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This article places into a broader scope of the research over the image of Gdańsk and its inhabitants in chronicles that are carried out by the authoress. It deals with the analysis of the historiographical sources originating from beyond Gdańsk. The majority of chronicles’ excerpts dedicated to Gdańsk deals with its political and trade activity. The authoress is particularly interested in the criteria, put forward by the chroniclers from 15th to 16th c., which decided on Gdańsk’s urban character, or indicated its value as a city and made it worth a visit. It was a period of intense development of this centre. The purpose of the analyses is to, i.a., check whether the contemporary chroniclers observed these changes and how they evaluated them. The issue has not yet been addressed in the literature of the subject. The analyses, referring to Hans Werner-Goetz’s methodology concerning the representations in chronicles (so-called Vorstellungsgeschichte), were carried out on various chronicles, relations and records, i.a. travel records (Gilbert de Lannoy and Mikołaj Wimann), Polish chronicles (Annales by Jan Długosz, chronicles by Bernard Wapowski, Joachim Bielski, Polonia by Marcin Kromer), foreign chronicles Germania by Eneas Silvius Piccolomini, Wandalia by Albert Krantz), or universal chronicles (Cosmographia by Sebastian Münster). The analysis shows that in the first half of the 15th century the contemporaneous authors did not stand out of other towns in the region (Jan Długosz, Gilbert de Lannoy, Eneas Silvius Piccolomini). Their assessment was made while they pondered on the city’s fortifications, geographical location and building material. It was not until the Thirteen Years War (1454–1466) and subsequent expansion of the city that the chronicles of the 16th c. noticed the ongoing change (especially Albrecht Krantz and Sebastian Münster). They described the “civilizational leap” that took place in Gdańsk in short time, namely during the life of one man. In their opinion, the changes were particularly noticeable in the fast pace of replacing wooden buildings with brick ones. The image of Gdańsk in the foreign chronicles does not contain elements of the descriptions of the city characteristic of Gdańsk records, which the authoress analyzed elsewhere – there are no references to specific buildings, streets and squares, that is, the living space of the city’s inhabitants.
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The representation of Silesian cities during the late Middle Ages and early modern times combines illustrative and textual elements. Both of these elements are subject to certain rules typical of the poetics of the so-called laudation. The representation (imagery) of each of the analyzed cities (the analysis in this case concerns mainly the capital of Lower Silesia – Wrocław) has a corona muralis, along with significant dominant profiles, which are naturally the church towers and the town hall. The towers of Nysa in the image of Hartmann Schedel are associated with the idea of Flemish belfries. Since the time of Hartmann Schedel’s Chronicle of 1493 the vedutas have also been provided with a commentary, fulfilling the functions of a classical laudation that praises the city’s good natural location, the beautiful shape and power of its founder. The image and text from Hartmann Schedel’s Chronicle may be compared with the famous description of the city of Wroclaw by Barthel Stein of 1512. The least-known, if one of the oldest, image of Wroclaw is the panorama with John of Capistrano in the background of 1503; it refers to the view from Weltchronik of 1493 only to some extent, though presenting a more symbolic, sacred character. On the other hand, the picture of Wrocław made in 1537 during the trip of the Palatine Ottheinrich from Neuburg on the Danube to Cracow is more impressive, although symbolic elements also appear here. The view of the city of 1562 should be described as a picture of the ideal town, made for specific political reasons. In turn, the first measurement plan of Wroclaw by Frederick Groβ of 1579 and the view of Wroclaw from the volume of Braun and Hogenberg of 1572–1618 should be considered the typical Renaissance plan of the consciously inventory-like character. The plan of Frederick Groβ expresses the idea of the modularity of the city consisting of sacral buildings and rectangular building blocks. It can be compared with Legnica’s plans from the beginning of the 18th century. The text of Braun and Hogenberg’s volume can be regarded as an early example of comparative urban planning. The veduta of Lwówek, created in the 17th century, should be considered to be close to the medieval paintings of a perfectly protected city.
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The purpose of this article is to identify an unrecognized so far figure in the gallery of the 15th-century European rulers painted on the wall of the representative hall of the royal castle in Písek, South Bohemia. This painting underwent a complete conservation treatment in early 19th century, but without intervention into its contents. It represents the King of Bohemia, Vladislaus II Jagiellon (his image on the eastern wall is preserved in rudiments) in a sub-local context (a cityscape of Písek), that of the estate society of the Bohemian Kingdom (coats of arms of Bohemian nobility, for the most part aristocracy), and in the Europe’s politic space. This latter purpose serve the images of the Bohemian rulers – two predecessors of Vladislaus II on St. Wenceslaus throne (Ladislaus the Posthumous von Habsburg and George of Poděbrady), his father Casimir Jagiellon, the ruler of Poland and Lithuania, and the King of France Charles VII – all of them are signed on the ribbon labels. The name of the last of them, as well as his image, are preserved partially – it is a ruler wearing a crown, with a griffin on the shield, and a fragment of the name “uslaw”. Undoubtedly, despite the crown on his head, it is the Szczecin Prince Bogislaw X Griffin. The article doesn’t explain the reasons why this image appeared there. It only outlines the political context which can account for this situation. In 1479 in Olomouc Vladislaus II concluded a treaty with Matthias Corvinus concerning a divided sovereignty in the Bohemian Crown. The Bohemian King from the Jagiellonian dynasty in Prague was gradually coming out of the international political isolation (although in 1479 he wasn’t still recognized by the Pope) and was building his political powerbase in Europe. One element of his politics, including the definite orientation towards the North, was his marriage per procura with Barbara Hohenzollern, daughter of margrave Albrecht Achilles, to whom Bogislaw X denied to pay feudal homage. The Szczecin Prince could search support from the Jagiellons, on whose court in Cracow he was raised. The question of the feudal relation of Pomerania to Brandenburg probably had to be confronted with the problem of the earlier feudal dependence of the feudal rule of the Hohenzollerns from the Bohemian Crown, de facto effective until 1415, de jure rather still in force as the Bohemian Crown Archive carefully kept documents which specified the obligations of the Hohenzollerns towards Prague. The Písek painting came into existence in the royal castle which, however, was at the time a collateral of the Bohemian aristocrat Lev of Rožmitál (Rosmital), brother of the Bohemian queen Joanna (wife of the Vladislaus II’s predecessor, George), who was an outstanding diplomat, member of a mission to France, pilgrim to the Holy Land, perfectly knowledgeable of the nuances of politics of that time. The painting demands deeper analysis in the light of the Prague politics oriented towards Brandenburg-Pomerania, as well as the Bohemian associations of the actions undertaken by prince Bogislav X, who was connected, as it turns out, to the Bohemian milieu not only by the bishop of Kamieniec Pomorski, Benedykt of Waldstein, who floruit after the painting was made.
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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
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The author analyzed excerpts from the chronicles, travelogues and reports mentioning bura and its effects. This wind became ill reputed primarily because of its ferocity and the cold it carries with it, but on the other hand it purified the air and brought clear weather. According to descriptive sources, bura has a negative impact on a range of human activities: movement and farming, warfare (land and maritime), transport, and construction as well. In a number of cases, this wind aided the defenders by dispersing enemy naval forces. Due to geographical location, surroundings of Senj, Pag, Klis, Makarska, and Kvarner Bay, also the Velebit and Brač channels, as well the Field of Sinj in the interior are particularly exposed to the stormy blowing of bura.
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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.
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Bartolomeo de Giano is the author of the famous work Epistola de crudelitate Turcorum (Of the Turks’ cruelty). The text is a letter written in Constantinople on December 12, 1438. The author has lived during the same time as the events he describes occur. The letter showcases the problem of the upcoming Ottoman danger, as well as the Ottoman cruelty. The analysis of the work Epistola de crudelitate Turcorum of Bartolomeo de Giano shows that several main motives stand out – the lack of unity between the Western states and rulers, who are virtually uninterested in helping Byzantium and the Balkans to face and repel the new conquerors from the East; the growing Ottoman fear that ruled in Europe, characteristic of the Renaissance literature in the 15th century; the prevalent image of the Ottomans being rude, illiterate and wild people, who then become lords of Asia and the Balkans, famous for their extreme cruelty and tyranny. Giano stresses the danger for Europe that derives from the loss of ancient Christian values, which are persecuted by the Muslims; and even more frightening, the danger of losing the Christian religion as a whole because of the adoption of Islam by force or due to social and political reasons. The short-sighted policy of some Western nations, mainly Venice and Genoa who support the Ottomans, is also noted.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Review of: Andrea Kovács: Monuments of Medieval Liturgical Poetry in Hungary. Sequences – Critical edition of melodies. Musica Sacra Hungarica 1 Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music – Church Music Research Group – Argumentum Publishing House, Budapest 2017, 735 s. ISSN 2498-9185. ISBN 978-963-7181-55-9
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In the assessment of liturgical musical codices from the territory of Slovakia dating from the medieval period and the early modern period, the town of Nitra has a special status. From Nitra’s church institutional funds only one liturgical manuscript has been preserved in its original place – the Nitra Codex from the 12th century (ekphonetic symbols, elements of German adiastematic neume notation). From the subsequent period (12th to 16th centuries) religious books with notation have not been preserved. All the more surprising, then, is the discovery of 7 antiphonary fragments from the turn of the 16th century with the Esztergom notation system in the Nitra Diocesan Archive, which is one of the oldest church archives in the Slovak Republic. On account of the historic status of the Nitra diocese and its church archive, we regard the finding of these fragments as an exceptional discovery in the field of medieval musical research in Slovakia.
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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.
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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.
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Delvina et son environnement rural sera le point de mire dans cet ouvrage. Environ d’elle se trouvait un nombre relativement grand de villages de l’Albanie du Sud-Ouest, avec un niveau supérieur de développement économique. Delvina est un exemple des plus typiques de la transformation d’un village moyennement développé en un centre urbain et plus tard aussi en un centre plus important administratif, militaire et économique de l’Albanie Méridionale. Grâce à sa position stratégique dans la voie qui liait l’Albanie intérieure méridionale avec les côtes de la mer Ionienne, elle s’accrut et se développa petit à petit jusqu’à la deuxième moitié du XVIe siècle et elle devint un centre de sandjak.
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Në këtë punim do të bëhet objekt studimi Delvina dhe rrethinat e saj fshatare. Po e përqëndrojm ë vëmendjen këtu jo rastësisht. Rreth saj ndodhej një numër relativisht i madh fshatrash të Shqipërisë Jugperëndimore, me një nivel zhvillimi ekonomik të lartë. Delvina është një prej shembujve më tipikë të shndërrim it të një fshati mesatarisht të zhvilluar në një qendër qytetare e më vonë edhe në qendrën më të rëndësishme adm inistrative, ushtarake dhe ekonomike të Shqipërisë Jugore. Falë pozitës së saj strategjike, në rrugën që lidhte Shqipërinë e brendshme jugore me brigjet e detit Jon, ajo u rrit e u zhvillua shkallë-shkallë deri sa në gjysmën e dytë të shekullit XVI u bë qendër sanxhaku.
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A huge collection of ceramics finds was discovered by digging a basement on the court of the family house in the village Šintava (district Galanta, Slovakia), in March 2020. For this reason, the Department of Archaeology at Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra realized archaeological excavation. During the excavation were documented three settlement features, which were secondary filled mostly with the ceramics. Some of them were fragments of stove tiles, especially panel stove tiles with different types of motifs. In this study, the collection of stove tiles are presented and evaluated by iconography, morphology, type-chronological classification, and also an extension on the territory of Slovakia. The finding itself is also evaluated within Šintava past settlement.
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