The Valachi in the Relations between the Hungarian Kingdom and the Ottoman Empire in the Early 1490s

Author(s): Alexandru Simon / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2011

“takoće i mrsniem ljudem (...)”: PRILOG ČITANJU OPORUKE GOSTA RADINA

Author(s): Nedim Rabić / Language(s): Bosnian Issue: 15/2015

Discovery of the document, with today’s recognizable name The Testament of gost Radin, marked a significant crossroad in studying of the Bosnian church. This Testament belongs to the group of most significant documents on Bosnian medieval history. This is the most comprehensive document which emerged from the inner circle of the Church community, from a member of its hierarchy that speaks, in an explicit way, about themselves. Since 1911, when this testament was discovered by Ćiro Truhelka until today, interest among scientist who investigated issues regarding the Bosnian church, never ceased. Its multiple significance is confirmed with numerous and diverse approaches within the domestic and foreign scientific scene. In this paper we expressed commitment to pointing out particular segments of this Testament, which seem to be insufficiently examined. In that sense, we offer a historiographical cross section of most noted works on this subject. The author of this Testament is gost Radin Butković, high dignitary of the Bosnian church. Even though he is a member of hierarchy of this religious instance, his activity is more known through his political engagements. From the beginning of his political career he is mentioned with the title starac. Simultaneously with his advancement on the social ladder, Radin gets promoted in his monastic life as well, and rises to the rank of gost, second highest dignitary on the Bosnian church hierarchy, after the title of djed. At the end of 1430s Radin is the confidant of a powerful magnate, herceg Stjepan Vukčić Kosača. Growing dangers to which the land of Hum was exposed because of the Ottoman threat, which already conquered the main territory of the Bosnian Kingdom, caused Radin’s to escape in refuge to the territory of Republic of Dubrovnik. He died in the beginning of 1467.

O dramă sentimentală din vremea lui Ştefan cel Mare şi consecinţele ei politico-diplomatice

Author(s): Liviu Pilat / Language(s): Romanian Issue: 61/2015

The study follows the particular case of an Moldavian boyar, Vasco Barinovski, a refugee in Poland at the end of the 15th century. The reason that prompted him to leave Moldavia is a sentimental drama; he was divorced by his wife against his wish. In matrimonial matters, even in those involving boyars, the Moldavian ruler had great power and his decision could be even against to the ecclesiastic law. The asylum offered by the Polish king to Vasco Barinovski became a dispute in Moldavian-Polish relations. Even when Vasco obtained the status of nobility in Poland, Stephen the Great continued to ask the refugee’s rendition. In 1509, Vasco played an important role during the Polish military expedition in Moldavia, when a great number of Moldavian boyars were captured. On this occasion, Vasco get his revenge, killing the boyar married with his former wife. Other aspects regard Vasco Barinowski’s successors and his possible position as ancestor of Moldavian ruler, Miron Barnovski.

Changes in Moldavian politics at the end of the rule of Alexander I the Good: Documentary notes

Author(s): Mark Whelan,Alexandru Simon / Language(s): English Issue: XXXIII/2015

This article aims to reassess the last years of Alexander I’s reign in Moldavia by using two German sources. The first is an anonymous report, most likely written by the bishop of Augsburg in March 1431, which documents Alexander’s change of allegiance from Poland to Hungary. The second document comes from the Archives of the Teutonic Orders and refers to the negotiations between Sigismund de Luxemburg, the Teutonic Grand-Master and Svidrigiello in the spring of 1431. According to these documents, Alexander was actively involved in an ambitious political design that brought together the Teutonic Order, Lithuania and Moldavia, having Sigismund of Luxembourg’s tacit support. The main contention of this article is that the matrimonial alliances played a key role in this political design.

,„Și încă a pustiit şi sfânta mănăstire”. Mănăstirea Govora și un gest de putere de la mijlocul secolului al XV-lea

Author(s): Ramona Neacşa / Language(s): Romanian Issue: XXXIII/2015

This paper analyses the destruction of the Govora Monastery by the boyar Albu the Great in mid fifteenth-century Wallachia. The main contention of the article is that this sacrilegious act was embedded in the struggles between different Wallachian noble groups competing for power. Thus, by devastating the monastery, Albu the Great was trying to strengthen his own position, while undermining that of the founder of the monastery, no other than Vlad the Devil, the lord of Wallachia. The Govora monastery played an important role in supporting and legitimizing Vlad’s rule, therefore any act of violence directed against it was actually aimed to its founder. A locus of history and legitimacy, the monastery had a significant capital of symbolic power that could be manipulated, destroyed or, on the contrary, restored. This is precisely what happed with Govora in the second half of the fifteenth century, when Vlad the Devil’s descendents took care to restore the family monastic foundation. Thus, Vlad the Impaler punished Albu the Great and his entire kin and, afterwards, Vlad the Monk and Radu the Great re-established the monastic estate by buying back two of its former villages, Glodul and Hinţa. The purpose of this article is to suggest that the fifteenth-century Wallachian monasteries were not solely a network of religious and economic centres, but also hubs of political power.

Héritagesde Byzance en Europe du Sud-Est à l’époque moderne et contemporaine, eds. Olivier Delouis, Anne Couderc & Petre Guran. Athens: École française d’Athènes, 2013, 522 p.

Author(s): / Language(s): English Issue: 46/2015

The Testone of Bona of Savoy fromthe Emeryk Hutten-Czapski Collection in Krakow

Author(s): Agnieszka Smołucha-Sładkowska / Language(s): English Issue: 10/2015

The present article deals with the newly identified 15th-centurytestone of Bona of Savoy, Duchess of Milan, from the Emeryk Hutten-Czapski Collection owned by the National Museum in Krakow. Since the day the coin was referred to by the collector as a “medal of young Bona Sforza, queen of Poland ˮthis – erroneous – attribution has never been changed. The present author investigates the history of the Krakow specimen and explores the possible reasons for the misinterpretation of the nature of this object. The author also focuses on the historical context and the political circumstances at the time of the issuing of the coin,as well as on the interpretation of its iconography. In the final part of the paper, the author makes a comparison between the testone from the National Museum in Krakow and other known specimens and types of the coins.

Gold Gulden from Gdansk

Author(s): Anna Longa,Jakub Prager / Language(s): English Issue: 10/2015

The present work concerns a gold Dutch gulden struck in Arnhem, between 1402 and 1423, during the reign of Reinald IV, the Duke of Gueldersand Jülich. The item was found during archaeological excavations in 2014. Stray finds of gold coins are very rarely registered in Gdansk, although they played an important role in the city’s trade. This is why the discussed find is of such importance.

Középkori tarajos sarkantyúk Erdélyben. 13. század vége-15. század eleje

Author(s): Zalán Györfi / Language(s): Hungarian Issue: I/2006

The aim of this paper is to present a category of the medieval chivalry accessories from Transylvania,namely the rowel spurs. The chronological frame of the research is set between the last third of the 13th century (the occurrence and the development of the rowel spurs) and the first half of the 15th century (when the diversification of these artefacts gain much more importance). The typological and stylistic analysis of the Transylvanian rowel spurs, and the undertaken conclusions are based on a catalogue of the all published artefacts from the aforementioned area and also on the research of the pieces found in the National History Museum of Transylvania. The resulted classification of these artefacts shows the present stage of the research and undoubtedly will suffer modifications following the numerical increase of the new archaeological data. The basic criteria of the classification were the shape of the arms (A), the shape of the arms' heads (a) and the length of the spin (1). 5 different types of spurs were identified: Aal, Acl, Adl, and Abl - which differ by means of the type of the arms: arched arms, with a 3—4, 5 cm long spin; Bal - much arched arms. Out of a total of 66 pieces, the best part is represented by the Abl and Aal types, which were probably the most widespread in the epoch. The wheel has various dimensions. The shape and the number of the spikes are not likely to be considered a classification criterion, as all the spur types display diverse kinds of wheel. The attachment system of the spur is easy to distinguish with the help of the small plates, which were tied to the belt or to the chain that was used for fixing the spur to the footwear. There are cases when belts and buckles were also used for fixing the piece to the footwear. None of the spurs have the artisan's mark, or a characteristic decoration of some Transylvanian workshop. Therefore, in the issue of the artefacts production, written sources have to be consulted. Documents from the 15th century attest the production of the chivalry accessories and implicitly of the spurs, at Cluj, Sighişoara and Sibiu. It is highly probable that the spurs were also produced in the Transylvanian towns. The increasing number of spurs beginning with the 14"' century, as compared to the preceding epoch, was due to the development of the hand-made production on one side and to the augmented role of the chivalry in the Angevin army on the other.

Testament kraljice Katarine, mit ili stvarnost?

Author(s): Adis Zilić / Language(s): Bosnian Issue: 10/2015

Inspired by Kajan's novel Katarina – The Bosnian Queen, this paper follows the literary motifs based on historiographic data, and tries to offer a historiographic review. Besides Katarina, there were other members of the ruling Kotromanić dynasty alive; however, no one of them bequeathed to the state. Among them was also the last Bosnian Queen Mara or Jelena. Such practice was unknown to their contemporaries. The Parliament did not meet after 1463, hence there was no authoritative body that could address such important state issues. The year 1463 is a constant reference point – after that year, both Bosnian Queens were widows, hence could only be former queens. A new king could not be elected, which is why there could be no new queen. Medieval Bosnia witnessed a violent shutdown i.e. the state lost its sovereignty. After a decade-long resistance, the state was divided among the regional powers – the Ottoman Empire and Hungary.Women could not legitimately rule as a king could i.e. they had neither the right nor the possibility to bequeath to the state. Jelena Gruba was given as an example from earlier state practice from the end of the 14th century, when her rule – a product of specific circumstances – was treated as interregnum i.e. an extension to her husband’s, King Dabiša’s, rule. All circumstances in the case lead to the conclusion that Katarina’s charter is not authentic. However, there remains the problem that the original document is not preserved, which prevents a more detailed analysis. As a conclusion, a strong suspicion can be entertained about the authenticity of the charter and, in this paper, we withhold from a final verdict on the case. The doubt is further deepened by cardinal Borgia’s involvement in the whole case.

„Szent László, Erdély védőszentje”

Author(s): Terézia Kerny / Language(s): Hungarian Issue: III-V/2010

A partir de la deuxième moitié du 16e siècle, grâce à leur isolation et à l’éloignement graduel de la patrie mère, les habitants catholiques de la Transylvanie (et les Hongrois de la Moldavie) ont sauvegardé, presque sans faille, la pratique liturgique et les thématiques artistiques médiévales qui avaient déjà disparu de la Hongrie royale sans avoir laissé de traces. Les diverses causes de cette élimination étaient – parmi d’autres – les suivantes: les réformes de l’Eglise catholique, l’envahissement du pays par des idées protestantes, l’invasion par les troupes turques et le changement dans les exigences artistiques. Grâce à ce procès historique, l’honneur de Saint Ladislas a gardé de nombreux points archaïques et s’est sauvegardé en Transylvanie. Ce sont peut-être les racines du phénomène de métamorphose de Saint Ladislas à la fin duquel il s’est sublimé en symbole national et s’est érigé en modèle moral. Il est devenu le patron de la Transylvanie. Quelles sont les bases culturelles qui soutiennent cette locution stable bien enracinée et devenue immuable depuis ce temps ? Peut-on parler en Transylvanie d’un culte de Saint Ladislas qui s’est formé en une manière autonome et très caractéristique depuis la deuxième moitié du 16e siècle et qui a exercé de l’influence même plusieurs siècles plus tard ? Ou bien était-il tout simplement un topos idéalisé renforçant le respect de soi, l’émotion nationale que l’on peut en quelque manière relier à des causes psychologiques créées plus tard et provenant de la situation provinciale de la région, la principauté transylvanienne vivant son indépendance illusoire ? Etait-il un élément soutenant l’image d’un « âge d’or » et d’un « jardin des fées » ? L’étude ci-dessous cherche à répondre à ces questions en mettant l’accent sur les oeuvres d’art et en analysant les sources historiques, ecclésiastiques et littéraires concernant l’époque. La comparaison des données s’est terminée par une conclusion négative. Ni dans la cour de la principauté, ni dans cette partie du pays, la démonstration d’une apothéose spécifique régionale n’était pas relevante. Le culte n’a obtenu son image caractéristique s’appuyant sur des fonds du 19e siècles qu’au cours du 20e siècle. Il a été sûrement soutenu par des événements historiques mythifiés, par des traditions, mais aussi par des faits historiques sans aucun doute justifiables – comme la réorganisation de l’épiscopat de Transylvanie, la campagne militaire de 1068 menée contre les ‘Besenyı’ et l’installation des ‘Székely’ (Sicules) sur le territoire. C’est la raison pour laquelle Saint Ladislas est devenu le protecteur et le sauveur de la Transylvanie. Le culte transylvanien de Saint Ladislas n’a obtenu sa forme cristallisée qu’après le trauma de ‘Trianon’ lié à des combats de politique minoritaire et nationale et à la question réelle du destin causé par l’émigration des ‘Székely’.

Przebieg turniejów rycerskich w Polsce XV wieku

Author(s): Anna Lachowska / Language(s): Polish Issue: 13/2015

Tournaments in medieval Poland testify to the richness of style of courtly lifeand culture. Medieval knights’ tournament is nothing but a combat skills competitionfor knights, those appearing in the lists in order to demonstrate theirskills, strength, courage, and to gain fame, and sometimes money.Charisma players during the tournament struggles and pains that often prevailedmutual confrontations, gives us the awareness that the average ages hadcreated the image of warriors. Knight became one of the leading figures woveninto the very culture that has been created in France. Hence it reached onother areas to grow its roots in Europe, including the lands Polish – Polish court,which in the 15th century tournaments reached a peak of its development.

The Evolution of Fifteenth Century Ottoman Fortresses in the Balkans

Author(s): Uğur Altuğ / Language(s): English Issue: 3-4/2014

Based on the information from the tahrir, mevâcib and mukataa registers, the study shows how the policies of conquest and centralization, which shaped Ottoman mentality and institutions, also affected the evolution of fortresses in the Balkans in the fifteenth century; their structure, their personnel and equipment. The analysis of these fortresses, their structure and the policies which governed them makes it possible to understand one of the keystones of Ottoman sovereignty in the Balkans. This study tries to explain the dynamic and evolving structure of the Ottoman fortresses and the new policies to which they gave rise.

Household pottery of an urban noble house and craftsmen in Visegrád: Late medieval pottery finds from 5 Rév Street

Author(s): Bence Góra / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2023

In 2003–2004, the King Matthias Museum in Visegrád conducted archaeological excavations at 5 Rév Street, Visegrád. The fieldwork brought to light, besides an already known late medieval house and a glass workshop of outstanding importance, some more buildings and the excellently preserved part of a street pavement. The study presents the pottery finds obtained by the excavations.

Concepts of Diversity in the Time of Sigismund of Luxembourg (1368–1437): Introductory Remarks and Conceptual Approaches

Author(s): Julia Burkhardt,Paul Schweitzer-Martin / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2024

Alterity and Self-Understanding: Inclusion and Exclusion Strategies of Southern German Estates in the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Centuries

Author(s): Markus Christopher Müller / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2024

This article analyses diversification strategies in the politics of Sigismund I as king and emperor. Three examples (Swabia, Bavaria, and Tyrol) show different aspects of this diversity. In Swabia, Sigismund attempted to mediate alliances between the knightly societies and the city federations in order to create a counterweight to the imperial princes. In Bavaria, he privileged the knighthood and thus created a dynamic that led to the formation of the land estates with their own identity. Sigismund also supported rebellious nobles in Tyrol against their prince. All interventions can be better contextualised against the backdrop of his imperial policy. At first glance, he was not successful anywhere, but the imperial privileges he granted had an impact on the conflicts between the knighthood/nobility and princes in the fifteenth century and thus diversified late medieval constitutional practice.

Religious Diversity: What or How? Towards a Praxeology of Early Modern Religious Ordering

Author(s): Iryna Klymenko / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2024

Scholars of the pre-modern history of religion have increasingly sought to arrive at a comprehensive understanding of the phenomenon of religious diversity. Building on these advancements, this paper argues that our comprehension of this phenomenon is intricately linked to our presuppositions regarding religious groups and their boundaries. By challenging the conventional notion of groups as closed, authentic, and consistently coherent collectives, it advocates for a praxeological approach. Drawing on sociological theories and microhistorical studies, with a particular focus on early modern sources related to Jewish communities, it proposes a transition from inquiries about “what” the groups are to an examination of “how” they have been constructed in both temporal and spatial dimensions. Thus, by viewing religious groups and their ordering as dynamic and process-related, this approach aims to deepen our understanding of religious diversity in the early modern era as an analytical and empirical category.

Civitas nostra Bardfa vocata. Správa mesta Bardejov v stredoveku (1320–1526) [Civitas nostra Bardfa vocata. The Administration of the Town of Bardejov in the Middle Ages (1320–1526)]. By Mária Fedorčáková.

Author(s): Drahoslav Magdoško / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2023

Civitas nostra Bardfa vocata. Správa mesta Bardejov v stredoveku (1320–1526) [Civitas nostra Bardfa vocata. The Administration of the Town of Bardejov in the Middle Ages (1320–1526)]. By Mária Fedorčáková. Košice: Bessarion, 2021. 239 pp.

Urzędy kuchni i stołu wielkoksiążęcego na dworze litewskim Kazimierza Jagiellończyka

Author(s): Rafał Jaworski / Language(s): Polish Issue: 3/2023

The topic of the article is the range of qualifications and staffing of offices related to the grand ducal court’s cooking (i.e. the chef (magister coquinae)) and dining - the cupbearer (pincerna vel subpincerna), the steward (dapifer vel subdapifer), the krajczy (incisor) during the reign of Casimir Jagiellon as the Grand Duke of Lithuania (1440- 1492). By analysing the careers of people holding offices formally related to „serving” the Lithuanian ruler during meals it is visible, that their position in the court and envi- ronment of the ruler was higher than would be expected from a simple analysis of the cursus honorum.

Testamentum de bonis a Deo concessis Ostatnia wola księdza Macieja z Szadku z 1488 r.

Author(s): Agnieszka Bartoszewicz / Language(s): Polish Issue: 24/2024

| Late medieval wills from within the city records of Szadek, kept in the collections of the Central Archives of Historical Records in Warsaw, are a valuable source for historians dealing with religiosity, social relations, and material culture. The last will of priest Maciej, son of Baron, from 1488, prepared by public notary Jakub of Szadek in the form of a notarial instrument and inserted four years later into the Szadek lay judges’ book, is an excellent example of this. This document contains detailed records regarding the division of property: bequests to relatives and friends and bequests for pious purposes. It shows the social position of the priest from Szadek, his contacts, including with other clergy, as well as his religiosity andmentality. The article analyses the content of the last will, both its form and the testator’s provisions. The annex contains a critical edition of the analysed document.