Constantine of Kostenec, his life of despot Stefan and the end of the Middle Ages in the Balkans
Constantine of Kostenec, his life of despot Stefan and the end of the Middle Ages in the Balkans

Summary/Abstract: The Life of Despot Stefan by Constantine of Kostenec represents a master-piece of the late medieval Slavic literature. Its many uniques features, particularly the author’s understanding of the geopolitical developments of his time, position it as, in its essence, the first post-medieval historical work in the Balkans and the broader Byzantine world. The paper analyzes Constantine’s peculiar look into the past, his near obsession with geography, especially with the concepts the East and the West, and his positioning of Despot Stefan’s Serbia within a new world, dominated by the Ottomans.

• Details
• Contents