical thinking.
More...
While approaching a well-researched topic, that of the fortified churches of Transylvania, the scope of this article is to look for possible answers to the question why the Saxons built so many fortified churches in Transylvania. For their number seems to be larger here than in other European states. To find these answers I examined the local topography, historic context (the Mongol invasion and the later battles with the Ottomans), typology, stages of building, identity and culture of the builders (Saxons), the role played by the church/religion at the time.
More...
The article analyzes materials from the Archive of V. Rozov. They contain knowledge important for modern historical linguistics and dialectology. The material is based on a deep and systematic study of charters from the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, which Rozov made in publications of 1917 and 1928. Basically, the Archive comprises manuscripts written in the Kyiv period, as well as from 1925 to 1940, when V. Rozov taught at the universities of Skopje and Zagreb. New archival materials, which have not yet been the subject of a separate historical and linguistic study, reveal the expansion of the scientific concept of V. Rozov – from studying the phonetics of the Volyn dialect and the charters of Švitrigaila to a generalized presentation of the classification of business documents of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries and dialectal differentiation of the language.
More...
An assessment of the reliability of results obtained during the work of the Combined Expedition, aimed at clarifying the location of the Battle on the Ice of 1242, has gained particular relevance over the last decades. Unpublished sources still not in scholarly circulation, especially diaries kept by expedition leader G. N. Karayev in 1956–1960, but these have a great significance for studying this problem. An analysis of their content allows ones to specify that at the first stage (in 1956) there was preliminary research (field trip, examining data from historical studies on the microregional geography, collecting information from locals). In 1957, thanks to the efforts of G. N. Karayev, specialized organizations were involved in performing such tasks as diving work, and after 1958 the expedition’s significantly expanded activities were done under auspices of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR. Documents preserved in the archive indicate that all the observations were carried out according to plan and were thoroughly recorded. Moreover, research that required special skills (diving work skills, work with equipment, etc.) were carried out exclusively by the people with special training. The documents also convey the emotional atmosphere that used to rule in this expedition: enthusiasm and the desire of participants to qualitatively complete the task.
More...
The subject of article is the history of the musical and poetic composition of the Christmas sticheron “Σήμερον ὁ Χριστός” by Johann Damascene with the Gospel quotation “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, and good will toward men” (Lk. 2:14), as well as the circle of associated stichera in Byzantine, Old Russian and Kiev-Lithuanian traditions. The musical text of the hymns is represented in Greek manuscripts by Chartres, Coislin and middle-Byzantine neumes; Old Russian chant books were analyzed using znamenny neumes and singer notation; and Kiev manuscripts - using Kievan five-line notation records. The melody of the Christmas sticheron emphasizes the importance of the Gospel quotation with long melismatic musical fragments of the quotation itself and the previous sentence. This sticheron became a model for several hymns to Epiphany, Purification of the Most Holy Mother of God, Annunciation and Entry into the Temple of the Most Holy Mother of God, the majority of which were excluded from liturgical use. There are various ways of creating a new sticheron based on the model: prosomoion may be a calque or an independent composition with certain elements of model tune. The latter case of the sticheron to the Entry into the Temple “Σήμερον τῷ ναῷ προσάγεται” has its own musical text history in three traditions, independent from that of the model. Chants of Old Russian manuscripts of 11th-14th centuries are similar to those of a Byzantine origin, but in the 15th-17th centuries the music of these two traditions has developed in different ways. The Kievan chant tradition, similar to both Old Russian and Byzantine ones, is a point of intersection of chant cultures.
More...
This text is devoted to venerable Gregory the Sinaite of Vojlovica. The motif for this is hagiologic and it is reflected in the need to explore saintly side of Gregory’s personality, and to remove existing suspicions, all of that in context of his canonisation by the church. Starting with scarce and undisclosed historical sources and facts, that cannot be easily validated, we are going to access archaeological and anthropological way of exploring this topic which will prove to be very vital. We will also bring about collected texts relevant for this topic. The importance of this effort can be seen in its answer to questions asked many times: who is Gregory the Sinaite whose relics (remains) are in Vojlovica? Is he the same Gregory Sinaite whose relics (remains) are in Gornjak? This is a multidisciplinary text which is in its entirety devoted to this topic and it corroborates renewed celebration of God’s benefactor Gregory, which would imply hagiographic, iconographic and hymnographic elements.
More...
L’acte d ’arborer le drapeau national à Vlora le 28 Novembre 1912 mit fin à une époque de guerres et d ’efforts séculaires, couronna l’oeuvre brillante de la Renaissance, dont les architectes devinrent toute une pléiade d ’hommes illustres, du fusil et de la plume que l’Albanie fit sortir de son sein dans cette époque révolutionnaire. «Ces grands hommes - a dit le cam arade Enver Hoxha - sont inspirés avant tout des aspirations de notre peuple pour la libération, pour l’indépendance nationale, pour la démocratie, ils sont inspirés de l’ardent désir pour m ettre comme il faut à l’évidence notre ancienne culture, dans tous les pays où vivaient les Albanais, pour la faire diffuser, l’étudier plus à fond, l’enrichir advantage.
More...
Insofar as it is possible to use history to understand one’s time, three main lessons can be drawn from the study of the Middle Ages. First, repeated confrontation with new populations did not prevent the foundation of a single cultural community. Then, among the causes that allowed this assimilation, there is what could be called an “inferiority complex,” which paradoxically pushed the men of the Middle Ages to constantly innovate out of admiration for their prestigious predecessors. Finally, the desire for unity was allied with numerous tensions and a de facto pluralism, since the poles around which to unify were themselves several: philosophical wisdom inherited from Athens, civil law transmitted from Rome, the Christian faith received from Jerusalem.
More...
The Author of this essay tries to show the value of medieval aesthetics by putting it in dialogue with some fundamental aspects of contemporary aesthetics. A description of those issues that most contrast with current culture is outlined: the predominance in the Middle Ages of religious faith and its fusion with the tradition of Greek thought in a metaphysical perspective, in order to elaborate the aesthetic theory, developing an ontological theory of beauty and art. On the contrary, the current era, still very indebted to modernity, is installed in a position of enormous metaphysical fragility and religious faith, excessively restricting reason to scientific rationality. In this sense, the Middle Ages can inspire us in the quest, already undertaken by certain currents of phenomenology, of expanding reason. In this framework, the difficulties of medieval aesthetics in order to conceive clearly the difference between beauty and good are analysed, then it has been something that has been done better in modern lines that have not lost the transcendental, from Immanuel Kant to Xavier Zubiri. Various conceptions of the Middle Ages are asserted, fundamentally from the hand of Umberto Eco, and without idealizing it, important values stand out in it nonetheless. The thesis is defended that it is not possible to completely renounce the theory of proportion, but that it must be expanded on the basis of a richer ontology, which, together with the ‘real-things’ of the world, takes into account the ‘sense-things’, according to the proposal of Xavier Zubiri. This allows us to critically assume the expansion of the aesthetic horizon (the opening of aesthetic values) typical of the contemporary without falling into nihilism.
More...
The town of Zvolen with a population of over 43 000 is an important regional center and traffic node of Central Slovakia. Although in close neighbourhood of the town, historical Podzámok or Subcastle quarter (Zólyom Várallya in Hungarian) made historically an administrative unit subordinate to Zvolen castle, not to a free royal town. The castle itself was since 13th Century also the seat of both the Zvolen County and Zvolen castle domain. In this paper we reconstruct the shape and evolution of Podzámok over time. As a service village of the castle, earliest structures by royal courtyard already existed prior to 1244 AD. They were represented by a toll-house, manor house, barns, royal garden and a fishpond, respectively. Since 1619 AD the habitation became a property of Eszterházi House. Medieval buildings were gradually supplemented by houses of clerical staff, brewery, lord´s pub, butchery, mill, saw-mill, artisan workshops and cottages. Spatial development of Podzámok was not only influenced by military function of the castle, but also by local natural conditions (= flooded area of river Slatina). The 18th Century was a period of relative economic boom, in contrast to a consecutive 19th century. Besides historical written data, our knowledge of Podzámok is mainly based on little-known plans and maps of 1708-1711, 1753 and 1860, respectively. The last standing buildings of Podzámok – besides the castle itself and the cannon bastion – are those of manorial brewery and distillery.
More...